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An Easy Way For Your Children to get their Fruits and Veggies

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The Benefits Of Juicing

Everywhere we go, we see children drinking soda and artificial juices in juice boxes loaded with sugar.  These juices are not just bad for you, but they offer nothing in nutritional content. Vegetable juicing is a great way to enjoy the benefits of raw foods by making your own juice at home.  Eating fruits and vegetables in their raw state provides us with various enzymes, vitamins and minerals which cooking destroys.  We believe that vegetables and fruits in their whole, natural state are a much better way to meet your nutrient needs than by taking vitamin supplements.

Juicing has a number of benefits for overall health, but most importantly it gets whole food nutrition into a child’s growing body. It is a healthy dose of vitamins that your body assimilates perfectly.  If your children don’t eat a lot of vegetables or fruits, this is a great way to get them in. Recent medical studies show that consuming fruits and vegetables prevents many illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. They contain high amounts of phytochemicals and chlorophyll (in green juices) which are cancer fighting properties and help bring oxygen to the bloodstream.

Another benefit of juicing is that juicing helps the nutrient absorption process work more effectively.  Our intestines are compromised by years of eating badly and the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from the food we eat is weakened.

 

Here are more benefits of juicing:

–        Your body needs 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, and it can be difficult to make sure you’re meeting these needs.  Juicing offers a way to do this more easily. (Quite frankly, I believe your body needs way more than this).

–        Juicing concentrates the nutrients found in fruit and vegetables, making it an even more nutritious alternative than simply eating them.  According to the website Joyful Juicer, one glass of fresh juice contains one-third of the recommended daily nutrient quota.

–        Research has shown that fruit and vegetable consumption significantly reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.  Home juicing contains phytochemicals that have been shown to fight cancer.  It also has helps to transport oxygen throughout the blood stream.

–        Juices contain a high number of enzymes which assist in the functioning of the immune system.  When foods are cooked, many of these enzymes are killed.  This is also one of the benefits of eating raw foods.

–        They also help to detoxify your body by cleansing the liver.  The liver is also another way that the nutrients will get into the bloodstream.  Benefits of this include better focus, sleeping and digestion.  By cleansing the liver, the body’s energy is freed up so that it can accomplish other tasks.

–        Eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables, because it prevents many serious illnesses, can increase longevity.

–        By giving you so many nutrients without the extra carbohydrates and fat, juicing helps you lose weight.

–        Juices are easy to prepare and consume.  They can be made quickly with little fuss.

–        Juicing reduces acidity and increases alkalinity in the body.

Most people can imagine the types of fruits that can be juiced, but what vegetables make the best juices?  Dark green or leafy green vegetables are considered to be the best.  These include all types of lettuce, spinach and cabbage.  Other types of vegetables work wonderfully as well.  According to natural foods author and lecturer Scott Ohlgren, here are some combinations that work well together:

–        The “Baseline” Vegetables – Carrots, parsnips, cabbage, beets, celery, cucumbers, broccoli and burdock root.

–        The Bitter Greens – Kale, collards, parsley, wheatgrass, lettuces, dandelion and watercress.

–        The “High Note” Vegetables – Onions, ginger, radish and chives.

–        The “High Note” Fruits – Apples, lemons, limes, oranges, cranberries and grapes.

Tips On Juicing

Fresh Fruit And Vegetables Work Best.  Foods found in the produce section are the most perishable in the grocery store.  The nutritional value declines slightly after being stored for even 24 hours and it continues to decrease each day.  If you need to store them, put them into an air-tight container.

Serve At Room Temperature.  For optimal results, your juice should be served at room temperature.  It should be neither chilled nor served hot.

Drink immediately after juicing as the oxygen in the air will oxidize the juice rendering it with less nutrients. If you need to drink it later, put it in an airtight glass container and fill it to the top with no air on top as it will oxidize the juice. Drink within 24 hours.

Add Flavoring.  If you would like to improve the flavor, add seedless grapes or apples to your juice.  This will make it more palatable for children so that they can enjoy its benefits.

Rotate Juices.  Don’t make only one type of juice, but rotate your juice ingredients so that you can get the most nutritional value.

Use Only Organic.  Buy organic fruit and vegetables that were not grown using chemical pesticides.

Clean Your Juicer.  After each juicing, clean your juicer.  Do not let any material remain or it may be contaminated by mold growth.

Avoid Using Too Much Fruit.  Too much fruit in your juices can have the added side-effect of raising insulin levels. Carrot and beet juice function much like fruit juices and will also raise insulin levels.

 

Generally speaking, the best juicers are the Greenstar Twin Gear, Omega and Champion Juicers. These juicers have masticating blades that produce more and better quality juice (more nutrients). The other juicers have centrifugal blades which produce low quality juice.  The first juicer was invented in the 1930’s by Dr. Norman Walker. (The Norwalk Juicer). His book “ Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices” is a must read.

 

Nutritional Benefits of Some Fruits and Vegetables:

Beets: Strengthens liver, gallbladder and liver. Cleanses blood and detoxifies.  Beet juice is extremely powerful and a little goes a long way.  For adults do not take more than a wine glass full and I never give the kids more than 4 ounces at a time, otherwise you will see a healing reaction.

Kale: More easily absorbed calcium than milk. High in Vitamin C, A, fiber, lutein, beta-carotene.  Anti-cancer phytochemical.

Spinach: A great source of iron, vitamin K, magnesium, Lutein, protein and a blood sugar regulator.  Contains lipoic acid, which helps antioxidant vitamins C and E regenerate.

Cucumber: High potassium content which is beneficial for high blood pressure. Natural diuretic that aids in kidney, liver and pancreatic detoxification.

Parsley: High concentration of beta carotene and chlorophyll.  It aids in blood purification, digestive restoration and fatigue. A very powerful disease fighting spice.

Celery: Highly alkalizing and provides relief from inflammation and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.  It contains at least 8 families of anti-cancer compounds.

Apples: Filled with vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber.

Lemon: A natural antiseptic, clearing bad bacteria out of the system. Very alkalizing and stimulates the digestive system, purifies the liver and clears out toxins.  We always put slices of lemons in our water.

Ginger: A great mucous reducer, fighting cold and flu symptoms. It also aids in circulation, digestion and inflammation.

Pear: Contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, folic acid and niacin. Rich in copper, potassium and pectin which lowers cholesterol.

Mint: Soothing, slows growth of bacteria and contains anti-fungal properties

 

Here are some juice recipes we use:

Carrot-Apple-Ginger

Approx. 10 carrots

1 apple ( I find my kids like it better sweetened with a little apple)

1 inch ginger root

ABC

1 apple

1-2 small beets

7-8 stalks celery

 

Vitamin packed juice for Kids

1 apple

2 oranges

1 kiwi

1 carrot

1 celery

1 small beet

 

Carrot-celery-parsley

9 oz carrot

5 oz celery

2 oz parsley

Carrot-cucumber

12 oz carrot

4 oz cucumber

 

By supplying our body with a daily dose of fresh juice containing loads of vitamins and minerals we can have complete health. Juice therapy has helped millions regain their health and reverse many diseases. We hope you will make juicing a part of your lifestyle.

 

Sources

  • pressedjuicery.com, http://www.pressedjuicery.com/learn-why-cleanse
  • Alex Howard , Juicing is the Key to Radiant Health, www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/026466_juicing_vegetables_nutrition.html

  • The Many Benefits of Juicing – From Weight Loss to Fighting Depression, www.joyfuljuicer.com, http://www.joyfuljuicer.com/benefits-of-juicing.html

 

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