Sunday, April 13, 2014

Orange Apple n Beet Juice | Summer cooler recipe | Healthy Juicing recipes | Benefits of juicing























Its been a year we decided to say good-bye to store-bought juice cans and tetrapacks and started relishing Homemade fresh juices almost everyday. In our journey to slowly eliminate most of the preservatives/ chemical additives from our diet and moving towards a healthier lifestyle, we took this first initiative and it has been just awesome.This simple lifestyle change has had a tremendous impact on the family's overall health.Juicing offers many life-enhancing health benefits which includes a faster and efficient way to absorb immune boosting nutrients, naturally found in fruits and veggies.Unlike commercial juices, fresh homemade juices are loaded with an abundance of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. From now on, I shall be posting Healthy juicing recipes with a brief mention to its health benefits as well.  Before we embark into this 'Healthy Juicing' journey, there are few insights which need special mention.

  • As fruit juices are concentrated in sugars, it is always better to add one or more vegetables so as to maintain a healthier balance and avoid sudden spike in the blood sugar levels.
  • Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The resulting liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the whole fruit. However, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing. So, DO NOT replace your daily dose of whole fruits with juices. Juices should be added as a supplement to your daily recommended intake of fruit and veggie servings.
  • Make sure you make just the required amount of juice at a time as freshly squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria.
  • The leftover pulp is where all the healthy fiber is hiding. So,always look for ways to recycle this into soups,salads, pasta sauces, muffins or crackers.I always juice the veggies first, stop and clear the pulp off the juicer and then juice the remaining fruits.In this way, I can have the veggie pulp easily added to my everyday salad. Keep the pulp refrigerated until you use, but not more than a day. 
  • Also keep in mind that juices too contain calories, and if you aren't careful, these extra calories can lead to weight gain.Don't binge.
Happy juicing for healthier living.

Here's the recipe for a refreshing juice with apple, beet and orange.

Preparation time - 10mins
Yields - 3 glasses

Ingredients:

Apple - 4
Orange - 3
Beetroot - 1
Ice cubes - As needed

Method:-

1.  Wash the fruits and beet. Peel the skin of oranges and beetroot. Cut into halves.

2.  If using a juicer, just pass the fruit pieces through the juicer. Finally, pour 1/2 cup of water through the juicer so that even the last drop of juice is extracted out. If using a mixer, blend the fruits and veggie together with a cup of water, until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh / sieve and press with the back of a ladle to extract all of the juice.

3.  Just before serving, add ice cubes and enjoy this refreshing drink.

Health benefits:

1. Rich in life-saving anti-oxidants, vitamins A,B1,B2,B3,B6,C,E and K, Folate and Niacin among others.

2. Beets are said to promote heart-health and contain anti-aging nutrients as well.

3. Orange juice contains hesperidin, which improves the activity of small blood vessels, thereby bringing the overall blood pressure into balance and helping to reduce cardiovascular risks.

4. This juice hydrates the skin, prevents wrinkles and brings a radiant glow to the skin.



2 comments :

  1. refreshing juice.. Could u pass me some?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are most welcome Veena..how I wish our home or workplace is close by to share such goodies!

      Delete