You probably know that you should eat the recommended minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. However, what I like to tell my patients is to aim for optimal levels between 7 and 12 to get the most antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals from food sources.
Now, for many of my patients, that sounds like a lot of fruits and vegetables to eat every day. What I recommend, however, is to take several servings of fruits and vegetables, combine them in a blender, and juice them.
The idea of juicing raw fruits and vegetables and drinking them instead of cooking and eating them has been around for some time, but many people think that it takes a lot of time and extra work to prepare fruits and vegetables this way. It actually takes much less time than cooking and has several additional benefits that I would like to tell you about.
The benefits of juicing for optimal health
If you go to a store, you can look at the price of juice products that contain multiple servings of fruits and vegetables and you’d be right to wonder if a bottle was worth the price. The product may have been sitting on that shelf for some time and has probably lost much of its nutritional potency. In today’s economy, getting the most nutrition for our money is critical. That’s where the juices from your own vegetables and fruits come into play. Here are some important benefits I’d like you to consider about juicing your own produce:
• Fresh juices contain concentrated enzymes that are essential for digestion, metabolism, and the conversion of the food you eat into the nutrition your body needs to thrive.
• Fresh juices contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals and antioxidants that are nature’s “doctors” that boost your immune system by scavenging free radicals, regulating hormone levels, and fighting disease.
• Juicing fights aging and depression by providing higher/concentrated amounts of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, etc., which preserve skin and muscle integrity and increase mental well-being .
• Juices can be customized to address certain health concerns, such as weight loss, heart health, general detoxification, by combining products that contain specific nutrients.
• Juicing allows you to absorb larger amounts because the digestion period is much faster than trying to digest solid foods.
how to make juice
There are plenty of good how-to guides out there on juicing machines, recipes for combining fruits and vegetables, and storage techniques, but I’d like to give you a few basics that will get you started juicing, hopefully. , This day!
Blenders/Juicers: There are many specific blenders and “designer juicers” you can buy if you want, but really you just need a good, simple food blender that has multiple function buttons to chop, grind, grate, blend, blend, blend. These can be purchased relatively cheaply at a department store that sells cookware.
As that: First, be sure to wash all produce thoroughly, either with a special fruit/vegetable washing product purchased at the produce department, or a good fruit and vegetable washer. Keep in mind that about 1 pound of product makes about 8 to 10 ounces of juice. Keep the base of your juice blend 80% dark green and red vegetables like kale, spinach, carrot, broccoli, tomato, radish, purple cabbage, beet root, parsley, as these vegetables are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals and are very low in sugar/carbohydrates. Add to that plant-based base some fresh fruit flavors for sweetness like apple, cherry, orange, strawberry, red plum, banana, whatever you like, and experiment to your specific taste. Carefully remove orange and banana peels before juicing so as not to disturb the white cellulose fiber layer around the fruit. This layer contains much needed fiber and other nutrients. Vitamins are perfectly concentrated! h the skin of the fruit, so leave it on the skin of the apple or cut it very finely. Add about 8-10 oz of cold filtered water to your blender and add your products. You may need to use the chop or shred buttons first to break items into much smaller pieces and then the mix or blend buttons.
I think it’s important that your juices be primarily vegetable and that fruits are used sparingly for flavor to avoid spikes in blood sugar levels (important for diabetics) that can occur with fruit-based juices . Juice is more or less an individual flavor system and you may need to modify particular recipes with more water, more fruit, etc. I prefer my juices with the pulp, but you may want to filter them by pouring them through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. You can even add a few scoops of protein powder to your juice if you like.
When to drink your juices: The best time to drink your juice blends is on an empty stomach at least 30-45 minutes before a solid meal to allow your body to absorb the nutrients in your juice. Or, if you prefer, you can consume your juice about 2-3 hours before bedtime. Juices contain a lot of vitamin C and some people can be sensitive to the stimulating effect of vitamin C, so it is best to schedule it several hours before bedtime.
Easy High Nutrient Juice Sampler: If you’d like to give juicing a try before investing in a new blender, recipes, etc., here’s a quick and nutritious juice mix you can make to get you started with juicing. In a regular blender, add 1 carrot, 1 apple (I think green gives the best flavor, with or without skin), tomato, and/or cucumber. If you find the tomato too acidic for you, leave it out or substitute a red plum. Add 10 oz of fresh filtered water. Blend on blender button until all items are blended. Enjoy!
Juicing fruits and vegetables is a very healthy way to get vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that cooking can partially destroy. I hope I have inspired you to at least try eating some of your vegetables/fruits this way raw. Once you try juicing, I’m sure you’ll want to keep doing it, as the immediate energy and nutrient burst it gives you is a healthy habit you won’t want to do without.