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As juice bars and cold press juice brands continue to pop up everywhere around Sydney and grow in popularity, I’m sure you’ve wondered what the juicing hype is all about. So let’s take a look and see why juicing is not only important for a healthy diet, but essential. Nutritional Benefits of Juicing One of the main perks of juicing is that it allows you to immediately consume the nutrients of more fruits and vegetables than you’d be able to eat normally. Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, either whole or in smoothies or juice, can aid in weight loss, boost the immune system, increase your energy and reduce the risk of chronic disease including cancer. This is even more important considering the fact that because of intensive commercial farming, our food is actually becoming less nutritious year by yearˆ. Today, it’s harder to get all the vitamins and minerals we need than it was a decade ago, even if you’re eating fruits and vegetables at every meal. Juicing condenses them into a smaller package that we can consume quickly. In addition, scientists are still working to understand nutrients known as “phytochemicals,” which are found in many fruits and vegetables and seem to have a substantial impact on health in a variety of ways. For example, green vegetables appear to protect the body against carcinogens¹, grapes may prevent cell damage and heart disease², and broccoli may prevent (or even help treat) breast cancer³. Ultimately, using a wide variety of ingredients will work to your favour, as it enables you to naturally ingest dozens of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytochemicals (including ones we don’t even know about yet) instead of just a few. (It’s especially nice to be able to get the health benefits of veggies like kale without the bitter taste!) Is Juicing Wasteful? A common objection to juicing is that it wastes the pulp that’s left over and this is a valid point. Fruit and vegetable pulp has a lot of nutritional benefits as well, like extra nutrients and fibre to help digestion, plus, throwing it away feels like a waste of money. So instead, plan ahead to save those leftovers and use them in other recipes. You can use it to give a fibre boost by adding it to: Smoothies Soup Veggie broth Homemade veggie burgers and more. How to Use Juicing to Your Best Advantage Most nutritionists agree that juicing should not be used to replace food, but to supplement it. Going on an all-juice diet or “cleanse” can actually do more harm than good if done incorrectly. Since juice removes the fibre from fruits and vegetables, the fructose in it hits the bloodstream immediately instead of the slow, steady digestion that whole fruits and veggies encourage. If drunk excessively or to replace a complete meal, it will result in unstable blood sugar and ultimately just make you hungrier. Juicing about once a day, as an afternoon pick-me-up or in combination with a meal, will allow you to take advantage of the vitamins and other benefits, while avoiding the pitfalls. At the end of the day, one of the most important steps you can take for your health is increasing your consumption of varied fruits and vegetables. Juicing is not the only way to do this, but it’s definitely a great option, especially if you’re a type who likes to “mask” your vegetables with nicer flavours. Looking for some recipes to get you started? Click here to find a list to give you some ideas, complete with ratings from people who’ve made them before. Are you a regular juicer? What’s your favourite recipe? For more natural health tips visit our blog at: http://www.alkalife.com.au/blog
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