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Three quarters of the US population are severely deprived of the critical nutrients that prevent chronic disease. If we are to see a decline in the epidemic of diet-related illnesses, we must begin by giving our bodies the nutrition they require. Juicing is an efficient tool you can use to get the maximum nutrition out of your dollar. The food pyramid tells us we should have a minimum of five servings of vegetables a day, but according to the Center for Disease Control only 27% of Americans consume three servings daily [zotpressInText item=”{5RZI6VPE}”]. How are you going to meet this essential quota in your diet? Through juicing regularly, you can inexpensively and efficiently consume the amount of vegetables recommended by world experts.
Juicing fresh vegetables makes a profound impact on our lives, not only providing us with abundant energy, but in preventing illnesses like the common cold. Because most vegetables have a high nutrient content, a proper diet necessitates more servings of vegetables than fruit; most Americans do the opposite [zotpressInText item=”{TCC7JZ89}”]. Furthermore, common vegetables, such as carrots, beets and celery, contain insoluble fiber, making them impractical and less beneficial to eat raw because your body cannot absorb the nutrients from them. So lets build our foundation on the wellness pyramid with cellular nutrition found in juicing these amazing whole foods. Currently, juicing is one of the fastest growing movements to combat the effects of Chronic disease (link chronic disease article) in America. The focus in this article and it’s accompanying video is how to be an effective juicer. This process has 3 simple steps :
- Preparing the raw vegetables
- Extracting the nutrients with the juicer
- Cleaning the juicer quickly
Preparing your vegetables for juicing is the most important step. Peeled apples are an ideal go-to fruit to add desirable flavor for any vegetable juice. You can see in our video that as you scrape the apple peel with a flat-bladed knife that it is coated in a petroleum-grade wax to increase shelf life; please take 20 seconds to get rid of this toxin! Be sure to use organic apples, preferably green (Granny Smith), which are distinguished by their tart flavor, because of a lower sugar content. They also have higher flavonoid content and are the least modified from their original form. As for the vegetables and anything else you won’t be peeling, be sure to wash all of them, even organic, to remove harmful pesticides. Because of the industrial use of surfactants to minimize the applications of chemicals to crops, rinsing your produce in water will NOT get this waterproof poison off. This is where NeoLife Nutrition stands out among the juicing community- primarily in the method of washing we use. You MUST use something other than petroleum-based soap, like the popular “Vegetable Wash” spray bottle found in grocery and health food stores. We use Green, a kelp-based protein wash with a neutral pH from a trusted company with a globally-renowned reputation for safety, quality and honesty in labelling. For more info on washes, see this article.
Next, you start with a star vegetable like kale. Essentially the most nutrient-dense food on the planet, kale has an NDI (Nutrient Density Index) score of 1000 (on a scale of 1000) [zotpressInText item=”{PE62B4WK}”]. Compare that with the average soda like Coke, which scores a 1, and you see that we are in a lot of trouble when people drink soda regularly but rarely consume this widely-available, super nutritious green plant. Due to their superior benefits and incredible price, large, leafy-green veggies like kale, chard and collard greens should be a staple in any juicing regimen. You should always buy organic (see EWG shopper’s guide) and locally at farmer’s market whenever possible.
Another great addition to your veggie concoction is cucumber, full of alkaline properties to detoxify your body and eliminate fat cells. Cucumbers produce high liquid volume, effective for hydration that satisfies and sustains you. Much more could be said about this amazing food, and again it should be organic. Never buy long, genetically modified “English cucumbers” and wash your cucumber in Green. You can leave the peel on when you juice as the most beneficial detoxifying properties are found therein. You may have to scrub a store-bought one to remove its thicker chemical wax. The last core juicing vegetable we will mention here is carrot, which contains powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants known as carotenoids (specifically whole-food beta-carotene). Buy carrots with the green sprouts still attached to be sure they have not been sprayed with budnip [zotpressInText item=”{C9XIRXA6}”]. However, do not juice these greens as they may contain a toxin, but cut them off just before washing. See this video to check out our favorite carrot blend.
The next step is juice extraction- the fun part! A centrifugal juicer, which is the most efficient and affordable for the beginner, essentially grinds the liquid out of the fiber, ejecting the pulp. See this demonstration on how to juice. For tough but juicy veggies, a juicer is your best friend to separate the indigestible fiber from the nutrients found in the liquid. Now, you can deliver predigested, bioavailable nutrients directly into your cells for immediate assimilation. Our stomachs alone take much longer to accomplish this same process. Eating celery, for example, provides very little nutrients because of how difficult it is for our body to break down. With a juicer, you can harness the powerful nutrients from a horse food like a carrot. Since the juicing process itself is very speedy with a good centrifugal juicer, quick cleaning should also be a goal for effectiveness.
I like to call juicing “fast-food nutrition”, because even the cleaning process can be easy. I always clean my juicer before I actually drink my juice to prevent it from drying out. In turn I’m motivated by the fact that I need to drink the juice as quickly as possible to get the rapidly oxidizing nutrients into my system. These are raw nutrients here, not a jug of sugary, pasteurized orange juice! You saw how quickly I disassembled and cleaned my juicer with ease. You’ll also notice that I put a small plastic bag in the container to skip having to clean it out and prevent the pulp from stinking up the trash. You can also compost the pulp or use it in baking carrot bread, for example. Really, the only technical step is cleaning the basket and blade, for which you’ll need a brush. Scrub the blade well then gently brush the mesh to make this most important component last. A speedy clean-up is all you have to perfect to have a fast, effective method for juicing.
Now that you know how to juice properly, you can research the abundant testimonies about the curing power of fresh juice. The bottom line established by every healthy cultural and scientific authority from ancient times until now is that we all need more vegetables in our diet, whether the guideline is the Bible, the Government, a respected university or a champion athlete. I would also mention here that I spent about $5 on all my produce for this juice, which actually has several bioavailable servings. Referring back to my personal testimony, I have by and large prevented sickness and disease without visiting the doctor, taking drugs or getting a vaccine of any kind in several years! And I have friends and family who have utilized juicing to beat cancer and other serious health issues. Choose your food wisely to develop healthy cravings for nutrition. Remember the 3 simple steps for efficient juicing: prepare your produce carefully, juice it properly, and make your cleanup speedy. If you successfully accomplish these steps, you will maintain vibrant health and have a daily process for getting your fruits and veggies. I hope my demo of how to be an effective juicer was both enjoyable and informative. To your health!
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