Juice

Description: Juice is the liquid component of fruits and vegetables. It is dense in nutrients because it does not contain bulk solids. There is no standardization regarding the percentage of pure juice. Many products sold as juice are diluted with water and/or have added sweeteners. Read the labels!

Although organic produce has a much higher vitamin and mineral content than non-organic produce, in most cases the soil is so depleted that the produce still lacks essential minerals. A fantastic solution to this dilemma is to increase intake of vegetable and fruit nutrients in the condensed form of fresh, 100% organic juice. To avoid pasteurization of commercial juices, and the expense of purchasing organic, unpasteurized bottled juices, you may want to start making your own.

What to look for: Look for fresh organic juices at local farmer’s markets and natural food stores. If you are going to make your own, look for juicers that press juice rather then cutting, heating, shocking or spinning the plant matter with centrifugal force. The juicers that utilize impeller press systems with low turning speed so as not to heat the resulting juice retain the highest amounts of nutrients.

Uses: Juices are a great way to add a nutritional punch to your daily food plan, fantastic for cleansing and detoxification, during colon cleansing, or otherwise lightening up the diet. Perfect as a snack or appetizer, as well as the best quick boost of energy you will find, freshly made juice is the best! Drinking fresh juice every day provides the body with large amounts of living enzymes as well as naturally proportioned vitamins and minerals.

Where to find: Find organic juices at natural food stores and sometimes at farmers markets. Purchase organic produce from a local farmer directly, at farmers markets, or from a market that sells organic produce. Find high quality juicers at natural food stores or online.

Avoid: Avoid canned or bottled juice as they have been pasteurized (unless labeled otherwise). The filtering and processing used in the manufacture of juice increases and concentrates toxic chemicals in the product. If you decide to purchase bottled or canned juice, avoid non-organic and/or sugar laden varieties. When juicing for yourself avoid using non-organic fruits and vegetables. Avoid centrifugal juicers or juicers that cut the plant matter which allow oxidation and the breakdown of vegetable cellular walls, thus deteriorating the quality of the resulting juice.