Juicing -- the ultimate body boost!

Juicing is the quickest, most effective, way of providing the body with all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are essential for good health and increased vitality. You may be surprised to learn that it's not easy to achieve the recommended daily allowance of nutrients - not even if you eat fruit and take the time to prepare fresh meals with a good proportion of vegetables. Cooking for instance, although an invaluable tool that can increase the antioxidant activity of some vegetables, does reduce the levels of some enzymes and certain nutrients such as water-soluble vitamin B and C vitamins.

Important!
By fresh juices -- we do NOT mean the items labelled "fresh" in the grocery store.
Before we even get started this is important to know about juices that you are buying in the store. Juices in stores are watery processed liquids that have been packed in cardboard or plastic and are often full of chemicals, colorings and preservatives. Most of the pre-made juices have also been heated up 175 degrees for 20-30 minutes to extend their shelf-life, which means that most of the enzymes and nutrients have been destroyed in the process. These are not a substitute for real juice from the fresh produce section that you will make at home. We'll promise you that once you start juicing you will not go back to "conventional store bought juice".

Why juice?

Juices use raw vegetables and they also enable you to absorb large quantities of nutrients at a time. Once you get into juicing, the likelihood is that you will buy and consume a great deal more fruit and vegetables than before. You probably wouldn't have considered eating 1 lb of carrots a day but, within minutes, what would have previously seemed like a week's supply can be transformed into an 8oz glass of delicious juice that will have an almost miraculous effect on your well-being. Not only will that juice give you increased energy and strengthened immunity, it will flush out the toxins out of your body, provide the raw materials to help you heal more quickly and completely - and it is low calorie, practically fat-free and bursting with vitamins and minerals.

Fresh juices also provide essential enzymes and a concentrated source of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. Enzymes are the body's work force, acting as the catalyst for the hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that take place every day - from the digestion and absorption of food to the production of energy - while the antioxidants get rid of excess "free radicals" (the rouge molecules that attack cells and tissues and are linked with heart disease and cancer).
Because they are so fast acting, juices act a little bit like a blood transfusion. During the juicing process all the fiber is removed from the vegetable leaving the vitamin and mineral-rich pulp that is then absorbed directly into your bloodstream. Within 20 minutes, this vital source of energy is nourishing the body's cells. It is good to juice the whole vegetable because the skin contains certain nutrients and bacteria that will help you digest the juice.

 Before you start juicing:

• Get a juicer that is easy to clean. You should be able to put most parts in the dish washer.
• If you are new to juicing, start out slowly. It is such a concentrated form of nutrients so adjust your stomach slowly.
• It is always best to drink juices on an empty stomach, that way it will pass your intestine more quickly for an immediate boost.
• Always wash the vegetables, cut off any bad parts.  
• If you can, buy organic vegetables and fruits, if you can't -- again, wash them thoroughly.
• Drink your juice immediately! As soon as the juice gets in contact with light, heat and air it starts to break down. If you put it in a thermos, or chilled in the fridge, you can keep it up to 4 hours, but drinking it immediately it's your ultimate option.
• Vary your vegetables, don't overdose on certain ones. Mix and try out different ones as often as you can.
• Don't mix fruit and vegetables -- it won't hurt you -- but by mixing fruit and vegetables your stomach is much more likely to bloat. Fruit and vegetables in combination starts to ferment (yeasty effect). It's better to do fruit juices by itself and vegetable juices by itself.
• Vegetables (and spices) to juice:
  
  Carrots, beetroot, spinach, celery, parshley, garlic, wheatgrass, asparagus, ginger, lettuce, cumin, fennel etc. Coconut milk, pomegranate and cranberry can also be included because the exceptional benefits that they provide. When it comes to fruits -- anything you want, just use your imagination.
  
  
  
  
  Once you get used to juicing you might want to eat all you vegetables and fruits this way, that we do not recommend. Remember, by juicing you are getting rid of the fiber that is important for you as well. But in combination -- the ultimate body boost!