Why You Should Juice

Juicing refers to the process of extracting vitamins, liquids, and minerals from raw vegetables and fruits — and taking in only the best energy out of it. It strips away the solid parts of the fruit and vegetable leaving you with only the liquid. This liquid is not just any other hydrating fluid; instead, it is packed with phytonutrients, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and anti-inflammatory compounds all in one glass. It is a quicker and natural way to gain long lasting energy instead of caffeine that offers quick fixes. Residential juicing became popular in the early 1990s for dietary purposes and as an alternative medicine and the interest has soared ever since. It is different from buying processed juice from the supermarket since this focuses on fresh pressed vegetables and fruits — which is a much better source of nutrients.

The process

cherry-juice-minEven though there are many methods of extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables, juicing is the most preferred method. It can range from the hand squeezing of fruits to using a domestic motor-driven juicer to a large-scale industrial extraction using automated equipment.

How to do it? First, remove the skin of the fruits and vegetable and thoroughly wash them.
  • Equipment – you can use a high-speed blender if you don’t own a juicer.
  • Pop the fruit in the juicer and let it do its work.
  • If the fruit is still wet after juicing, you can re-juice
  • If using a blender, strain through a nut milk bag and repeat till the pulp is dry.
  • Store it in an airtight jar for a maximum of 48 hours. It is best to drink immediately.
Why juicing is better than eating?

Digestion is the biggest difference between juicing and eating whole vegetables and fruits. When you juice, you remove the pulp i.e. the insoluble fibre and bran found in the vegetables and fruits. While fibre is really good for you, slowing down the absorption of sugar in your body, it also slows down the absorption of the nutrients.

When you juice the fruits and veggies, you make it easier and faster for the body to absorb all these vitamins, minerals, and enzymes because they go straight into your body without needing to be broken down.

Benefits of juicing

blood-minWe’ve already established that juicing gives more of the taken nutrients than the process of eating a whole fruit or vegetable. When you juice, you get more phytochemicals from the veggies, a compound known to protect cells from damage, therefore, fighting off diseases. It prevents heart diseases, asthma, allergies, cancer, and digestive system problems. Phytochemical polyphenol has been shown to help against Alzheimer’s.

That leads to probably the most significant benefit of juicing: you get a lot more energy than what you normally do. You feel energized, refreshed and revitalized. Why? Because the digestive process consumes a lot of time and energy — and it makes you tired. Have you ever noticed how sleepy you get after eating a huge pasta dish? That’s the reason. When you juice, you bypass your digestive process, you allow your body to redirect the use of that energy to better things. That’s when your body starts to heal. You also get injected with pure life force — enzymes and good bacteria from raw veggies and fruits, which also skyrockets your immune system.

Take notice:

The recommended daily fibre intake should be between 28 and 38 grammes — however juicing gives almost none of this. This means that if you’re juicing for a longer period, a balanced diet is a must.

The Food you eat can be either the Safest & most Powerful form of Medicine or the slowest form of Poison.

Ann Wigmore

Juicing vs. Blending: What is better?

Cold-pressing means the juice is extracted by applying a hydraulic pressing method on the fruit and vegetable to yield the most juice and nutrients. There is no heat involved at all and no chopping of the fruit or vegetable material. Even though the equipment may be expensive, it does the job better than any other techniques. In blending, the fruit is chopped into fine pieces by a fast rotating blade then the pulp is strained to bring out a smoothie.

The difference between both processes
  • Fibre: juices lack fibre while smoothies contain a lot of fibre.
  • Juices only contain the extracted liquid while smoothies provide satisfaction with the volume because it still contains the pulp.
  • It's easy for the body to absorb the nutrients in the case of juices. Because of the fibres, smoothies provide a slower nutrient absorption.
  • They have the same amount of nutrient density.
  • Juice is best to consume as soon as it is extracted and stored for a maximum of 48 hours. Smoothies can last longer — up to 4 days.
  • The fruit or vegetable flavour will be more pronounced especially in the greens for juicing. Smoothies hide the taste of vegetables when mixed with other fruits
  • Juice can serve just as a snack while smoothies can become a full meal by adding protein powders and superfoods.
  • They both support the body’s detoxification channels.
Why we prefer the cold-pressed method

The pressing action on the fruit or vegetables involves no grinding like in the case of blending, therefore will not result in the oxidation and degradation of the fruits or vegetables. There is no heat and no air hence little or no oxidation. It results in a thick juice packed with nutrients and enzymes.

Benefits of Juicing for the body and the mind

liquid-minLiquid engineering

The nutrients found in greens and fruits are way more nutritious than anything man has made like junk food, bottled juice, and bread. Almost all juices on the supermarket shelves are devoid of the essential nutrients. Juicing will extract the nutritional power from anything you want to feed on hence liquid engineering for the body.

Energy boosting

After a heavily processed meal, the body will naturally feel tired due to the redirection of energy to your digestive system. You are also feeding your body irrational amounts of sugar. Juicing does the body’s digestive work for it so that you won’t feel sleepy or tired after a meal. This results in boosted energy levels.

sleep-minBetter sleep

The types of food we eat take away a lot of energy leaving the body bare and unable to recharge fully. With juicing, your body gets back the full sleep it deserves, meaning you will be more restful and sleep better.

Early rising

Since the body can now get better sleep, it goes without saying that you will rise early, full of energy and freshened when you juice. Your mind will be alert all day long improving productivity.

