Regardless of the change in weather, fresh juices have always been an absolute win in our household! Whether it's a quick drink-and-go or a preferred way to get in your daily vitamins, I love the variety and creativity that is open when making your own juice.
Although some people do have larny juicers, I do prefer blenders (we have a Hamilton Beach) as all the natural fibre in the the fruit and veg is retained (juices squish out all the juice and you throw out the stuff that is left behind - hopefully into your garden!). As a general observation, fruits generally have soluble fibre and vegetables have insoluble fibre.
Soluble fibre When food such as an apple is eaten, the pectin and fibre (mostly in the skin - so don't peel your apple) form a gel-like solution in your stomach; slowing down digestion, which makes you feel fuller for longer. That is why health websites and articles say you should eat an entire fruit compared to drinking the juice of it; also so that you don't eat too much of it. As a general comparison, you can drink a cup of Ceres Apple Juice, yet one blended apple probably makes 1/2 cup of liquid, if that. Although packed with micronutrients and vitamins, fruits do contain sugar and when sugar is eaten in excess, it will most likely cause havoc with any weight-loss plan as well as affects your skin's health in the long run.
Tip: A great way to help lower the fruit's effect on your blood sugar is to pair the fruit with protein - low fat Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese is great. Pairing the sugar with the protein assists lowering the GI value - thus making the absorption into the blood stream slower.
Ok, I'm waffling, next one!
Insoluble fibre As mentioned above, this form of fibre is usually found in vegetables as well as whole-grains, legumes and others. What makes insoluble fibre unique is that it is literally that, insoluble (Captain Obvious, right?). When foods such as oatmeal are being digested in the stomach, once all of the minerals have been removed from the food, the body no longer needs the 'bulk' of the oatmeal. Herein lies insoluble fibre's imperative role in the body - it assists with removing everything unwanted and not required out of the body. Although it seems rather basic, the body requires this fibre as it assists with keeping your intestines clean and free of bad bacteria and rotting waste. This fibre is praised by doctors as it is associated with lower blood pressure, low cholesterol (don't get me started on doctors and statins) and a healthy weight.
Tip: Do not go overboard like me! I used to par-cook brown and wild rice to "reap the benefits" of the fibre and it ended up damaging my body's ability to absorb nutrients. Remember to keep everything in moderation and balanced.
So now that you've had a little nutritional overview, I've listed some of my favourite juices and smoothies. I'm just going to list the ingredients and suggest that when you make a juice or smoothie, rather make a small quantity first so that you can tailor it to your preferences (such as you may not like the tartness of pineapple so can use a banana instead).
Let's go!
It sounds a bit weird but let's go through it.
- Rinse the cucumber, parsley and spinach.
- Gently peel the fibrous tips off the outside of the celery with a knife and unless baby spinach is being use, remove the main vein in the leaf (it becomes very chewy).
- I'd suggest using a small amount of parsley first, it can take a while to get used to it!
- Chop the ingredients (and dice the pineapple) and don't peel the cucumber (it has an amazing amount of vit B).
- To round off all the ingredients together, I'd suggest using a bit of organic coconut oil and you can add some water just to make it more liquid. You're welcome to use avo (in all things green), but it may taste more like a savoury dip than something you'd want to drink!
- If it tastes too strange, remove the cucumber.
Parsley is known to assist with digestion and even neutralise a smelly breath - makes you look a bit more interestingly at that garnish at your next meal out!
- Don't cook the beetroot, rather get a small fresh one and peel it to remove the skin.
- Rinse and roughly chop the carrots (I wouldn't peel them as their skins have goodness too).
- Unless you want and love bitterness, remove the juicy flesh from the lemon by peeling off the skin and white fluff with a knife beforehand.
- I love ginger so I usually put a lot in! Cut the size of ginger you would like and use a silver spoon to peel the skin off (using a knife to do this removes too much flesh). Once done, grate into your blender.
- Add a bit of water or 1/4 of an apple to thin the mixture out.
- Chop carrots and remove the orange skin.
- Scoop out a small quantity of papaya (unless you'd like it, I usually add a little amount so that it's not too overpowering).
- Ginger adds a wonderful zing if you care to have it!
- Sometimes if there's no oranges I'll use a bit of pineapple (an incredible combo with the carrot and ginger!) and add in water.
Awesomeness received Vitamins C, B, carotene, flavonoids and folate (sounds weird but basically is fantastic for health immunity and the skin).
- Peel and place your naked bananas into a bag and freeze overnight.
- You can use fresh or frozen berries but the latter will be easier to purchase any time of the year.
- The frozen banana gives a wonderful milky consistency but if you'd like it thinner I'd suggest using coconut milk, normal diary milk or almond milk.
- Top with a dash of cinnamon (great for lowering blood pressure)
Awesomeness received Blueberries are a powerhouse in antioxidants and bananas provide one of the best sources of naturally-occurring potassium.
Although these juices are filling, rather have a small cup (think a teacup in size, so 4oz), make sure you're still eating a substantial meal with the juice as an accompaniment. If you'd like your juice/smoothie to be a meal (or you simply don't have time for a meal), I'd suggest putting a scoop or two of 100% whey powder to provide some protein - although I prefer chocolate protein powder (I used Evox 100% Whey), you can do many different varieties with vanilla flavour.
For more ideas and recipes, have a look at The Healthy Chef's recipe page and scroll down to Smoothies, Juices + Drinks.
Thanks for reading my random thoughts!