Thursday 5 April 2012

An Ode to Juicing






Recently, my dad got me the gift of a juicer for my 21st birthday. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m a bonafide juice junkie!

Let me tell you why fresh vegetable or fruit juice is one of the most amazing things to put into your body. First of all, your body doesn’t need to put the effort into breaking down food for digestion. Within about fifteen minutes of drinking the juice, the nutrients can be absorbed and used to nourish your body in all kinds of beautiful ways. This is a big reason drinking a green juice in the morning is the best wake-up. The surge of nutrients invigorates you and gives you a nice energy kick to start your day. You get the nutrients without the bulky fiber, which is also healthy, but juicing helps give your digestive system a little break.

This brings me to another popular “trend”: juice fasting. When my mom heard about this, she thought you starve yourself on juice until you’re skinny. This may be the stigma, but fasting with just juice can (when done at the correct time and in the correct way) help your body with its natural detoxifying processes. All your body wants to do is cleanse. It does it through your skin and through your excrements all the time. Juicing gives the digestive system a break and lets the natural cleansing processes your body undergoes have a little bit of an easier time. I personally feel great doing a day of juice cleansing after a naughty night of overindulgence. I’ve read a lot of info on how frequently is safe, but I’d personally say it’s totally fine once a week, as long as you don’t overexert yourself on the fast day (light activity is okay). In a film I just watched called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, a man did it for 60 days! Check it out, it’s a must-see.

Juicing can take a little trial and error until you get some yummy creations going. I like to include some sort of sweet fruit or vegetable in all my juices. I usually add lemon and ginger to any kind of juice I make, because they’re great cleansing helpers. Here are some of my fave combos:

-          The Sweetie
             1 apple, 2-3 carrots, 2-3 beets, ½ a lemon and a ½ inch piece of ginger
This one is probably my fave ever, so sweet and powerfully detoxifying. If you’re worried about the glycemic index, dilute with water and enjoy slowly (not too slowly, ‘cause enzymes lose their magic the longer you wait to drink your fresh juice).

-         Green, Lean Cleansing Machine
3    4 leaves of kale,  ¼ cucumber, handful of spinach, 1 sweet fruit, ½ inch piece of ginger
Green juice is honestly not the most delicious thing in the world, at least for me. But a little sweetness and ginger go a long way.  It is honestly one of the healthiest things you can put in your body. If your juicer can juice sprouts (mine can’t), add those guys too.
-          
           Frothy Fruit & Veggies
       1 small sweet potato, 1 small orange, 1-2 beets, 3 leaves of kale, ¾ to 1 cup chopped pineapple
-          I just tried this baby, and man, it is delicious. It’s so frothy and sweet, yet still contains healthy greens rich in chlorophyll.  


I encourage you all to try adding a fresh green juice to your morning routine. Swap it for your coffee for a few days and see how amazing you feel. Cheers!

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