If you’re thinking of starting a juice regimen, it’s important to make informed decisions about your new diet. If you’re planning on replacing your meals with juice, you should first check with a doctor or health care provider to ensure that your new regimen is safe for your body.
However, if you are thinking about adding juice to your existing diet to up your fruit and vegetable intake, we have some tips to help you get started.
Know the importance of buying organic. According to Cherie Calbom, MS, author of The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet and Juicing for Life, it’s very important to know what vegetables and fruit are the most heavily sprayed and which ones are the cleanest. “Not everything has to be organic, but the most heavily sprayed produce should always be organic,” said Calbom. “Otherwise, it may not be safe to use. Familiarize yourself with the most heavily sprayed produce, known as the ‘dirty dozen’ and shop accordingly.”
Choose your fruits and vegetables carefully. If you are working to improve your health from a certain condition, ask your doctor or nutritionist to recommend specific ingredients. “ Kale, and chard and spinach are great for juicing,” said Barbara Mendez, a registered pharmacist with an advanced degree in nutrition. “Cucumbers are great for reducing puffiness and ginger is anti-inflammatory. Carrots are known to help purify the skin and liver and lemon or lime has great cleansing properties.”
Shop carefully for a juicer. While there are a variety of juicers on the market intended for use in home kitchens, Mendez recommends a Champion Juicer, or one of equal quality, because it extracts the most pulp from the fruits and vegetables for maximum nutrition. When you’re shopping for a juicer, make sure you’re looking for one that is easy to clean – so juicing doesn’t seem like a chore. Remember that not all juicers will juice vegetables. “Make sure your juicer will do everything from leafy greens and carrots to citrus,” said Calbom. “Some models don’t do those well.”
Also Read:
Beginner’s Guide to Juicing: Benefits of Fresh Juice