Juicing veggies for healthy living

26 Apr, 2019 - 00:04 0 Views
Juicing veggies  for healthy living Juice recipe

The ManicaPost

Miriam Kwari Herbal Space
Hello friends and welcome to Herbal Space. Last week, we spoke about Aloe Vera and its variant uses as food and medicine. That sparked a lot of interest and l must take this moment to thank you all for following and reading these articles. Pretty encouraging!!! This week, as I promised in my last article, we will be looking at juicing veggies for the sake of healthy living. Here is a thought; green veggies increase immunity.

This means:

Addition of oxygen in the blood of which oxygen is the food of the brain

Cleansing of the blood for improved circulation

Correction of the thickness and or thinness of blood/blood viscosity

Increase blood volume, capacity

Reduce blood pressure

So don’t you see that this is a trendy and well informed way of drinking to feed and to heal? I truly encourage you all to try this. For the fitness fanatics, there is no doubt that – juicing, exercising and slimming are interlinked. Take advantage of your juicing habit to add healthy fuel to your workouts and or your efforts at losing weight.

After all, if you’re taking the time to exercise, you want to make the most out of each sweat session. To optimise each and every sit-up, burpee, and lunge, you need to consume the right nutrients to energise, optimize, and replenish your muscles and vasculature to keep your endurance high and your recovery time short. For the sick, juicing also gives the same benefits and more.

So if you’re not already juicing for better workouts – here’s your handy guide to creating your very own pre workout energy elixirs and post workout muscle replenishers!

In the same manner use juicing for those very sick people who cannot eat.

The juices will assimilate very fast into the blood stream, by-pass digestion, and in no time they will be energised and renewed. Its food and medicine, remember. They will give their bodies time to rest while the juices go to work to make them recover fast.

What to juice

Whether you’re hitting the gym, the running track,  or fighting to get your health back, – what you put in your body matters. But you don’t want to eat something that’s going to weigh on your stomach and this is where juicing comes in.

Juicing the right foods makes for a quick, easy way to get the perfect, energy-boosting, metabolism-burning fuel that your body needs for an effective healing.

So what foods should you be cramming into your juicer or crushing using a wooden spoon in that old jug? Take your pick. . .

Beets

You may have heard that hot-dogs are unhealthy due to their nitrate content. Turns out, nitrates are good for you – if they’re consumed in raw vegetable form. Beetroot has a very high nitrate content, which can actually increase athletic performance, helping you exercise longer so you can burn more calories. Beets are good for the heart, prostate, blood conditions, etc.

This is because the nitrates from the beets cause your blood vessels to dilate, allowing for more blood flow and greater oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscles and organs.

Oh, and beets are also a good source of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, folate, potassium, manganese, and fibre so you’re getting a lot of goodness along with those circulation-pumping nitrates!

Spinach: is packed with nutrients that promote healing of the muscles and bones.

One cup of raw spinach contains 181 percent of your recommended daily intake or vitamin K – which helps to build strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. Spinach also contains substantial amount of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, magnesium, and manganese.

One of the most beneficial things that spinach offers is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a natural plant pigment that has powerful healing and detoxing benefits.

It helps in the formation of strong bones and contributes toward muscle toning.

Chlorophyll also helps to restore and regenerate red blood cells – cleansing the body and allowing more oxygen to be delivered to the muscles and organs.

Green peas: are among the listed high protein veggies. In just one cup of peas, you’ll get 8 grams of protein In addition to their tremendous protein contribution; green peas are full of vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll for fast recovery. They are also relatively low in calories compared to other beans that also have high protein content.

Covo: with the amount of nutrition that kale contains, you may find yourself wondering “what doesn’t covo provide?”

There are numerous health benefits to consuming this vibrant veggie including cholesterol and cancer risk reduction, electrolyte replacement, weight control, immune system boost, and energy increase. Covo boasts many powerful antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll, and 18 amino acids. It is a good source of protein, and surprisingly contains more omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6 – which is unusual for a plant.

Aloe vera

Many people are aware of the anti-inflammatory benefits of Aloe Vera, and most have used skin products containing Aloe Vera gel from the inside of the plant. But Aloe Vera can do wonders when used orally.

Aloe Vera contains 18 amino acids for repair and regeneration of muscles, and it also aids in digestion, strengthens the immune system, protects against cancer, and improves many different skin conditions. Remember we mentioned a few pointers last week, hey!

Here’s the perfect juice recipe for 2 carrots

1 cucumber

1 beet (both the bulb and the greens)

1/2 apple

1/4 inch ginger

This delicious, antioxidant-rich juice recipe keeps you hydrated, provides an energy boost, and gives you a heap of nutrients all in one go!

Want a simple way to rev up your metabolism? Here’s the perfect spicy, green juice for weight loss to sip on:

1 cup watermelon

2 cucumbers

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds (partially or entirely) removed

1/2 lime, juiced and

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

I will tell you one day how to prepare your own apple cider vinegar.

The result is a seriously hydrating juice that’ll give you a heap of electrolytes as well as B vitamins. But the real star in this recipe is the spicy jalapeno, a thermogenic food, which thanks to its capsaicin content speeds up heart rate, reduces the bad fat in the arteries and stimulates metabolism so you burn more fat.

In addition, you can also do this one, that’s for those who do not want that peppery taste.

This pretty pink juice recipe looks disarmingly sweet, but it’s packing a whole LOT of fat burning goodness:

4 large slices of watermelon

1 ruby red grapefruit (peeled)

4 cm  turmeric root

about ¼ cup aloe flesh, pressed or scraped from the leaf, greens discarded

Did you know that even the mere scent of grapefruit can curb cravings and help you lose weight? But that’s not all – this is the perfect fruit to juice for weight loss since it’s low in calories and sugar but high in vital nutrients.

Add to that metabolism-boosting turmeric which also comes with anti-inflammatory, pain-fighting compounds as well as electrolyte-rich watermelon and you’ve got yourself the perfect juice for weight loss and muscle recovery.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you are having fun. We continue next week on our A-Z list of herbs and keep sipping down Graviola.

God bless and remember that nature is the pharmacy.

 

The writer Miriam Kwari is a herbalist from Mutare and can be contacted on +263773378571 or 12 Herbert Chitepo St Oasis Building, Mutare.

 

Share This:

Sponsored Links

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds