Benefits of Juicing
Juicing is becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason. Juicing offers a wide range of health benefits, and those moving from a diet of processed foods high in sugar, fat, and sodium to one that includes freshly made fruit and vegetable juices could notice a drastic improvement in their overall health, weight loss, and increased energy. Some research indicates that juicing could decrease the risk of some diseases and alleviate symptoms of others. Not to mention, the juice tastes great.
What is Juicing?
Juicing is a fairly simple concept – produce is put into a juicer, which quickly separates the liquid from the pulp. Typically the pulp is discarded, while the majority of the nutrients remain in the freshly squeezed juice.
Juice such as this offers many benefits to the body and overall health; it’s a quick and easy way to get needed vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that many are lacking because of not eating a healthy diet. The freshly squeezed juice is bursting with nutrition, and it can increase energy and overall well-being.
To reap the most benefits from juice, choose produce that is free from chemicals and pesticides – buy organic whenever possible!
Most People Don't Eat Enough Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
With today’s busy lifestyle, it can be difficult for people to incorporate whole fruits and vegetables into their diet. Well-established research points to many health benefits enjoyed by those who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Preparing fruits or vegetables in a way that the whole family will enjoy can be time-consuming. However, it’s easy to meet your daily requirements in a single glass of juice. Juicing is not only healthy but versatile. With the wide range of whole fruits, herbs, and vegetables, there are blends and recipes that will satisfy every taste – kids love juicing too!
Juice is a great way to get healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients into the diet of even the pickiest eater.
Concentrated Vitamins and Minerals
Juicing is the fastest and easiest way to get nutrients into the body. With juicing, it’s possible to consume your entire daily requirement of certain vitamins simply by drinking a glass of fresh juice.
Many people take a multivitamin each day to meet their need for nutrients, but one of the benefits of juicing is that you can increase the levels of vitamins you consume naturally – through the nutrients that naturally occur in vegetables and fruit. Through juicing, there’s no need to try to eat a huge amount of produce; the juicer delivers nutrients in a highly concentrated form.
Juicing Protects Nutrients in Fruits and Vegetables from Heat
Some nutrients in fruits or vegetables are altered or even destroyed by the cooking process. Eating fruits and vegetables raw can prevent the degradation of some compounds, and juicing also preserves vitamins and minerals that could be affected by heat. Drinking juice can be an easier and more efficient way to reach your allotment of raw fruits and vegetables, and with a juicer, this can typically be achieved in a single drink of juice.
Other Health Benefits
In addition to the added dietary fiber and vitamins available through juices, some juices can help address specific conditions and may even reduce the risk of disease.
Weight Loss
The diet industry is a big business, full of fads and trends that promise results but don’t always deliver. These services can also be expensive with prepackaged meals and membership fees. If you sign up for one of these services to find you are only lighter on money, you are probably in search of something healthier and more effective.
If you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, juicing can help you reach your goals without sacrificing necessary vitamins and minerals. Replacing part or all of a meal or snack with a nutritious juice can help you cut calories, which means losing weight. And because fruit and vegetable juices are dense with vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients, you won’t be depriving your body of of the materials it needs to stay healthy.
Low Calorie Juicing Ingredients
- Leafy greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens, arugula, and lettuces
- Bell peppers and hot peppers
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Herbs
- Lemons and Limes
- Ginger
- Lettuces
- Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Beets
- Watermelon
- Berries
When juicing for weight loss, pay attention to the sugar content of fruits. Fruit like pears and apples, while they provide a myriad of health benefits, might contain more sugar and calories. These fruits make a delicious juice, but they should be consumed in moderation when trying to lower your caloric intake.
Extra Energy
Nutrition leads to added energy, and one way to feel better and less tired is to consume more B vitamins. Juicing leafy greens, citrus fruits, beets, ginger, and more is an easy and delicious way to get more raw, fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet. That, along with the additional vitamins, will result in a healthier outlook and additional energy.
If one of your health goals to to decrease your intake of caffeine, juicing can help your body adjust. Replacing a cup of coffee or sugary soda with a healthy, high fiber juice is a good way to get started, and the nutrients in the juice will provide your body with natural, lasting energy. Juice is a great way to start your day.
Benefits to the Digestive System
Juicing has several digestive benefits. For one thing, people who don’t eat enough vegetables often don’t get enough fiber in their diet. A deficit of fiber can result in constipation and other related stomach problems.
Many fruits and vegetables have other digestive benefits as well. For example, pineapple contains bromelain, which aids digestion in the intestinal tract. Pears, along with providing fiber, stimulate the secretion of digestive juices. Ginger and mint both aid in digestion while adding a burst of flavor to both fruit and vegetable juices. These five ingredients, washed and put in the juicer, result in a delicious and beneficial juice.
If you’re struggling to eat the food needed to attain optimal digestive health, juicing is an easy way to cleanse the system and get the nutrition your body needs. Juicing daily can keep the digestive system healthy, which allows you to enjoy more of your favorite foods.
Benefits to the Immune System
Using foods to stave off disease has a history that goes back thousands of years, and now, medical research is starting to confirm the ability of food to mitigate the risks of certain diseases. But it isn’t always possible to get these foods regularly through meals, which is where juicers come in. Vitamin C, which is found in citrus fruit, strawberries, guava, peppers, parsley, broccoli, kale, lemons, and fruits and vegetables is critical to immune health. The body uses vitamin C not just to fight infection and disease, but to maintain connective tissue, the heart, and blood vessels and arteries.
Juicing makes it easy to increase your intake of food rich in vitamin C. and as you can see, many of the recipes are delicious and refreshing.
Benefits to the Cardiovascular System
Another of the benefits of juicing is its ability to regulate blood pressure and help control cholesterol through plant and herb ingredients. Beetroot juice, with its high nitrate content, widens the blood vessels when it enters the body, and some studies suggest it could lower blood pressure within an hour of consumption. Whole foods rich in omega fatty acids – pitaya, chia, acai – are very beneficial to heart and blood health.
Antioxidants make another appearance here because they keep your body free of harmful compounds that damage cells. Citrus fruits in particular contain flavanoids that may improve blood flow through arteries, prevent blood clots, and prevent arterial plaque. Spinach, broccoli, and kale are other juice components that are high in carotenoids as well as fiber.
Does Juicing Prevent Cancer?
There’s no clear answer to that question, because the doctors and scientists still aren’t certain what causes various types of this disease. However, fresh fruits and vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants, and those have been shown to prevent certain types of cancer. Some people who are sick with cancer or other conditions lose the ability to swallow properly, and for them, juice is a great to drink in nutrients in a liquid form.
If you are sick, you should seek medical advice, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the best strategy to avoid the need for medical care is to keep the whole body healthy by eating (or drinking) a balanced diet with plenty of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Juice for Better Health
In your search for better health, you may want to find ways to cut down on sugar and sodium and increase your intake of fiber and nutrients. Juicing can provide a convenient way to accomplish all of these goals, and the juice itself is an enjoyable and refreshing way to supply your body with all the nutrition it needs. For additional resources, featured recipes, and information on juicers or juicing, we invite you to explore the website or contact us for advice.
