But that’s why you got a vegetable juicer, right?  It sure does save the effort of munching on raw vegetables and coping with the bland taste.  It also saves the time of having to prepare your vegetables to counteract that tough bland taste so you can [somewhat] enjoy them.  In the end, you get around the hassle by switching to the next best thing – fruit juicer recipes.  Not that big of a problem, so long as you be careful before crossing over to fruit juicing.

There are reasons you should be juicing vegetables more than fruits.  The biggest reason is the high amount of sugar in fruits.  Most fruit juicer recipes may call for a wide variety of fruits, and the amount of sugar packed into them can deceitfully add up in one glass.  Couple that with other fruits you may snack on throughout the day, in addition to any other sugary junk foods you may consume, and you are asking for trouble.  You will definitely be getting a lot of nutrients, but you will also be getting a lot of sugar, which is especially bad if you are vegetable juicing for weight loss.

Another reason is that you most likely eat fruits in their raw state anyway.  In fact, it is recommended that you eat fruits whole as to get the roughage that will help maintain healthy digestion.  How often do you eat raw vegetables though?  Some may eat carrots or celery, but what about broccoli or brussel sprouts?  Usually, you would cook those, but heat from cooking will start to kill the vital nutrients inside.

This isn’t to say that you should never use fruit in juicer recipes or never cook your food.  But be sure to mix it up a little.  Eat some fruits as snacks and drink a glass of vegetable juice for dinner.  Make a hearty salad comprised of both raw vegetables and fruits.  When juicing, make a glass of vegetable juice one day, fruit juice the next, then a hybrid the following day.  Be creative.

It can be hard to strictly drink vegetable juice all the time.  Here are some of the best vegetable juice recipes:

V8 Vegetable Juice Recipe

In my previous post, I compared vegetable juicer recipes to store-bought juice.  V8 is a popular brand and while not as good as juicing your own produce, it’s still one of the better options available at your grocery store.  This recipe is a good way to duplicate it yourself.

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 leaves of lettuce
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1/2 handful of parsley

Veggie Kick Juicer Recipe

• 3 carrots
• 1 beet
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic

Super Simple V8 Juice

• 3 carrots
• 1 tomato
• handful of spinach

Body Cleansing Juicer Recipe

• 2 celery stalks
• handful of kale
• handful of spinach
• handful of parsley
• 1 oz. wheatgrass juice

Green Hydrator

• 1 celery stalk
• 1 cucumber
• 1 green pepper
• 2 handfuls of spinach

Sweet Vegetable Juice Recipe

A little on the sweeter side, but not that bad in sugar content

• 3 carrots
• 2 red peppers
• 1 beet

People may have been intrigued by the idea of juicing vegetables (as they should!)  But there are several things that come in the way.  Space can be an issue.  You must have adequate counter space to keep a vegetable juicer out all the time, or have enough storage space.  Price is another issue, as the best vegetable juicers will cost hundreds of dollars (you could settle for less expensive centrifugal juicers, but for juicing vegetables, it is recommended to stick with the high end models.)  Finally, the amount of work needed for juicing recipes can be a problem – it is much simpler to buy a container of juice than it is to prepare your produce and cleaning your juicer every time for your own juicer recipes.

V8 Vegetable Juice Recipe

The most common alternative to juicing vegetables is to drink V8 juice.  You must have heard the commercials by now – “*Doink* You could have had a V8.”  While it does contain a wide variety of juices, it undergoes several processes that significantly reduce the nutritional content in it.  Some of those nutrients are very sensitive and will be denatured simply by being exposed to the air for too long, while more will be diminished from the types of processes that are used to constitute and package the V8 vegetable juice. This is true with any packaged juice that you can buy at the grocery store though.

The ingredients are as follows:

• Tomato Juice from Concentrate (Water, Tomato Concentrate)
• Reconstituted Vegetable Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach)
• Salt
• Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Flavoring
• Citric Acid

Overall, not too bad though.  The only major problem is from the amount of salt added.  The nutritional facts show that there is a total of 630mg of sodium per serving!  Fortunately, there are reduced sodium versions out there as well.  Of course, it is still no comparison to your own vegetable juicer recipes.

