Nothing tastes better on a relaxing, sunny morning than a healthy breakfast accompanied by a tall glass of fresh juice. Pulled straight out of that carton in your refrigerator, the juice ... wait a second... "fresh" and "carton" don’t really sound right. That’s probably because that carton of juice pulled out of the refrigerator was squeezed from fruit quite some time ago.

And before it was packaged, it was loaded with sweeteners (such as high fructose corn syrup or sucrose) and preservatives (such as sodium benzoate or sulfur dioxide). So while the juice from that carton might taste yummy, from tree to table it’s not!

On the other hand, fresh juice (and I’m talking the real deal) is actually incredibly healthy, contains no added sweeteners or preservatives, and is a great staple to add to a meal – morning, noon, or night. The nice thing about making your own juice is that you can add in fruits and vegetables that you might be missing from your diet. Juicing goes well beyond oranges, apples, and grapes! Combining fruits and vegetables to make a delicious, nutritious cocktail is not only giving your body the precious vitamins and minerals it needs, it’s also a great way to cleanse your body of a lot of toxins that have built up over time.

Homemade juices that have the power to cleanse are often a popular choice for people when they first start juicing. Contrary to what many people think, the healthiest juices are often based on vegetables with the sweetness of fruit added for taste.

Juicing at least once daily is a delicious and rewarding way to get the nutrients missing from the standard American diet. If you know you’re not getting your fruits and veggies and are anxious to try something new or are simply looking for a way to eat healthier, juicing might be just what you’re looking for.

Cleansing fruits & vegetables

With spring in the air, most of us look for juices that can rid our body of anything that might make us feel sluggish, bloated, or fatigued. Certain fruits and vegetables – carrots, spinach, beats, cucumber, green apples, celery, lemons, pears and blueberries – are not only great for juices, they’re also incredibly nutritious and work with your body to carry out and eliminate toxins that have accumulated.

There are many, many more fruits, vegetables, and even herbs and spices that you can throw into a juicer to concoct something tasty. You might want to try adding ginger, cilantro, fennel, or garlic for a super powerful juice. Keep in mind, some foods just don’t juice well, including bananas, avocados, and strawberries. If you really want to include these foods, whip them up in a blender and throw them into your juice.

How to start juicing?

To start making fresh juice at home, you need a juicer. There are a lot of juicers on the market today, with price tags from very cheap to very expensive. Function of the juicer you select is the most important thing. In general, masticating and twin gear juicers are the best, providing you with the highest quality juice. They both operate at a very low RPM, which ensures the juice is NOT heated. Heating destroys many of the nutrients we drink juice for in the first place. Centrifugal juicers spin at a very high RPM, heating the juice, thereby destroying precious nutrients. They also tend to leave a lot of very wet juice-containing pulp. Yes, the masticating and twin gear juicers are more expensive, but well worth the money. After all, the point of home juicing is to get as much of the good stuff out of the foods we’re juicing as possible.

Give Wheatgrass Juice a Try!

From lowering blood pressure to stimulating metabolism, wheatgrass is said to have many positive health benefits. It provides chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Wheatgrass refers to the young grass of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum. It is often available freshly juiced in juice bars, and can be taken alone or in mixed fruit or vegetable drinks. Wheatgrass is also available in many health food stores in fresh, tablet, frozen juice, and powder forms. As its popularity rises, some consumers are choosing to grow and juice wheatgrass in their homes. For more information about at-home wheatgrass kits, visit wheatgrasskits.com.

Does organic matter?

Conventionally produced foods lack a good amount of the nutrients organically produced foods contain. Conventionally produced foods also have high amounts of residual chemicals, such as pesticides and herbicides on them. When possible, buy organic. If you’re unable to, make sure that you peel conventional fruits and vegetables, and with ALL fruits and vegetables, wash thoroughly.

Recipes to get you going:

Breakfast Burst

Before you make your juice, drink a glass of water (preferably room temp to warm) with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.
combine:

• 2 Carrots


• 1 Apple


• Handful of Spinach


• Almonds (optional for those of you who want a little bit of protein, or who have problems managing your blood sugar level)

Midday Snack

For a savory and cleansing midday drink, try this nutrient-dense juice. Each of these vegetables plays a vital role in detoxing your system.
combine:

• 2 Stalks Celery


• 1 Medium (or 2 small) Cucumbers


• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato


• 1/2 Lemon


• Handful Parsley


• A dash of sea salt and cayenne pepper for flavor

Just Fruity
When you just start juicing, it may be hard to break yourself in on vegetables alone. Here is a fruit-only juice that promises to deliver a powerful punch of vitamins and minerals.
combine:

• 1/2 Cantaloupe


• 1/2 c. Blueberries


• 2 Green Apples


• 1 Lime