Juicing has recently become a worldwide phenomenon among health enthusiasts. For those people bored of eating fruits and vegetables, juicing provides a fun and even tastier way of consuming your daily fruits and vegetables.

Benefits of Juicing

Juicing helps you absorb all nutrients- When you squeeze out the juice, you receive a vast concentration of vitamins, minerals and enzymes that otherwise may not be digested when consuming solid fruits and vegetables. Many of us have impaired digestion since we probably haven’t had the perfect dieting habits over the years. As a result, your body is not able to absorb all the nutrients from solid fruits and vegetables. Since the fruits and vegetables are broken down into juice form, you are able to readily digest all the nutrients.

Juicing helps you cleanse and detox your body- Since you aren’t consuming solid foods, you give your digestive system a rest so that your body has time to put its energy, besides digesting, into elimination, recovery and healing. During this time, your cells can repair themselves and detoxify, which some say can help you experience a clearer and more energized mind and body. The average person holds 5-10 pounds of toxic old matter in their intensities, and therefore, juicing can provide an ideal way to release it, giving the body a phenomenal chance to rejuvenate and restore. You really can revitalize your entire self with a daily juice.

Juicing allows you to consume a wider variety of fruits and vegetables at once- Many of us don’t have problems consuming fruits. However, it’s the vegetables that don’t have the best taste. The beauty of juicing is that it allows you to mix a blend of fruits and vegetables together. The fruit can drown out the vegetable taste, offering you a sweeter and more appealing taste. Even if you don’t add fruits and just stick with vegetables, you can quickly drink a quick glass of vegetable juice and “get it over with”, rather than sitting there and chewing on a variety of vegetables. With juicing, you can add a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that you normally wouldn’t eat. You can easily meet your daily servings of fruits and vegetables with one to two large juices a day.

Stick with Organics

In order to get the best nutrients possible, choose fresh organic fruits and vegetables. You don’t want to use non-organic ingredients since you may get some possible pesticides and other chemical residue in higher concentrations. In addition, organic foods have more antioxidants and minerals. Studies have confirmed that organic fruits and vegetables contain as much as 40 percent higher levels of antioxidants, which are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease and many cancers. Organics also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as zinc. Although organic foods may be more expensive, they are certainly worth it if you are considering your long-term health.

To Make the Most of Your Juice

Green leafy vegetables are best to use in your juicing program and should form the basis of your juicing diet. The darker the greens, the better. Research has confirmed that greens are the number one food that you can eat regularly to improve your health. However, you should add different color fruits and vegetables like red apples, carrots, etc. Try adding a lemon and/or lime to make your juice taste a bit more palatable. If you want an extra “kick” to your juice, add some fresh ginger. Ginger has a huge positive effect on cardiovascular health so it should be added as much as possible, even though many people find the taste intolerable at times. Juicing is a time-sensitive process. Vegetable juice is extremely perishable so you should drink your juice immediately. If you’re careful, you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. Remember, the majority of your juice should contain vegetables. Although fruits are very beneficial for the body, they often have a high sugar content and loaded with carbohydrates. They aren’t necessarily as nutritious as vegetables. Fruits should mainly be used to drown out the bitter taste of the vegetables but can offer a lot of nutrition.

Do Your Research!

Even though juicing offers a wide variety of benefits, you should be wary of starting a full-blown juice diet. You need to consider how your body reacts to a week or longer of no protein or fat and fewer than 1,000 calories a day. Often times, people lose muscle weight as opposed to fat and can even lose good bacteria from their digestive tract that is necessary to regulate digestion and boost our immune system. A juice diet can help you lose weight but long term weight loss is best facilitated by permanent exercise and diet changes, rather than a short-term juice diet. You should consult with your doctor before engaging in an extensive juice diet.

Source

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3364083&page=1#.UNdLa3Pjmtw

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/13/benefits-of-juicing.aspx