By: Katie Skinner
Have you ever swapped your glass of orange juice in the morning for a glass of freshly made “Green Juice?” Green Juice contains a variety of different fruits and green vegetables like cucumber, celery, kale, lettuce, chard, broccoli, lemons and apples. Juicing vegetables is the process of extracting the vegetable juice from the pulp. This separation results in a highly digestible, concentrated, nutrient dense beverage, or, a “salad in a glass.” Consuming the USDA recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, can be a challenge. Juicing fruits and vegetables can make it easier to reach this goal.
Aside from an abundance of vitamins and minerals, fresh vegetable juice also contains enzymes and antioxidants. Enzymes help the body digest food and assimilate nutrients from proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and plant fibers. In addition, enzymes assist in all chemical reactions taking place in the body. Enzymes are known as the “sparks of life,” and are essential for digesting food. According to Cherie Calbom, M.S. and author of The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health, the digestive enzymes present in fresh vegetable juice can provide the body with an instant energy boost. According to Calbom, fresh juice contains all the enzymes it needs for digestion, thereby sparing the body’s enzyme producers. This allows the body’s energy to be shifted from digestive enzyme production to other functions like repair and rejuvenation.
Antioxidants are found in hundreds of different fruits and vegetables. According to Dr. Oz, they all have one thing in common, “they protect the DNA in our healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals, which come from harmful chemicals that we absorb from things like cigarette smoke, pollution, fried foods, and other environmental sources. Too many free radicals running around the body can cause mutations in DNA that can lead to cancer.” According to Dr. Passwater in his book, The Antioxidants, it is not about the quantity of one single antioxidant, it is about the blend of different antioxidants. Dr. Passwater says that it is more beneficial to consume moderate amounts of a variety of different antioxidants then it is to consume large amounts of one single antioxidant. Consuming an antioxidant “cocktail” can help protect the body from a variety of different free radicals and help protect the body from head to toe.
Fresh vegetable juice is not subjected to high-heat pasteurization and is usually made at home. Freshly made, raw vegetable juice contains more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants then bottled juice beverages that have been pasteurized and preserved to extend shelf life. Fresh juice cannot be stored for more than 24 hours and must be kept in an air-tight glass container.
Making fresh juice does require a juicing machine. The Mustard Seed Natural and Organic Food Store sells the Jay Kordich Deluxe 2-in-1 Juicer with Free Blender Attachment. This is a high-quality machine that will make vegetable juice in a matter of minutes. The Mustard Seed Café also sells fresh vegetable juice made-to-order and hosts Juicing Classes. The next Juicing Class will be in July. Call The Mustard Seed at 788-2463 for details!
Click Here for a Jay Kordich Juicer coupon redeemable only The Mustard Seed Natural and Organic Food Store! The Mustard Seed is located at 969 Arsenal Street. The Mustard Seed is the North Country’s #1 source for natural and organic food and supplements.
References:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/antioxidants-against-cancer
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/16/all-about-antioxidants.aspx
The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health by Cherie Calbom, M.S.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only. The products mentioned in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any dietary supplements.
