Health

Image credit – Vera Kratochvil

Is eating healthy one of your new years resolutions? If so I would like you to join me on  my juicing journey. I have always been a health fanatic but the realization that I will be 30 in a couple of years has made me take my health more seriously. The National Cancer Institution recommends eating 5 servings of vegetables and and 3 servings of fruit a day. I don’t know about you but this can be very hard to do and I have found that juicing is the best way for me to achieve this. I am already noticing changes in my skin, energy and overall health after a few weeks of juicing.

Today I am making a Pineapple, carrot and beet juice which is one of my favorite combinations.This juice is more on the sweet side and I do not recommend making it everyday. It is important to make juices that are low in sugar as well to balance it out. A low sugar example is a kale, cucumber, apple and ginger juice which I will be sharing soon.

 Juicing is easy and fun, here are a few pointers for beginners,

1. The first thing you need to start juicing is to invest in a good juicer. Juicers range from $30 to hundreds of dollars. If money doesn’t grow on trees in your area I suggest the Breville compact juice fountain which retails for $100. This is a reasonable price if you are looking for good quality but don’t want to spend too much. I have had mine for 2 years with no issues. 

2. The next thing is to buy good quality fruits and vegetables. I prefer organic produce for juicing however non organic is fine as long as you wash the produce thoroughly with a natural vegetable rinse to remove any chemical residue.

For this recipe you will need 4 carrots, 1 medium size beet peeled, fresh ginger (about an inch) and 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks. This is enough to fill 2 glasses.

3. Chop vegetables and fruit into medium pieces and remove pineapple skin before juicing. Most juicing machines are easy to use, all you have to do is throw the fruit and vegetables in the shoot and voila! The beet gives this juice a beautiful deep red color while the pineapple and carrot take it to another level.

3. Juicing is effective everyday combined with a healthy diet. You will get maximum benefits from juice when you drink it immediately because it starts to lose its nutritional value the moment it is made. Drinking your juice in the morning before ingesting other foods is highly recommended so your body can absorb all the nutrition.

I would love to know what you are are doing to improve your health this year?