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What are the Health Benefits of Vegetable Juices?
Vegetable juices detoxify the body and give the immune system a boost from the concentrated amount of nutrients they provide. It may be difficult to eat vast amounts of raw vegetables every day, and drinking a glass or two of their juices is more convenient. Vegetable juices are also a source of enzymes that aid in digestion.
Vegetables are low in fat and calories, so any diet based around them should result in weight loss. Some of the better ingredients are the ones that use up more calories to consume and digest than they contain. Examples of these kind of vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, carrots and any dark green vegetables.
One of the differences between using a vegetable juicer to make fresh juice and the juices bought in stores is the amount of enzymes in the former compared to the lack of them in the latter. Enzymes are destroyed during the process of pasteurization that store-bought juices go through, which is why they are not as healthy as homemade vegetable juices. For this reason, it is always better to prepare fresh juice at home whenever possible.
All vegetables can be juiced, but care must be taken with some, as it may be too potent to drink too much of it. Carrot juice is very popular not just for its taste but for its health benefits. It energizes, cleanses and heals as it boosts the immune system, and helps in the treatment of various ailments such as anemia, cataracts, ulcers and asthma. Carrot juice is fine to consume in large quantities but is often mixed with other vegetable juices such as celery, cucumber, spinach and tomato.
Beet juice is recommended for problems with the digestion like constipation. It is also good for strengthening the bones, purifying and cleansing the blood, and benefiting the liver, kidneys and arteries. It is rich in vitamins A, B, C and E and minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium. It is best to mix it with other vegetable juices like apple, carrot and celery, as it is quite powerful and so should only be consumed in small quantities. Parsley and watercress juices also help with liver and kidney problems.
Broccoli juice is full of the same vitamins as beetroot juice, but with the addition of vitamin K. A well-known cancer fighter, broccoli has abundant antioxidants and fiber. Cabbage cleanses the internal system and is a wonderful antiseptic. Popular with dieters because of its reputation as a slimming agent, cabbage juice also helps reduce high blood pressure.
Discussion Comments
I have tinkered with a few fresh vegetable juice recipes but I can't quite find one that I like. Does anyone have one that they have tried and tested and find particularly delicious?
I am very concerned about herbicides and pesticides in the food that we eat so I only drink organic vegetable juice that I get at my local health food store. I appreciate not drinking the chemicals and I prefer the taste of organic vegetable juice.
Organic vegetables tend to taste better because they are bred for flavor rather than for traits that make them easier to ship and sell. It only makes sense that if you juice all these veggies together they will taste better than V8.
One note of caution about vegetable juices. Many of them have huge amounts of added sodium, so much so that you might counter act all the health benefits you are receiving. I always look for a low sodium option, or, better yet, I make my own and then I know exactly how much salt is going in to my supposedly healthy drink.
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