10 great reasons to get into juice therapy

Celebs are sipping on it; juice bars are popping up everywhere. Find out why juicing your favourite fruit and veg can contribute to good health. By Kathryn Terrill.

Reason No. 1 Essential nutrients:

Juices provide a ‘ready to go’ package of essential nutrients in a concentrated, raw and unprocessed form that is easy to digest. The juicing process breaks open the cell walls of the fruit or vegetable and the juice inside the cell that contains the nutrients is released.

Reason No. 2 Easy to take:

Juices are a good way of getting your nutrition from fruits and vegies without having to consume a large amount of food. For example, it usually takes more than a kilo of carrots to make 400 ml of carrot juice. Most people can drink 400 mL of juice per day, but would they be keen to eat that many carrots?

Reason No. 3 Vitamin C:

Juices are often high in vitamin C and if consumed in small amounts (to avoid diluting stomach acid too much) with meals, may help the body to absorb iron from food.

Reason No. 4 Appetite:

Drinking juices before meals may help to suppress appetite.

Reason No. 5 Detox:

Traditionally juices are thought to have a detoxifying effect and this may be partly attributed to a release of enzymes during the juicing process. These fruit and vegetable enzymes are thought to help dissolve and eliminate waste in the body.

Reason No. 6 Food intolerances:

Juice fasting (under professional supervision) can be useful for reducing symptoms of food allergies and identifying problem foods. Traditional techniques involve consuming low-allergenic juices for several days until symptoms alleviate, then the re-introduction of foods one at a time to identify intolerances.

Reason No. 7 Cost effective:

Drinking juice is a cost-effective way of topping up on essential nutrients.

Reason No. 8 Digestion:

Drinking juices is a great alternative to solid food if low appetite, digestive problems, nausea or illness are an issue.

Reason No. 9 Less waste:

With a good quality juicer, you can throw in anything you like. Juices can be made in a variety of flavours and colours, and are a great way to use up excess vegies or fruits in the fridge.

Reason No. 10 Tastes great:

Juices taste great! Enjoy!

Try these popular juicing ingredients:

Beetroot – rich in potassium, folate and the antioxidant glutathione. Include the greens from the stems as a source of magnesium, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Carrot – an excellent source of beta-carotene, potassium, trace minerals and glutathione.

Pineapple – contains the anti-inflammatory and protein digesting enzyme, bromelain.

Celery – rich in potassium, calcium and vitamin C.