Juicing - A Beginners Guide

You can spot a juicer a mile off at the supermarket or greengrocer. Apart from the huge number of carrots and apples they are loading into their trolley, they also have that slightly smug, see-how-healthy-I-am look about them. Or is that just me?! Actually, I don't buy a lot of carrots and apples any more, because (other than my indiscretion with a packet of shortbread this week) I've radically reduced the amount of sugar I take in. My juice of choice is a vegetable one, a green one - but more about that later, first let's ask...

Why is juicing so good?

In my article Enzymes and Raw Food, I explained why eating enzyme-rich food is so important. If you are buying cartons (or bottles) of juice, even many of those labelled 'freshly squeezed' you are almost certainly missing out on the enzymes. Why? Because they are likely to be pasteurised. There are different methods of pasteurisation, but all of them involve heating to temperatures a lot greater than 118F - which is the point at which enzymes are killed.

Fresh juices, on the other hand, are packed with enzymes, vitamins, minerals etc. and they taste a zillion times yummier too. Plus if you invest in a good juicing book, you can select your ingredients based on your immediate health needs too. I recommend Superjuice: Juicing for Healing and Health by Michael van Straten.

Do I need a juicer to juice?

Wel, yes and no. There are so many juicers on the market and the prices vary radically. I always recommend that you start with a mid-priced model that is easy to clean. This is important. If cleaning it is a right old pain, you will be put off using it which is no good at all.

The US market is probably quite different, but for UK readers, I use the Breville AWT JE3 which retails at just under a £100. It's by no means the best juicer on the market, but it is very good for the price and a doddle to clean. Plus the new model features two speeds, one for hard produce and one for soft fruits.

There is also the Magimix Le Duo which I understand to be better than the Breville AWT and is the same price.

If you are reluctant to invest in a juicer at the moment but you already have a blender, you could just stick to smoothies. Or for around £5, you could buy yourself a nylon sprout/nutmilk bag and simply strain the juice from the pulp to create your healthy drink. Make sure you chop up the produce and add some bottled water too.

What should I juice?

If you have acid reflux/heartburn problems, candidiasis, thrush, diabetes, IBS or an IBD, then you should avoid going overboard with fruit and sweet veg juices eg. carrots. (Actually this strategy will benefit anyone with any health issue!)

The irony is that the sweet juices may be the ones you are most drawn to, but sugar feeds microforms (like yeasts, fungus, molds, bacteria and viruses) which thank us by excreting acidic, toxins into our blood stream when they 'digest' the food we give them!

Your best bet is to stick to green juices which aklalise the body. I really struggled with this to start with as the flavour is a bit of an acquired taste but then I discovered lemons! My favourite juice now is...

Claire's Green Goddess
100g of curly kale
2-3 sticks of celery
4-5 inches of cucumber
5-6 Green beans
A quarter of an unwaxed lemon (with peel)

The lemon really does do something special to the flavour. For those who are concerned about the acidity of lemon, here's an interesting thing; lemon is only acid outside the body. Once it goes in, it alkalises. Same is true of white grapefruit and lime. But not oranges or ruby grapefruit whose higher sugar content makes them more acid inside the body.

If you have a sweet tooth and the lemon isn't working for you, you could try adding an apple instead, but aim to reduce the quantity over time.

Should I peel?

Obviously, you will want to peel some fruits and veg, eg. a pineapple. But using organic produce means you need only give the produce a good scrub rather than peeling it which is recommended for non-organic produce.

And one final tip...

If you want to add ginger to a juice and your juicer tends to spit the chunk of ginger out without really juicing it, put it through your garlic press and stir in to the finished juice! Happy juicing.

................................................................................. .....................................................
Claire Raikes is a Wellbeing Coach, Speaker and Writer who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She now shares her passion for natural and vibrant health through coaching, speaking and writing about the importance and power of a truly healthy diet.

She publishes a free weekly eZine, In Essence and is compiling an eBook of Healthy Fast Food with 25% of the proceeds going to The Cancer Project, a charity set up by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and nutritionists to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. If you have a recipe you would like to submit, visit http://www.LiveInEssence.com for further details. To book Claire to speak at your event, email her at Claire@LiveInEssence.com.

---

Nutrition N Diet

Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because... Read More

Set Your Fat Thermostat at a Healthy Level

Have you ever watched someone who appears thin and healthy... Read More

Power of Oatmeal

Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More

pH and Weight Loss

THE RISKNo doubt you've heard of the increasingly popular "raw... Read More

Children Get Constipated, Too

Do you notice your child putting off going to the... Read More

Is Dr. Arthur Agatston Fearing the Loss of Popularity of South Beach Diet?

Dr. Arthur Agatston, the cardiologist who developed South Beach Diet... Read More

5 Tips To Lower Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More

Green Tea and Your Health

Green tea has been used as for medical remedies in... Read More

Train Your Self To Eat Healthy

For some people it is really hard to give up... Read More

Snack Attack - How to Keep Your Hunger Between Meals from Getting the Best of You

The Benefits of SnackingYou may feel regretful about snacking, but... Read More

Beans - The Perfect Food?

Beans. Legumes. Pulses. Whatever you call this plant group, they... Read More

What is A Balanced Diet For Losing Weight and Good Health?

The total calories that you should be consuming depend on... Read More

Ginger 4 Spleen - A Love Story!

For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at... Read More

Aggressive Behaviour Seems To Be Triggered By Early Age Diet

The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More

Changing Your Eating Habits

Because all of us have been brought up eating junk... Read More

Health Update: Have Your Chocolate and Eat It, Too!

According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis... Read More

Post Workout Nutrition: Secrets to a Hard, Lean Body

As you've probably heard before, your post-workout meal may very... Read More

Acid and Digestive Disorders: Breaking the Vicious Circle

THE RISKThe primary symptom of acid reflux is obvious to... Read More

Facts About Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is less known compare to olive oil, corn... Read More

Functional Foods: What They Are And How They Work

In the brain, a typical protein can live for approximately... Read More

Debunking the Myth About Bottled Water: Is It Really Safer for Your Kids?

When you actually sit down and think about it, bottled... Read More

Health and Nutrition

The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More

The Sugar-Coated Truth

It is believed that cane sugar was discovered before the... Read More

Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From?

Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More

Eggs For Balance

The egg, the symbol of birth, of life and, therefore,... Read More