Juicing Versus Blending
While it’s true that a good high-speed blender can give you many of the same benefits as juicing, blending doesn’t break down fibers of fruits and vegetables at the cellular level. Thus, you may not derive the same nutritional punch as with a juicer. Still, a good high-quality blender can be useful in concocting smoothies, soups, and frozen treats with your fresh juices, so they’re good to have around. Some newer technology claims to have narrowed the gap between juicers and blenders with higher speeds and greater cellular breakdown, especially in “bullet” type machines, but it’s important to keep in mind that even the best blender will result in liquids with greater amounts of pulp and fiber, which may be harder to digest and absorb than juice products. Some juicing proponents claim that higher speeds and the resulting heat from powerful motors destroy valuable nutrients, but so far, there’s not a lot of evidence to support that claim. If any machine is running so hot that it’s heating your juice, it’s best to put it in retirement and look for something new. Fresh Is Best Unless you’re growing your own, it’s often difficult to determine where produce comes from or how long it’s been in your supermarket aisle. If you’re someone concerned about food pedigree, be sure to check for labels. Often they’re an indicator if the produce was grown outside the United States or in a country where laws governing the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers aren’t as stringent as they are here. Local farmers’ markets are a great source for fresh produce as are food cooperatives. Food “rescue” organizations are also springing up all over the country, purchasing fresh produce in bulk from farmers, restaurant, and grocery chains and selling them to members at significantly reduced prices. Members report that for a contribution of as little as ten dollars they can receive up to sixty pounds of fresh produce. The more vibrant the color, the more powerful the juice. Flavonoids are the plant pigments responsible for the colors in fruits and vegetables. But they also have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antiviral properties. What pleases the eye is also likely to please the palate, so drink up! Going Raw Many food experts maintain that raw foods are the healthiest for the body because heating foods above 110 degrees are thought to denature enzymes that are naturally present. Those enzymes are thought to be the life force of foods, helping the body to digest and absorb nutrients. In some cases that’s certainly true. Vitamin C, for example, is destroyed by heat, and the cancer-fighting sulforaphane is found in broccoli are diminished by heating Consuming raw foods as a health treatment was first developed in Switzerland by a medical doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, who was also the inventor of muesli. After recovering from jaundice while eating raw apples, he conducted a variety of experiments into the effects of raw vegetables on human health. In 1897, he opened a sanatorium in Zurich called “Vital Force,” named after a “key term from the German lifestyle reform movement which states that people should pattern their lives after the logic determined by nature.” It is still treating patients today. In other cases, though, cooking can actually increase nutritional value. The lycopenes in tomatoes, for example, increase when the fruit is cooked, but that’s because the fibrous portions are broken down. Kale, garlic, spinach, and onions have also been shown to be more nutritious cooked as light cooking releases compounds that might otherwise go undigested. Whether or not you’re a raw foods advocate, it’s important to do your homework, and, as always, balance is the key in any diet. Whatever your food choices, regular juicing offers the best of both worlds. First, because you gain all the benefits of raw foods, and second, because juicing breaks down the fibrous portions of fruits and vegetables at the cellular level to maximize their nutritive value. More than any other dietary practice, juicing puts the “whole” back in whole foods and offers great economy, digestibility, and nutrition without a huge adjustment in lifestyle. Share with Your friends if you liked this post :)
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
|