Juicing

It can often be difficult to achieve the right portions of fruit and vegetables that we are recommended to consume daily. The World Health Organisation states that we should be having at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day (5-8 is a better number to aim for); a portion being half a large grapefruit, a slice of melon, 2 satsumas, 3 tablespoonfuls of cooked carrots or peas or sweetcorn, or 1 cereal bowl of mixed salad, according to the Department of Health.

Any advice you read on achieving the ‘5 a day’ will also mention that 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice can count, but it doesn’t matter how much you drink, because as the fibre has been removed in the juicing process, the juice can only ever count as 1 portion.

But, fresh juices are so much more than just their fibre content – rather than replace your fruit and vegetable intake, they should enhance your diet and boost your nutrient intake. Fruit and vegetables are very alkalising, which is the opposite of acidic, like many of the foods we eat – meat, sugar, most grains, caffeine and proteins; stress has an acidic effect on the body too, so as we need to be in a slightly alkaline state to function best. Fresh juices, preferably freshly made, can help to protect us against the ravages of the modern world and make the diet as a whole more balanced.

Fruit smoothies made with plain live yoghurt, celery juice with parsley, carrot, apple and ginger juice and any combination of cleansing fruit and vegetables like berries, pineapple, cucumber, beetroot, spinach and celery are all extremely delicious, and you can taste how refreshing and healthy they are. If the thought of vegetable juice is new to you and seems a bit strange, wean yourself onto it by slowly adding some vegetables to fruit juices and slowly increasing the amount. Cabbage juice is particularly good for the digestive tract, but can be a bit unusual in the beginning – even having some in a mixture is beneficial. Adding an apple sweetens any mixture and also cleans the juicing machine if put through last. Ginger always adds a bit of bite to any juice.

Try visiting a juice bar to try the combinations you like and then think about investing in a juicer – one of the best health products you can buy.

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