Juicing For Health – Fifty Fascinating Facts

1. If you are juicing for health, it is useful to remember that fresh juice starts to lose nutrients as soon as it is made. If you want to retain the full benefit of your effort, drink the juice immediately or as soon as possible.
2. Some juice extractors, such as the centrifugal-ejection type, generate enough heat during operation to do some damage to the delicate structure of the juice. The resultant oxidation destroys nutrients.
3. Masticating juicers use a more gentle process, preserving more of the valuable nutrients. This also enables you to store the juice for a longer period.
4. If you have to store the juice for a while, make sure that the container is airtight, add a few drops of lemon juice, and keep it refrigerated.
5. When juicing for health, a clever gadget named PumpNseal can be used to vacuum seal juice in any jar. Removing the air enables you to store the juice for longer periods without nutrient loss.
6. In general, masticating juicers offer extra features, such as accessories you can use to mill, grind, puree, to make pasta, and to come up with the most delectable frozen desserts. When juicing for health, these extras will give you a fairly varied repertoire in the kitchen. A raw food diet will become more feasible in the process.
7. If you are concerned about a high noise level, rather choose one of the masticating models.
8. Remember to remove hard pits from fruit such as peaches. You won’t eat these and neither will your juicer! Don’t ruin the blades! Apple seeds contain small amounts of cyanide. Be sure to remove these before juicing.
9. Most body-building, leafy greens have strong flavors. Cucumber is a terrific disguise for this, and has the added advantage of containing important nutrients. Maximise the benefit by using one that doesn’t need peeling.
10. If you are juicing for health, use organic produce as far as possible. Otherwise wash everything thoroughly.
11. Often the greatest concentration of nutrients lie just beneath the rind or skin.
12. Don’t peel carrots, but do remove their greens. Rhubarb greens also need to be removed. There may be a problem with toxicity if you juice these.
13. Do peel citrus, mango and papaya. These peels are not usable and may even be harmful to you. The skins of oranges and grapefruits contain toxic substances. However, the white, pithy part just below the skin, contains valuable bioflavonoids. Aim to retain as much of this as possible.
14. Soft fruits such as peaches, melons and strawberries will produce a much thicker juice than harder textured fruit such as apples. Combine the two to improve the results.
15. Rather blend banana and papaya. They don’t juice well. If you have one of the masticating juicers with added features, you can try these as a frozen dessert. Juicing for health isn’t suppose to be a punishment, after all! Enjoy something sweet regularly.
16. Follow soft fruits with harder textured produce, to facilitate clearing the pulp.
17. Juicing leafy greens becomes much easier if you roll the leaves into a little ball, before feeding it into the machine.
18. Wheat-grass is exceptionally nutrient-rich, and has a taste strong enough to equal its value! If your juicer can manage it, start with tiny amounts and increase the quantity slowly.
19. It is claimed that the benefits of drinking wheat grass juice includes cleansing the lymph system, building the red blood cells, removing toxic metals from the cells, nourishing the liver and kidneys, and restoring vitality.
20. Wheat-grass needs to be consumed in juice form, as the body cannot process the plant fibres.
21. Wheat-grass is gluten-free, in spite of its name. Gluten is found only in the seed kernel, and not in the stem and grass leaves of the young plant. It should therefore be safe for individuals with a gluten intolerance.
22. Drink freshly made juice daily and concentrate on using as wide a variety of produce as possible, to ensure that your body receives a bit of all the most beneficial micronutrients.
23. Your need for expensive supplements in the form of vitamin and mineral tablets, will diminish significantly, if you are juicing for health on a daily basis.
24. Many ailments will improve if juice forms a regular part of your diet. For example, cabbage juice is one of the most healing juices in case of ulcers. In this case, use under medical supervision.
25. If you experience water retention, juices such as celery, cucumber, cranberry, and watermelon are extremely helpful.
