Juicing For Health & Nutrition

Hi lovely people! Each Friday for the month of March I will be posting on some aspect of juicing. Get excited!

Let me preface these posts by saying that we both juice and blend in our house. We don’t favor one method of drinking our fruits and veggies. Both are easy and have a tasty and fresh end product. There are reasons why you should incorporate both into your diet.

I tried to get my husband to guest post on my blog because he is the juice master in our house, but he declined my offer. Writing is not really his thing. I will do my best to share our combined wealth of information in this juicing series. My hubby and I are by no means experts just attempting to share what we have learned with others in order to encourage and promote healthy families.

When you extract juice from a vegetable it allows your body to quickly absorb micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Juicing removes the fiber and leaves only the liquid. That being said, be careful not to juice large amounts of fruit on their own. Unlike veggies, fruits need the fiber and pulp to help regulate the sugar release into the bloodstream.

Juicing is instant energy! Ditch the store bought energy drinks and go natural. Without the fiber the body is able to absorb the amazing plant rich nutrients quicker.

Juicing also allows you to consume a wider variety and larger quantity of fruits and veggies. This can be very beneficial if you find it difficult to consume raw produce on a daily basis. I love salad but juicing is a much more efficient way for me to get in my veggies especially with caring for a baby.

Vegetables are rich in potassium and low in sodium which helps to promote cardiovascular health. Juicing has also be shown to help reduce acne, high cholesterol, bladder infections, insomnia, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and many other ailments that afflict the body.

I understand that not everyone is going to be able or even want to juice at home. Which is why it is important to point out that not all juices are created equal. Those pretty bottles sitting in the grocery store have lost the majority of their nutritional value by the time you drink them. Many also contain added sugar to boost the flavor and artificial flavoring/coloring to enhance the packaging.

If you decide to purchase a pre-made bottle of juice read the label carefully to see exactly what is inside. It might surprise you to know that a single serving of V8 Vegetable Juice contains 480mg of sodium. Yikes! That is 20% of the daily recommended value. Why so much salt? Salt tastes good. When a juice has been sitting on a store shelf for weeks at time it will loose flavor and the salt gives the taste an extra boost. This is why it is highly important to read the labels.

If you are wanting the most bang for your buck and highest nutritional value, it will be better to ditch the ready made juices and find your local juice bar or better yet make your own. I will talk more about the juicing products we have in our home next week.

Think of juicing as a longterm investment for your health. Your body will thank you!