We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is good for us, but it is often hard to get the recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.   You may ask yourself if it would just be easier to take a vitamin supplement rather than try and get all these servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  While vitamin supplements have a place in some people’s lives fruit and vegetables contain these vitamins plus many other substances that can help protect you from many different diseases.

According to the American Cancer Society,  "Greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, or both together has been associated in the majority of epidemiological studies with a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer. " Link to Quote

So how do we turn the 9 servings needed into something easy and fun to do?  One word:  Juicing!

Fresh fruit and vegetable Juicing provides an easy way to get those recommended servings plus many added benefits!  Juicing is easy to do and easy to learn.  All you need is a juicer, fruit and vegetables and you are ready to go.  The hardest part, but also part of the fun, is deciding what combination of fruit and vegetables you feel like drinking at the time. 

When you first start juicing it is best to stick with fruit and vegetables that you already enjoy eating.  After you get used to juicing, add one new item at a time.  By adding one item at a time, you can make sure that your body agrees with it and that you like the new addition.  If you add too many new items at once, it is harder to figure out which one is causing the problem. 

One of my favorite juices and an easy one to start out with is apple and carrot juice. The apple is a good source of Vitamins B-1,B-2, B-6, C, A; Chlorine, Phosphorus, Folic Acid, Copper, Magnesium, Pectin, Potassium, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese and Iron.  The carrot is a good source of Calcium, Vitamins K,C E,B,D; Phosphorus and Potassium.  Mixed together they create a very sweet, healthy, and delicious juice.

My family loves to try all kinds of combinations of fruits and vegetables to see which ones we like.  On first try my daughter didn’t like the celery juice added to the apple and carrot, but after a second try she decided that once you get used to the taste and idea of drinking celery, it really is delicious.  Once you and your body gets used to juicing the combinations are endless. (see recipes for some ideas to get you started.)

There are many benefits to juicing.  Here is a list of the ones that are most important to me, but there are a lot of other benefits too.

1. It is easier to drink the fruit and vegetables than to eat them all whole.  You can easily get the 9 servings a day.
2. By juicing you are getting live enzymes and live nutrients.  When you buy juice that is packaged it has been pasteurized.  This pasteurization –processing at a high heat- kills the enzymes and other live nutrients, thus making the product inferior nutritionally to juicing fresh, at home. 
3. When fruits and vegetables are juiced the nutrients are easier for the body to use and absorb.  Juicing removes the indigestible fiber which makes the nutrients more available for the body.
4. Juice is full of antioxidants and phytochemicals .  Anitoxidants and phytochemicals help you combat aging, disease, cancer, depression, arthritis and many other things.
5. Having a day of drinking just fresh juice is a great way to detoxify  your system and start you on the road to a new healthier you.

Here are a few tips to help your juicing experience turn out great: 

1. Juice should either be drunk immediately or stored properly in an opaque airtight container.  Air and light cause the juice to lose its nutritional value more quickly. 
2. Fresh juice should be drunk within 24 hours to make sure you get the maximum nutritional benefits. 
3. Add one new fruit or vegetable at a time to ensure that you don’t have a problem with it.
4. Start with juicing fruits and vegetables that you already love to eat.
5. Vegetable juice usually has less calories than fruit juice.  If you are watching your caloric intake this is good to keep  in mind.
6. Freezing fruit and then blending together with fresh juice makes a great smoothy!

 With all these benefits to juicing why not start now!