Healthy How-To: Juicing Fruits & Veggies
Juice bars have popped up everywhere, but it’s fairly simple — and often less expensive — to try juicing at home. Knowing which fruit and veggie combination’s make life easier, but a little experimentation never hurts.
Benefits of Juicing
Lots of healthy pros tout juicing as a way to naturally detox, lose weight and keep a healthy colon — unfortunately, there is no significant scientific evidence that juicing necessarily does these things. What we do know, however, is that fruits and veggies have tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
Making your own juice using fresh ingredients is definitely better than the processed versions you might find at the store. Yours will be free of chemicals or additives (there’s no high-fructose corn syrup when you do it yourself!). Fresh juice blends also contain more fiber from the pulp — the processed versions typically have the pulp extracted.
A homemade juice is also a quick way to get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. The National Cancer Institute encourages 9 servings of fresh fruits and veggies a day to help decrease the risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Creating a cucumber, carrots and celery juice can knock off your veggie requirements in a few gulps.
In some cases, juicing is easier than eating foods whole. Guava has tons of seeds, pomegranates are tough and messy to prep and eat, and wheatgrass is hard on digestion in its whole form. Juicing can get you the B-vitamins from pomegranate, potassium and folate from guava and iron from wheatgrass without a problem.
What To Juice
You can juice almost any fruit or vegetables! Some simple fruits to start with are apples, melons, citrus and berries. Citrus fruit and strawberries have tons of vitamin C and melons are good for both vitamins A and C. Carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, beets and lettuce are common veggies to try, too. Carrots have tons of the antioxidant beta-carotene and tomatoes contain potassium and vitamin C.
When and How Much
Juicing is a healthy option sometimes, but you shouldn’t juice everything or do it all the time. A couple months ago, we talked about how fruit juice can be a high-calorie treat. Minding your portions is a must. Each fruit has 60 calories — add too many and your calories (not to mention sugar intake) will skyrocket. Stick to juicing only once a day. Eating whole, fresh fruits and veggies are also an important part of a healthy diet.
Also, know this: food prep techniques (including juicing) easily destroy vitamins when they’re exposed to air. To get the most out of your juice, drink up right away.
Flavor Combos
There are endless combinations of flavors. Here are some ideas of what goes together:
- Cucumber: carrots and celery
- Spinach: tomatoes, celery and carrots
- Lettuce: parsnips, carrots, spinach, sprouts
- Papaya: pineapple, orange and cucumbers
- Various melons: strawberries
- Grapes: apples, melon, peach and cranberries
Juicers
Before electricity, reamers were the most common way to juice. Nowadays there are endless juicers available — from higher-end, more expensive power juicers to medium-sized citrus juicers to retro-looking juice pressers. Buy a juicer that fits your needs and budget — forgo the $250 juicer if you don’t plan on using it often.
Make sure you take apart and clean your juicer after each use and follow the manufacturer’s directions. A dirty juicer can harbor bacteria — something you don’t want to drink!
- Recipes to try:
- Sunrise Juice
- Melon Juice
- Vegetable Juice Cocktail
- Gingered Vegetable Juice
TELL US: What’s your favorite juicing combo?
I think a combination of blueberries,raspberries,bananas, and peach sound good. If anyone tries this, post your results.
I love to mix romaine, cucumber & carrots with ginger and a small apple for sweetness. Delicious!
Juicing evggies gave me stomach problems.
We do apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and rasberries add a liitle water to thin if necessary. We also do spinach, green peas, parsley, carrots, brocolli, and add aples and oranges for sweetness. We don't use a juicer but an emulsifier (Montel Williams' Healthmaster) You get ALL the pulp and skin but it is emulsified and you don't even realize it's there. Really fast and great juicer made easier.
I juice veggies almost daily in my Breville juicer…my basic recipe includes raw beets, carrots, celery and romaine…I add a little stevia for sweetness and enjoy! The beets and raw enzymes of this recipe are definitely advantageous for the digestive tract. I do not combine fruits with any other food in my tummy, because to do so would surely invite indigestion. Enjoy!
Five mornings a week I juice a cucumber, two carrots and either an apple or a pear with my Jack Lalane juicer. It really fills me up and definately provides some detox benefits. Friends have lately commented on how nice my skin looks.
Hi Jason, I'm not a doctor, but would suspect the reason your having stomach problems is because your body is detoxing. It's actually a good thing and is good for you. If I were you, I would continue, but maybe start out drinking smaller amounts and build up after your body cleanses for a week or two. Good luck!
I blend orange juice, banana, frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, peaches, grapes, mango and wheat germ. Sam's Club have a great blend of frozen fruits. Sometime I add some of my vitamins and yogurt in also. This is a good energy drink.
I like juicing celery, tomatoes and cucumber…squeeze some lemon juice, and add a few shakes of cayenne powder. It's tasty!
I also use the Jack Lalane juicer. My regular combination consists of , 1 1/2 organic orange, 4 organic carrots, 1 stalk of organic celery, 1" slice of fresh ginger,and 1 whole apple. In the summer I add summer fruit.
Pineapples, tomatoes, lemon & a little salt
I'd use most of these juicing ideas but I also use beetroot as it's one of my favourite vegetables; I always add ginger, and cucumber.
However, I find cleaning the juicer after is a real pain-in-the- ???? Also have a Jack Lalane machine.
Berries,appels,orange,yogurt,soy milk,spinach and a touch of honey,yum!!delic…..
If you soaked in the water with soap for a bit,it's much easier…