Always Check the Small Print
Just because a fruit juice may have a word such as ‘healthy’ printed on it in big letters, it doesn’t mean that it is true. Furthermore, many juice drinks that you buy in a shop will have added ingredients that negate many of the positives. This is because they need to last on the shelf and the ingredients that ensure this are not particularly natural. Some nutritionists say as a rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce it, take a careful look at what it is.
Another danger to keep an eye out for is added sugars. A number of supermarket brand juices deliberately sweeten the drinks. Furthermore, you should always keep an eye on portion size. While a bottle may look small, it doesn’t mean that it contains just a single portion.
Opt for Cold-Pressed Options
If you want to ensure that the juice you are drinking is as clean as possible then you should opt for cold-pressed juices whenever you can. Very often these drinks are made in a machine known as a slow-masticating juicer. This means that it has a low number of revolutions per minute and does not produce heat. This is turn ensures that the juice retains its nutritional value. Even better, make the juices yourself at home by hand. This way you can choose the ingredients that suit you best and ensure that there are no additives. The juicer may be an expensive item, but it will more than pay for itself over time.
Be Clever with Ingredients
If you are interested in healthy eating then the chances are that you have seen numerous pictures and videos of health food chefs that make creating wonderfully healthy foods seem effortless. For most of us, this is not the case. However, juices are an easy way to deliver truly nutritious foods to your body with ease. For instance, it is easy to incorporate ingredients such as turmeric (which fights inflammation) and ginger (which is an antioxidant that aids digestion). You can add many of these super foods to your juices with ease, and it takes just seconds.
Of course, plain fruits are full of healthy vitamins, but the aim should be to introduce more vegetables into your juices. This will help to keep the sugar levels down and counter the natural sweetness of some fruits. Vegetables such as beets and carrots are also quite sweet, while fruits such as pineapples and apples are a bit more sour and acidic. By balancing the two, you should be able to arrive at a level of sweetness that is both healthy and enjoyable.
Always Choose Seasonal Produce
Whether dealing with juices, fruits, salads, vegetables, etc., you should always be aiming for local and seasonal produce. This will make everything taste better, as you will be able to source ingredients that are at their best. Of course, the fruit and vegetable you are able to source will depend on where you are. This means that it is worth taking the time to investigate what is produced locally and what you can buy with ease.
Do Not Detox
There has long been a school of thought that recommends a complete detox diet. This involves drinking nothing but juice for several days. However, not only is this unhealthy, it is also entirely unnecessary.
Juices should not be treated as a replacement for meals and nor are they a replacement for whole fruits and vegetables. Rather, they should be thought of as a supplement to a healthy diet. Furthermore, whole fruits and vegetables are also detoxifiers in their natural form, so reducing your intake to just juice delivers no extra benefits. Drinking clean, fresh juice with the right nutrients and ingredients can certainly be a great addition to your diet, but they should always be just that, an addition.
5 of the Easiest Slow Cooker Recipes
Lemongrass – What Exactly Is It?
