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.
Don’t leave out vegetables from your regular diet just because you’re getting them in your juice. Even fresh juice doesn’t provide all of the same benefits as eating whole vegetables, especially when it comes to fiber. Juicing should be used to add to your daily vegetable consumption, not to replace it.
Drink your juice soon after making it if you are looking to benefit from the health benefits. Juice starts to lose its benefits as soon as it comes out of the fruit or veggie. The longer you let it sit, the more it will lose, so go ahead and drink it as soon as possible to be able to let your body enjoy all the nutrients.
Do not forget to remove hard pits from fruits like peaches and cherries before sending them down the juicer. These pits can destroy your juicers blades turning your happy purchase into a giant paperweight. Don’t get into such a flow in your juicing that you forget to make the fruits safe for juicing.
Bananas and papayas do not seem to do well in a juicer. You can still use them with juice, but it is best to stick them in a blender. They are very thick, and tend to work better when making fruit smoothies or any type of frozen dessert that you make.
Juicing is a lifestyle you dedicate yourself to, and you will notice if you miss a day. If something comes up and you’re not able to buy some fresh produce for your juice, you should have something on hand that you can use instead. You can keep some items in the freezer just in case, or even freeze some juice to tide you over.
Some items just aren’t made for the juicer, especially if they’re soft and mushy. For example, you’ll never be able to make a juice that is mostly banana, but you CAN put a half of a banana in a juice made with other firmer produce. Peaches tend to give the same result.
Before you invest in a juicer, you should do your research. Check out buying guides online, as well as customer reviews, to choose which juicer will fit your needs, while being well respected by those who have already purchased one. A juicer is a big investment, so don’t jump into it without knowing what you’re doing!
When you are choosing a juicer, make sure you buy one that is easy to clean. You won’t have the time to juice if it ends up taking you a half hour just to get a glass made! You want to try your best to clean your juicer right after you juice so that you don’t have to worry about it later.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that the best way to keep your juice from changing color is to add lemon juice to it. This is important because often times fresh juice can take on a distasteful color that may prevent you or others from drinking it.
Keep your juicer clean; keep yourself healthy. Organic products can leave some of the hardest to clean residue behind. Also, as the pulp decomposes, it can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Drink your juice; clean your juicer. That is the habit you should adopt. Target a juicer that is very easy to clean and does not have a lot of nooks or reservoirs that might be hard to reach.
A major benefit of juicing is the high volume of healthy nutrients that are made easily available. In order to maximize those nutrients, the base of the juice should be made from vegetables like spinach, kale, chard or broccoli. By using these vegetables you will achieve the maximum health benefits including a low amount of sugar, which is usually a dominant ingredient in store-bought juices.
Don’t throw away the pulp that is left after juicing! You can make excellent dehydrated crackers out of it which will contain all the fiber that doesn’t make it to your juice. It can also be used in pie crust, if you so desire. Never waste anything that is still good for you!
If you want to have a juice that tastes like a commercial smoothie, add some vanilla! Skip the extract and go for the real thing – scrape a vanilla pod and enjoy the smooth, creamy flavor it imparts on the final product. If you really want to fulfill the smoothie experience, add a little non-fat, unsweetened yogurt to your drink.
If you like a really thick juice, try using softer fruits to make nectar! Apricots, peaches, pears, and strawberries are all excellent choices. You can add banana to make it an even smoother treat, but put it in the blender first or mash it and then add it to your juicer so that your motor doesn’t end up wearing out.
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.
A great juicing tip is to – know how thin or thick – you want your juice to be. Juicing bananas or avocados for example, will make a puree, which might be way too thick for what you want. Putting these foods in the blender first, will help thin them out.
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!