Why juice?
Juicing is all the craze amongst the health-oriented crowd these days, and with good reason. Passing fruits and veggies through the juicer unlocks all the nutrition stored up in their fiber, which you cannot extract by simply chewing your food well. When you juice, the nutrients go directly into your bloodstream, acting as a potent liquid multivitamin and making you glow from the inside out.
Early juicer gets the worm
Even though drinking fresh juice is a great addition to your diet at any time of the day, it’s especially beneficial when you do it on an empty stomach in the morning. The goal of juicing is to get a good dose of nutrients in your bloodstream. Pre-digested food lingering in your stomach from previous meals stand in the way of achieving this, but juicing first thing in the morning solves the problem.
Start with a simple base
When making juice, it’s a good idea to start with a neutral base to which you can add anything you want. Cucumber, celery, and lettuce produce large amounts of mild-flavored liquid, and have a very low sugar content. Using this combo as the canvas for all your juicing creations will save you money, as they yield more juice than other veggies. They will also help moderate the strong taste of other ingredients.
Green is in
It’s not that green vegetables are better, per se, but they tend to create a more balanced drink than other colors, thanks to their low glycemic index (GI). They are also the greatest source of chlorophyll available in the food world, which makes them effective blood cleansers and builders, as well as oxygen boosters. Feel free to create a rainbow in a glass every now and then, but more often than not, make green your new best friend.
The big O
If you don’t already buy organic, you may want to consider changing this once you start juicing. Some of the best nutrition in your food resides in the skin, but you should only use it if it hasn’t been sprayed with harmful chemicals. If organic produce is not accessible in your area or you can’t afford it, wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly and remove the skin. At the very least, stick to the clean fifteen and avoid the dirty dozen.
Begin slowly
When making your first few juices, listen to your taste buds and don’t experiment with too many new ingredients. Mix your drinks with bananas or nut milks in the blender if necessary, slowly adding bolder flavors as you get used to them. Stronger flavors come accompanied by potentially uncomfortable detoxifying symptoms which may put you off this healthy habit too quickly. Be kind to your body, and build your resistance one juice at a time.
Convenience is king
Even though a freshly-pressed juice is ideal, it’s not the end of the world if you make your juice in advance every now and then, and keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a few hours. You can even make a big batch of juice once a week, and freeze it in individual containers as soon as you make it. Another way of saving time is keeping your veggies in separate closed plastic bags in the fridge to extend their shelf life. To speed up clean-up, line the pulp collector basket with a trash bag so all you have to do is remove it after juicing.
Super additions
Juicing regularly dramatically improves your health, but if you want to take this further, adding superfoods to your juices is the next step you can take with this healthy habit. Hemp powder adds protein to your diet, particularly good if you’re a vegetarian. Spirulina and chlorella detoxify and alkalinize your cells. Flax and chia powder are a great source of Omega-3 oils. A teaspoon of tahini gives your bones some much needed calcium.
Andean Awakening
Maca is a root commonly known as the “Peruvian Ginseng,” or the “Viagra of the Incas.” Praised for its energizing, hormone regulating, and sexual enhancement properties, you can easily add it in powder form to any of your juices.
Healthy Colada green juice
Want to feel like you’re having a cocktail by the beach in the middle of the work week? This Caribbean elixir packed with enzymes and electrolytes will get your body hydrated and energized for the rest of the day.
