Healthy Habit #3: Juicing

Juicing is a healthy habit that I was resistant to start, but one that I’ve come to crave. When I’m feeling sluggish, needing more energy or feeling just a bit irritable (me? Never!), I juice. For those of you, envisioning that I’m gulping down a full bottle of Sunny-D or Ocean Spray, let me explain.

Juicing - involves taking fresh, whole foods and processing them through a juicer, which extracts the vast majority of nutrients from the food.  Often when we overcook foods, we lose the many nutrients that they offer us.  Juicing also allows you to drink the nutrients of a large quantity of fruits & veggies - that we may not be able to do practically if we were eating those foods. For instance, I can juice a significant quantity (5 servings - what is now recommended) of vegetables: kale, beets, carrots, spinach, celery, broccoli - in a fraction of the time it would take me to prepare & eat them.  Certainly this doesn’t mean juice all of your fruits & vegetables - we need fiber too — but juicing does provide a fairly quick and tasty way to eat healthfully.  Here are a few tips and resources to get you started.

Finding a Juicer: You’ll want to choose a juicer that’s right for you and your budget. I currently have Jack LaLanne’s juicer ($99 from Costco). While it does a good job, I think my next juicer will be a Champion based on my research. Here’s a great article to give you insight on the differences in juicers and help you choose the right one for you. 

http://www.harvestessentials.com/whatjuicisri.html

You’ve got your juicer - Now what? You may want to go online or pick up a basic guide to juicing at your library or local bookstore.  Having a few recipes as your guide will be a good way to start.   You might want to start with a fairly simple juice. Carrot/Apple Juice is a great one to begin with:

2 Full Size Carrots (not the baby ones)

1 Apple, quartered

 As a general rule of thumb, you’ll always want to include something sweet in your juice concoction. An apple or pear is a good choice.  If you start with a Kale/Broccoli/Celery mix, it might be the last time you juice. The apple or pear will balance out the other flavors.   For more great recipes, I’ve found this site:

http://www.harvestessentials.com/juicsaucsoup.html

That’s all I have for now - happy juicing! (I think I have a spinach/cucumber/celery/apple juice in my near future). Enjoy!