While juicing may look like the newest trend, this is an age-old way of getting your daily fruits and vegetables. Juicing has several noteworthy benefits and can be a way to keep your family healthy, especially as the temperatures drops and our immune systems take a hit from the chill.
When you start making your own juices, try adding a vegetable in the mix that you tend to avoid. Vegetables that you do not like alone might end up tasting great to you when mixed in a juice with other flavors. This is a great way to get nutrients you otherwise wouldn’t.
If you are trying to make sure you stick with your healthy new juicing habit, make sure that the juice machine stays on your kitchen counter at all times. Out of sight, out of mind is especially true when it comes to trying to form new habits. By making sure your juicer is always in plain sight, you will be more likely to remember to use it every day.
Bananas and papayas do not seem to do well in a juicer. You can still use them with juice, but it is best to stick them in a blender. They are very thick, and tend to work better when making fruit smoothies or any type of frozen dessert that you make.
Store all your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, especially in the summertime. Juicing depends on fresh produce and leaving them out starts the process of decay more quickly. Keep your produce nice and cool until you eat it so that you can preserve as many vitamins as you can.
Buying fruit and vegetables for your juicing can be easy by using all five senses to find the freshest produce to bring home. Sniff the item and make sure it smells good, like you would want to eat it. Squeeze it and feel if it’s too hard or too soft. Look it over for imperfections, and then take it home and taste a bit. Enjoy!
When you begin to juice, begin with vegetables that you already find palatable. Do not start with only sweet fruits because to get the ultimate benefits of juicing you must include vegetables. Starting with simple vegetables that you enjoy will help you gradually become more familiar with the taste of vegetables in a juice.
When juicing leafy vegetables like spinach, ball the leaves together. If you form your vegetable leafs into a ball, like crumpled paper for instance, you will give a more solid mass for the juicer to work with. This will prevent small pieces of leaves from showing up in your juice and affecting the consistency.
While you may want to keep some extra juice on hand in the fridge, remember that you should drink it soon. Valuable nutrients will begin to be lost as the juice sits. Make enough extra for your next snack time and keep it to that. Making juice for the next day will rob you of the nutrients you were juicing for in the first place.
Remember that vegetable and fruit remnants left on a juicer after juicing have the potential to grow mold quickly. Cleaning it quickly helps stop the growth of mold. Dismantle the juicer clean the parts and rinse with water until clean. If you must use a detergent use one that is very mild.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that when you are dealing with greens such as lettuce, it is best to stack it up in a dense pile before putting it in your juicer. This is important because you will get the most amount of juice and nutrients this way.
To get the most out of your juices, it’s best to drink them before you eat when your stomach is empty. Your digestive system will be able to absorb more of the nutrients in the juice if it’s mostly empty. You will also feel fuller after drinking the juice, so you will eat less when you do have a meal.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is the fact that you do not need to depend on multivitamins or other supplements as much when using your juicer on a regular basis. This is beneficial because it will help you financially and give you a fun and tasty way to obtain the same nutrients.
If you have acne prone skin, consider drinking freshly made carrot and spinach juice. Carrots contain high amounts of beta carotene. Consumption of beta carotene is absolutely critical if you want to clear up your skin. Spinach contains nutrients that make it a great blood cleanser and skin re-generator. Have a glass of carrot-spinach juice every day and see if it helps clear up your skin.
Don’t overtax your juicer or you may end up having to buy a new one! Clean out the pulp every time you finish making a cup of juice, and give the machine a break every once in a while to cool down. If you push it too hard, or get it gunked up, you can burn out the motor.
Juicing is a lot of fun, but it can turn disastrous if you don’t take care of your equipment! Make sure that you clean out the pulp reservoir every time you make juice, and sterilize all your tools from knife to cutting board to extraction container each time you use them.
The best part of juicing is knowing that’s being put into your juice. No one really keeps track of what happens to fruit or vegetables at the point of growing, or what it’s then treated with, before it’s turned into commercial juice. Buy organic so you know that your produce is pesticide-free.
Whether for drinking or as part of a recipe, juicing your fruits and vegetables can liven up your diet and be an easy way to help your family stay healthy. Whether you’re sneaking your kids some vegetables or wanting something refreshing after a hard day, you have only healthful rewards to gain.
