Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and leafy greens is recommended for better health. They are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber and more. These sources of food are vital in helping keeping our weight down, improving our heart health, cutting down the risk of chronic diseases and generally keeping us healthy and fit.
The food pyramid that shows what foods we should eat and how much, shows vegetables, fruits and greens right at the bottom occupying the large base. That means a large part of daily diet should comprise, foods from this group.
With our busy lifestyles running from schools to office to after-school activities, gym classes, client meetings and more, we hardly have time for a decently put together meal. Our diets suffer from a significant lack of nutrient-rich food.
As a result more people than ever before are turning to juices to power their lifestyles. Instead of trying to eat 5-7 servings of salads, veggies and fruits we are drinking more juices. A whole new industry has developed around fresh juice with – special juicing machines, juice bars serving fresh juice, juicing recipes, books and more on the subject cropping up.
Eating whole veggies may not be possible but drinking fresh juice from the juice bar is always an easy option.
Thousands of folks drink fresh juice every morning to power through the day. They find fresh juice gives a boost to their energy levels. Many are amazed at how well and full of life they feel after drinking fresh juice.
With people leading busy lives it is no wonder that juice has become just a vital component of their lives. Folks might not always have time to put together balanced meals with carbs, proteins and fats and eat it with all the running around they do. But drinking a glass of freshly made juice with a variety of fruits and vegetables included is not all that difficult.
Kids may refuse a plate of salad vegetables but will not say no to delicious fresh juice. While it is not the best way to consume them as fiber is mostly removed it is still better than going without any vegetables. Juice is great way to include a variety of nutrients in concentrated form in our meals without too much hassle.
The popularity of juicing as a new lifestyle trend started off with juice ‘detoxes’ and ‘cleanses’ where people go on a 3-day to several-week juice diet to clean their bodies of toxins and rejuvenate their systems. While there is no clear proof that juice offers all these benefits it is neither harmful nor detrimental. On the contrary it makes people feel energetic and full of life. It is also so easy to consume a large quantity of fresh produce in juice form.
While juice is a convenient way to get nutrients into our bodies it should not be the only way to consume fruits and veggies. Eating a mix of whole fruits and vegetables is also important as our bodies need the fiber too. Fiber is important for proper digestion and removal of toxins from the body. Drinking just juice will deprive the body of benefits of eating fresh produce in their whole form.
According to nutritional experts juice should be considered as supplemental to our daily diet. While concentrating on eating balanced meals, it may not be possible to get all that the body needs to work at peak condition. So, supplementing it with fresh juices helps overcome any deficiencies in our nutrient profile.
Also, our food travels long distances before making their way to our tables. They also undergo a lot of processing during this time. By the time we consume the fruits and vegetables a part of the nutrition is lost. So to compensate for this loss drinking juices is a useful way to get more nutrition to our body. By this we are giving our bodies a boost in immunity and better health.