By Dr. Roopa Chari, M.D.
Mar 14th, 2014
Have you noticed that more and more people are drinking vegetable juice and green drinks? From a cup of coffee to a glass of veggie juice! We personally started drinking vegetable juice and green smoothies in 1995 and it has positively changed our lives and enhanced our health in ways too numerous to count. Since that time, we have been recommending it to our clients, friends and family. There are more “Juice” stores opening up in cities around the U.S. Even airports have juice bars, a great sign of the times.
Though some people feel this is just another diet fad, we feel confident that vegetable juice and green drinks are here to stay!
Here are 7 practical reasons why you should add Vegetable juice when planning your meals!
1. We lack important nutrients in our diets:
Even if you are eating many vegetables and fruits along with decreasing your intake of sugar, fast foods and gluten, you probably still need nutrient supplementation. The reason is currently our produce is grown in soil that has been depleted of many nutrients compared to many years ago.
In addition, agribusiness is spraying our produce with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and due to modern agriculture practices our food is not as nutritious as it once was years ago. We need to eat more vegetables (along with a variety of vegetables) to get enough minerals and vitamins. However, we are eating less nutrient rich food and have less time to slow down and eat high quality meals. Juicing is a great way to fill this important need.
2. Consume more vegetables easily
Imagine eating all of the vegetables you would juice. Can you really eat them all? You might eat them occasionally, but usually not every day. Juicing allows you to enjoy a larger variety of vegetables and take in more nutrients. Some people comment that juicing is not natural even if we can’t eat all of the vegetables we need. That is simply not true. The truth is that nowadays, people are spending less time preparing meals and sitting down with their families to eat a healthy meal. With juicing, you can consume a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole. However, still eat plenty of vegetables (raw and cooked) in addition to juicing!
3. Nutrients are absorbed quickly:
By drinking vegetable juice you add many important nutrients for your health and vitality that are easily absorbed.
When you eat whole foods (which is also very important), your body needs to separate the fiber and the juice (where the nutrients are). This process takes energy and time. Unfortunately, for most people their digestive system is not working as efficiently due to many factors including not chewing food thoroughly, eating in a rush, lack of digestive enzymes and decreased acid production to break down food. If your digestion is not functioning at its optimum level, your body won’t be able to break down the food properly to digest and ultimately absorb the important nutrients from the food you’re eating.
However in addition to eating vegetables, when you juice vegetables, the juicer does all of this work for you. On one side of the juicer, the fiber (pulp) will come out, and on the other side the juice (liquid) will flow. Most people then throw away the pulp and drink the nutrient dense juice. It has been estimated that it only takes 20 minutes for nutrients in fresh juice to be absorbed. This means that important minerals will be returned to your body faster and more efficiently.
4. Green means Energize
The green color in vegetables comes from chlorophyll. Plants harness the sun’s energy in photosynthesis. You can enjoy the benefits of this powerful energy when drinking vegetable juice.
When your body is well nourished with vitamins, minerals and enzymes, it can perform optimally. Just as your car needs fuel to function, you can consider vegetable juice fuel for your body. You will wake up more energized to take care of your family, kids, house cleaning, errands and have more mental focus and concentration at work. Drinking vegetable juice is a very important step to get all of the essential nutrients you need.
I know most of you are wondering how you will find the time to make vegetable juice and dread the thought of preparing it. However when you don’t time to juice, use a Vitamix or Nutribullet. Also, make the juice with your family, kids or friends! It’s a great habit to teach your kids at any age! When you don’t have the time, then it’s worth paying a little to your local health food store and let them make the juice for you! Remember you are investing in your health!
5. Cleanse and Detoxify
In the 21st century we are exposed to high levels of stress, toxins and pollution in our modern day living which eventually leads to inflammation and exhaustion. Now more than ever we need more antioxidants and nutrients! With our busy lifestyle, it’s very easy and tempting to reach for quick fixes, such as sugar, caffeine and alcohol — but the end result is you are further depleting your bodies of nutrients and creating more inflammation. Adding vegetable juice to your day will provide you with instant energy and nutrients to support your body in removing harmful toxins from your body.
6. Prevention is the best solution
The best health insurance is prevention. This empowers you to do your part in providing your body with plenty of nutrient rich foods and anti-oxidants. Try different juice recipes since all vegetables have various nutrients which are very beneficial for our health and longevity.
Thankfully, we are living longer and most of us are searching for ways to enhance our quality of life and well-being. More and more people are searching for natural solutions and are starting to decrease the amount of processed foods and additives. The world’s leading Naturopathic doctors such as Dr. Bernard Jensen and Dr. Richard Schulze have been using green drinks and vegetable juice for their patients for many decades and now the world is catching on!
7. Less processed foods
As the truth about the industrialized, processed and factory-farmed meats and dairy products is coming out, many people are making a choice to eat less of these foods and are searching for alternatives. Instead, we’re reaching for other good nutrient-dense sources of calcium, minerals, protein and fat. Vegetables and greens are a very good plant source of calcium, magnesium, and other important nutrients.
Stay tuned for more helpful tips on juicing!
Like & Share if you enjoyed this! We would also love to hear your comments!
About Dr. Roopa Chari, M.D.: "Dr. Roopa Chari is a medical doctor in Internal Medicine and her brother Deepak Chari is an Engineer and Certified Biofeedback Specialist at The Chari Center of Health, an advanced integrative medical center in Encinitas, CA. * Sign up for a FREE 15 minute holistic medical consult with Dr. Chari and/or a FREE 30 minute Stress & Anxiety Relief session with Advanced Voice Biofeedback with Deepak Chari here or call (760) 230-2711."