Some people have seen the commercials on television advertising the benefits of juicing. One can buy a blender or food processor and fill it with fruits and vegetables and with the press of a button have their daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables conveniently in a smoothie-type concoction. Juicing can be an excellent way to get one’s daily vitamins.
Dark leafy greens benefit from the addition of a cucumber when juicing. Most leafy greens will have a strong and somewhat unpleasant flavor. Cucumber will mask the flavor with its own, significantly more pleasant, taste. Cucumber, especially unpeeled cucumber, contains a variety of healthy nutrients.
Use organic fruits and vegetables in your juicing. Organic fruits and vegetables have not been exposed to the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in traditional farming. If you cannot use organic produce, be sure to peel everything before you put it in the juicer. The peel will contain most of the harmful chemicals.
Use apple to sweeten juices made of primarily vegetables. Apple will sweeten most juices without adding too much to the flavor of the juice. Apple also mixes well with nearly every fruit and vegetable combination, unlike many other sweet fruits. This can be very helpful when using tart or otherwise slightly unpleasant vegetables in your juices.
Green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli have many, wonderful health benefits. Include at least half and as much as three-quarters green ingredients in your juices, then add a little bit of a sweeter ingredient like fruit to give flavor. Fruit juices may taste sweeter, but compared to green veggies, they come at a steep price in sugar and calories, meaning they’re not as healthy.
If you want your juice to be very smooth and free of pulp, try using a coffee filter or cheese cloth to strain it after it comes out of the juicer. Also keep in mind that the softer the produce used, the thicker the juice tends to be for example, tomato juice.
Be consistent and do a little juicing everyday. The more you do, the more you’ll want to juice and gradually, you’ll make juicing a bigger part of your day. If you make juicing an infrequent occurrence, not only will you get less nutritional benefit but you’ll also lose the will to keep going.
Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your juices. Not only will this keep the tastes exciting, but you will be able to get a wider range of vitamins and minerals from your juices. Try one new ingredient a week and if you have an allergic reaction, you’ll know which ingredient caused it.
You don’t have to buy a fancy juicer to start juicing, you can use a blender or food processor just to get the hang of it. In fact, a food processor can do just as good a job as a juicer! I also picked up an inexpensive citrus juicer, though, as I found doing it manually hurt my hands.
When juicing leafy vegetables like spinach, ball the leaves together. If you form your vegetable leafs into a ball, like crumpled paper for instance, you will give a more solid mass for the juicer to work with. This will prevent small pieces of leaves from showing up in your juice and affecting the consistency.
Are you diabetic? Juicing can still be for you! You can juice so many different items that you’ll always be able to have a selection that does not contain too many carbohydrates or a large dose of sugar. You can also include milk or yogurt in your drink to up your dairy intake.
Let color be your guide for variety. You will want to keep your juicing varied so as to not get bored with it. Incorporate a variety of colors in your fruits and vegetables as a sort of juicing palette from which to create. Just remember to know the nutrient content from each source and enjoy the rainbow.
You should always remove the pits from fruit, such as peaches or plums, before juicing or you could dull the blades in your juicer. Apple seeds contain cyanide, so it’s best not to eat those, either. Citrus seeds can be bitter and large enough to cause damage to your machine, so pick them out, too!
Don’t be afraid to juice melon! Cantaloupe and honeydew are very tasty ingredients, but keep in mind that they’re soft and will produce a thick juice. Watermelon, on the other hand, will produce a very watery juice. Make sure to get a seedless melon to make it easier for you to use.
The task of picking the best juicer for your needs can be daunting. You need to consider how much juicing you plan to do. A standard machine will be great if you juice every now and then. An advanced machine will be best if you plan to juice every day.
When juicing, it’s very important to drink the juice as soon as possible while it is fresh. This will ensure that you are receiving the maximum benefits. Some nutrients begin to be destroyed right away through oxidation. If drinking immediately is impossible, store the juice in an airtight container and drink within 24 hours.
Juicing may not be for everyone but it is not a difficult hobby to become a part of. With one simple purchase of a blender or a food processor, anyone can become a juicing expert. The health benefits and the convenience of being able to juice any foods you want don’t require anything except the willingness to push a button on a food processor.
