Do you want to make homemade juice a part of your regular diet? Juicing is a simple and straightforward way of consuming different fruits and vegetables efficiently. We all want the nutrients that vegetables and fruits can provide, but not all of us can eat them all. If you’re the type of person who can consume around 6 to 8 servings of fruits and veggies (and mostly veggies), then you don’t need to juice. But if you can’t do this, then juicing is your next best step to give your body a plenitude of live nutrients you need.
So, to gain the most benefits from your juicing journey, here are some tips you must follow:
1. Choose organic
When you pick produce for juicing, organic fruits and vegetables are better choice. You want to take in only the nutrients and enzymes from the goods, not the main-line toxins and pesticides that infested them. If you don’t buy organic all the time, then make sure you buy organic for the produce you are juicing.
It is important for leafy greens, berries, peppers and tomatoes to be purchased organic, because they do not have a protective outer covering against pesticides. As much as possible, choose apples and cucumber organic too. But if for some reason you can’t buy them organic, then remove their peel before juicing.
2. Try out different fruits and veggies
One of the biggest benefits of juicing is it allows you to try a variety of fresh produce so you can consume vegetables that you don’t usually eat. If you’re juicing a variety of vegetable like for instance, kale and spinach over and over again, you may experience hormonal issues. Rotate the greens in your juice to prevent buildup of oxalic acid that affects the thyroid gland. Trying out different things can help provide a balanced amount of vitamins and minerals for the body.
3. Use more vegetables
Fruit juices are so delicious – this is why most probably, you can also eat them whole. However, vegetable juicers are healthier. Sweet fruits like apples, pears, watermelon and berries are nutritious when consumed whole. If you consume too much of them that are juiced, the sugars from fruits will go directly to your bloodstream and affect insulin levels dramatically. And if you juice more fruits regularly, then, you’ll be craving more sweets and eventually gain more weight. This is why healthy juices only contain a maximum of one fruit per serving, usually done only to add a bit of sweetness to the otherwise bitter and strong vegetable juice. Exceptions to this rule are lemons and limes, because these are naturally low in sugars.
4. Don’t go overboard when starting out
Imagine this scenario: You are excited to try out juicing, so you try out a juice recipe that contains a lot of veggies, fruits and seeds. More ingredients, more nutrients, right? Then you got surprised by its taste – it tastes gross – and you feel nauseated all day. Because of this bad experience, you get discouraged to juice again tomorrow.
If you don’t normally eat different fruits and veggies at once, don’t expect your juice to magically taste great for you. It’s better to start with safe-tasting fruits and vegetables and simple 2-3-ingredient juice recipes. Or you can try out green juices but start with a 50/50 blend of juice and water. Add a bit of ginger to lessen the bitter taste. After a few days, increase to 75/25 blend (less water). And when you get used to it, increase to a 100% juice blend.
5. Prepare produce ahead of time
If you want to stick to this healthy habit, it’s best to make your produce more easily accessible as possible. Wash your produce thoroughly, store them in jars or Ziploc bags per recipe (if possible) and keep them in the fridge, so when you need to juice them, you just need put all the contents of your container in the juicer. Or you may want to pre-cut produce like carrots, pineapple, melon and beets and keep them in a container.
6. Drink juice on an empty stomach
The best time to drink a juice is on an empty stomach. The whole point of drinking juice is for you to absorb the most nutrients, and you might diminish its nutritive benefits or even experience digestive issues if you drink it after a meal. Drinking juice on an empty stomach helps you get the most vitamins and minerals and let it flow directly to your bloodstream. Having a meal beforehand can prevent the stomach from quickly absorbing the nutrients from the juice.
A good rule of thumb to remember is to drink a juice 20-30 minutes before a meal, or consume it at least two hours after a meal.
7. Drink freshly made juice as soon as possible
After you make your juice, it’s best to drink it as soon as possible. When it gets exposed to air, the live enzymes in the juice begins to degrade, thus decreasing the nutritional content from the juice. If you can’t drink it immediately, place it in an airtight jar and store it in the fridge as soon as possible. Once it’s stored in the fridge, consume it within 24 hours. If you used a slow juicer, then it can last up to 36-72 hours. The live enzymes on a fresh juice can give you an immediate energy boost, but if you drink an older juice it won’t give you the same effect.
If you kept a juice longer than 72 hours in the fridge, it will still taste okay, but it can become more sugary and nutritionally degraded.
8. Make it your routine
Find a time when juicing works for you and make it your regular routine. Stick to it so you can experience boost in your nutrition and have better health. Regular consumption of nutrient-rich juice can help you avoid lots of diseases, and help you achieve your ideal weight.
9. Chew your green juice
You have to “chew” your juice, not just swallow it fast. Swish it around your mouth before you swallow to release saliva, which contains important digestive enzymes. This will help a lot in delivering the key nutrients from the juice to your cells. Savoring your juices this way can make a big difference.
10. Clean your juicer right away
Juicing can take up your time as you prepare your produce, so you may end up putting the clean-up later. But you should never let your juicer sit with all that crud and gunk on it. When the stains and particles got stuck to your juicer, the juicer becomes harder to clean. As soon as you drink your juice, clean up your juicer or at least rinse it off and soak some parts. This will help you save a lot of time scrubbing the knuckles later.