As a
Filipino, I grew up in a household where if you didn’t eat your vegetables, you
face the consequences. Thanks to my dad and his stern warnings and punishments,
I learned to eat my veggies at a very young age. I learned to appreciate the
taste, especially with my mom’s cooking, before I even realized the potential
health benefits these green leafy vegetables have to offer.
Now, I am a
firm believer of vegetables as a significant source of not just nutrients, but
also of vitality and wellness. Although cooked veggies are great, especially
with my mom’s family recipes, I have discovered the art and science of juicing.
Through vegetable juicing, your body can absorb additional nutrients that are
otherwise killed off or diminished in the cooking process. I believe that
juicing may be one of the main catalysts to good health since it is a vital source
of raw food, which we all know is chock-full of phytonutrients and chlorophyll.
To achieve maximum
vitality, our bodies need raw food. Staying healthy and invigorated means
eating raw foods every day, just like the saying “an apple a day keeps the
doctor away.” Fruits are a great source of nutrients, but they don’t
necessarily have everything our body needs. By incorporating raw veggies and
juicing them, we essentially make sure that our bodies receive the maximum
daily allowance of phytonutrients and other essential vitamins and minerals
fruits and veggies have to offer.
How to Get Started
If you are
new to juicing vegetables, it’s important to start out slow. An ounce or two a
day should be enough for now, at least until you get used to the taste and the
idea of vegetable juicing. Later on, when you’re good and ready, you can up your
daily consumption to 12 or 16 ounces. Now, I’m up to 32 ounces per session. And
I must say, I’ve never felt any better or healthier. Even my kids are starting
to love it.
The kinds of
vegetables that you should start with are those that you enjoy eating. The
juice equivalent of those types of veggies should go well with your taste buds
and not make you gag or feel nauseous. When it comes to juicing, it is
important to listen to what your body is telling you. Your stomach should feel
great once you start juicing. But, if you feel that something’s off, if your
gut is growling and making some awful noises, then you probably juiced
something that you shouldn’t be eating in the first place.
Drink Everything, No Leftovers
Vegetable
juice is one of the most perishable foods there is. It’s not a good idea to
save leftovers for later consumption, since the nutritional content of the
juice will decline quite quickly. This is why it’s important to juice only what
you can consume in a single session. Of course, it is possible to store
vegetable juice for up to 24 hours with minimal nutritional decline, but you
have to be extra careful. You can do it by placing the juice in a clean glass
jar with an airtight lid. You fill up the jar all the way up the brim, leaving
very little air space. Air contains oxygen, and oxygen will oxidize and
diminish the juice’s nutritional value.
Adopting
juicing into your daily regimen will take some getting used to. But, if you’re
really determined to turn your life into a better one, everything will work out
well. Just take everything one day at a time. Follow the tips I laid out and
you’ll soon be on your way to juicing for life!
