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Reach for a Glass of Juice
Drink Your Vitamins & Nutrients
Today, it is more and more widely accepted that you cannot get all your nutrients from food and drink alone. In fact, the more active you are, the more supplementation you will require. However, your first source of nutrients should come from the food you eat and what you drink.
There is no more important category of food than fruits and vegetables. Although there are a variety of different food pyramids and recommended diets, there is a school of thought that says that all food can be divided into 2 categories: water containing and non-water containing. As you can imagine, water containing foods are fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, we recommend you consume these in organic form. Not only are these fruits and vegetables free of pesticides, they contain a greater amount of individual vitamins, minerals and adjuctive nutrients. The main differneces are not so much in the macro-nutrients as in the micro-nutrients you will get. This is especially true when making your own juice.
There is no better delivery system than mother nature. Juices get absorbed quickly and completely so you get the full impact of what they have to offer. It is also important to consume a wide variety of juices. You will get different vitamins in different concentrations when consuming a variety of juices. This is a huge benefit of doing the juicing yourself.
An example of some of the nutrients in orange juice are: Vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, choline, amino acids, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids
And that’s just orange juice. Can you imagine if you consumed a wide variety of juices on a regular basis? A misconception that exists among many is that fruit juices should not be consumed in quantity because they contain sugars. It is important to note that organic natural fruit juices actually have a low glycemic index. Glycemic index is a term used to depict how quickly a food converts into glucose within the human body. High glycemic index foods spike blood sugar levels, low glycemic index foods do not.
So far, we have been speaking of fruit juices, but you should certainly incorporate vegetable juices as well. Another benefit of making your own juice is that you can combine some fruit into your vegetable juices as a sweetener. It is common to add apples for this purpose. Again, use variety and color-rich fruits and vegetables. Some great examples of what can be included in vegetable juices are: carrots, celery, beets and ginger.
When you cannot juice yourself, make sure you are buying juices that are organic and do not contain preservatives or additives. Make sure they are 100% pure. If you choose to make juicing a regular part of your life, you will notice the benefit in increased energy, better performance and reduced disease due to a reinforced immune system.
