Nowadays, more and more people are getting into the habit of juicing. This is not about buying a cold boxed carton of apple or orange juice, but rather, it is about making your own homemade juice freshly extracted from fruits and vegetables. Basically, homemade juices are healthy drinks that your digestive system can absorb within 15 minutes or less.
Store juices undergo a lot of processing that extracts some of the valuable nutrients our bodies could benefit from. Some manufacturers even add to this drinks artificial flavors and sweeteners thus making them less of natural drinks. Besides, the thought of shelling out $5-15 for juice is an intolerable one amongst many people.
When you make your own juice using fresh fruits and vegetables, you get to keep all the rich nutrients and enzymes-in their raw state. This is a big benefit compared to buying package juices from convenient stores.
And what’s even more, you don’t need a juicer or an extremely powerful blender to pull this off. Just use what is available in your kitchen.
Why many people drink freshly-made juices
The optimum performance of the body usually revolves around a constant supply of natural nutrients to keep toxins at lower levels. Therefore, when you take freshly-made juices, you are not only enjoying the taste but are expunging toxins from your system as well.
Homemade juices are also a great source of minerals, vitamins and other natural chemical elements that your body needs to fight disease and function at its best.
Juices versus smoothies
A lot of people are finding it hard to differentiate between juices and smoothies. Okay, both smoothies and juices are made from fresh fruits and vegetables. However, smoothies are majorly mashed using a blender while juices are made in a juicer.
Fruits that are processed using a blender will contain fibers while a juicer will produce a fruit juice which is completely separated from its fibers.
The advantage of using a juicer is that it allows us to consume large quantities of nutrient-rich juice without burdening our digestive system with fibers. Generally, a plain juice can be absorbed across the digestive system in as little as 15 minutes.
When fibers are present, things change a bit. A lot of work must be done and that means slow absorption. Note that fiber is important for normal body functioning and we are not telling you to ditch it. Just know when your body could use a few amount of it.
When making your juice or smoothie, any cheaper blender with adequate motor power can provide you with the best services. You don’t have to dig a hole in your pocket to enjoy a tasty juice.
Is green juice the best of them all?
All juices offer great nutritional benefits, but in our opinion, the green juices are the best as they have high chlorophyll content which can assist you to oxygenate your blood. Green vegetables also have high minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, which are all important for health.
These juices also have the least impact on your blood sugar so you will not experience sudden blood sugar spikes that can drain your energy.
Ingredients
- A cup of water
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cored green apples
- 1 medium cucumber, divide into 4 equal parts
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves
- 2 roughly chopped celery stalks
- A single, 1-inch peeled ginger(or the size of your thumb)
- One squeeze of lemon juice
Equipment
- Blender
- Fine mesh sieve for filtering (optional)
Instructions
Pour the one cup of water into the blender and add the ingredients provided above one after the other in the order in which they come in. Blend them at the highest setting of your unit.
The best setting that will ensure every ingredient is crushed into a smoothie is the “liquefy” mode. Water is used to dilute the mixture as well as allow the blender blades to rotate easily and smoothly.
If you love the mush of the mixture, just pour the juice into a glass and serve it. If you like your juice thinner, then use a cheesecloth to wring out all the liquid juice.
The filtered pulp contains a lot of fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Rather than throwing it away, you can smear it on bread, pancakes or dilute it and make another juice.
The beauty of green juice is that it really doesn’t taste green thanks to ginger, lemon juice, apple and other fruits in its mixture. You can switch any ingredient in our list with its closest cousin. For instance, in place of kales, you can use spinach, and the taste will be the same.
Juicing tips to help you make great tasting homemade green juice
- Make the juice only when you want to drink. Making large batches for later use is not advisable. When stored, green juice tends to lose its value (freshness) and thus becoming just another less useful drink in your refrigerator.
- Don’t use damaged or bruised fruits and vegetables. If you do use them, then it’s best that you remove damaged or infected parts and wash thoroughly before toasting them into the blender.
- Grapefruit, orange and lemon skins should be peeled off because they are bitter
- Remove the fruit pit (pericarp) before mixing them with other delicacies. It’s okay to keep the seeds of some fruits like lime, lemon, and grape. However, apple seeds, tomato stems, green carrot tops and other mildly toxic parts should be clipped off and discarded.
- Fruits and vegetables are made of big parts that the blender’s blades cannot slice. So, make the work easier by chopping them into tiny bits so the blades can cut through them like a piece of cake.
- Most veggies and fruits contain about 85% water and thus can be blended straightaway. However, those with low water content like avocado may need you to pour some water into the blender for a more soluble juice to be formed.
The bottom line
All of us could benefit from a little saving once in a while, and that’s why you need to start using your blender to make green juice instead of running to the shop for a new juicer. The quality of the juice will at times not be of the greatest quality because blenders are not perfectly designed for this.
Nevertheless, this shouldn’t deter you from making your own homemade fresh green juice. Make sure every ingredient is clean and has been chopped, cored or reduced to the right size before blending.
Enjoy your drink, won’t you?