Choosing the Best Fruit & Vegetables Juices

Every person needs to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. The best way to get nutrition from fruits and vegetables is to eat them raw. Steamed vegetables retain more vitamins and minerals than boiled vegetables. Vegetables that have been lightly grilled in olive oil are tasty and retain most of the nutrients your body needs. The alternative to eating raw fruits and berries is to drink fruit juice. Fruit and berry juices that contain most of the natural pulp are better for you than strained juices because the pulp provides necessary fiber and extra vitamins and minerals. Drinking vegetables in a juice mixture that contains flavorful fruits and berries can increase the nutritional value of your juice drink. For example, tomatoes contain lycopene which is important for men’s prostate health, but not everyone likes the taste of plain tomato juice. Vegetable juice mixtures can be made at home using a juicer. Some juices available at the supermarket may contain excess sodium and sugars, so read the nutrition labels carefully. Buy a low-sodium, low-sugar or sugar-free juice when possible.

Cranberry and orange juice are both loaded with Vitamin C, which is an important immune system supporting nutrient. Select an orange juice with some pulp or make your own juice at home. A cranberry juice mixed with blueberry juice and cherry juice makes a delicious, nutritious juice cocktail. Pomegranate juice tastes delicious and is loaded with antioxidant vitamins and minerals, but pomegranate juice is high in sugar. If you are counting calories, drink one 8-ounce of pomegranate juice each day. You can dilute juices that have a high sugar content with water to help reduce the amount of calories and still get most of the benefits of drinking juices. Red grape juice is rich in the antioxidants flavanoids and resveratrol that your cells need to function properly and repair damage. Select a red grape juice that is made from the whole grape, including the seeds and skin. 

When you make juice at home using a juicer, many nutrients are tossed out with the pulp and the skin. Use a juicer that pulverizes the whole fruits and vegetables so that you get the maximum nutritional benefit from fresh juices. Try mixing different fruits, vegetables and berries to create  your own unique juice blends.

For more information about the benefits of juice and juicing, see:

Mayo Clinic, Juicing Fruits and Vegetables: Some Touted Benefits are Far-fetched, 2011

Mayo Clinic, Is juicing healthier than eating whole fruits or vegetables?, Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D., 2010