I have been making raw juices for about two months now. My body has opted for vibrant, enzyme-rich and oxygen-rich raw food because it has been in need of a cleanse, AND because it has been in need of pure nutrients in all their natural form; rawness. Did you know that every time we cook our food or buy something that's been cooked and pre-prepared, 70% of vitamins are lost? What happens is that anything that is cooked above 118 degrees F looses it's natural nutrients and causes the chemical changes that create acidic toxins. When the food is cooked all these nutrients and enzymes are killed, thus removing the goodness, the energy of the food.
I have opted to incorporate more raw food into my diet, because I believe my body needs pure living food, that makes my body feel alive. When my body is alive, my mind is clear and I feel balanced and in tune. So, adapting raw into my diet helps in more ways than one, and it's also good fun too! You can create so many varieties of raw goodness by including fresh fruits; Vegetables; Salad vegetables; Leafy green vegetables; Herbs and wild greens; Nuts; Dried fruits; Beans, pulses and legumes (sprouted); Grains (sprouted); Seeds; Vegetable seeds (sprouted); Edible flowers; Mushrooms; Sea vegetables; natural sweeteners (e.g. agave nectar, stevia) and many many more.
As you see there are many opportunities to create anything you wish, using these revitalising foods. Just by adding a juice to your diet, you can serve your body well and feed it the nutrients and vitamins it really needs. I took up a
raw24 challenge back in December over at
Polly Noble's website, and it expanded my horizons and led me to experiment with an array of raw foods, that I use as when I can. Feel free to check out
Polly Noble's website, a lifestyle coach, cancer coach, author and raw food coach, and the
raw24 (which is a free e-book) challenge that I took part in. Who knows, you may decide to take it up yourself too!
In regards to juices, you can start with the basics that you like and build from that by including a vegetable with the juice itself. What I have been doing is adding a vegetable like spinach with fruit for the juice, and drink this during the morning because the spinach is a source of high antioxidants and vitamin c and a great energizer in the morning, or even at any other time during the day. As you see yourself experimenting, you also see yourself enjoying it, as when I first tried spinach with a banana, also included a hint of ginger as I love it, the juice was great, and so nourishing and whole. The taste was lovely, and I could not even taste the spinach. What counts is that you are enjoying yourself with the experience, and even if your not, you can always change that, and incorporate something else into it.
I leave you with a juice that I created today. I tend to just pick out vegetables that are in the house, and always add a piece of fruit to it. This juice served as a nutritional lunch.
Equipment needed: A blender/Juicer/Food Processor. Something big enough for juicing.
Veg Burst
Ingredients2 cups of water (already in juicer/blender)
Half a cucumber
A couple of brocolli branches
1 banana
1 carrot
Some ginger
MethodPour 2 cups of water into your blender. Chop up brocolli and put it in the blender. Turn it on, and watch it blend for a minute.
Chop up your cucumber in pieces, add it to the blender, and blend. Chop up carrot, and banana, and then ginger and throw it into blender.
Blend for final 2m. Experiment with the taste and see whether you like it. Add or subtract ingredients desired for own taste.
Enjoy~
