Welcome back everyone. We ended last week with the start of our juicing blog. I actually like to refer to these blogs as the feel good, look good blogs. We previously discussed the basic vitamins our bodies need for optimal health. We then spoke of performing hydrotherapy at home and turning your space into a hydrotherapy spa. And finally, we are embarking on juicing our way to rejuvenation and transformation.
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The juice we discussed last week was the green juice. I explained how to make it, how to drink it and the benefits of it. So, today we move forward with the carrot. The one most important thing I like about the carrot, is that it has so many benefits and can be mixed with so many other vegetables to heal various health issues.
First and foremost, I'm going to give you a little nutritional information on the carrot. The carrot has many nutritional and medicinal benefits. Carrots help prevent heart disease by reducing your cholesterol levels. It is a known fact that high cholesterol is a major contributor to heart disease. Also, because carrots have beta carotene, it is also known to reduce he risk of cancer. And, of course we all know its great for your eyes and its great for blood sugar regulation.
So, now that we know what carrots can do alone, lets look at how carrots work with other vegetables as a juice. After our lesson last week, you should have all looked into purchasing a juice extractor. Of course there are juice bars everywhere. But, how healthy can their juices be? The best juices are the juices you make and drink at home.
Carrot/Beet Juice
Don't let the sound of it scare you. Its actually delicious. Many people are surprised that the mixtures of various veggies can have such pleasant tastes. The carrot/beet juice cleanses and builds your blood. This is perfect for those suffering from anemia. First you must wash your vegetables well. Its best to use organic but organic is not accessible in all places. One of the saddest things I saw was how many places, especially in the deep south, outside the major cities, in towns like Hephzibah, Georgia was the lack of nutritional food. Even going into the so called major grocery stores in those small places seemed a little disappointing. The vegetables at these stores cost more than buckets of pork. For those living in places difficult to find fresh foods, here's an online alternate method. Buying in bulk will save you money as well.
But in any event, make sure you wash your carrot and scrape it. Then wash your beet and cut it in half. Place your beet and carrot in the juicer and let it drip into your glass. Once the final drip has stopped, drink the juice immediately so you get all the nutritional values. Contrary to belief, its not as expensive to juice as people think. Its actually cheaper than cooking and more nutritious. I always tell people to do the math.
If you were to actually cook a meal with beets and carrots, you'd probably uses 2 or 3 beets and perhaps 3 or 4 carrots. If you go to the grocery store and purchase carrots, its probably $1.99 per pound and approximately 4 carrots make a pound. Many of us would therefore buy two pounds of carrots and spend a total of $3.98. Beets would probably cost you $1.99 per pound with 2 beets making up a pound. So, you would probably buy 2 pounds or in other words 4 beets, spending another $3.98. You have just spent $7.96 at the store on two vegetables.
You take them home and on day one, you cook your 4 carrots and 2 beets for dinner. On day two, you cook the remaining 4 carrots and 2 beets. Then you are out and on your way to the store again to buy some more. However, if you juice your vegetables, you get more servings per purchase. Lets say you spend the same money and buy the same quantity of carrots and beets. On day one, you juice 1 carrot and half a beet for lunch and repeat the same thing at dinner. On day two, you repeat the same process. By the end of day two, you still have 4 carrots and two beets left over, enough to last you another 2 days. So, instead of going to the store every other day, spending $7.96 each trip, you are going only every 4 days.
If you take those amounts and add them up. Here's what you would get going to the store every other day averages out to going 15 days per month. Spending $7.96 during each of those 15 trips would cost you $119.40 per month. However, going to the store every 4 days only averages to 7 trips per month, meaning that you are only spending $55.72 per month. That is a huge difference during this time when every penny counts. Not only are you saving big, but you are getting a more vitamins by not cooking them out, you are saving preparation and cook time, allowing you to focus on other things and the list of benefits just goes on and on. So, let us continue with other great carrot juices.
Carrots/Cucumber/Parsley
Helps to relieve water retention and aids in kidney healing.
1 Carrot
1/2 cucumber (remove the skin if waxed)
1 bunch of parsley
Throw it all in your juicer and consume immediately.
Carrots/Celery
Aids in stress relief and promotes relaxation.
1 Carrot
1 Stalk of Celery
Carrots/Radish/Horseradish
Clears congestion from lungs
1 Carrot
2 Radishes
1 tsp horseradish
Carrots/Ginger (this is a favorite for me and I also throw beets in for my anemia)
Keep in mind that this is an acquired taste. Ginger is very strong and takes some getting use to, but its also very powerful.
The carrot and ginger alone increases circulation, but throwing in the beet cleanses the blood in addition to increasing circulation.
1 Carrot
1/4 Cup Ginger
1/2 Beet
Carrot/Leak
Helps eliminate high blood pressure.
3 carrots
2 pieces of leek ( for those not familiar with a leek, it is of the onion family)
Carrot/Turnip
Relieves arthritis in the joints.
3 Carrots
1 Turnip
Carrot/Cabbage
Eliminates indigestion.
3 Carrots
1/2 Head of Cabbage
So, there we have it. Carrots can be combined with almost anything to make a very useful juice. Remember, it takes time getting into the habit. Juicing worked best for me and allowed me to feel and see results when I slowly incorporated it into my daily living. I drank the green drink as discussed in my last blog for two weeks straight. By doing this, I was able to replace two meals per day and lose weight. Also, I was able to immediately feel the fatigue leaving my body, something I felt on a daily basis.
After two weeks, the will to continue feeling good also increased. This is when I incorporated my carrot, beet and ginger juice into my daily routine. So, twice a day I drank the green juice and once per day, I drank the carrot, ginger & beet cocktail. During this two week period, I'd felt better than I ever had, I lost more weight and my anemia was under control. And, I did not have the urge to eat burgers or candy. It was as if my body began to adapt to a new lifestyle.
Well, that is it for the day. Our next blog will discuss fruit juicing and how we benefit from it. As always, we can't leave without providing you with some resources below. These are tools and discounts that will help you get on the path to healthy living the easiest and most cost effective way possible.
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