Benefits of Juicing
Juicing! It's the best. Have you hopped on the juice train yet? If not, allow me to convince you. Juicing has a ton of health benefits and is an excellent way to promote healing inside the body. Juicing eliminates the fiber- containing pulp from produce, which, in turn, increases the absorption of nutrients. With juicing, the body receives a straight shot of vitamins and phyto-chemicals; and in much higher quantity than if one were to eat the fruits or vegetables whole. I mean, who can sit down an eat an entire bag of carrots in one sitting anyway?!
Note that juicing is different than blending. Blending utilizes the entire fruit or vegetable, while juicing extracts the precious juice and discards the rest. I recommend juicing at home rather than buying fresh juice at a store. Typically bottled juice is pasteurized so it will lack in nutritional value and will not contain the enzymes which are so beneficial to gut health. Juicers can be fairly inexpensive, depending which one you choose. Here is a standard juicer from Target, which is where I purchased mine.
https://www.target.com/p/hamilton-beach-big-mouth-juice-extractor-black-67601/-/A-14575739
Now let's talk colors. It's always best and most beneficial to eat a variety of colors when consuming produce. Each color group has benefits specific to it. Choose an array of bright, vibrant fruits and vegetables and your body will thank you. Also be sure to always select organic produce when juicing, and clean produce thoroughly.
Orange/Yellow Orange and yellow produce is typically high in beta carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is crucial for a thriving immune system, and is known to help fight against many diseases. It can also strengthen vision and even improve skin's appearance. Orange and yellow fruits and veggies are highly immune boosting and should be consumed daily. Some examples of these are mangoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, orange peppers, cantaloupe, and oranges.
Red/Purple Red and purple produce is high in nutritional value and packed with powerful antioxidants. They are high in Vitamin C, among many other nutrients. Fruits and vegetables of these colors are great for heart health, stabilization of blood pressure, and can help protect against certain cancers. These colors are also immune boosting and anti-inflammatory. Examples are beets, cherries, red peppers, watermelons, blueberries, plums, and purple cabbage.
Green Green produce is extremely detoxifying to the body. Greens are high in Vitamins A and C, folate, and potassium. They are high in phytonutrients and low in sugar. Greens help to cleanse the blood, regulate blood sugar, and assist in eliminating toxins from the body. Spinach, celery, kale, and wheatgrass are all great additions to a daily juice.
I recommend juicing at least once a day, if not more. Juice fasts can also be beneficial, depending on the circumstances. When fighting any kind of sickness, increasing intake of fresh juice is crucial. Before reaching for the medicine cabinet, give juicing a try! As Hippocrates once said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
Juicing recipes
Healing Digestive Juice : 2 cups purple cabbage, 3 ribs celery, 1/2 small lemon (including rind) 1/2 green apple.
Healing Inflammation Juice : 1 cucumber, 1 celery rib, 1 inch of ginger, 1 handful mint, 3 stalks fennel
Anti-inflammatory Juice : 2 carrots, 1 sweet potato, 1/4 pineapple, 1 inch ginger
Immune Boosting Juice : 2 red apples, 6 carrots, 2 garlic cloves, handful parsley
Detox Gut Restoring Juice : 1/4 purple cabbage, 1 red beet, 3 cups water
Toddler Antioxidant Juice : 5 carrots, 2 apples, 2 ribs celery
Invigorating Morning Juice : 4 carrots, 1 apple, 1 red or golden beet, 2 ribs celery, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 red pepper
In addition to these, celery juice and carrot juice by themselves have a plethora of health benefits that can be read about here :
https://www.healthline.com/health/carrot-juice-benefits#cholesterol
and here :
https://www.foodmatters.com/article/5-powerful-healing-benefits-of-celery-juice
Please feel free to add any of your favorite juicing recipes in the comments!
Happy juicing!
Obligatory Disclaimer :
I am not a doctor. All information and resources found on this blog are based on my research, experience, and what I have seen work for my family and for others. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. I encourage you to consult a holistic doctor or nutritionist before making health changes, especially any changes relating to a specific health condition. Do not rely solely on this information to make medical diagnoses or determine treatment. Use this information as a general guideline to healthier living and a starting point for your own research.