The Benefits of Juicing Apples

As a mom I find my juicer has become my best friend. They say that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' but drinking a glass of your own freshly apple juice every day is even better. Drinking pure apple juice goes even further helping to keep you gorgeous and healthy and also reversing some chronic conditions and diseases.

For instance, a study done at the University of Southampton in London found that eating just two apple as a week can reduce your risk of developing asthma by as much as 32%! If that is a fact then just imagine what drinking the pure vitamins, minerals, antioxidants flavenoids, and other nutrients in apples can do for you if you drink them as a juice.

Squeezed fruit juices are dense with nutrients and almost become like a healing tincture in a glass. It gets into your system very quickly because it is a raw liquid that is lively with enzymes.

All apples are beneficial for your health however there can be some subtle differences in nutrition between varieties. For instance a giant yellow Golden Delicious Apple may have slightly more Vitamin A in it than a tiny bright red Northern Spy; on the other hand the Northern Spy might have more Vitamin C.

For the most part ALL apples contain very high amounts of Vitamin A followed by Choline, Vitamin C and Vitamin C. They also contain lesser amounts of E, K and Folate and trace amounts of Niacin, B^ Pantothenic acid and Betaine. All apples also have a super-high level o potassium plus calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, fluoride and iron.

However in 2004, the US FDA did studies on which two apple varieties are the most nutritious and the answer was the Red Delicious (bright red) and the Granny Smith (bright Green). Out of a list of one hundred foods that were measured to be high in antioxidants compared to serving size, the Red Delicious and Granny Smith were twelfth and thirteenth on the list.

It is also to your benefit to buy organic fruits and vegetables as they will contain fewer pesticides than other types. Be sure to choose fruits that are firm, ripe and not bruised. Bruised fruit can carry some toxins in them that can harm your health.

Before you juice any apple be sure to clean it well. This is because you are going to be juicing the peel. The peel contains more Vitamin A than any other part of the apple. Most apples are covered in a very thin layer of wax to help keep them fresh so be sure to scrub them well. You can buy special fruit and vegetable soap that helps get this residue off your fruit as well.

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Stocking Your Cupboards With Healthy Stuff

Do you want you and your kids to get super-healthy? Throw out all of the crap in your fridge that is not good for you and the kids and replace it with healthy stuff.

Here is an idea of what should be on your new grocery list –
• Irish steel-cut oats. Oats do contain some gluten, but for most people they are quite tolerable and they are okay to have during a cleanse.

• Mixed-grain hot cereals. Be sure they’re gluten- and sugar-free—and this means no honey or maple syrup

• Rice cakes. Stay away from the ones with too much sodium or funky flavorings (like sour cream and onion rice cakes!)

• Flax crackers

• Gluten-free bread. There are many delicious alternatives to the usual bread you buy. Try some sprouted breads, as they are easier to digest and are less processed.

• Sweet potatoes, yams

• Grains: brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, corn.

• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, soy nuts, macadamia nuts, filberts, etc.

• Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax. Flaxseeds must be freshly ground rather than eaten whole, otherwise you won't get full nutritional benefit.

• Nut or seed butters: almond butter, tahini, cashew butter, peanut butter (all unsweetened))

• Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed peas and fava beans. Dried ones are best

• Vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, collard greens, squash of all kinds, tomatoes, etc.

• Mushrooms

• Salad: arugula, radicchio, endive, mixed greens, peppers, avocado, tomato, radish,

• Fruits: apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, goji berries; frozen fruits for smoothies

• Citrus and exotic fruits lemons, limes, and unsweetened pomegranate juice for sparkling-water cocktails

• Herbal teas such as mint, chamomile and fennel.

• Nondairy milk, such as rice, almond, hemp, or soy milk (unsweetened)

• Healthy sweeteners: xylitol, agave nectar, and stevia for smoothies, milks, cereals and baked goods.

• Extra-virgin olive oil, expeller-pressed organic canola, high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oils, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil (the last is good to pour over things like salad or baked yam, but not to cook with).

• Seasonings: garlic, ginger, tamari; Himalayan crystal or Celtic sea salt. Regular table salt is bleached and stripped of minerals

• Flours to cook or bake with: bean, pea, soy, potato, buckwheat, tapioca, nut and seed, arrowroot, and rice. There are also prepackaged flour mixes that cater to the gluten-free shopper.

• Popcorn

• Corn chips

• Guacamole

• Hummus

• Frozen spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower to throw into smoothies . . . you won’t even taste it!

• Vegetarian stock for cooking

Try some prepared foods from health food stores. They are often very tasty and nutritious too.

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