Vegetable Juice- The new health hype

Put your legs up, have your back rest and let the contents of a glass tumbler work miracles in you. Now, you know I am not talking about a glass of wine or beer-but the not so common veggie juice that is full of medicinal and nutritive values.

Vegetable juice is hardly known for being tasty. The truth is fresh vegetable juices make a refreshing, delicious and nutritious beverage that gives you huge benefits of raw food which we hardly take. To bring it taste, you could add some grapes, strawberries, apples or yoghurt to the vegetables and juice them together.

These additives will make the taste of your juice amazingly palatable. ‘If you are pregnant, preparing to get pregnant or nursing your baby, you should consult your doctor or a nutrition specialist before juicing,’ says Morris Chui, a nutrition and diet consultant. ‘Some types of vegetables may contain nutrients and minerals that are possibly not safe for you and your baby’s growth,’ he explains. He goes on to clarify that consultation is paramount whether or not you are pregnant, because most vegetable juices are normally used for blood purification, detoxification and cleansing. When these approaches that help to flush our toxins from the body are used, you are usually advised to minimize or completely halt intake of other foods. This is obviously not practical for a pregnant woman because at this time, their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of all nutrients increases by nearly 10 per cent or even more.

Apart from purification, Chui enlightens, vegetable juices also contain some elements commonly referred to as photochemical known to have a lot of illness prevention and healing properties. These include:

• Protecting the capillaries and arteries thus reducing chances of heart attacks or stroke
• Stimulate the action of Vitamin C which fights off infection
• Protecting you against certain types of cancers
• The juices also helps your body absorb all the nutrients from the various vegetables used.

Once you get clearance from your doctor, you can drink the juice as part of your normal balanced diet. You should however be sure to rotate the vegetables to avoid monotony which may in turn make you dislike the juice. Ideally, it is important to drink your juice immediately or within ten minutes of squeezing it. This is because when in contact with oxygen, vegetable juice tends to get oxidized which reduces its nutritive value or goes stale all together. On the other hand, you could store the juice in an airtight glass jar filling it to the top. This way, no oxygen will get in to alter the juice’s nutritive
value. ‘

Vegetables for juicing
Some of the commonly used vegetables include celery, cucumbers, spinach, cabbage, carrots, fennels, lettuce and kales among others. For starters Chui informs that you could combine celery, fennel and cucumbers. This blend is said to be easily digestible and more tasty. Once you get used to these, you could start adding the dark green vegetables like the spinach family.

Another recipe would be that of spinach, apple and yoghurt. This should be sipped away slowly to avoid bloating. Nevertheless some examples of vegetable juice include:

Carrot juice
It does not only taste good but has many health benefits and is a good cleanser as well. Carrot juice is rich in nourishment and its caroteinoid content helps balance your sugar. Other nutrients include pro-vitamins, biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphate which heal virtually many diseases. Drinking carrot juice regularly during the last trimester of your pregnancy will reduce your chances of jaundice in the baby. Carrot juice also helps enhance the quality and quantity of a nursing mother’s milk. It combines well with lemon juice.

Cabbage juice
Taking 2 to 3 spoonfuls to half a glass on an empty stomach before each meal three or four times a day will work wonders in healing your ulcers. Due to its rich calcium, phytochemical, magnesium, iron and iodine, some studies have shown that you can consume cabbage juice to expel intestinal parasites, prevent diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and colon cancer. Cabbage juice also protects your unborn baby from cancer. You can mix it with other juices such as carrot, spinach or celery.

Celery juice
You can make it from stalks and leaves. Half a glass drank with each meal is said to be useful in controlling oedema. It also helps to neutralize excess blood acids. However, avoid taking this during your first trimester as it may cause miscarriage. The potassium in celery helps to lower blood pressure. Celery juice is also highly recommended for restlessness and sleeping problems.

Cucumber juice
This contains vitamins A and C, calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon and sodium. Some of these elements are very vital during pregnancy and child development. Cucumber juice is a great tonic to healthy skin, hair and nails. It also helps a great deal with oedema and bladder problems.

Lettuce juice
Lettuce is an excellent remedy for constipation. Studies also show that lettuce juice is a good stress reliever because it contains a chemical substance similar to opium. Other minerals available in lettuce include calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphate and potassium.

Spinach juice
Spinach is normally very rich in iron. It is therefore very good for anaemia, depression and fatigue among other disorders. It is also highly recommended during pregnancy especially in the second and third trimester.

Recipe
Veggie Oasis

• 2 cucumbers
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• A green apple or citrus fruit
• A handful of parsley
• Piece of ginger

Wash all the vegetables and fruits, juice them and serve immediately. You can add ice-cubes for the chilled effect.

END: PG 31 /38-39