Gluten-free

To juice or not to juice? + Anti-inflammatory Red Juice Recipe

To juice!!!

Anti-Inflammatory Red Juice

Juicing is a very hip dietary trend nowadays, and although it is a controversial subject in the nutrition world, it definitely has amazing benefits.

Vegetables juices are not intended to replace meals (unless you are doing cleanse or juicing detox program supervised by an expert), but are a great way to add extra nutrients and vitamins to your diet, increase your raw vegetable intake and variety, as an addition to your morning routine or as a healthy snack. Juices can be a part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Different combination of fruits and veggies have different properties, but what all of them have in common is that the extraction of juice from fresh fruits and vegetables create a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that are easy to digest and readily available for your body to absorb.

What I’m talking about is freshly made vegetable juice, the ones that you find in a juice bar or you make at home are the ones that bring the most health benefits. These juices have nothing to do with the ones you buy at the store, those are usually pasteurized and filled with added sugars (stay away from those!), or the healthier versions are raw but sometimes use a lot of fruits to enhance the flavor. Make it a habit to read the labels and check the sugar content of all processed “healthy” foods, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

If you’re new to juicing, try adding apple, pear, lemon, orange, tangerine or ginger to help make your vegetable juice taste better (more like juice and less like cold soup). Slowly work your way towards three vegetables to one piece of fruit.

Benefits of juicing:

  • Fast and easy absorption of nutrients.
  • More energy.
  • Beauty form the  inside out: Glowing eyes and skin, strong hair and nails.
  • Enhanced immune system health.
  • Allows you to consume amounts of veggies that would be too much to consume whole.
  • Controls Appetite.
In this particular recipe i’d like to highlight the beets. I used to hate them, because i had only tried them cooked or pickled. But i decided to give them a second chance and now I am in love.

I love them so much, that i grow them in the fall-winter in my garden ↓ So pretty, right?

beet meBeets

Beets are high in potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine; folic acid. Beets are particularly beneficial to pregnant women, as the, folic acid, vitamin B and iron are very beneficial to new growth cells during pregnancy and replenishing iron in the woman’s body.
Beets aid in the production of sex hormones, due to its high amounts of boron, helps as a tonic to detoxify the liver, purifies the blood, prevents cancer… and soooooo on!
Use the most fresh and clean fruits and vegetables possible, preferably organic. Make savvy shopping decisions using the EWGs Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen lists.
Wash them well before juicing.
Ingredients:
5 carrots
1/2 medium beet (if its huge like the one in the picture use 1/4)
3 stalks of celery
1 lime (with peel)
1 tangerine (with peel)
3 cm. ginger
I like to use the citric fruits whole, with the peel, but since we are all different due to our bio-individual nature, this can be a little too much for your digestive system to handle. Maybe you can start with half of the lime or tangerine with the peel, and peel the rest and see how your body reacts to it.
Ingredients
Let’s do it! 

Prepare produce by cutting into pieces, small enough to fit in the top of the juicer. Push the ingredients through the juicer one at a time. A good tip is to leave the vegetables with the most water content to the end, to flush everything out.

Juice Cuadrada

The ideal way to do vegetable juices is with a juicer, but if you don’t have one and are doing the juice in a blender, peel the lime and tangerine, blend all the ingredients and then strain. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Tip: Drink it fresh and ASAP to avoid oxidation and take advantage of all the live enzymes, vitamins and nutrients, especially if you are using  a centrifugal juicer.
You can refrigerate in a well-sealed air tight container like a mason jar for up to 24 hours if you use a masticating juicer, and up to 72 hours if you are using a twin-gear juicer.  Vitamins and minerals can be destroyed with increased exposure to air and light. So, to get the most from your juice, drink it right away. Bottoms up!
Mason Jar
Last, but not least. If you are a nothing-goes-to-waste kind of person, like me, you can find different uses for the pulp, such as: organic garden compost, vegetable stock, freeze it for later use, or add to muffin or bread recipes. Be creative!
Organic Compost
Give it a try it and tell me what you think ↓

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Mercedes Jalil

IIN Certified Health Coach info@mercedesjalil.com

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