Juicing: Mother Natures Multiple Vitamin and Mineral

So I have had my first juicer for about 20 years before it lost it's balance. Literally, my 11 year old would have to hold it down on the counter while I shoved fruits and vegetables into it. We would get about a cup in when he would need a break from the shaking of the machine.  We finally gave in about 2 years ago when we decided to do green smoothies instead. The blender was old too, but it worked better than the juicer! I found the main difference between the two to be fiber!! 

The juicer spun all of the peelings, seeds and extra goodies into a basket on the side. No waste with the green smoothies. I like them both very much. I find with the green smoothies however that I used a lot more sweet fruit to balance out the bitter greens. Here is an example of our favorite green smoothie (makes 2 quarts):

1 cup water

1 banana

1 mango and 

1 cup of pineapple

the only greens we use in this one was 2 handfuls of spinach

Yummy, but full of fruit sugar for some. 

Here is a great website to get recipes to use to make green smoothies:

http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes

For Christmas my aunt gave me a new juicer, one sitting in her garage un-used and needing a new home.   With Juicing it's mostly vegetables with a fruit or two to balance it out. Here is the one I did this morning:

(Juice for two):

1 stalk of celery

1 yellow beet

1 carrot

1 cup of parsley

1 apple

1 orange

1/2 " of ginger root

Big difference in the sugars, sure the glycemic index of a carrot is questionable. Let me clear that up for you. 1/2 cup of raw carrot is only 6 grams of sugar. I do 1 carrot stick, a lot less than that for the average stick, so no worries!!

Here is a good website for looking up nutritional break down of the produce you want to use:

 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2383/2

Now, as far as the fiber in the filter from the juicer. Put the left over in a freezer bag. If it is a pile from something like the juice listed above, use it in your next soup that you make. If it is a pile with sweet fruits mostly, use it in your next batch of pancake mix. This will add fiber and micro-nutrients to your next meals too!

What do I prefer? Well, the juicing in the fall allows me to use the seasonal root vegetables and allows me to take advantage of the abundance of apples and pears available this time of year. With the green smoothies, since I love berries and mangos and pineapples in mine, I prefer to do those in the spring and summer. This allows me to use seasonal local vendors! 

So, why do either? 

The average adult over 50 needs 6-10 servings of fruits and vegetables. This gives you fiber, micro-nutrients, water, helps children reach their growth potential and aid in prevention of  childhood diabetes and heart disease as an adult!  The CDC says that that only 27% of Americans get  3 servings of vegetables and only 30% get 3 servings of fruits daily. 

It is my belief that foods that we eat needs to be as close to the way nature intended it to be as possible. 

There are a couple resources that will help you to understand the benefits of eating this way. One is a documentary on Netflix called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I've watched it twice and cried both times watching how a sick, out of shape man thrived from this kind of nutrition. 

The other is a Ted Talks with Jaime Oliver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOPl8P2S-Lw

I watched this one with my 11 year old. All of my children have seen Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation. This knowledge they love passing on to their friends at school, their summer nanny and anyone that will listen at McDonald's when their baby sitter brings them there thinking it's a special treat for them.  They get some junk food occasionally, but they know why it's bad and what they are doing. 

Have a happy new year and enjoy your healthy new habits I hope this brings you and your family.