Great look and feeling

When you juice, you will feel good, full of energy and enthusiastic about life in general. The better you eat, the better you will feel. When you feel great, you automatically will look great.

Why You Should Juice to Lose WeightLose weight

The most common cause of weight gain is the highly-processed foods that have no nutritional value to the body. Juicing fills the body with high nutrients meaning your metabolism, and the immune system will function optimally. This extra energy from juicing allows you to exercise more resulting in weight loss and release of endorphins to make you happy. To add to this, when your body has the nutrients it needs from juicing, you will feel satisfied, and end up eating less effortlessly.

Anti-aging

The intake of antioxidants helps maintain the cells of the body active hence a younger body in general. The live enzymes provided keeps the body functioning optimally and keeps inflammations at bay.

Cancer prevention

Since fruits and greens contain the antioxidants the body needs, juicing will help the body fight cancer even before it develops. They keep the body in top shape and detoxified.

Take care of your Body. It’s the only Place you have to live.

Jim Rohn

Tips for beginners on how to cope with the juicing process

Your budget

Since prices vary along different juicer products, your budget will matter. You can opt for a centrifugal juicer if you’re using only fruits, and if you want both fruit and vegetables juicing, then a masticating juicer will be your best choice. Are you particular about the quality of the product or just any juicer can do? If you are always in a hurry, then a high rpm centrifugal blender is what you need. And if you have an ample space and won’t mind a large juicer at home, go for the big ones. They are more expensive but also produce the best juice.

preparing-juice-minPreparation matters

Organic or conventional fruits and vegetables should be properly washed before putting into the juicer. This removes all soil, pesticide or any particles that may be trapped on the surface. Use ingredients with high water content like cucumber, celery, and zucchini. These items also have almost no sugar in them. These diuretic substances help the kidney and liver flush out toxins and detoxifying your system.

Have a grocery list

Make a comprehensive grocery list for the week when planning your budget. Buying too much may result in wastage since they can get spoilt. Start with small quantities that will be used up. Make your recipe before the shopping list to get it right. The best way to keep juicing for a longer period is to have a bunch of delicious recipes at your disposable — trying and testing new flavors is exciting, and it will keep you wanting more.

drinking-minDrink it as soon as you can

Getting the most out of this rich cup of nutrients requires drinking it as soon as you squeeze it. The remaining can be consumed within the next 48 hours depending on the juicer type.

Chop fibrous greens

When using a horizontal masticating juicer, it is good to chop the greens to avoid clogging up the juicer and making a mess.

How to incorporate juicing into your everyday life

Juicing rules: if juicing starchy vegetables including broccoli, beetroots, and carrots, only combine it with green apples and no other fruits. Failing this will mess up your digestive system. Eat starchy foods alone since the enzymes digesting them are different from those other food groups. Combining them with fruits may also cause fermentation and stomach gas. Let’s avoid that.

Deal with the green taste: when preparing a leafy green drink, add cucumber to mask the taste and add you a refreshing flavor. Cucumber also adds extra vitamins especially eating the skin.

Keep sugar down: maintaining the sugar content minimum by adding only a little amount of fruit. You just need one piece of fruit per glass of green juice — try to keep your juice with a minimum of 65% vegetables.

Add superfoods: adding foods like spirulina or wheat the super alkalizing agent that promotes healthy blood normalizes your thyroid gland, which stimulates metabolism. The fresh wheat grass is better than powdered wheat. Do you want to learn more about Superfoods?

Buy a juicer that is easy to clean after use. If it takes too much time to disassemble and clean, then you will get discouraged to keep doing it regularly. Use a masticating juicer that gently extracts the juice allowing more juice to be extracted.

What fruits and vegetables can I juice?

This is more of a personal choice than a rule. Each individual can make a unique blend of vegetables and fruits to get the desired nutrients. Individual health issues will also determine the type of fruit and vegetables you use. However, the general rule is to follow the rainbow principle that incorporates the range of vegetables and fruit colors meaning you get all the benefits they bring.

  • It is advisable to use more greens than fruit. About 75% of the content should be greens. The fruit is mainly to make the green better tasting and add whatever nutrients they have.
  • Using organic ingredients is much better than the traditional sources. Even though they may be more expensive, they have no pesticide on them to contaminate your drink.
  • Rotate your ingredients regularly. Using one or the same type of fruit and vegetable is not as good as you will be missing out on a lot of other nutrients and tastes.

After analyzing all these, juicing is the most preferred technique due to its ability to extract most of the nutrients out of the fruit without injuring the ingredient — there is no oxidation on the juice. Make sure to keep a ratio of about 75 to 25 percent of vegetables and fruits. The choice of the fruit and vegetables is dependent on a person’s choice as long as a wide range of the ingredients is used rotationally to maximize on the available nutrients.

Juicing is an excellent way to live healthy, lose weight and keep away cancer. It is a good way to detoxify your body and live a life full of energy and vibrancy. It is easy to incorporate this routine into your daily meal plan to get the most out of foods, fruits, and vegetables.

Easily available yet nutritious sources include:

  • Fruits: Green apple, lemon, oranges, bananas, mangoes, passion, avocado, grapes, guava, pineapple, strawberry.
  • Vegetables: cucumber, celery, kale, lettuce, mint, coriander, ginger, tea, carrot, beetroot, coconut water, spirulina, turmeric.

A Healthy Outside starts from the Inside.

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