Got Juice?

Juicing vs. Blending... what is the difference I am often asked. If you juice correctly, you can reap all of the wonderful benefits that juicing has to offer. Juicing provides the body with many nutrients and vitamins. You can also get your full day's serving of fruits and vegetables. "Freshly made juice gives you all the nutrients without any of the associated digestion. A freshly made juice bypasses your need to digest through the fibers before you get all the nutrients of the fruits and vegetables." A juicing machine is going to extract all of the juice from the pulp and skin so that you get the entire fruit or vegetable.

One of the pioneers of juicing, Jack LaLanne, put juicing on the map. His infomercials with that five hundred dollar juicer kept me mesmerized at nights. I wanted one. Now you can find a juicer everywhere. I scooped one up at Tarjay for about sixty dollars a few years back. I was juicing everything I could find just to see the food go through the machine and make that SWOOSH noise.

A blender... well... BLENDS. It mixes the fruits and vegetables together making for a good smoothie. "Smoothies have a cleansing effect on the bowel. Since smoothies still contain all of the fiber from the fruits and vegetables, you get a chimney sweeping effect."

Whichever you choose should be determined by the goal. I have two juicers and two blenders. I bought the blenders because the stupid sales description SAID one was a processor and one was a blender. They look identical. So don't be fooled. Research your juicers online. My other two, are actual juicers. One is a citrus juicer. I can use only lemons, oranges, grapefruits and limes. The other is a bigger juicer that I use like in the picture seen above.

I use my blender for smoothies. I sometimes add protein powder, or wheat grass or additional fiber when the time calls for it. When I am juicing, I am generally looking to create something that is going to have the health benefits but also taste good to me. If not, well, I can't see me drinking it. Pineapples, for example, are high in enzymes and contains vitamin C and A. One apple provides up to 5 grams of fiber. Juicing a few grapes can provide a good source of vitamin-C, vitamin A, vitamin K, carotenes, B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine, riboflavin and thiamin. There are plenty of recipes out there but I tend to look for and make those juices that are going to clean, boost my immune system, give me energy and get me on the go quickly. While juicing can seem expensive now, in the long run it pays off. Give up that cup of coffee for a glass of fresh juice to start your day. If you live in the DMV area, look for my workshops on Fasting, Juicing and Detoxing.

As always, thank you for reading. Visit my website at www.nu-bodi.com and I will see you tomorrow.