Juicing (Wellbeing Quick Guide)

Drinking fresh juices is a wonderfully healthy habit and an utterly delicious one too! With so many benefits of juicing to enjoy, as well as some amazing flavour combinations to discover along the way, the colourful and vibrant world of making your own fresh juices is definitely one worth exploring.

To help you on your juicing journey, in Liz’s revised classic, Juicing, you’ll discover why juicing has the power to nourish, cleanse, protect, soothe and heal our bodies. With tried and tested recipe combinations, plans for juice fasting programmes, and an A-Z of the best juicing ingredients, this ebook is all the juicing inspiration you need to get started.

Fresh juices allow us to make maximum use of raw fruit and vegetable ingredients with minimum expense to our digestive system. As the act of juicing breaks down the ingredients, our bodies are able to absorb and assimilate the nutrients very easily. Not only are juices packed with essential vitamins and minerals, they are also rich in active enzymes (often lost in cooking or freezing), all of which are vital to our overall good health and vitality.

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices also have the ability to scour away waste and harmful bacteria cells, allowing them to cleanse the internal system at a very deep level. This is why they are a must for any detoxification diet, and great for restoring health after an illness. By helping to keep our system working efficiently and free from waste, it’s much harder for unwelcome conditions such as cellulite to take a hold too.

Juicing also plays an important role in maintaining a healthy acid/alkaline balance in the body. Many of us eat too much in the way of acid-forming foods, including meat and dairy products, and stress and overwork can further increase our acid load – a major problem as so many health problems and chronic diseases are thought to thrive in this acid environment. Fruit and vegetable juices, while acidic themselves, actually have an alkalinising effect on the body, so can counteract our acidic lifestyle and restore our body’s natural acid/alkaline balance.

Packed with antioxidants, juices can also ward off the damaging effects of free radicals within the body, helping protect us from disease and premature ageing. Juicing regularly ensures that we have a good supply of vital vitamins A, C and E along with other micro antioxidants such as selenium and cysteine – all of which are found in abundance in raw fruit and vegetables.

Chlorophyll is another ‘super nutrient’ – it cleanses the system, builds the blood and provides us with energy and vitality – and drinking green juices is one of the best ways to get high amounts of chlorophyll into the diet. Adding ingredients such as leafy greens, wheatgrass, watercress or chlorella to your juice makes a wonderful all-round regenerative tonic.

Last, but by no means least, freshly made juices are virtually fat-free and low in calories which makes them a valuable addition to any weight-loss regime. By providing a rich range of nutrients that are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, they can also help curb appetite and maintain a sense of fullness and satiety.