What Should You Juice?
The answer to this question is absolutely a personal preference. Ideally, you’ll juice nutrient rich fruits and veggies. You can juice just one type or several to create combinations that taste great and provide tons of healthy vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Recipes that combine fruits and veggies are very popular amongst juicing fanatics. By combining lower sugar veggies with nutrient-dense, sweet fruits, you can make juice that balances tasty sweetness with the important nutrients found in veggies and raw spices.
Do you have any health issues that you hope to improve through juicing? Do you have any specific problems or ailments, even something like having acne problems, that you want to get rid of by juicing?
Search for fruits, veggies, and other juice additives that may be able to help address your health issues. If you’re simply looking for a hearty dose of nutrients, use a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies to balance each other.
Grocery Shopping for Juice Ingredients
You can find fruits and veggies to start juicing for beginners at your local grocery store, a farmer’s market or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), or you can even grow your own. You might want to start by juicing fruits and veggies that are familiar to you in their whole form to help adjust to the unique flavor profiles created in juicing.
To get the most nutrient dense fruits and veggies, try to use mostly local produce. They are less likely to have been stored for long periods of time. The fresher the fruits and vegetables, the more nutrient power they retain.
Use produce that is in season for the same reason; fruits and vegetables are at their nutritional peak when they are grown and harvested during their natural growing season. If you want to try growing your own produce, you might start with some leafy greens. They’re very simple to grow and quite hardy.
Always Check with Your Doctor Before Changing Your Diet
You should always consult with your doctor before making big changes in your diet. It’s important for your doctor to know what you’re eating in order to administer proper medical care.
This is especially true if you take a prescription medicine or have an ongoing health condition. He or she may even have some helpful advice on what fruits, veggies, herbs, and spices will work for you, or which to avoid.
Some common juice ingredients can be very powerful, especially in the concentrations that you get from juicing. There are also medical conditions that require you to limit the intake of certain nutrients. For instance, excessive potassium intake can be dangerous for people suffering from kidney trouble.
There are also some fruits and veggies that can cause dangerous interactions with some prescription medications. For instance, grapefruit can interfere with statin medications often prescribed for high cholesterol. Several other fruits and veggies may cause interactions, as well. Check out a list here.
The Last Word on Juicing for Beginners
Juicing for beginners doesn’t have to be rocket science. Find a good quality juice machine that is within your budget, get lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and experiment to find delicious, healthy combinations.
If you are looking into juicing to improve your health, we here at Basmati are here to help you learn.
If you have any questions about juicing or anything regarding your health and wellness, don’t hesitate to ask. You may even inspire us to research and write a new article.