Juicing enhances your lifestyle whether you juice for better health, for a quick meal, for weight control, to improve appearance or just to feel good, for there is a cocktail to suit every one and everyone.
Maintaining or improving your health is a strong point with juicing simply because you get maximum nutrients from juiced fresh fruits and vegetables. You already know that a daily intake of veges and fruit is recommended by every dietician, nutritionist, doctor or health professional so it comes as no surprise that extracting the juice from fresh uncooked fruit and vegetables is going to give you the maximum nutrients. And your children will love their greens!
At this point lets just take a few seconds to look at how to juice. There are 2 kinds of juicer commonly sold, one is the cheaper high speed centrifugal juicer that works by grating and spinning the material to separate pulp and juice, and the other the cold-press juicer or masticating juicer or sometimes called mill stone type juicer that works by slowly forcing the material against a screen or solid wall separating the juice from the pulp. This type is called cold press because the material being juiced does not heat up and therefore conserve the vegetable enzymes. You may see this kind of juicer referring to the making of ’living juice’, a reference to the enzymes still being present, whereas for the centrifugal type the enzymes cannot survive the heat from the high speed [over 55 degrees].
Irrespective of how much you paid for your juicer they have one thing in common: they like you to prepare the material to be juiced to make it as stress free as possible to juice. That means slicing hard vegetable longways into strips and softer fruits and veges into suitable pieces for the auger to be able to catch and process. If you are processing nuts or hard seeds soften them by leaving them in water overnight.
Your instruction book will no doubt give you more details for specific handling or preparations.
Lastly on this subject keep your juice in a covered jug or container in the fridge. Living Enzymes in the juice from the top type cold-pressed juicer can be stored for up to 72 hours, 48 for the lesser types and less perhaps for the smallest type of these juicer, with the exception of juice from Bananas and Avocados that should be used fresh.
Let’s take a look at the health benefits of the common veges and fruits.
Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are among the most beneficial. Both contain folate, beta-carotene and C vitamin. Broccoli also iron and is rich in phytonutrients whilst Brussels has potassium. Cabbage also has the above plus a good deal of fibre, and Carrots have both alpha- and beta-carotene. Beetroot is important for its folate and folic acid [particularly if you are expecting].
Add a bit of Celery to your mix too, phytonutrients and aplin comes in handy for the digestive system.
Cucumber adds beta-carotene, potassium and phosphorous plus some silicon, sodium and sulphur, whilst the old Garlic gives you potassium, calcium and magnesium. Mustn’t forget Onions with their anti-oxidants, calcium and potassium.
Parsnip has B and C vitamin, niacin and folate and the Potato is full of potassium, carotenes, C vitamin and calcium, folate and fibre.
Spinach is added for iron, beta-carotene, folate and calcium, and Kumara [Sweet Potato] has vitamins C and E plus beta-carotene.
We can also add Tomatoes, so important for the lycopene, but also for fibre, vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate and potassium.
Turnips are good for beta-carotene, vitamins B and C, and fibre, and not forgetting Yams for potassium, folate and calcium.
Fruits are storehouses of good things, anti-oxidants, vitamins and important minerals. A quick look at common fruits will convince you of their goodness:
Apples contain beta-carotene, copper, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, C and E, calcium, folic acid, magnesium, pectin, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. Apricots have beta-carotene, vitamins B and C, calcium, flavonoids, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and zinc.
Avocado is well known for its monounsaturated fat but also has Vitamin B and E and potassium.
Bananas too can be juiced and have beta-carotene,Vitamins B and C, calcium, folic acid, iron, phosphorous and potassium and zinc.
Of the berries Blackberry is high in beta-carotene and vitamin C and E, calcium, phosphorous, sodium and potassium, and Blackcurrants adds B vitamins and copper and iron. Cherries add folic acid to beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.
