While juicing may look like the newest trend, this is an age-old way of getting your daily fruits and vegetables. Juicing has several noteworthy benefits and can be a way to keep your family healthy, especially as the temperatures drops and our immune systems take a hit from the chill.
If you are diabetes or otherwise sensitive to sugar in your diet, be careful with juicing. Many fruit juices will be very high in sugar, resulting in a spike in your blood sugar levels, especially if you drink juice on an empty stomach. Try diluting your juices with water to reduce this issue.
When choosing a juicer, do some research into how much heat they produce as they juice. Heat can kill the nutrients that you are trying to preserve. If the juicer produces enough heat you will be losing many of the benefits that you were drinking it for so make sure to find out before you buy.
Look into juicers that use the masticating process instead of the centrifuge process for extraction. The masticating way of juicing preserves many more nutrients than the centrifuge, the reduction of heat produced during the process. A centrifuge juicer can still be a great value just do your homework first.
If you are going to store juice that you have made yourself, you need to do this correctly. Choose a container that is airtight, and add a couple of drops of lemon juice to it before putting it into the refrigerator. Label your juice so that you remember what you are drinking, and enjoy!
Be aware that citrus fruits do not always work well in all juicers. Because of the consistency of the pulp in the fruit the juicer can get clogged with the pulp or rind. If using a standard juicer, peel the fruit and cut into small pieces; otherwise get a citrus juicer that you will use for these types of fruit specifically.
Get adventurous with your juicing ingredients! Why not try grapefruit or add in a little ginger for some zip! Other items to try are celery, parsley, beets, bell peppers, and leafy greens! You never know what you might end up liking.
There are a million-and-one recipes of items to include in your juicer. You can try a combination like apple with carrot and ginger, or celery and pear. My favorites are apple with lemon and pear, apple with cinnamon and honey, and, my daughter’s favorite, banana with mango and orange. Try new ideas to find your own favorites!
Fats are still important while juicing. Nuts and seeds contain not only necessary fats but proteins as well. Blending nuts and seeds with your juices will give the juice extra protein, necessary amino acids which help the immune system and the brain and the good types of fat your body needs.
Shop around for a juicer that works for you. You want to look for a juicer that is easy for you to use, assemble, take apart and clean. The juicer should also be well constructed. You do not have to buy the most expensive juicer on the market for your needs yet you do need to understand how to use the juicer.
Start juicing! People begin juicing – adding freshly juiced fruits and vegetables to their diet – for a vast range of reasons. Some people juice to supplement their diet or detoxify their bodies. Some people are doing it for other health reasons. Juicing in and of itself will not cure ailments – yet you will benefit from juicing – with extra nutrients and more energy!
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that you will want to keep your juicer out and in sight at all times. This is important to ensure that you use it on a regular basis and that it does not become one of those items that gets stored away in the back of your cupboard.
Once you have your juicing materials, they should be of good quality if you want good quality juice, it is of utmost importance that you know how to function your juicer to it’s fullest extent. If you delve into making juice before you really know what you are doing, you will just be wasting your juicing materials.
If you like a really thick juice, try using softer fruits to make nectar! Apricots, peaches, pears, and strawberries are all excellent choices. You can add banana to make it an even smoother treat, but put it in the blender first or mash it and then add it to your juicer so that your motor doesn’t end up wearing out.
Juicing is a yummy alternative to choking down broccoli or other fruits and vegetables that you just dont’ like the taste of. Include as many veggies as you can into your juice by covering them up with powerful fruit flavors like apple, banana and oranges. The citrus and sweet flavors of these will have no problems masking the other flavors you are not fond of.
Do not drink your homemade juice too quickly. Since you are skipping the step of chewing the vegetables, the juice needs time to mix with your saliva to aid in digestion and to prevent too much sugar from entering your bloodstream at once.
When using fruits to create your juice, it is important to remove seeds and pits, if there are any. For example, you must remove pits from peaches and seeds from apples. Adding these items can quickly deteriorate the quality of the blades in the juicer and possibly, even break the juicer. Furthermore, certain seeds like apple seeds can be dangerous because they contain trace amounts of cyanide.
Whether for drinking or as part of a recipe, juicing your fruits and vegetables can liven up your diet and be an easy way to help your family stay healthy. Whether you’re sneaking your kids some vegetables or wanting something refreshing after a hard day, you have only healthful rewards to gain.
