Why Juicing for Health

Juicing for health is an easy way to get lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into your diet. Many people find it difficult to include enough vegetables in their diet to ensure optimal health and this is one way to easily get the benefits of this health providing foods. If you have a distaste for vegetables, I will provide recipes and suggestions for making your vegetable juices tasty!

I don't recommend juicing fruits as this provides to high a level of concentrated sugar. Too much sugar in the diet leads to inflammation which leads to a whole host of health problems. However, certain fruits can be mixed with your veggies to provide a tasty combination for your palate.

Juicing for health provides many benefits by helping to alkalize your system. Most of the foods we eat such as meat, fish, poultry, grains, dairy, salt, and sugar are acid producing. It is important to help our bodies maintain the right acid/alkaline balance and avoid some of the aging related problems that too high an acid diet can cause.

There is evidence that adding alkaline food to our diet may help prevent osteoporosis and age-related muscle wasting.

Types of Juicers

1. The centrifugal Juicer is the primary one sold on the market. They work by grinding then straining your vegetables by spinning at a high speed. They usually produce a good volume of juice. The Omega 1000 & 4000 and Juiceman II are examples of centrifugal juicers. Not very good at extracting juice from leafy greens.
2. Masticating juicers work at slower speed. They chew and break down the vegetable fibers. This gives you more fiber, enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals. The champion Juicer is an example of a masticating juicer.
3. Twin gear juicers also work at a slow speed. First, they crush the vegetables than they press them to extract the juice. These machines provide more fiber, enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals. They also have magnetic and bio-ceramic technology that slows down the oxidation process. This can be good if you want to store your juice, which I don't recommend. For the most benefit drink your juice right away!

These juicers are excellent for juicing leafy greens (which you will want to do). Juicing time is longer with these juicers because of the slower juicing process, but it gives you a higher quality juice.

There are many juicers on the market and it is best to research fully before investing your money in one. They come in a variety of price ranges. I personally prefer the twin gear juicers because they can extract juice from leafy greens, an important factor for providing high vitamin and mineral content. However, some may be difficult to use, so do your homework here! One of the best ones is the Green Star GS1000, but there are also other good ones on the market.

Juicing for Health Recipes and Guidelines

When you are juicing for health it is important to buy organic vegetables if at all possible since juicing will concentrate whatever is in (or on) the vegetable (or fruit). Some vegetables are more important than other to buy organic. I will indicate this below.

If you are a novice juicer it is best to start with milder tasting vegetables like cucumber and celery. You may try adding a carrot or a couple pieces of apple for a sweeter flavor.

Once you get used to the concentrated flavors of juicing you can start to add more of the darker colored vegetables like beets, kale, collards, spinach, really any vegetable you like. You may also add a few drops of lemon juice which contrary to what you might think, is alkaline producing.

Here is one of my favorite green juice recipes.

• 4-5 stalks organic only celery, including leaves
• 2 big handfuls spinach
• 1 bunch parsley
• You may add a couple of drops of lemon juice if you like. I prefer it without.
• Another favorite:
• 4-5 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small beet

In the future, if you want to get adventurous you can even add a small amount of fresh ginger or garlic. Some people may have difficulty digesting the raw garlic, but if you can, it is very anti bacterial and anti viral and good for your blood and heart.

Now it's time for you to experiment!! Enjoy juicing for health!