Hello out there! Let's get Juiced!
OK - by now most of us have figured out that nutrition is a vital part of staying healthy. We need Vitamins and minerals and enzymes. According to all the authorities out there - and I thank all of them for their endless research and constant influx of information - we have to eat anywhere between 3 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. It depends on your age, sex and how active you are. The Canada food guide says I ( male - very active - slightly over the age of 19 ) should be eating 7 servings of veggies and 7 servings of fruits per day. Then I have to eat grains, meats and other foods. That's a lot of chewing!! It's really tough to eat enough raw fruits and vegetables to properly nourish your body. Just the bulk of the food is one thing, then with todays lifestyle, everyone is usually so busy hustling around to make money ( that they will eventually spend trying to regain their health! ) that they don't have time to eat properly. Thus the beauty of juicing.
To make things easier and more efficient - Juicing, be it fruit juicing or vegetable juicing, is an excellent way to get the good stuff in your body. ( those vitamins, minerals and enzymes we all need... remember?). Juicing enables your body to assimilate the many nutrients found in food.
Technical Talk Alert!!
Enzymes are biological catalysts or assistants. Enzymes consist of various types of proteins that work to drive the chemical reaction required for a specific action or nutrient. Enzymes can either launch a reaction or speed it up. They are needed for the proper digestion of your food. Enzymes are found in plant foods, such as fruits and veggies and - here's the "aha!" part - they are destroyed when these foods are cooked. That's why fresh raw produce should constitute at least half of your diet.
OK - back to my regularly scheduled info. Chances are most of you aren't eating enough raw foods in your diet. The odd salad maybe- or an apple and banana now and again. SORRY - not good enough. Juicing is not meant to be a replacement for your foods - you still need the fiber - but it's one of the best and easiest ways to help you get the nutrition you need. Period.
Mix and match your juicing and you can probably do away with some of the supplements you are taking. Juicing should be a part of a comprehensive approach to overall wellness. As mentioned it's a great way to help your body get the proper nutrition needed and it's also been proven to assist in the recovery of many different discomforts and ailments,boost your immune system, lose weight and even help you to detox.
Juicing Tips
- Whenever you can, use organic, unsprayed foods. If that's not available wash or peel.
- The skins of oranges and grapefruits contain a small quantity of toxin so shouldn't be consumed in large quantities. Use caution when leaving on the peels - many countries still use heavy pesticides. Wash the peels thoroughly.
- Pits - peach and plum etc. must be removed. Seeds are generally OK but apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide. Best not to juice them. ( though I've eaten millions!)
- Except for carrot and rhubarb greens, use the stems and leaves along with the fruits and vegetables.
- It's best to make the juice right before you drink it. Apparently it loses some of it's nutrition within the first 30 minutes.
MOST IMPORTANT TIP FOR JUICING !!
Be sure - and I'm speaking from recent experience here - be doubly sure to have the juicer completely assembled. If you are distracted, kind of like I was ( I think my wife Thai, was asking me something or the phone rang...or something) and the back of the juicer is still in another part of the cupboard...well the results can be rather messy. Who knew carrot pulp could fly all the way up to the ceiling?! So just make sure everything is properly assembled before you start. Ahem - thank you - that's all.
From here on I'll just add juicing recipes. Some of them will be for something specific and some will be just a delicious recipe that I like. Comments will be added where I think necessary .
My Favorite - The Carrot Zinger
- 4-5 carrots ( greens removed)
- 1/2 in. slice of ginger ( personally I use a piece about the size of my thumb...love the kick it gives!
- 1/2 apple seeded ( I prefer Gala for juicing - each to his/her own however)
This is a really refreshing juice. It's also considered a great drink to help with Cholesterol issues. Adjust the ginger to your taste as it only takes a little to get the flavor through.
Since we are on the topic of Cholesterol - here's another great Juice Recipe I call the...
Help Lower Your Cholesterol Juice
(advice for a better name is most welcome!)
Handful of Parsley
Handful of Spinach
1 Garlic clove
4 carrots ( greens removed)
a dash ( or two!) of Tabasco sauce - best add the tabasco after juicing the other ingredients.
Juice - drink and enjoy itht the taste and the benefits.
Until next time...Happy juicing - stay well
Doug
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