6 JUICES THAT ARE GOOD FOR HEALTH

Fruits and veggies are rich vitamins, minerals and fibre and it’s best to consume them whole. Eating 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables every day may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, while also helping to manage your weight.

But if you struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day – perhaps because you don’t enjoy them or you have certain health conditions that make eating or absorbing nutrients difficult – juicing makes it easier to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet, and is a convenient way to get a wide range of important nutrients.

Taking juices gives the digestive system a rest from digesting fibre. Juices also tend to have greater concentration of nutrients per ounce – but be aware: they also tend to be high in sugar too. Fruit juices stripped of fibre can spike blood sugar levels as there’s no fibre to slow down the absorption of sugar.

Although fruit juices can be a useful part of a balanced diet for some people, you need to prepare them in a healthier way.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

> Make fruit juices with a blender instead of with a juicing machine. Blending the parts of fruits and vegetables that can be eaten produces a drink with more healthy plant chemicals and fibre. With juicing you could be missing out on other important compounds present in the pulp and membranes of the produce.

> All types of juice (even vegetable) contain very little, if any, fibre or protein. Add fibre, protein, or fat (eg: avocado, chia seeds, bean powders, or unsweetened yoghurt) to juices to make them healthier.

> Prepare only as much juice as you can drink at once. Harmful bacteria can grow quickly in freshly made juice.

Ready to juice? Here are 6 healthy juices to consider.

(Image via Organic Live Food)