Grapes are known for carotenes, vitamin C, glucose, fructose and potassium, and Grapefruit also adds vitamin C, carotenes, calcium, potassium and folate. Lemons and Limes have vitamin C, carotene, calcium and potassium, like Oranges but with the addition of lutein.
Papaya and Mango have vitamin C and potassium, and Mango also A and B vitamins, carotene and fibre. Melon has a good supply of beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and vitamin C, whilst Watermelon also has folate and vitamin B5.
Peaches contain anti-oxidant carotenes, flavonoids and vitamin C, while Pears have vitamin C, beta-carotene and potassium. One should perhaps include Prunes with their fibre, beta-carotene, calcium, iron and potassium, before heading to fresh fruit again like
Raspberries that have phytonutrient ellagic acid, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C as well as fibre, and Strawberries calcium, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.
Lastly there are some interesting herbs and spices one can add to the cocktails, e.g. Chives, Cinnamon, Coriander, Fennel, Horseradish, Mint, Parsley, Watercress and others, but mostly we don’t add enough to actually derive nutrients from them, however, all have their uses for maintaining good health.
Undoubtedly you can think of even more vegetables and fruits to add to list, the main thing is to have fun trying out the various combinations and work out your favourite recipes for your family.
Here are some recipes for you to start with [ where ‘part’ is indicated ‘2 parts’ equals twice the weight]:
Said to help: Asthma
1 part each of Carrot, Parsnips, Celery, Kumara
1 clove of Garlic
Handful of Parsley
Said to help: Bronchitis
3 parts Tomatoes1 part celery
2 parts Carrots
1 cube [2-3 cm] each of Ginger root and Horseradish [chopped]
Said to help: Persistent Cough
1 part each of Carrot and Pineapple
1/2 Lime
Sprinkling of Chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
Said to: boost your energy level
2 parts Carrots
1 part each Beetroot and Strawberries
1 Orange
Said to help:
Sleeping problems
1 part pineapple
1 part Grapes
1/2 part each lettuce and celery
Said to help: Headaches and Migraines
1 part Lettuce
2/3 part Fennel
1/2 Lemon
Said to: Reduce Blood Pressure
1 part each Blueberries and Apple
1/2part Grapefruit
Cube [2-3cm] of Root Ginger [chopped]
Or
1 part Kiwi fruit [with skin]
1/2 part Cucumber [with skin]
Said to help: Diabetes
1 part each Brussel sprouts, Carrots, Green Beans, Lettuce and Artichokes
1/2 Lemon
Said to help: Anaemia
1 part Parsley
10 parts each Spinach and Carrots
1 tsp Spirulina
Said to help: Diarrhoea
2 parts Apples
1 parts Blueberries
Said to help: Constipation
2 parts Pears
1 part Spinach
1/4 part pitted Prunes
Said to help: Hangover
1 part each Papaya and Cucumber
2 Oranges
Said to help Arthritis
1 part each Pink Grapefruit, Carrots, Spinach
Said to help: Osteoporosis
1 part each Turnips w. tops, Carrots, Broccoli
1-1/3 part Apple
Dandelion leaves
Said to help: Acne
1 part each Potato, Radish, Carrot, Cucumber
Said to help boost: Immune System
1 part Carrots
2 parts Rock Melon
1 Lime
1 Cube [2-3cm] Root Ginger [chopped]
Also:
1-1/2 part Red Pepper
2 parts each Strawberries, Mango,
Watermelon
1 part Tomato
Also:
4 part Broccoli
3 part Carrots
1 part Beetroot
Said to help: Detoxify
8 parts Pears
4 parts Cabbage
2 parts Celery
1 part Watercress
Also:
1 part Parsley
4 parts each Lettuce, Spinach and Celery
6 parts Carrots
Said to help:
PMT
1 part each Blackberries and Pineapple
Said to help: Cystitis
1 part each Cranberries, Watermelon, Cucumber.
We hope you’ll have lots of fun making your own recipes for health enhancing juices and for great tasting summer drinks for the whole family.
Good Health, Good Juicing.
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