26. A general rule is that a pound of produce will give you about a cup of juice.
27. One cup of carrot juice is equal to about four cups diced, raw carrots. Carrots are much easier to consume in liquid form. Your body is also able to assimilate them better.
28. Vegetable juice is a low-calorie snack and contains no fat. Use it as part of a sensible eating plan, and experience the wonderful results.
29. Fresh juices act as a healthy, harmless appetite suppressant, and craving curber.
30. Vegetable juice can also help to stabilize blood sugar levels. It has much less sugar than fruit juices and about 50% less calories, yet it will satisfy that sweet tooth every time. Try carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when a craving hits you, and the juice jolt will give it a knock-out before you know it!
31. A water fast may leave you feeling drained, while a vegetable juice fast will give you an energy surge. Fasting should always be done under supervision.
32. If you really don’t like the taste of certain vegetables, try juicing these and adding them to some of your favorites. You probably won’t even notice the difference in taste, but your body will certainly notice the difference in nutritional value!
33. Your skin may become slightly yellow if you consume large quantities of carrot juice. This effect is harmless and will disappear once you reduce your consumption.
34. Juicing for health is more beneficial if you consume juice that is at room temperature.
35. Ginger gives a bit of a bite to juice. Try it! It has anti-inflammatory properties. Stomach irritations, nausea and motion sickness can be relieved by taking ginger.
36. The nutrients in the juice you drink, is taken up immediately by all the cells in your body. Your juicer magically transfers the produce into pre-digested food. This means that your body is able to make maximum use of all the enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
37. Juices help you to maintain the proper PH in your body, which is important in preventing diseases like cancer.
38. The phytochemicals in the juice also helps to remove carcinogens from your body.
39. The properties in many vegetables, such as cucumber and carrots, will improve your skin, hair, and nails. If you up your intake of fresh juice, expensive beauty treatments may become a thing of the past.
40. Juicing for health is anti-ageing and puts the spring back in your step.
41. Children love the sweet taste of carrot juice. It is easy to add other, perhaps detested veggies to the juice, without them noticing it.
42. Remember that, it you have kids, they may be more willing to try the juice at first if you turn it into a smoothie. Try apple, carrot and grapes or strawberry. Put ice-cubes in a blender, and pour in your juice mixture. Add some frozen yoghurt or sherbert if you want, and blend to the desired thickness.
43. A good way to add extra flavor and sweetness to juice, is to use fresh or shredded coconut.
44. You can also add some cranberries if you like the taste. Cranberries have an extremely high antioxidant content. In addition, they may help you to avoid urinary tract infections.
45. Scientists recommend 8 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables to be consumed per day. A substantial portion of the population don’t even reach 20% of the ideal. Juicing for health is the easiest way to bring you closer to this goal.
46. Although juicing removes some of the fibre, the process allows you to ingest a much more concentrated, easily assimmilated form of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. Just be sure to boost your fibre intake, by eating fibre-rich foods such as cereals and whole grains.
47. It is believed that sugar cane juice has properties that help to prevent tooth decay. In contrast, eating sugar cane often, will result in frequent visits to the dentist.
48. There is also evidence that there may be some wound healing and immune strengthening properties in sugar cane. In addition, the juice has a soothing effect on the digestive system, especially when combined with fresh ginger.
49. Juicing for health isn’t a cure-all! If your lifestyle is unhealthy in general, don’t expect juicing to magically wipe out the negative effects of all the things you know you probably shouldn’t do!
50. If you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, nursing or have any illness, you need to get medical advice before starting a juicing for health program. The same rule applies to small children. Some juices are quite potent and may do more than good under certain circumstances.

