Looking for a great way to lose weight, feel better and get better nutrition?
Juicing is a favorite way for health-conscious individuals to get the recommended daily allowances of fruits and vegetables into their diet each day. With busy schedules and fussy palates, daily consuming 2-3 fruits and 3-4 vegetables can be a tall order.
Juicing can fit all of those essential vitamins, minerals and fibers into one healthy drink. The preparation for most juicing recipes is super easy and eliminates the need for cook times and lengthy cleanup.
How Juicing Works
Generally, a juiced blend begins with washing and cutting a variety of fruits and/or vegetables into smaller pieces and then removing seeds, rinds and some peels, as needed. Some juicing enthusiasts choose to leave all natural parts of the fresh foods in order to maintain the highest possible nutrient values each fruit or vegetable has to offer. Then the pieces are broken down and merged together using a blender or juicing device.
There are many types of juicers to choose from. Some only extract the liquid juices, while others blend, grind and liquefy entire foods to create thick, delicious drinks.
Juicing has provided a fresh way of dieting for weight loss, cleansing the body of toxins, boosting the immune system, aiding digestion, maximizing nutrient intake and maintaining a healthy diet. It has even been used as an alternative to traditional medicine.
There is no scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself. However, if you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a fun way to add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn’t eat.
One of the unique advantages of juicing is the ability to intake fruits and vegetables with significant health benefits that you may not typically prefer to consume as stand-alone options. Some of the most common juicing ingredients include:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cranberries
- Cucumbers
- Greens
- Kale
- Kiwifruit
- Lemons
- Mangoes
- Oranges
- Papayas
- Peppers
- Pineapple
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
Pro Tip: Mask undesirable flavors by combining them with sweeter varieties.
If juicing isn’t already a part of your routine, why not give it a try? Find some recipes online and perform a taste test or have some fun creating your own juicing recipes. Invite a friend over and experiment with a variety of fruit and vegetable combinations. This is one bandwagon that’s worth hopping onto.
