If you want to really give your diet a healthy boost, try making your own fresh juices at home. You can take all of the fruits and veggies that you love and turn them into delicious, nutritious juices. If you’re not sure where to start, this article will show you how.
If you are diabetes or otherwise sensitive to sugar in your diet, be careful with juicing. Many fruit juices will be very high in sugar, resulting in a spike in your blood sugar levels, especially if you drink juice on an empty stomach. Try diluting your juices with water to reduce this issue.
Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your juices. Not only will this keep the tastes exciting, but you will be able to get a wider range of vitamins and minerals from your juices. Try one new ingredient a week and if you have an allergic reaction, you’ll know which ingredient caused it.
Beware of too much oxalic acid. If you have a history of kidney stones, gout, osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis you will aggravate your symptoms. Foods to avoid are spinach, chard, beets and rhubarb. You also have to remember not to combine them, or follow them with foods high in calcium, such as broccoli.
Lacking space on your cutting board for all of the ingredients you need for juicing? Try to cut everything in a manner which keeps the actual food “whole”. For example, slice a carrot but don’t pull the pieces apart. You can slice an apple around it’s core and then stand the pieces up so it looks like it wasn’t cut. This will save you space to slice the other items you need without dirtying more dishes.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on fresh juicing produce as long as you shop in season. Berries are great in the summer, but will cost you an arm and a leg to buy in the winter, so skip them until the prices drop again. Apples last all winter, so feel free to buy a few bushels and keep them in the garage.
If you’re serious about juicing, you should dedicate a cool, dark area of your house to storing produce which can be kept long-term. For example, apples can be kept in the garage over the winter as long as they’re not allowed to freeze. Just wash them, get rid of any bad ones, and store them in a covered but breathable container.
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.
Juicing is a great way to drink all the nutrients you need for the day, but you also have to be conscious of the amount of sugars you’re taking in. If you’re having a drink with a lot of fruit or high-glycemic vegetables, drink less than you would if it were mostly low-glycemic items.
Do not wait to get started with juicing. While you are shopping for your juicer or if you need to replace one, use the blender for the time being. Start experimenting with fruits and vegetables by making smoothies. You can get to know some of the flavors you will like and you get started on a healthy regimen sooner.
When you are making your own juice, the best vegetables to use are organic vegetables. By using organic vegetables, you are maximizing the benefits of juicing. When non-organic vegetables are used, you are adding unhealthy pesticides and chemicals into an otherwise healthy drink, which depletes the benefits of creating your own juice.
Masticating juice machines are ideal for making fruit juice beverages. They have features that are lacking in other juicers, and are able to mill, grind, and puree so you can even make frozen deserts. This will add some variety to your juicing routine.
If you don’t like having pulp in your juice, cover the container it’s dripping into with cheesecloth. DON’T throw the pulp away, though, as it contains a lot of fiber and nutrients that you need. Mix it with non-fat, unsweetened yogurt for an excellent breakfast item or after-meal dessert treat!
In regards to juicing, it is important to consider the benefits that coconut can provide to your juice. Coconut is a natural way to enhance the sweetness and overall flavor of your juice. Even if you do not care for the taste of coconut, you can try adding small amounts to give you good results.
It’s a great idea to plan out your meals for the week, including your juices. You can figure out which vegetables you’ll eat when, whether it be solid or juiced, so you know exactly how much of everything you’ll need to buy. This will also save you money as you can buy in bulk for multiple meals.
Juicing helps prevent constipation. Good things to try when you want to cleanse your system are: cabbage, brussel sprouts, figs, fennel, grapes, papaya, parsnips and lettuce. It’s hard to feel your best if you battle chronic constipation, which is just one more reason why juicing is amazing.
As you’ve seen, making your own fresh, nutritious juices at home couldn’t be easier. There’s nothing stopping you from turning organic fruits and veggies into your very own taste treats. Just remember the tips you’ve learned from this article and you can boost your diet with all the juice you can drink!