The Health Benefits of Juicing

The health benefits of juicing are enormous and it's such an easy way to take our “five a day“ servings of fruit and vegetable that even children can be encouraged to drink juice without a fuss.

Scientists now say that the more colourful our diet is the healthier our diet is. This means that a good variety of different fruit and vegetables make for a balanced diet and healthy body. The more colour that is on your dinner plate the healthier the meal is likely to be. Combining different fruit and vegetables in fruit juice the healthier the juice is likely to be.

Apples, bananas, carrots, tomatoes and watercress are all full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are the latest buzz word and rightly so as they protect us from free radicals which age our cells prematurely. Free radicals in their place do a lot of good by destroying harmful bacteria; however when exposed to cigarette smoke, traffic fumes, radiation and sunlight they can bring about harmful oxidation which is where antioxidants can come in and help restore the balance.

Five a day can be quite a daunting thought for some as it sounds like a lot of munching! One banana counts as one serving, half a grapefruit counts as one serving, a large plate of salad counts as 3 servings, two carrots count as one, and vegetable soup counts as two servings.

Enzymes, vitamins and minerals are easily destroyed by cooking so although vegetable soup counts as two servings it contains little of the original goodness.

Benefits of Juicing

1. One of the benefits of juicing is it is a liquid so is easily and quickly digested.

2. One glass of juice can contain more than one fruit or vegetable, in fact it can contain a variety, making it colourful, balanced and healthy. Juicing one apple and two carrots would qualify as two of your five a day.

3. One of the nicest benefits of juicing is you are using raw products so they are still full of live enzymes, vitamins and minerals, not to mention antioxidants.

4. Kids can be encouraged to drink a glass of juice when they might be very fussy about eating the same fruits or vegetables and you might even be able to disguise some that they would just never eat at all. Kids love getting involved so let them help make their own juices.

5. Replace your breakfast or lunch with juice to set you up for the day. A glass of fresh juice gives you all the goodness and energy to keep you going and used as part of a diet plan can help you lose weight. Some psychologists believe that if you are trying to lose weight you should stay away from red food as it encourages us to eat more, so go easy on the tomatoes!

6. By making your own juices you know exactly what goes into them and you can be as adventurous as you want finding different combinations of juice to enjoy. To get the best out of your juices make sure it is fresh products you use, and organic is even better.

7. Juice is brimming full of vitamin C which gives your immune system a huge boost so that it is able to fight off those coughs and colds.

8. Phytochemicals are important in protecting against age related diseases, eye diseases, some cancers and sun damage. By juicing carrots, red peppers, spinach, mangos, oranges and melons you can ensure your body has enough of these valuable nutrients.

9. Juice contains many different minerals such as iron, potassium and folic acid all which can help prevent or improve depression symptoms.

10. The benefits of juicing really can help your health. Juices such as prune juice, pineapple juice or beet juice can help relieve constipation. Vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, celery, parsnip, peppers and spinach can help lower blood pressure. Apples, black cherry, broccoli, carrots, cucumber and ginger can help alleviant the symptoms of arthritis.

Useful Links