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Photo: Sam should be squeezing carrots. The juice would be healthier.
One of the nicest things you can do for yourself is get into the habit of using organic fruits and vegetables with a juicer or blender. There are tons of different machines and more recipes than you can taste-test in a lifetime, from those that simply taste good, to those recommended as a co-therapy for cancer. With a little research, you can become
an expert in short order.
There is a tip I want to pass on to you that will make this easier than you would have imagined, a tip that will let you get so much more nutrient value out of juicing or blending.
Everyone has had the experience of slicing an apple and watching how, within just a few minutes of being cut open, it turns brown. What is happening is that as the cut apple is exposed to air, it begins to oxidize, turning color as it does so.
There are dozens of anti-oxidants like vitamin C available for sale, which tells you that having your food oxidize is not a good thing. It is something to be prevented, if possible, and that is the point of this "tip". How do you prevent juices from oxidizing?
Every recipe books tells you to juice or blend your fruits and veggies, then drink all you have just made so that it is fresh and not oxidized. If you have had any experience, however, you know, first, that despite what the advertisements say, cleaning a blender or juicer is a time-consuming pain.
In addition, just making the juice is, in itself, a time-consuming affair. Today's busy people don't have the time to make a single glass or two of juice several times a day, yet to make and store a few glasses of juice invites oxidation and reduces the benefits for juicing altogether.
So here's the tip:
Each day my wife and I make a fresh drink of orange and carrot juice, adding a bit of apple sometimes, or perhaps some parsley, whatever. I will fill up a large empty Perrier water bottle with the juice, then vacuum seal it to remove the air and prevent the oxidation process from destroying its nutrient value. |
The sealer is a very inexpensive product called VACUVIN essentially a small plastic pump with a rubber stopper designed to seal an open wine bottle. The pump comes with a single stopper, but you should order an extra set or two of the stoppers. The whole thing won't cost you
more than $20.00, and it allows you to make more than a glass of juice at a time without having to worry that what you don't drink immediately will oxidize. |