Freshly pressed vegetable juices are an important step in moving along with your detoxification. Juicing for health may be traced back to Ayurvedic practices in ancient India. Juicing is a 5000 year old tradition. Experience has shown that the juice of specific fruits and vegetables can help improve body functions and cleanse the body of toxins. When you squeeze out the juice of vegetables, you receive a concentration of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Juicing is an important part of the GAPS protocol and it goes well with the later Intro stages.
You will need a juice extractor in order to freshly press vegetable and fruit juices. This is different than pureeing vegetables and fruits. The juice extractor separates the water and nutrients from the indigestible fiber or pulp. While you may add fruits, vegetables are the main course here.
5 Reasons to Juice
Use the best possible vegetables
Use organic vegetables and fruits when possible. Follow the list by the Environmental Working Group, which lists the dirty dozen and the clean 15. You certainly do not want to be drinking concentrated juices that are laced with pesticides. Make sure any fruit you use is ripe.
Start with vegetables you like to eat. Use some sweet vegetables with some that are not sweet. Reserve the bitter leafy greens for when you are a little more experienced with juicing.
Balance the flavors
When using leafy greens, add a half a lemon or lime (skin off, white part included) as this will balance the bitterness of the greens.
Add some fresh ginger (a 1 inch portion is plenty) if you like the taste of ginger. It will give the juice a little kick! Research has indicated that ginger can have positive effects on cardiovascular health, including preventing atherosclerosis and preventing the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL).
Add a handful of fresh cranberries — they contain huge amounts of antioxidants and may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. Cranberries are also known to protect against urinary tract infections.
Drink up
Drink your juice as soon as it is made. Fresh pressed juices oxidize very quickly — as soon as the air hits the juice it will start to oxidize. This aspect of juicing makes it a little difficult to have more than one glass of juice a day. After all, it takes time to run the juicer and more time to clean it!
However, you can store freshly pressed juices for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. This has to be done very carefully.
How to store your juice:
Start slowly
Don’t expect to be able to guzzle a large glass of juice and feel well. Juices can have a powerful effect on the digestive system. Start with just a few ounces a day and work your way up to one or two glasses a day. It’s always best to use caution when starting something new.
Ingredients (all organic if possible)
Instructions
What is your experience with juicing? Please leave a comment and let me know!
Please share your juice recipes at the Detox Challenge Linky! Or at Fat Tuesdays here at the blog on Tuesdays.
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