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. :)