Erin Doman on October 9, 2015 0 Comments Juicing is much more than a dieting fad–it’s a wonderful way to maintain your health, energy and happiness. It seems that juicing is here to stay due to the undeniable string of health benefits associated with the practice. These health benefits have been proven and can’t be ignored by scientists or dietitians alike. Juicing is very simply defined as extracting the juice from various fruits and vegetables. The process involves the stripping away of the solid matter of these food items, leaving only natural liquids, vitamins and minerals behind. With the help of the proper machine, juicing becomes the easiest way to keep your body healthy and happy. There are three primary types of juicers that you can obtain to begin forming your own juicing habits. Centrifugal This is the most common and usually the least expensive variety of juicer, making use of a spinning motion to separate juice from the fibers of the fruits and vegetables. Masticating Masticating juicers work by chewing up vegetables and pushing them through a type of strainer, often resulting in more juice produced than with the centrifugal process. Grind-and-press As their names suggest, these juicers extract juice through grinding and pressing the fruit and vegetables. They are also the most expensive type out of these three. Regardless of your price range, a juicer is easy to acquire and even easier to learn how to operate, so you can get started with your new healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. While the actual list of health benefits is significantly larger than the few listed here, these eight reasons are perhaps the most convincing proofs of the wisdom behind engaging in the juicing trend. 1. Processed vs. Natural Juice Fruit juices are widely available in grocery stores and supermarkets alike. This, however, does not mean that drinking store bought fruit juice is a better option than creating your own, and it also doesn’t mean that you reap the same rewards. Processed juices such as the ones readily accessible at your local grocery store don’t provide the same benefits that fresh and organic juices do, and are often stuffed to the brim with sugar or sugar substitutes that would never be present in a juice you create at home. 2. Gentle on Your Digestion Your digestive system will thank you for consuming juiced foods instead of solid foods. Digestive systems must work hard and for extended periods of time to process most foods, including raw whole veggies and fruits. Juice is infinitely easier for your digestive system to work with and process, meaning the nutrients get to your system without a whole lot of effort. 3. Raw is Better Similar to the complaints about processed juice are the issues against processed fruits and vegetables. While consuming your allotted amount of fruits and vegetables every day is a great habit regardless, processed ones have a reduced amount of nutritional value. The healthiest foods, when consumed as a juice, are at their states of highest quality as far as vitamin and mineral counts go. 4. Healthy Meal Replacement If you’re looking to diet, juicing could be your way to ditch all the strict commandments and pump your meals with important nutrients that you may be lacking in a regular dieting regimen. Instead of eating out at a fast food restaurant, you can reward your body with a juiced drink that contains an explosive variety of minerals and vitamins. You can also use these drinks in-between meals to keep you from feeling hungry as well as provide a supplement in potential nutrient-deprived food spreads. 5. Aids Nutrient Absorption Because your digestive system can process juiced fruits and vegetables quicker than it can with whole produce, you gain the nutrients from the juiced produce much quicker than you otherwise would. In several studies it has been shown that juice nutrients take roughly fifteen minutes to benefit your body’s internal systems, whereas solid foods can take up to three hours. Needless to say, having nutrients circulating in your body in less than a half hour is a much more ideal situation than having something waiting in your stomach for several hours before providing any benefit. 6. Encourages Healthy Eating Habits Admittedly, not all vegetables and fruits are as tasty as you might want them to be. This barrier in consuming your proper share is easily destroyed with juicing. Juicing blends flavors in new and exciting ways, creating not only a fun new way to get your veggies down, but also a delicious one. This can be a huge boon when it comes to feeding more finicky eaters, especially with children. A juice blend becomes an exhilarating and refreshing experiment to share between parents and kids, all the while benefiting both physically. 7. Don’t Throw Away the Peel Believe it or not, that peel that you always threw into the trash actually has its own set of nutrients which could be benefiting your body. Trying to chew and swallow a banana peel, however, is a task you couldn’t ask of almost anyone. Side-step this trouble by tossing peels into your juicer and blending them with the rest. Your taste buds might not know it’s in there, but your body will. This doesn’t just go for banana peels: try juicing the whole lemon, orange, or lime along with the rest of your fruits and veggies! Just be wary of certain rinds, such as pineapple skin, which can clog or even break a weak juicer. 8. Health Benefits Needless to say, a slew of health benefits go along with a consistent juicing diet. Fruits and vegetables contain critical vitamins that improve skin health, hair and nail health, sleep, moods, senses, and immune systems, just to name a few. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that half of every meal should be made up of fruits and vegetables. Unless you are a vegetarian, this is a rather difficult task that is made an easy affair with the help of a juicer. Getting Started If juicing seems appealing to you, don’t be afraid to get started right away! Information regarding places to purchase juicers is readily accessible via the Internet, and there are countless websites that offer priceless advice in what vegetables and fruits to mix with what. Recipes for juicing have flooded the web since juicing’s initial introduction, and there is more than enough information out there to perpetuate your juicing habit. Whether or not you use juicing to get your fruits and vegetables down the hatch or are simply aiding in a healthy diet plan, remember that making sure your diet consists of a colorful variety of produce can help prolong and enrich your life. Fill your diet with critical minerals and vitamins to feel better and live better.
