I love Juicing!!!
As if that wasn't obvious from the title....
I know that juices are really trendy right now, and everywhere is offering a juice option. Or you can always stop at one of the many pressed juice spots if you really want to get fancy.
Despite the trendiness of it all, there are so many benefits to juicing, and I think that they are a great supplement to any diet.
Juicing can be really tasty!
I decided to start with this because I feel like it might be the most attractive feature of the juice world.... well it would be to me.
Juices can have the scariest sounding ingredients lists. The most nutrient rich ones boast of combinations of green leafy veggies, herbs, and 'super foods' that sound truly disgusting. I won't lie, some of them are as nasty as they sound, but they don't have to be that way. I have found that most of these ingredients do not have very strong flavors, and so the added fruit easily masks them.
Ingredients to look out for:
Juices with citrus and cucumber tend to be refreshing, apples and beets are often used to add sweetness, and spices like ginger add to the complexity of the flavor.
Juices do not have to be expensive!
Those juice places are a rip off. There.... I said it.
Juicing really isn't hat expensive. You don't need a fancy machine to get the job done (mine cost $40 and I've been using it for years), and the actual ingredients aren't that expensive. How do the juice companies stay in business? I believe it's because people think there's more to juicing than there actually is.
My advice is to head to the store, pick up a juicer, hit the produce department, then go home and start juicing!
Is juicing even necessary?
Nope. As with most things, juicing is not necessary. So why even bother?
- They increase the nutrient density of your diet.
- Provide a way to eat those veggies that would otherwise not be a part of your diet.
- Quick and easy, perfect for someone who's on the go.
- you get fed and hydrated at the same time, and get tons of fiber in the process.
- They just taste good!
Are all the claims true?
If I see one more ad for 'Juice Detox' or 'Juice Cleanse' I'll scream!
Apart from the obvious nutritional benefits of juice, companies make several claims designed to lure you in and boost sales. As a scientist, I'm tired of companies claiming that juices do so many things without any science to back them up.
Do you need to spend a bunch of money and drink only juice for a week to 'detox'? You have a liver, it's busy detoxing as you read this so..... no.
Besides the obvious benefits, juices are not the answer to all. So while I will sing the praises of juices as a dietary supplement, I will not support any of the other claims.
Enjoy. Be Healthy. Be Happy
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