Drink Your Vegetables

"Eat your vegetables," was something you probably heard mom say a lot as a kid, and she's even got scientists and the FDA on her side. Not only that doctors and the FDA recently suggested that the old "5 a day" is not enough! Now I can scarf some serious healthy foods, yet I have difficulty getting 5 servings, let alone 7 plus.

What can we do? I've got a solution mom would be proud of, I'll drink my vegetables! Getting nutritious vegetables I need, even those I might choose not to eat, is simple with my juicer. I know lots of people don't like broccoli which is incredibly healthy for you, so try juicing it with veggies you do like and you probably won't notice the taste. Even those who aren't much on eating fruits and vegetables will find they can make drinks in their juicer they'll love and are packed with nutrients. (For ideas follow the link below and find my blog page with tasty recipes.)

There are a number of reasons why juicing fruits and vegetables is beneficial and becoming popular enough to see juice bars popping up in towns all across the nation. First of all, it is recognized the closer a food is to its raw, natural state the better it is. The concentration of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes diminishes the more processing the food undergoes.

Since our diets rarely contain enough nutrients, juicing can make that deficiency up in a hurry. The other factor in this is that our soils don’t have the level of minerals they once had; time, chemicals, over farming the land, and other issues are depleting the ground. Juicing allows us to consume many more fruits and vegetables than we could possibly eat.

A juicer in a way is "pre-digesting" the food. Our bodies do need fiber for healthy digestion but it gets eliminated as waste. The process of juicing gets rid of most of the fiber leaving a nutrient dense drink that is easily assimilated by our system, as the digestive process is minimized. As a result our body gets a quick natural energy boost. Why use artificial stimulants like energy drinks, caffeine, sugar, or coffee when juice can provide the desired energy increase naturally.

Disease comes from our bodies being overloaded, with the stress of life or toxins from our environment, the
likely culprits. Our system and polluted bloodstream can experience relief through the cleansing power of juice,
especially green juices. Here is some science to impress your friends: antioxidants and phytochemicals are part of the makeup of plants and a reason they're so helpful in cleaning us up. Antioxidants are defined as molecules that slow or stop oxidation, a reaction producing free radicals, that in turn begins reactions that cause cell damage. The chance of disease and faster aging becomes more likely as cells die. Antioxidants of all types are found in abundance in pomegranates. Wikipedia explains phytochemicals as plant-derived chemical compounds with potential health-promoting attributes undergoing scientific research. Lycopene, believed to lower the risk of prostate cancer is a phytochemical found in tomatoes.

Many people will take the easy route of buying canned or bottled juices which unfortunately are not as good. They often have added preservatives, have sat on store shelves deteriorating, are pasteurized which eliminates some of the nutrients and enzymes, and may even be watered down. Preparing the juice yourself or getting it from a trusted fresh juice bar is by far the best way.

Not long ago juice bars were limited to trendy areas, but those days are gone and even the malls in many cities have them as the interest in more healthy living increases. Today with the ease of use and lower cost of quality juicers they are an item most people can add to their kitchen and enjoy the convenience of concocting fresh juice right at home.

If better health is on your list of priorities, look seriously at getting into juicing; and get ready for the flavorful rush of energy and vitality!