Start Juicing for improved health and optimum Nutrition by Sidney Brill

So you've been thinking about joining the ranks of the juicers. Maybe you've heard about all the health benefits and how great it makes you feel. Perhaps you've been trying to lose weight and pay more attention to your overall nutrition. Well congratulations, whatever your reasons may be.

Those of us who are already on board know that it can be a little confusing to get started. Frankly, there is some bad information floating around and often beginners aren't sure what advice to follow. Be that as it may, there are so many reasons why daily juicing is a good idea.

For example, raw foods are a lot better for you. Cooking destroys or damages important nutrients and eating raw vegetables and fruits solves this problem. In addition, the absorption speed and rate of many nutrients is accelerated by the pre-digesting and extraction that takes place in the juicing process.

There is no more efficient and convenient delivery system for getting your recommended daily servings of vegetables and fruits. Personally, I find it difficult to consume 5 servings of vegetables and 5 servings of fruit every day. However, it's simple to make up the difference by drinking fresh juice. In fact, it is almost effortless and it helps you to introduce greater variety into your diet. Variety ensures that you receive a wide range of nutrients that your body needs.

You can put almost any vegetable or fruit into your juicer. We must recognize though that there is a significant difference between vegetable juicing and fruit juicing, not in terms of method, but outcome. Fruit juice is very high in sugar. Although it is natural and far better for you than any other form of sugar you could consume, it's still sugar. If you are trying to lose weight you should avoid fruit juicing beyond adding small segments for flavor enhancement.

You should also be very careful of the amount of fruit you juice if you are concerned about maintaining your current weight. I'd much rather see you eat an apple than drink 5 of them, because the potential for high concentrations of sugar from fruit juicing adds calories and can bring on cravings, which will undermine your weight loss efforts. As an alternative, try tomatoes instead of fruit.

By the way, consider root vegetables such as beets and carrots the same way you do fruit. These are also high sugar ingredients. It is best to start out with vegetables like fennel, celery and cucumber. You can add parsley and tomatoes for a very tasty and satisfying 6 ounce drink that will give you an instant kick of energy and sustain you for hours.

Graduate to dark green leafy greens. Cabbages, endives, dark lettuces, kale and spinach are all fantastic ingredients for health and nutrition.

Here are some other additives that can be used to get the most out of your juicing routine

Chlorella - A sea algae loaded with beneficial chlorophyll.
Ginger - Cardiovascular and cholesterol benefit. Use a 1 inch slice of fresh ginger. It tastes great too.
Garlic - Add a 3 small or 1 large clover for flavor and all the heart healthy benefits from garlic.
Parsley - Immense health benefits and a great peppery flavor.
Healthy Fat - Avocado, unsweetened coconut, ground pumpkin seeds or ground flax seeds are all good choices.
Protein - Whey protein powder can be added for excellent post-workout replenishment. A little extra fruit is a good idea after workouts too.
Pomegranate or Cranberries - Both are low in sugar and very high in anti-oxidants.

Fiber is important to your health, so whatever you do, don't try to replace your entire intake of fruits and vegetables with juicing. Instead supplement it. Use juicing to increase your intake of these vital foods.

Finally, make sure you clean your juicer immediately whenever you use it. If you don't you can end up with contamination and even mold! When buying a juice extractor, find out as much as you can about how easy it is to clean. Some machines are a real pain to clean and others require almost no effort at all. This consideration should be made when selecting a machine and is a lot more important than it may seem at first.

About the Author

Sidney Brill writes about health and nutrition. Visit Sidney's site and check out the Breville Juice Fountain Plus home juicer and get all the health benefits of home juicing. You can also learn all about the other models in the greatBreville Juice Fountain Elite line.

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