I just got back from another trip to Thailand and wasn't that surprised to see the amount of people sitting at a bar drinking a variety of juice. I particularly noticed the quantity of juice for sale at train stations for instance the sky train links in Bangkok . On any given day you will find men and women and youngsters placing their orders, with a whole range of choices like carrot juice to combinations of all sorts of fruits and vegetables: mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, cranberry, grapefruit, and apple and so on
Juicing and fresh juice comes in all sizes from small cups to half gallon containers its huge business worldwide these days and you can easily get freshly juiced juice in specialised stores,well known supermarkets, but it can work out a little costly for something that is so healthy.
So why not juice fruits and vegetables yourself at home?
This advice couldn't come at a better time. Most government's all over the world are engaged in advertising campaigns to get people to do one simple thing - eat more fruits, vegetables and of course healthy greens. Specifically, the suggestion was to eat five servings of fruit and three portions of vegetables a day, the reasoning was straightforward: a diet high in fruits and vegetables may reduce or get rid of a wide range of health conditions.
For example some forms of cancer like breast cancer, cancer of the colon, oesophagus, tummy, lungs, ovaries, may benefit from consuming more fruits and vegetables. Its absolutely no secret that many scientists are searching for chemical substances in plant life that will assist us overcome a number of ailments. These plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, are the leading edge of dietary scientific investigation simply because they may hold the keys to stopping some of our most lethal diseases, as well as a number of our most common, like allergies, arthritis, and breathing problems.
For years, studies have already been bearing out the value of a diet high in vegetables and fruit. Such studies, which have been done in South East Asia and elsewhere have shown that in nationalities where the diet consists of vegetables and fruit, making it higher in both carbohydrates and dietary fibre, a number of diseases that afflict traditional western societies simply don't exist.
They have been numerous examples of research, by scientists working in Eastern countries where they didn't find a single situation of common ailments that are suffered by the west the list is simply too long to type here, do your own research and you'll be astonished. The only reason that they could attribute to the lack of these diseases was the variations in eating habits.
However, you also have to consider the environment for example if one subject lives in a polluted city and the other in the jungle who will be healthier?
So does a healthy diet including fruit and vegetable juice make a big difference? Back to the researchers they have found a number of substances in foods that may be providing protection against illness. They have discovered quite a few so called super fruits and vegetables like the tomato and broccoli that apparently contains substances still under investigation, but the word is that the news will all be very positive.
Many Citrus fruits have chemicals that make it simpler for your body to get rid of cancer causing carcinogens, which may help with reducing the chance of contracting cancer. Grapes contain a phytochemical that appears to safeguard each cells DNA from harm. Once again don't just take my word for it search for lists of fruit that contain phytochemicals that appear to offer protection against cancer-causing substances. there are many!
So why don't we consume more vegetables and fruit if they contain all these benefits. You only have to look around at your own place of work to realise that we don't eat enough of the good stuff like healthy greens. I have already mentioned the five servings of vegetables and three of fruits each day, however the truth is this: The average westerner does not eat no where near this amount of fruit and vegetables. Going back to my trip to Bangkok and seeing all the juice bars, maybe this is the answer I have noticed a number of Juice bars opening up in shopping markets in the UK , but not many, So maybe we should have a juicer at home just like we have a toaster or electric grill. Then maybe by having a juicer at home we can start to fix our fruit and vegetable deficient diets.
Still not convinced that you need to eat more healthy greens? A very long time ago scientists found that eating chlorophyll (remember your school lessons, the substance that gives the plants their green colour) increases the body's capability to produce haemoglobin, therefore enhancing the efficiency of oxygen transport. Other research has centred on fresh juice's ability to provide another essential group of nutrients, know as enzymes. Enzymes are your body's work force they are vital for digestion and absorption of food, for conversion of food stuffs into body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level. Actually enzymes are crucial for the majority of the metabolic activities taking place in your body every second of each and every day.
Fresh juices are a tremendous source of enzymes. Actually the "freshness" of juice is one of their important features, because enzymes tend to be destroyed by heat. When you eat cooked foods, whether its meal, grains, fruits, or vegetables, if the food is cooked at high temperatures, the enzymes are ruined by the heat. Since fruits and vegetables are juiced raw, the enzymes are still viable when you drink the juice.
Coincidentally, many of the phytochemicals that dietary scientists are concentrating their attention on are either enzymes, or more often, they are substances that help build or activate enzymes that play essential roles in safeguarding cells from harm.
On top of that, fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, and so forth.) provide wholesome portions of vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large amounts of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. Numerous green juices are a good source of vitamin E. Fruit juices are a good source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are bound by the plant in a form that is most easily merged during digestion.
In addition, since juicing removes the indigestible fibre, these nutrients are available to the body in much bigger amounts than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole.
So should you buy a juicer? At the moment I am using a Samson Ultra Multi-Purpose Juicer , but I am always on the look out for the latest models are you? If you do get one or use one drop us a note and let us know your views - now time for some healthy greens, juice of course!
