Powerful Goodness: Blending and Juicing Fruits and Veggies
Powerful Goodness: Blending and Juicing Fruits and Veggies
Juicing and blending have many benefits…
Juicing is a process in which all the fiber is removed from fruits and vegetables. This allows the fast absorption of nutrients into the body and more nutrients can be taken in because there is no fiber to slow down the process.
There is a plus to juicing that if a person is depleted of natural enzymes, live enzymes, minerals, and vitamins then juicing will get more of those components into the body fast. In fact juicing will allow nutrients to be absorbed within 15 minutes… plus veggie juices are a good detoxing agent for the body.
Digestion is very fast with juicing… think of a large apple that has to be broken down and then the absorption process can take place. Breaking down the apple takes hours in the GI tract and that’s not good or bad but it does take longer.
Juicing allows a huge blast of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to be taken into the body. This can boost energy, vitality, the immune system, detox the body, alkalize the body and help with weigh loss.
Also with lots of fruits and veggies being low in nutrients these days there is a need to take in more whole foods, usually more than we can eat in one day. Thus juicing can help by allowing more nutritional goodness into our bodies… without eating for hours.
Fertilizer contains only three elements — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while the soil needs 52 different elements to be fertile… so juicing is great if you are juicing lots of organic full nutrient fruits and veggies.
Juices are really made to drink right away… sitting in the frig they break down and loose nutrients through oxidation and light degradation. Plus the left over veggie fiber can be added to sauces and used as a thickening agent from cooking in general… and it tastes great! Fiber is important for lowering cholesterol and for slowing down absorption of sugars.
Juices are not meant to meal replacements, fiber is needed, carbs are needed… and the full spectrum of proteins too. Even though a lot of that can found in spirulina and chlorella… other than the fiber they are full spectrum foods. Plus we tend to eat too many carbs in this day and age… and most diabetics need to count their carbs.
Some types of veggies especially roots like carrots and sweet potatoes don’t work well for blending, they make the blend too dense. Also juicing can remove elements that are high in anti-oxidants… like grape seeds, blueberry seeds, and skins of some fruits that are high in antioxidants… even to the point of lowering the antioxidant content by up to 80%. In that case, blending fruit smoothies is a better choice, but with green leafy veggies, root veggies, and some fruits… juicing does a better job.
Not all juicers are the same… there are the type that grind veggies into a pulp, then the ground pulp is pressed separately in a press that is part of the juicer… this takes a little more time. These juicers are expensive but work well and provide lots of nutrient rich juice… even more than traditional juicer and provide additional enzymes from the pulp. If you have lots of time and money it’s the way to go, but the regular spinning juicer does a great job too… and they are fast.
Juicers have more parts to clean, 5 to 10 minutes is more than enough time to empty a juicer and wash it out. And there are special juicers for wheatgrass that are made just for that purpose.
Blending on the other hand can be used to create meal replacements, especially if a person does not like veggies and wants to hide them with other foods. High speed blenders will liquify all the food including the fiber, and if a person is constipated this is a good way to go. Blending three meals a day is fine, blenders can also be used to make soups, smoothies, sauces, and more… everything can be put in the blender and thus nothing is missing.
Blending will make you feel full because of the fiber… thus it’s great for weight loss. And with blending other ingredients can be added such as yeast powders, protein powders, seeds, nuts, just about anything.
At the same time blending does create heat that breaks down live enzymes, thus putting in a little ice cools down the process and keep the enzymes happy. Blender juices need to be chewed because chewing prepares the GI tract for breaking down the food and fiber. Otherwise blends create gas, cramping, and GI distress… drink slowly and chew.
Blenders vary in price… very good blenders are powerful and work well for smoothies and can even be use to grind grain into flours and make dough… some blenders even cook the meal. Other less expensive blenders do a good job too… but have limited power for making smoothies with ice.
Remember fruit juices and blends contain lots of sugar… so limit your fruit juices and use more veggies.
Blending is different from juicing and both have wonderful benefits… keep them side by side in the kitchen.
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About the Author
Dr. Paul Haider – Master Herbalist and Spiritual Teacher for over 20 years, helping people to recover and feel healthy. You can also find Dr. Haider on FB under Dr. Paul Haider, Healing Herbs, and at www.paulhaider.com – feel free to contact him any time.
