Juicing 101

There has been lots of interest in juicing in recent years and deservedly so.  Many people replacing several meals per day with these nutritional power-houses and are reaping the benefits of such a change. Juicing is honestly one of the quickest ways to supercharge your vitality. There is however, still some confusion as to what, if any there difference is between the DIY version and the shop bought ones, plus a few other misnomers that I would like to clear up once and for all. So, without further a due, here are some answers to the main questions that I am asked on a regular basis.

Fresh Versus Pasteurised.

Yes, there is a difference between pasteurised and un-pasteurised juice. Fresh juice has active enzymes and the pasteurised version does not. These active components of fresh juice are the main reason why juiced fruit and veg only last a short time after being prepared. Typically this is around 24 hours, after that, the juice will begin to oxidise. Oxidation is the process where the active enzymes comes into contact with oxygen and as a result begins to degrade over time. If you’ve ever cut an apple and left it exposed to the air, you will see it turning brown. This is the same oxidative process that happens to a fresh juice. There is a considerable reduction in the quality and enzymatic content once the juice has been extracted. Shop bought juice, as you can imagine needs some sort of processing done to it before it is allowed to sit on a supermarket shelve for days and days. This processing is known as pasteurisation. Pasteurisation is the process by which the juice or liquid is heated to a very high temperature to kill off any rouge bacteria that might be lurking about in the liquid. And that is exactly what it does, however, it also kills off all the enzymes and other active components leaving it pretty much void of any nutrients.

Juice Contains No Fibre

This is true. The juice is almost like the blood of the plants. Once it is once passed through a juicer, the fibre is removed leaving only the liquid element behind. You body can easily absorb the nutrients from fresh made juice without having to go through the lengthy digestive process that eating the whole plant would involve. This makes light work on the digestive tract, and is an excellent way to up your nutritional intake, particularly if your digestive system is functioning below par. Have you ever felt the need to sleep after a big meal? Not exactly the result eating a meal is meant to achieve, but shows the power of the digestive process, particularly when it is under siege, well, juicing is an incredible way to give your body a rest.  However, we do need a lot more fibre than we think so I would not recommend you staying on only juice for a long time. We really do need fibre and most of us are seriously lacking in the amount we take in. It is like a magic sponge that mops up all the toxins that are stored in our colon. The lack of fibre in our western diet is a major cause for concern and is seriously damaging people’s health. Victoria Boutenko (one of my secret nutritional heroes) in “Green for Life” recommends people take in at least 30 to 50 grams per day. We are falling way short of this, with most people closer to 15 grams. I don’t want to “dis” juicing, but feel that you need to be made aware about its lack of fibre.  More on fibre will be covered in another post over the coming weeks so watch out for it.

Best Time to Juice

Morning is definitely the best time to juice. This is because the body has several different cycles and it is in the morning when the juice will be of most benefit to you. The body goes into its cleansing and detox cycle at 3am and does not leave this cycle until noon the following day. During this time, the body is cleansing and expelling the body of toxins. It is more supportive to your body to drink fresh juice and have foods with a high water content during this time, which means a nice, fresh veggie juice is an excellent way to start the day. Examples of veggies that have a high water content are cucumber and celery. Fruit too also has a high water (and sugar content too) and don’t forget your leafy greens. You may have heard that having your biggest meal in the middle of the day really is better for you but now you know why, it’s because your can digest it easier. The later the hour in the day that you eat, the more taxing it will be on your digestive system. If you are going to have a large meal and it is a late hour and you find your digestive is not what it used to be, then take some digestive enzymes beforehand. I find these a Godsend.

Juicing is Alkalising to the Body

Our body’s blood has a natural acid/alkaline balance. It is measured on a PH scale that ranges from zero, with zero being the most acidic to 14, being the most alkaline. Good health is somewhere between 6.8 and 7.6. Most of the refined foods we eat, i.e. processed wheat based products, dairy and animal products are all acid forming to our bodies. When our bodies are too acidic it is Disneyland for bad bacteria and yeast to survive and thrive. Ideally we are better off refusing entry to these little nasties. Juicing, particularly green juices are an excellent way to readdress this balance to more alkaline surroundings. The reason I mention green juices is that many people are under the illusion that having mango, pineapple, pear a carrot is a good nutritious juice. It is certainly better than the shop bought version, but for maximum nutrition, low GL (glycemic load) and truly healthy juices, you need to get juicing those leaves and veggies with a smaller amount of fruit. 

Different Veggies You Can Juice

All Leafy Greens – including kale, spinach, pak choi, parsley, coriander, mint – high in vitamins A,C and E, watercress, rocket, all types of lettuce, chock full of chlorophyll (see separate entry on chlorophyll) and phyto-nutrients. Great for alkalising the body.

Cucumber and Celery are incredible for your kidneys and for flushing out toxins from the kidneys. Great for building hair, skin and nails. Anti-inflammatory qualities. Celery is high in the coumarins, a phyto-chemical that may help lower blood pressure and increase white blood cell count.

Beetroot – great for building strong blood and heart. They add a lovely earthy flavour to your juice. Don’t forget to juice the leafy tops too as they contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron.

Apples- are lovely and sweet and bring a lovely taste to your juice. They are a great system cleanser and like most fruit, have plenty of anti-oxidant properties because they have high Vit A and C content. They are also more alkalising to the body than other fruits.

Pears – similar to apples, but are the more alkalising than most other fruit.

Ginger – Incredible for your digestion and brings such a unique taste to your drink. I love this and add it to almost all of my drinks and smoothies.

A rough guide on how they taste

Rocket – spicy and grassy

Basil – sweet and spicy

Celery – zesty and hydrating

Chard – grassy and sweet

Coriander - Sweet and fragrant

Collard greens – grassy

Cucumber -Hydrating/sweet and sour

Endive – bitter

Fennel – zesty

Green apples -  very sweet, tart

Green grapes – very sweet, tart

Kale – grassy and dark

Kiwi – sweet, zesty

Romaine - Mildly and grassy

Limes – sour and zesty

Parsley – grassy and zesty

Mint - Vibrant, cooling

As you can imagine, this is not an exhaustive list, of fruit and veggies that are available. There are lots of juicing books on the market that can offer lots of creative recipes that you and your family can enjoy, but these are readily available in your local supermarket and that for me is a huge plus and makes is very accessible to have my own daily glass of juice. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you feel that way inclined.....please do share with your friends and family!

Best wishes,

Ruth.