“We have a fairly average Australian diet – cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and meat and vegetables for dinner. I want to be healthy and I want my kids to be healthy, but I don’t have much extra time or money to spend on vitamins and supplements, should I be doing more?” 

You want to be healthy. You want to have energy. You don’t want your kids to get every cold, stomach bug and infection that goes around. There are so many reasons why it makes sense to include life-giving juices in your daily routine! 

• Fresh juices are high in Vitamin C and a host of other vitamins that keep your immune system strong.
• Fresh juices are packed with enzymes that trigger all of the necessary chemical reactions needed for metabolism and immune function.
• Fresh juices help the liver to detoxify chemicals and heavy metals from your body.
• Fruit and vegetables have an alkalising effect on the body, this prevents conditions such as chronic weight gain, poor digestion, inflammation and fatigue.

 How to get started:

1. Purchase a juicer, you will be able to choose from a range of juicers in any appliance store, expect to pay between $100 – $150.
2. Set up the juicer in the corner of your kitchen. If it is somewhere handy you will use it regularly, if it is packed away in a cupboard it is likely to stay there!
3. Every morning pop a combination of fruit and vegies from your fridge into the juicer and drink up! The important enzymes in fresh juice are strongest if you drink the juice immediately after juicing. If you leave the juice in the fridge until later in the day or overnight many of the enzymes in the juice are lost…that’s why shop-bought juices do not have the same health qualities.
4. Remember to wash the filter in the juicer after each use, otherwise it will become clogged and useless in a few months time. 

How much and how often?

½ glass of fresh juice per day is ideal. More is not necessarily better, and it is best to dilute juice (2 parts juice; 1 part water) to avoid blood sugar surges. 

What should I juice?

Anything! A good rule of thumb is to keep vegies together and fruit together. The only fruits that should really be mixed with vegies are apples and pears. Be creative and vary the combinations so you get a range of vitamins, minerals and enzymes! 

Green Combo

Ingredients: spinach, buk choy, celery, green beans, broccoli, cabbage and green apple.

Good for: immune system and general well being 

Winter Warmer

Ingredients: beetroot, carrot, ginger, celery and green apple.

Good for: detoxification, liver function and blood purifier

Summer Cocktail

Ingredients: pineapple and paw paw.

Good for: digestion, hayfever and allergies 

Fresh juices are not only a great way to use up the fruit and vegies in your fridge that are getting old, they taste great and can be an exciting activity for you to do with the kids as you come up with new recipes and combinations!