Friday, April 24, 2009

Veggie Juice : Juicing for Your Health



Am I hearing "Yuck! Yuck!" from you??? :D Please take time to read. I hope you might change your mind just like I did. :D

I have heard of juicing many times before. But I never paid attention to it because I could not imagine what raw veggie would taste in liquid form. I would eat them cooked, but juiced raw?? I thought that would be yucky! In Filipino, "Kadiri!"

My interest was piqued when the children's Ninong (godfather) DL was raving about the health benefits of juicing. Why? This good friend of Hubby was a certified junkfood addict (chips, processed canned meats, soda, etc) And if he liked the raw veggie juice, then it would not be all that bad!

In the same week, our good friend and co-worker at Couples@Work Fellowship, J, (the same J who gave us strawberries last December) shared with me that they have also started juicing because of its healthy benefits. She was the one who taught me the ABCs of juicing. And it is so easy!!!



This is the simplest to remember: Take a look at the picture above, top row, left to right, then bottom row left to right.

1 A -- Apple
2 B -- Bell Pepper and Bittermelon
3 C -- Cucumber, Celery, Carrot


Wash them well, chop them and throw all of them (yes, while they are still raw) into the juicer. Drink fresh, at room temperature. Preferably at breakfast.

I admit the taste is something you have to get used to. But really, it is not bad. If you do not like the taste of bittermelon, you can add one more apple to sweeten your juice. (Shhh... sometimes I do not add the bittermelon at all...)


Actually juicing is also very versatile. You can juice any vegetable you prefer. You can start with just celery and cucumber. Then you add more veggies as you go along. You can add lettuce and spinach. Later on you can even add bok choy and cabbages. The key is that you try to juice different vegetables each day so that you can maximize the different vitamins and minerals that different veggies offer. Instead of apples to sweeten the taste, you can try coconut or grapes. Experiment on different combinations and find the taste that you like.

Why juice instead of eating them cooked? Health proponents say that cooking and processing our veggies alters their nutritional benefits. It is better to eat the veggies raw in order to get the full value of nutrients the veggies offer. And if we get the full benefits, it would greatly help our immune system. Another thing is that our digestive system is already impaired because of our poor food choices over the years. And juicing would help us absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables.




Oh, and one more tip, clean your juicer immediately after juicing. I add a small plastic bag inside the tray that catches the pulp. So when I am finished juicing, I simply throw away the plastic bag (containing the pulp.) As for the blades, I use a toothbrush and run it under the tap. I also rinse the other washable parts under running water. No need for soap.

I feel good when I drink this veggie juice. I know I am doing something good for my health. I do not feel constipated. I feel more energetic. Many health sites claim that we can lose weight if we try vegetable juice regularly. Well, I am looking forward to losing some weight. :)

15 comments:

Mary Bergfeld said...

Ning, I'd love to try this, but I'm short of space and have no room for a juicer. I know this is good for you - the color tells me so :).

Unknown said...

but yuck yuck yuck made this juice really healthy... :)

anudivya said...

Nope! You are definitely not hearing that "yuck" from me!
I love such healthy concoctions and I like to add a piece of ginger to all my juices, esp the fruit ones. Makes it taste all the more yum.

Oggi said...

That does not sound so bad...and I love green drinks.:)

Midge said...

I don't care much for bitter melon, but I've been starting my days with a juice blend made with carrots, apples, and ginger. It's great for keeping the skin clear!

Noob Cook said...

no yuck at all, I love juicing too! It's so healthy, I must overcome my laziness (in washing up afterwards) and start juicing again :D

Soli Deo Gloria said...

What can I say, Mary? I suppose, if you will have a wee bit of space, give that space to a juicer. It will be worth it! :)

Ha ha ha! Mikky! It is really not that yuck! :D My kids do drink this. And we know kids do not drink Yuck! LOL!

Hello Anudivya! Thanks for the tip about adding ginger. I will try that! :)

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Hi Oggi! No, it does not taste bad at all! :D

Hi Midge! I have to let my pre-teen daughter read this. She will take anything that will make the skin clear! :D

Hi Noobcook! I admit it was difficult to clean up at first, but try adding a plastic bag to catch the pulp, and cleaning will be easy! :)

Coffee and Vanilla said...

I love vegetable juices but I must admit I have never tried green one like this ;) Sound very interesting, especially the bitter melon part... I see them every day on the market but never knew what to do with them.
Enjoy your day, Margot

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Hello, Margot! Thanks for dropping by! :) There are many ways of cooking bittermelon. Juicing is of course, one of them. I hope you get to try it. It is one of the healthiest foods available! :)

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I've heard the same thing to many years ago... so I really want to try with apple and watermelon. I think it would be a nice idea, but I will need an assessor to do it.

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