For more information visit Best-Juicing.com. Rika Susan of http://www.Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rika_Susan

Health Benefits of Juicing

Bolstering your family’s intake of nutrients through the benefit of juicing, will prove to be a priceless gift to them.

Why such a bold statement about a mundane topic like juicing?

These days the 9 to 5 you are at work, isn’t nearly as important as the 5 to 9 you are expected to eat at home. I am referring to the recommended portions of fresh vegetables and fruits you need each day.

Only a fraction of the population reach that lofty goal. If you have kids, you know all about broccoli-battles and other skirmishes…

The solution lies in the benefit of juicing. Discover this for yourself, and you will never look back. Is it easier to down one pint of juice, than eating two large salads? Or to drink one cup of carrot juice, rather than crunching through four cups filled with diced raw carrots?

Every child goes through a stage where, having to eat certain veggies, is nothing short of torture. Don’t make healthy eating a battleground! The benefit of juicing offers an easy way out.

Children love the sweet taste of carrot juice, combined with apples, grapes or peaches. They will not even notice that mom has added a few secret ingredients in the form of cucumber, celery, leafy greens, and other unmentionables.

Add a bit of beetroot for an appealing colour – not too much though, as young palates may not enjoy the strong taste.

Give the juice combination a name they can associate with, and they will be more likely to drink it. Or ask them to come up with a name for their own concoction! If you can tempt them to drink juice on a regular basis, they probably won’t need additional supplements, unless they have special health needs.

Even adults who detest certain vegetables, such as cabbage or broccoli, will be surprised by how palatable they become when juiced together with other produce. If you combine the no-no’s with carrots, apples and beetroot, for example, they won’t even be noticeable. Through the benefit of juicing, you have tricked your body into absorbing all their valuable nutrients!

To experience the advantages of juicing to the fullest, use as wide a range of produce as possible. Variety is necessary to ensure nutritional balance.

Why is juicing so beneficial? The fibres in fruits and vegetables trap enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. A substantial percentage of the goodness remains out of your body’s reach in the normal digestive processes.

When produce is processed in a juice extractor, these nutrients are released for immediate absorption. In a sense the juice becomes pre-digested food. When drinking the juice, your body can instantly access this most concentrated form of micronutrients.

The powerful cocktail of enzymes, minerals, and vitamins are available to all the cells in your body, and is quickly assimilated with virtually no effort. You will almost hear your body heaving a sigh of relief!

Just imagine how much energy your body usually has to expend to digest huge, heavy, fatty meals. Instead of the usual energy slump you experience after a meal, a glass of juice will be followed by an energy surge.

The secret to experiencing the full benefit of juicing, lies in drinking it with as little standing time as possible. Your aim is to minimize oxidation, and loss of any of the precious nutrients.

The three main culprits responsible for destroying the micronutrients in your fresh juice are heat, air, and light. If you have to store juice, try to do so in individual portions. Fill the container to the top, seal it airtight, and even go so far as to wrap the container in aluminium foil to keep light out. Refrigerate it immediately. Don’t store the juice for longer than 24 hours.

A few drops of lemon juice added to the juice, also helps to preserve it.

Much has been written about the health benefit of juicing. Not only does it improve well-being and vitality. It is anti-aging and may even prevent certain serious diseases from developing. Many existing ailments are better managed if fresh juice is introduced as part of the treatment plan. Drinking vegetable juice daily, will go a long way toward helping your body to achieve optimal performance.

If you are unwell or elderly, you may experience difficulty eating in the normal way, or your digestion may be compromised. Whatever the situation, you should be able to experiment and find suitable recipes for juices you are able to tolerate well.

If you are constantly on the run and don’t nourish yourself as you know you should, what can be easier than quickly popping a variety of veggies into your juicer, and downing an energy cocktail?

A few caveats:

1. If you have any illness, if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or if you are nursing, it is always sensible and safe to consult a medical practitioner before joining the juicers.

2. You lose some of the fibre when you juice fruit and vegetables. Make sure you find other natural ways to include enough fibre in your diet.

3. Some vegetables are more difficult to tolerate or metabolize. Start slowly and find the combinations that work for you. Wheat grass for example, has quite a strong taste, but is very beneficial. If your juicer can manage it, introduce it slowly and always in combination with other juices.

4. You may wonder if store bought juice won’t give you the same benefit. Many store bought juices contain unwanted, unhealthy ingredients. Even if you do find 100% pure juice, the nutrient value will have been depleted to a large extent.

Of course, no one expects the benefit of juicing to make you give up the benefit of eating that aromatic, tasty meal! Juicing is not meant as a replacement, only an addition… very soon to become an addiction.

For more information visit Best-Juicing.com Rika Susan of http://www.Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rika_Susan