6 Health Benefits of Juicing

There are many health benefits of juicing, a simple way to dramatically boost your nutritional intake and wellbeing

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What is Juicing?

Juicing is the process of extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables. It can be carried out with the use of any type of juicer available today. It’s easy, convenient and customizable.

By juicing, you can reap the health benefits of pure fruit juice, i.e. juice with no additives, preservatives or extra sugar.

What are the Health Benefits of Juicing?

Increased Energy

If you’re like most people, you drink coffee to stay awake. However, the alertness provided by coffee generally doesn’t last long. And don’t even get me started on candy bars! Those are loaded with simple sugars which are quickly absorbed, triggering the release of insulin and causing you to “crash.”

If you’d like longer lasting energy, juicing is the way to go. Juicing allows you to consume lots of vitamins and minerals which stabilize blood glucose, nourish your cells and gives your body the energy it needs to function optimally.

The best ingredients for a high-energy juicing recipe are berries and vegetables, especially greens such as kale, lettuce and celery.

Improved Digestion

Juices are digested quickly and easily—allowing your stomach and intestines to rest. While resting, your intestine can actually repair itself from the harm done by toxic foods, medication and stress. The nutrients from the fruit and vegetable juices you consume can help this process too. Once the gut is repaired and your microbiota balance is restored, digestion becomes much more efficient.

Disease Prevention

Chronic diseases are on the rise. Fortunately, since juicing involves the consumption of many different nutrients, it may protect you from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. One of the most noteworthy types of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables are phytonutrients. These confer both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Antioxidants are compounds which fight off harmful free radicals—the compounds implicated in cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and inflammatory diseases. Some antioxidant-rich foods to add to your next juicing recipe are: blueberries (or any other type of berry), kale and oranges.

Consuming foods with anti-inflammatory properties is also important because too much inflammation is not good for the body. It’s also been linked to chronic diseases. On top of that, too much prolonged inflammation makes you feel very fatigued. Again, green leafy vegetables (such as kale), berries and oranges all have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

Help with Weight Loss

When you consume fresh, pure juice, you are filling your body with nutrients. This makes you feel full and reduces your cravings for food, especially those with unhealthy sugars and fats. Of course, if you’re eating less junk food, you will lose weight and keep it off.

Making your own juice is more effective for weight loss than buying store-bought juice because the latter usually contains added sugar (i.e. unnecessary calories).

Improved Appearance

In addition to losing weight, juicing can help to improve the appearance of your hair, skin and nails. The vitamins and minerals you consume from juicing contribute to hair growth, stronger nails, reduced acne and an improved complexion.

Vitamin A in particular is good for healthy skin. Found in kale and carrots, vitamin A reduces inflammation, increases collagen production and strengthens skin tissue. Vitamin C—which is found in oranges, strawberries and kale—also improves your skin’s appearance by helping to protect it from sun damage.

Vitamin B7 (best known as biotin) is great for your hair and nails. It reacts with enzymes and produces the amino acids necessary for keratin, the protein that makes up our hair and nails. To get your daily dose of vitamin B7, try making a juice with spinach, bananas or broccoli.

Reduced Toxins

Since juicing reduces your cravings for junk food, you’ll be consuming fewer toxins. Juicing also aids your body in getting rid of existing toxins by relieving your liver, which is responsible for detoxification. Juicing relieves your liver as it encourages you to consume more nutrient-rich foods and less processed foods (which are hard on the liver). A well-rested liver is better prepared to function optimally than an overwhelmed one.

Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/425934-does-vitamin-a-help-with-acne/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/woodson-merrell-md/juice-cleanses_b_4549641.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/69844-biotin-make-hair-grow-faster/

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