Juicing is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body.
In fact, juicing is the easiest way to start a raw food diet. For example, you can replace your breakfast with juices. Nearly anything can be juiced – fruits and vegetables, primarily. It is a form of concentrated nutrition.
Eating plenty of vegetables is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Vegetables provide the nutrients you need for more energy, healthy digestive support, and valuable assistance for virtually every cell in your body. Juicing is a sure-fire way to make sure you get enough of these nutrients every day.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, etc.) provide a healthy portion of vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large quantities of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. A number of green juices are a good source of vitamin E. Fruit juices are a good source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are bound by the plant in a form that is most easily assimilated during digestion.
Choosing the right juicer
You will not want to use the common centrifuge juice extractor because the centrifuge action deteriorates the molecules in the vegetables and fruits. You need to use a PRESS extractor.
Here are two kinds of juicers that are best known:
Omega 1000 juicer – Makes good, virtually pulp-free juice. It’s a high-yield juicer but not good for juicing leafy greens. This juicer will not process wheatgrass.
Dr MERCOLA advertises the Omega 8003 Juicer:
http://shop.mercola.com/Electronics___Appliances-Omega_Juicer_8003___220V__Non_US_Model_-P593.aspx
Champion juicer – Better juice quality, pulpy with good nutritional value. Also a multi-purpose machine that grates and churns and can make nut butters. A good heavy-duty juicer, high volume, good for families. Does not process wheatgrass. You can find it in several websites on Google:
http://www.championjuicer.com/what_makes_champion.html
http://www.discountjuicers.com/champion.html
The Champion Juicer chews the fibers and breaks up the cells of vegetables and fruits. This give you more fiber, enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals. This all results in the darker, richer color of the juice and a sweeter, richer more full-bodied flavor. You can see and taste the difference.
I purchased a Champion juicer six years ago and I am still very glad I did that for my health. With it I press vegetables and fruits to extract juices and I very finely grate carrots and other root vegetables to make great coleslaws. I can also mash fruits into a homogenized puree for home sorbets and icecreams, and make gorgeous raw tomato or apple sauce, easy to use in recipes.
Of course, you will need to find very fresh vegetables to make your own home juices, and it is good to think about getting them from organic farming in order to avoid all those chemicals.
Rinsing with cool water will remove some surface pesticide residue, but not the pesticide that was absorbed into the produce as it was grown. Some of the most severely tainted types of produce are strawberries and bell peppers. Some of the least tainted are carrots and avocados. Although in a regular press juicer you do not need to remove the peels and seeds from your vegetables and fruit, you need to at least peel your produce if they do not come from organic farming.
Drinking plenty of fresh fruit juices daily will cleanse your system, make you feel completely energized and last but not least, you will look beautiful. People will wonder what you are doing differently!
Here are a few juice recipes from my own Champion user manual:
Celery and Lemon Cocktail Delight
2 peeled lemons
1 handful of tender celery leaves
1 apple
Juice the celery leaves, then the lemons and apples in the Champion Juicer.
Add water to make 1 quart. Serve with ice cubes.
Frozen Banana Desserts
4 ripe banana (cut in half and frozen without skins)
Assemble the Champion Juicer for homogenizing and homogenize the frozen bananas.
Serve at once. Makes 4 servings.
Power Boost
Drink this at least 15 minutes before eating.
1 tart organic apple, unpeeled, quartered and chopped
3-5 scrubbed, unpeeled organic carrots, chopped
2 clean stalks of organic kale, stems removed
Juice according to manufacturer's directions for your juicer. Drink juice immediately to avoid letting vitamins deteriorate. The colour may surprise you but it is pleasant tasting and loaded with nutrients.
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