Juicing for Health

January is a fresh start to a new year and 2014 is well underway!  Whatever your goals and ambitions are for the coming months, your health should be one of your top priorities.  Health and wellness goes beyond weight loss; it’s a lifestyle that incorporates healthy habits.  Living a life that focuses on nurturing your body with the right foods, staying physically active, managing stress and balancing your family, social and work responsibilities is truly living a wellness lifestyle.

Making changes and including healthier choices can be hard—no one said change was easy!  One healthy habit you may want to consider incorporating into your routine is juicing.  One thing to note is that juicing should not be used as a meal replacement and you shouldn’t avoid solid foods.  Fresh juice has very little protein and virtually no fats so it should be an addition to your meals, not a replacement.  However, when you include juicing into your routine, you will see and feel a difference.  Your over health will increase as well as your energy levels!

Here are six reasons why you may want to consider incorporating juicing into your daily diet.

• Juicing helps you absorb nutrients better. Most of us have an impaired digestive system due to chemicals and additives we’ve consumed from our less than optimal food choices over the years.  Impaired digestion limits your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from raw fruits and vegetables.  When you juice, your are essentially “pre-digesting” the produce so your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break them down and can more easily absorb essential nutrients.

• Juicing protects against diseases. The vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body retains from juicing can help protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer and many inflammatory diseases.  Fruits and vegetables are high in phytonutrients and flavonoids, which guard against cell damage from exposure to environmental chemicals and pollution.

• Juicing boosts immunity. Beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E are important nutrients for sustaining a healthy immune system.  When juicing fruits and vegetables with these nutrients increase your body’s resistance to colds, flus and other illnesses.

• Juicing can increase cognitive function. When you use fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants for your juices, you can boost your cognitive function.  Beets, blueberries and blackberries help increase blood flow to the brain.  Produce high in potassium such as bananas and coconut water can help keep your brain cells firing efficiently.

• Juicing increases energy levels. Vitamins and minerals are essential for metabolizing foods and releasing energy.  Vitamins like B2 and B6 as well as minerals like magnesium and copper are all found in spinach and help to increase energy levels.  Most vegetables are low on the glycemic index, which helps to sustain energy.

• Juicing adds a wider variety of produce to your diet. It’s hard for most people to broaden their choices of vegetables.  When you eat the same foods day in and day out, you’re actually increasing your chances of developing allergies to certain foods.  Juicing can include a large variety fruits and vegetables, many of which you wouldn’t normally enjoy eating.