Posted by Savneet Singh on Apr.30, 2010

©iStockphoto.com - Liliboas

Fresh juices are a safe and inexpensive form of preventive medicine. A few glasses of juice each day increase nutrient density of our diet. There are very few people who can have a pound of raw carrots a day, but anyone can squeeze in an 8-ounce glass of carrot juice, which is rich in important vitamins A and C.

Juice’s main drawback is that it removes fiber, which is essential for healthy digestion and may even help in preventing certain type of cancer. An adult needs 20-35 grams of fiber everyday. A glass of eight ounce of carrot contains only 2 grams of fiber as compared to 14 grams in a pound of carrots. Thus, it is advisable to have raw and fresh vegetables and fruits in addition to juices. Most people do not have either juice or raw vegetables and fruits. Thus, adding a few glasses of fresh juices each day can do a lot to improve the average person’s diet.

It is very important to note that when experts recommend juice, they are not talking about the prepackaged juice which you get at supermarkets. These pre-processed juices have very little resemblance to fresh juice nutritionally as well as aesthetically. These processed juices undergo boiling at a very high temperature for the pasteurization, which is required to increase the shelf life of the juice. During this process of boiling many essential vitamins and enzymes are destroyed. Even these prepacked juices are much better than the carbonated sodas and energy drinks. If you really want to reap the health benefits of the juice, you need to put some extra effort and money. Bring home a juicer and spend a little extra time to prepare fresh juice for yourself and other family members.

It is very important to choose the right and best quality produce for making juice. The best choice is organic vegetables and fruits. Produce grown without pesticides and other chemicals gives more valuable nutrients for the money that you have spent, as will seasonal and local. Avoid imported produce as far as possible. If you use imported fruits or vegetables, peel it off before you take out juice. Locally grown produce is cheaper and fresher than those which are shipped from far off places. Explore local markets and road-side stands. There are pick-up-your own farms where you can select your own peas, apples, peaches, strawberries and other fruits.

To have maximum benefits, make juice only when you are ready to drink it. It is best to have juice within half an hour it is made. As soon as a fruit or vegetable juice is processed in your juicer, the natural enzymes in the juice begin to break down the nutrients it contains. Juice stored in refrigerators loses its nutritional value rather quickly. Once juice starts to thicken, it is only left with water, minerals and calories.

There are few important things to remember while you prepare juice:

• Scrub the produce thoroughly with vegetable brush before you make juice.
• If you find a vegetable or fruit waxed, be sure to peel it before you make juice out of it.
• Remove all seeds and pits. Peel off skin of citrus fruits. Leave much of the white, pithy part as possible although it contains vitamin C and flavonoids.
• Cut the vegetables and fruits in small pieces so that they can easily fit through the juicer. Cut off and discard the portions that look bruised or damaged. They may be harmful and spoil the taste of the juice.
• Watch the stems of the green vegetables which are attached to the vegetables. Carrot and rhubarb greens can be harmful.
• Fruits like banana and avocado contain very little water and they can not be juiced up. If you wish to add them to the juice, juice of other produce first and then transfer the juice to the blender and add banana or avocado to it and blend.

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Posted under Drinks, Juices.