Hey all! I’m turning over TSOH today to Miss Nutritionista, Mariam! She is a certified health coach and self-proclaimed foodie with a fantastic blog.
If you follow me on Instagram you will have noticed that I am a major fan of juicing. I have a raw juice almost daily but many times I get asked if it’s just another diet fad!
I’m happy to report that juicing is not just another diet fad. Juicing is a quick and straight-forward way of consuming a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Just one 16 oz cup gives your body a huge boost of high quality nutrients and helps balance your body’s pH. Juicing has a host of health benefits, some of which I share below.
Benefit # 1: Digestion Aid
If you struggle with a slow digestion then juicing would be a great benefit to you. When juicing, your body requires very little energy for digestion. You end up using more fresh fruits and vegetables than you could actually ever eat. And all the “dense nutrients –vitamins, minerals and pytonutrients –are jam packed in the juice and able to enter your system rapidly, bypassing any traffic jams or congestion of your digestion system”.
Benefit #2: Liver Detoxifier
The liver is one of the main organs for detoxification. It helps remove toxins and metabolic waste out of your body. Given the toxic load of our modern lifestyle, our poor liver works overtime to cleanse the body. We use and abuse this vital organ with excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption, cigarette smoke, breathing smog filled air and exposing our skin and body to toxic products. Doing a fresh juice cleanse once a month or heck even weekly helps give our liver a break and floods it with nutrients it needs to function properly.
Benefit #3: Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails
Growing up, I had major skin problems from blemishes to straight out cystic acne. Nowadays, I walk around barefaced (only sunscreen) and get complimented on my skin. My skin and nails began to change when I started eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Juicing has given me an efficient way of getting even more fresh produce into my diet.
Fresh juice, especially green juice is full of powerful antioxidants and pytonutrients. These babies boost the health of your skin, hair and nails. Vegetables such as asparagus, collard greens, spinach, and especially kale are rich in riboflavin, an essential nutrient needed to prevent issues like hair loss, cracked lips and many skin problems. Moreover, a lack of vitamin A causes beauty problems such as dry skin, coarse and brittle hair, acne, and even dandruff. Carotenoids, the organic pigments found in most fruits and vegetables acts as a precursor to vitamin A - thus promotes skin smoothness, combats skin problems and strengthens our skin, hair, and nails. So ditch the expensive cosmetics and drink a green juice instead!
Benefit #4: Cardiovascular Health
Not surprisingly, the leading cause of death in the U.S is still cardiovascular disease. Your cardiovascular system is what makes up that gorgeous heart of yours and the hundreds of blood vessels that pump blood to and from your heart. It’s crucial not only to have a healthy heart but also clean arteries that allow your blood to move swiftly through your body.
Juicing provides your body with the nutrients needed to keep your cardiovascular system healthy. For example, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E –prevent the damaging effect of free radical in your body and in particular your artery walls. These antioxidants prevent your blood from clotting, sticking or becoming toxic while at the same time lowering triglyceride levels. Fresh juice also contains potassium and magnesium, two minerals crucial for proper heart function.
Juicing can be very beneficial to your health. Think of it as your “little helper”for getting fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet. However, juicing should not replace actually eating whole fruits and vegetables and should not be used as a meal replacement. With all things in life, balance and moderation are key.
Have you welcomed juicing into your lifestyle? What are your favorite recipes?
For more information on The Skinny on Health’s juicing/smoothing thoughts… 1 // 2
