Juicing can be a wonderful way to make sure that you are getting all of the vitamins that you need from fruits and vegetables without actually having to eat them. Many people have trouble with the taste, but when it is in juice form they don’t mind it so much. Here are some wonderful juicing tips to get you started.
If you are planning on juicing citrus fruits only, or primarily citrus fruits, consider purchasing a juicer that is designed just for citrus. Many juicers have trouble with the amount of pith in a citrus fruit. In addition, juicers with metal surfaces will become corroded over time after repeated exposure to citrus fruits.
Drink your juice on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning or about half an hour before a meal. This allows your system to better absorb the nutrients in your juice, without the interference of other foods. Juice drunk on an empty stomach can enter your system in as quickly as thirty minutes.
When you start making your own juices, try adding a vegetable in the mix that you tend to avoid. Vegetables that you do not like alone might end up tasting great to you when mixed in a juice with other flavors. This is a great way to get nutrients you otherwise wouldn’t.
Drink your juice soon after making it if you are looking to benefit from the health benefits. Juice starts to lose its benefits as soon as it comes out of the fruit or veggie. The longer you let it sit, the more it will lose, so go ahead and drink it as soon as possible to be able to let your body enjoy all the nutrients.
Learn to love wheat grass if you can. Start your wheat grass relationship off very slowly as it is an extremely strong tasting plant. The nutrient benefits are out of this world but some people think the taste is as well. Use strongly flavored fruits and small amounts of wheatgrass and work your way up to larger amounts over time.
Wheat grass is only usable by us when it has been juiced. We physically can’t process the fibers when it is in plant form. Learning to enjoy wheat grass will provide your body with benefits from nourishing your kidneys, providing vitalization to your skin and body, and removing toxic metals from your body’s cells.
When making large amounts of juice at once, make sure to take breaks to clean out the pulp and let the juicer rest. Not only will the pulp start slipping in after a while, but you’ll also prolong the life of your juicer. One break every couple pounds of produce is a safe bet.
Juicing is a wonderful part of a healthy lifestyle, but you don’t have to be totally strict about what you consume. You should practice excellent health choices at least two-thirds of the time. The other third allows you to go out to a restaurant, have a few potato chips, or indulge in some ice cream.
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.
When you have your juicer assembled, prepare the fruits or vegetables quickly so you will not have to stop and start during the juicing process. Look at juicing as if you were making a meal. Having everything on hand before you begin to cook is always easier than trying to find what you need during the process!
It’s important to juice wheatgrass as our bodies can’t actually process the plant fibers contained in it. I like to include wheatgrass in my apple/ginger/orange juice, but you can come up with a hundred more recipes that make great use of wheatgrass and it’s wonderful earthy flavor. Give it a try!
A single cup of juice will be equivalent to a much larger amount of actual vegetables or fruit, meaning one cup of juice can also be equal to make more servings on the food pyramid. For example, a single cup of carrot juice is equivalent to four cups of diced carrot!
The best time to juice is first thing in the morning when you have an empty stomach. Your body can fully digest and assimilate the juice because there will be nothing else for it to compete with. Within 30 minutes the nutrients will be fully absorbed into the blood stream.
Have you heard of almond milk? Anything that comes in liquid form can be juiced! Try adding chopped almonds to your juicer, and save the pulp for use in cookies, cakes, or breads. You might also add the almond pulp to a sugar-free banana bread to give it more flavor.
If you’d like to add protein supplements to your juice, wait a few days before you start. Your system will be getting used to the juice (which is easy as it’s half-way digested by the time it gets to your stomach!) and flushing out toxins, so give it a chance to catch up first.
You know how important it is to eat at least the daily requirements of fruits and vegetables. For some people this in near impossible until they learn how to use a juicer. This article is an excellent tool to keep around anytime you are in need of juicing tips for yourself.
