Virtually every health authority recommends that we get 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Juicing therefore is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you reach your daily target. The benefits of juicing are vital in giving you a radiant, energetic life and optimal health!
Valuable and sensitive micronutrients become damaged when you heat or cook foods. Therefore, you may not be getting all the nutrients you deserve when you warm your food in a microwave, for example, where up to 80% of the nutrients may be lost. It is also advisable to avoid all processed foods and eat only organic vegetables and fruits wherever possible.
Important to Listen to Your Body
This is partly because you should only start by juicing vegetables that you enjoy eating non-juiced. The juice should taste pleasant – not make you feel nauseous!!
It is very important to listen to your body when juicing. Your stomach should feel good all morning long. If it is churning, growling or generally making its presence known, you probably juiced something you should not be eating.
Here are a few simple lessons to get you up and help you enjoy the benefits of juicing:
Use pesticide free vegetables
It is wise to choose organic whenever possible. However, some vegetables are worse than others. Below are the vegetables that are the most pesticide-loaded according to the Environmental Working Group.
So it would be wise to only purchase these vegetables if organically grown. The worst ones are listed first below:
- Celery
- Spinach
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Lettuce
- Carrots
- Cucumber, (not as bad if you peel the skin)
Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. It is best to adopt a varied diet with reference to juice combining to point you in the right direction.
Make your juice taste great.
If you would like to make your juice taste a bit more palatable, especially in the beginning, you can add these elements:
- Lemons and Limes:You can also add one half to a whole lime or lemon for every quart of juice.
- Cranberries:Researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. In addition, they are chock-full of phytonutrients and can help women avoid urinary tract infections.
- Fresh ginger:This is an excellent addition if you enjoy the taste. It gives your juice a little “kick”! Researchers have also found that ginger can have dramatic effects on cardiovascular health, including preventing atherosclerosis and lowering your cholesterol levels.
Hope you enjoyed this month’s article.