Up next in my fitness & health segment is juicing, a daily ritual of mine. I truly believe in the powers of fresh juice, enthusiastically, vehemently, ridiculously so. It is hydrating, an incredible source of vitamins and one of the reasons my skin is almost always blemish free. Now, I cannot offer you a variety of recipes because typically I always make the same concoction: carrot, ginger and orange with a squeeze of a lemon. I will typically only use 1 or 2 oranges, or if they are in season, clementines because anything too sweet simply doesn’t taste as healthy to me. If you haven’t yet invested in a juicer, I couldn’t recommend it enough. You absolutely must buy one. The device will change your life, in that it will improve everything, ten fold. You might think this over-zealous or crazy impassioned advice but I truly do adore mine and the abundance of benefits it gives to my physical and mental health.
the juice i make everyday
When I first bought my juicer, I also felt compelled to order half a dozen ‘juicing books’ – and they were fun for a couple of weeks and occasionally I will still leaf through them if I feel like something different. However, so many of the ingredients they list are either hard to find or too expensive. The cost can add up if you juice everyday like me, as can the hassles of trying to source the more unusual ingredients. I cannot even count the times I’ve stomped around the city in search of kale or passion fruit or whatever other juicing whim I was on. Juicing must be an easy endeavor to keep it a routine, hence why I stick to the classic carrot. Another fact to consider is it takes a surprisingly large amount of vegetables to make a pitcher of juice, I will use over 2 bags of carrots daily. I really recommend keeping your ingredients incredibly simple, using only affordable fruits and vegetables available at even the most basic supermarkets. Carrots, ginger and citrus are all deliciously cheap and really easy to find.
choosing when to juice
Usually, I will juice right after the gym, I’m not usually hungry post-workout but need to refuel and it’s a nourishing way to wait a few hours until I cook dinner. I’ll drink at least a litre, sometimes a little more. And let me tell you, an intense workout followed by a litre of freshly juiced vegetables is a high unlike any other. It is always the time of day I feel wired in a wonderful way and most alive. I prefer to juice on an empty stomach, this maximizes the amount of nutrients absorbed into the body. Additionally, it’s best to drink juice the same day it’s made. As soon as any juice meets air it begins to oxidize, compromising its nutritional value. However, storing juices in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed glass jar slows the process.
choosing a juicer
Don’t be cheap in your choice, the less expensive ones break very easily and even worse, are a pain to clean. Juicing makes a huge mess, all that liquefying of solids can get out of hand very quickly. The quality versions, like mine, or the Phillips upgrade I have in my amazon cart (you can take a look here) require no more than 5 minutes clean up time. Now a good juicer won’t be cheap but I’ve had mine for 2 years and I use it every single day. It is a solid investment and about the same price as a pair of Topshop heels you probably won’t wear next season. Make the smart choice if you haven’t already. I promise you will thank me later.
some juicing enthusiasm
95% of the vitamins and enzymes our bodies need are found in the juice of raw fruits and vegetables. You would need to eat 1 kilogram of carrots, 10-12 apples, or 4 kilograms of spinach to get the same amount of nutrients you receive in one 1 glass of juice! When you drink juice, highly concentrated vitamins, minerals and enzymes rapidly absorb straight into your bloodstream. Juicing also aids weight loss and one of the many healthy ways I shed excess weight in the last year or so. It also boosts your immune system because you are essentially supercharging your body with a ton of vitamins. Like I mentioned earlier, juicing is a high, and I very much mean that physically and literally. When your body receives an abundance of the nutrients it needs in liquid form, they are utilized immediately; hence the ‘kick’ of energy I feel right after chugging a glass or two.
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