Overview
Juicing is the practice of removing dietary fiber from plants to create liquefied and nutrient-dense sources of nourishment. Juicing requires the use of machines more powerful than the typical blender or food processor to macerate hard seeds and rinds. By juicing fruits and vegetables, you get ounce for ounce more of a plant’s vitamins, minerals and other nutrients than you would by eating the fruit or vegetable whole. More vitamins and minerals and the increased hydration that come with juicing helps improve skin health, as well.
Step 1
Purchase a juicer made specifically for juicing. The motor will need to be powerful enough to separate and process hard seeds, pits and rinds.
Step 2
Select foods that contain vitamins recommended by the American Skin Association to improve skin health. These include Vitamins A, B6, C, D, niacin and riboflavin. Foods high in these nutrients include:
Vitamin A – apricots, melons, tangerines, peaches, prunes, red peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes
Vitamin B6 – green and red peppers, chives, onion, garlic, leeks, carrots, and potatoes
Vitamin C – green, yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, guava, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, apples, kiwi, and papaya
Vitamin D – oranges, soy milk, fish oil, white mushrooms, potatoes, and spinach
Niacin – shitake mushrooms, seaweed, sun-dried tomatoes, red and green peppers, sunflower seeds, and peanuts
Riboflavin – shitake mushrooms, almonds, chile peppers, oriental radishes, parsley, lychee, seaweed
Step 3
Wash the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds you wish to juice to remove pesticides, sand, grit, soil and any other contaminants that may have attached to the foods during processing, shipping or in the store.
Step 4
Place items in the juicer whole, without peeling or seeding, in order to retain nutrients from those portions of the foods, and then juice. Juice softer foods first, then add harder foods, which will push the softer items through the juicer. Experiment with different foods singly and in combination to learn which ones have a taste that you feel you would like to drink on a regular basis.
About this Author
Sam Ellyn has been writing, editing, lecturing and producing videos on the sport sciences (exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, physics, motor learning, pedagogy and sports medicine) for more than 20 years. He has written for numerous publications, including “Fit,” “Sports Illustrated for Kids’ Parent’s Playbook,” “Tennis” and “Golf Teaching Pro.”
