Contributed by Nick Charlesworth of Happy Juicer. Juicing for improving health is one of the prime reasons that people get their first juicer and start juicing. It is well know that a well balanced diet should include daily intake of fruits and vegetables. In fact 5 portions of fruit and vegetables is recommended. Juicing can help us achieve a desired fruit and vegetable intake. Juicing enables us to benefit from the goodness of a lot of fruit and vegetable servings in one easy to consume drink.
Juicing helps release nutrients in a more digestible form
A lot of the beneficial nutrients that are stored in fruit and vegetable juices are stored with the fibre, fibre is not broken down well by the body and is expelled from the body along with some of the goodness it contains. However, when fruit and vegetables are juiced the goodness is released from the fiber and so the nutrients are made available to the body in an easily digestible format. This is one reason why people get juicing for health. Because most of the fibres are left in the pulp that the juicer creates it is important that fibre is sourced from some other part of your diet as it is vital for a healthy digestive system.
Fruit and vegetable juices contain phytochemicals
Fruit and vegetable juice contains plant chemicals known as phytochemicals which are known to be beneficial to our health in a number of ways. There benefits include help in removing carcinogens from the body, protecting our cells DNA, and protection against cancer cÙausing substances. These phytochemicals are found in a wide range of fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, garlic, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, chives and cauliflower. The list goes on…
As well as phytochemicals other more obvious nutrients that are beneficial to our health found in juice are vitamins. For example carrot juice is a good source of vitamin A, peppers and citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C and pumpkin is a good source of vitamin E.
Juicing fresh juice is better for our health than buying bottled juice
Fresh home made juice retains a greater proportion of its nutrient levels when compared to bottles / cartons of juice. This is because the bottling process causes loss of nutrients. Fresh juice will also be free from losing nutrients due to age if drunk straight away. A lot of commercial juices are heat treated to lengthen the time they can stay on the shop shelf. This process can destroy vital nutrients.
Health points to note when juicing
Be sure to wash your fruit thoroughly before juicing to remove and pesticides that may remain. Some people suggest removing apple seeds before juicing as they contain small amounts of cyanide. Consult your doctor before drinking large amounts of Grapefruit juice. Grapefruit and orange skins contain toxic substances, so make sure you don’t juice these skins although juicing the white pith is normal as the pith contains high levels of vitamin C and Bioflavinoids.
A few juicers to explore:
- Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain*
- Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor*
- Omega J8006 Nutrition Center *
Further Reading:
- The Juicing Bible* by Pat Crocker
- The Big Book of Juices* by Natalie Savona
For lots more features on healthy lifestyle, explore VegKitchen’s Healthy Vegan Kitchen page.
*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!
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