Juicing, how and why.

Why Juice?
Can I juice anything?
Does juicing concentrate toxins or pesticides if my products aren’t organic?
What type of juicer shall I buy?
What juices help what type of conditions?

Juices for health issues

Most of us I should imagine have tried drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. If you live or work in a moderately populated area you more than likely have a shop that does this for you as you wait. But really, what is all the fuss about? Are freshly made juices really that good for me or is it just another popular fad at the moment that will pass?

Well to start with, it’s definably not a fad. People have been juicing fruit and vegetables since the beginning of time. Albeit initially with a crude version of a mortice and pestle and not the electrical variety that are available to us today. Funny enough though, the best way to keep all the goodness of the juice in tact is in fact done through the application of pressure, as our ancestors would have done with these simple implements.

So Why Should I Juice?

The answer is quite straightforward really. Our bodies are able to absorb the vast amounts of nutrients that are available from juiced fruit and vegetables very quickly in the juiced form. This is because juicing separates the mineral and water elements from the plants fibres. The liquid food is literally digested in a matter of 15 minutes. When eaten whole our body’s digestive processes are required to separate the mineral elements from the fibres and this requires energy and time. So juicing is a great way to get a wide variety of nutrients and minerals into our system quickly and without the use of a lot of used energy. Quick, pure and very effective.

Juices for health issues

Don’t I need The Fibre?

Yes and no really. Yes we need fibre in our foods, although there is no nutrient value to it. Fibre acts like a intestinal broom if you like. Eating fibre throughout the day is very important to our overall health and is easily gained by eating whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables throughout the day, preferably with each meal. If you aren’t having at least two good bowel movements a day you should immediately increase your intake of fibre. Much poor health can be directly related to a poorly or inactive digestive system.

Will Juicing Concentrate Any Toxins Found In The Foods I’m Using?

This is a very valid concern that I had when I first started juicing and giving it to my two young children. From what I have been able to determine is that if you are juicing foods that have been sprayed with toxins/pesticides then it’s the fibres of the foods that collect them. It seems that plant enzymes, atoms and molecules seem mostly impervious to them. That is another reason to seek out organic fruit and vegetables that you eat whole and are using as your source of fibre.
I do have some concerns though about soil quality, affecting the quality and levels of nutrients and minerals. The better the soil the better the juice. It is difficult to know exactly how and where and by whom your products are coming from. These days it’s even difficult to know which country they come from.

Juices for health issues

My advice is to shop where the food is freshest and the best quality. Go organic if you can as this product has been grown usually with care of the environment in mind. Remember though better quality products are usually more expensive in the short term only. Always consuming cheap mass produced nutrient deficient foods will eventually come around and bite you. I look at what I eat as my own version of life and medical insurance.

What Type Of Juicers Are The Best

It is very apparent that the best way to extract juice from any plants
is through pressure, avoiding heat at all costs. Heat destroys or at the very least damages the molecular value of nutrients and minerals. The centrifugal type of juicer therefore isn’t the best pick as there is always a little heat caused during the process. They do separate very well though the fibres which is important. As a by-line here, I only reuse the fibres of organic fruit and vegetables in muffins, casseroles, cakes etc due to possible toxin levels.

Juices for health issues

Liquefying and blenders aren’t a good way of juicing, as these don’t remove the fibres from the juice unless you strained them through a very five sieve, and that would be very laborious.

So shop around. The cheaper centrifugal type of juicers really are quite inexpensive these days but remember they don’t compare with the quality of the juice that you get from a juicer that operated through pressure not speed. Another big consideration before you buy a juicer is how is it made. How many parts will you need to clean? Will it be easy to clean. Remember once you start juicing you will probably end up cleaning your juicer at least once a day or often more. A juicer that is difficult to clean will drive you crazy so take a good look before you buy. If you aren’t able to take it out of the box, don’t buy it!

How Much Juice Is It Safe To Drink?

With the advent of very good juicers on the markets these days, people are drinking larger and larger amounts of juice because it is easy to do so. So how much is too much?

Juices for health issues

This is difficult to answer this really. It really depends on what you are juicing and why. Because of its intensity you wouldn’t want to drink a pint of wheat grass juice but you could easily drink a pint or two of mixed vegetable juice. I tend to mix my juicing up quite a lot and drink quantity to taste. Use your common sense though, it isn’t always about more is best and there may be bowel tolerance issues depending what you are juicing.

Can I store My Freshly Juiced Juice?

Juicing can be a time-consuming process, so you'll probably be thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I can juice first thing in the morning, and then drink it later?" This isn’t really a great idea. Vegetable juice is very perishable so it's best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you're careful and quick you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. Here are some pointers.
· Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will "oxidize" and damage the juice.

Juices for health issues

· Wrap the jar with aluminium foil or paper to block out all light. Light damages the juice.

· Store it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes prior to drinking, as vegetable juice is best consumed at room temperature for ease of digestion.

What juices help what type of conditions?

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of years of both written and anecdotal information about the use of certain foods being used a medicinal prophylactics and in the treatment of certain disease states. For a list of these go to the “Juicing” section of Recipes.

My Conclusion on juicing is this. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables really is a great way to get quality nutrients and essential minerals into our bodies quickly and efficiently. There is an issue of cleaning your juicer after each session but really however you prepare your food there is going to be some cleaning involved. Get a quality juicer that’s easy to clean and it will be a great investment in you and your family’s long and short term health.

Juices for health issues