Incorporating juice into your meals is a great way to help satisfy your five-a-day. For the freshest, most nutritious juice, sending fruits and vegetables through a home juicer is the way to go. And if you’re looking for a quick and still nutritious option, reach for bottled pressed juice. As you find what’s right for you, here are a few things to consider when filling your juice glass.
Choose juice blends that let veggies take center stage. This is a good way to keep the sugar down and increase the drink’s nutrient density. Juices with dark colored veggies – such as carrots, beets, and leafy greens – tend to contain more phytochemicals and be more nutrient-dense, which may help protect against many age-related diseases.
Nutritionally, juicing as a meal replacement may be too extreme. While a tall glass of fruit and veggies sounds healthy, it’s also limited on fat, protein, and fiber – all important in our daily diet. Add juice to a smoothie with nuts, yogurt, seeds or soy for a more well-balanced meal.
Cold-pressed juices – using high-pressure processing (HPP) – are increasingly popular. It is thought the heat-free processing certain fruits and veggies undergo may help retain much more of the food’s overall nutrition.(1) However, traditional pasteurization promotes food safety and increases shelf life.
Finally, certain juicers may remove the fruit and veggie pulp and, along with it, some of the fiber.(2) Don’t throw away the pulp left behind – reincorporate that fiber into another dish.
Mix it into soup, baked goods or pasta and you’re adding fiber and flavor to the meal without buying additional ingredients.
Two to Try
Naked Pressed
Cold-pressed juices featuring plenty of vegetables, such as the Bold Beet blend with beets, carrots, and cucumbers alongside apples and oranges.
Suja
Born in San Diego, Suja includes a line of juices with probiotics. The Daybreak Probiotic is a mix of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for an eye-opening start to your day.
Sources:
(1) Cold Pressure Council
(2) Juicing 101: Nutrition Tips for Consumers
