The Basics & Benefits of Juicing

To say that juicing is becoming popular would be an understatement. More and more people are experiencing increased energy and vitality levels simply by blending together a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Some of the reported benefits include weight loss, cleansed bodies, better skin condition and a general all round “feel good factor”.

As it is becoming a big trend I want to cover the basics of juicing and whether it can be incorporated into a food combining diet without causing any ill effects.

Most people don’t eat the right amount of fruit or vegetables on a daily basis so juicing just once a day would ensure that you would have those much needed vitamins and minerals. Also liquidising the fruit or vegetables enables the digestive system to easily digest the juice and in turn this will increase you energy levels because believe it or not, digesting a large amount of food in one sitting requires a great deal of energy simply to digest that food .

Nowadays, the benefits seem too far out way the negatives unless you flatly can’t eat fruit or vegetables. Over the years, research into what each piece of fruit or vegetable contains in the way of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals means that today you can design your juice to assist any number of conditions.

For instance, if you suffer from Acne you would want to mix together a small piece of ginger, 4 carrots and an apple as this mixture is very good for skin conditions.

If you need to boost your calcium levels then blend together 3 leaves of kale, a small amount of parsley and 4 carrots.

As you may have guessed by now there is a juicing recipe that can help just about any condition.

Juicing to lose weight.

Whilst juicing has many health benefits you need to be careful if you are only juicing to lose some weight. Losing weight to fast will, in most cases, give you problems further down the line, which is why most experts only recommend juicing as part of your weight loss program.

Also juicing removes most of the fibre from the food so you may experience digestion problems if you only juice to lose weight.

When incorporating juicing into your weight loss program you will want to try and do the following things

·        As much as you can use raw and organic produce. Non – organic fruits & vegies can contain certain pesticides

·        Try to remain active as this will help your body while it flushes away fat and toxins.

·        Do some research on recipes as this will prevent you from becoming bored. Just throwing some vegetables in the juicer and hoping it will taste good is a big mistake.

5 Important Things You Should Know Before Juicing

1.     Juicing gives you limited protein. We all know that protein is as important as any of the other nutrients but juicing fruits and vegetables leaves very little protein in the remaining juice.

2.     A low calorie intake. Calories give us energy so having the right amount is important and juices are often very low in calories.

3.     Not feeling so good. A lot of people can incorporate juicing into a diet and feel better but there are an equal number of people that experience negative effects even to the extent of feeling sick. If that is the case then you will need to stop.

4.     This is not meal replacement. Some would argue that only juicing is far more beneficial to cleansing the body. My experience is that this is likely to cause more problems later on.

5.     You be the judge. Let your body tell you if juicing is right for you and do not overdo it.

Using the best ingredients in your juice.

I have already mentioned that you will need to research ingredients for the best tasting juices. Now I want to cover some super foods that can be incorporated into your recipes.

Chlorella.

The basics and benefits of juicing

This green algae is from southeast Asia and is exceptionally high in protein and polyunsaturated fat (the good stuff). In some cases it has been able to stop food cravings.

Moringa

The basics & benefits of juicing

From the Moringa tree in the Himalayas. It contains a powerful nutrient Zeatin which is used in some anti-aging products.

Spirulina

The basics and benefits of juicing

Research shows that the nutrients in this can prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure and in some studies it has eradicated cancer and a variety of allergies. NASA has given the go ahead for it to be used on their astronauts.

Mint

The basics and benefits of juicing

Mint is filled with antioxidants and is regarded as one of the best herbs to take for all round good health. It also adds a nice twist to the taste of your juice.

Matcha Green Tea

The basics and benefits of juicing

One of the most famous teas from Japan. An appetite suppressant and regulator of the stress hormone cortisol.

Hopefully you can see the benefits of juicing and the fact that if you do it correctly you will have increased energy and better skin to name two reasons. Again, done correctly it can be incorporated into a food combining diet as long as you follow the rules of food combining.