This is not to knock V8 fruit or vegetable juices, as they certainly have their place in today’s culture.  If you can’t make your own vegetable juice recipes and have the choice to either buy a bottle of soda or V8, then the V8 is definitely the better choice for your health.  But for those that think that V8 juice can replace juicing vegetables, I’m sorry but you are sorely mistaken.  Drinking vegetable juice in its raw state is always the healthiest option.

Besides V8, there are many other juices to choose from.  However, a lot of them are not even close to the power of fruit and vegetable juicing, with most of them considered to be on the same level as sugary soda drinks.  Not all juice is created equal, so don’t think that drinking any kind of juice is beneficial to your health.  Here is an actual ingredient list from a typical store-bought juice:

• Filtered Water
• Sweeteners
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Sugar
• Grape Juice from Concentrate (Less than 15%)
• Pear and Strawberry Juices from Concentrate
• Natural Flavors
• Citric Acid (Provides Tartness)

It’s amazing how people will buy this stuff.  Judging from these ingredients, I’d say that a soda is probably better for you.  These are the worst types of drinks if your plan is to stay healthy or lose weight with juicing.

In the end, there is a lot of junk out there, so take the time to evaluate whether or not it’s wise to purchase for you and your family.  But no matter what there is on sale at the supermarket, the healthiest option is always to stick with your own free vegetable juicer recipes.

The reason we get pimples are due to the toxins that linger in our bodies.  Normally, it is the liver and the kidneys that flush out all of the toxins from our body.  When there are too many, or if the liver and kidneys aren’t able to get rid of them, they find their way only other way out – their skin.  Depending on how much the pores in your skin are clogged, acne you get might be a few red bumps or large inflamed and irritating bumps.

Reducing the problem is two fold – you have to protect the inside and the outside of the body.  Protect yourself from anything that can clog your pores, such as cosmetic products.  Reducing the amount of toxins in your body is a little harder, as many have terrible eating habits that are hard to break.  Fortunately, one solution for us is to use vegetable juicing recipes for acne.

Juicing produce that have a lot of antioxidants is ideal for acne.  These antioxidants are powerful fighters against free radicals that can cause damage to your body.  Good produce to juice include wheatgrass and vegetables with a deep color, such as dark green vegetables and vibrant yellow-orange vegetables.  Bell peppers (all colors), spinach, carrots, and broccoli are your friends here.  Also important to mention are berries, as they are excellent sources of antioxidants as well.

Garlic is a surprisingly effective food against acne.  The problem is that is has a very strong taste that is not the best complement in most vegetable juicing recipes.  Don’t overpower your juicing recipes by adding to much – do little bits at a time.  Another very obscure yet powerful product is Brewer’s Yeast.  It contains minerals that reduce stress levels, thereby reducing toxins in the body.

Probably the most overlooked way to prevent acne is to simply stay hydrated.  Having a lot of fluid running through your body is essential to flush out all the toxins.  This is the best reason for juicing vegetables for acne – you stay fully hydrated while getting plenty of nutrients.

Here are two vegetable juicing recipes for acne:

Detoxifier

• 4 carrots
• 1 shot of wheatgrass juice
• 1 clove of garlic

Citrus Flush

• 1 grapefruit
• 1 orange
• 2 carrots
• 1 orange pepper

First, we need to assess how much vegetable juicing we want to do.  For now, I’ll assume you are the average person wanting to make one glass of juice most days of the week – let’s say 5 days.  Next, we need to choose which vegetable juicing recipes we want to make.  It is important that you MIX IT UP! You do not want to stick with the same juicing recipes and get accustomed to a specific diet.  Besides, it’s good to be open-minded, so try new juicing recipes.  At the very least, you can use two, but we’re planning for 5 days, so aim for 5 different juicing recipes.

Now let’s sort out and list what vegetables we need.  I find it easiest to start with one juicing recipe, list the ingredients, and tally them.  Go to the second vegetable juicing recipes.  Add any new ingredients to the list, while adding tally marks to shared produce.  Do this with all the recipes.  When done, add any fresh vegetables you normally buy for dinner, salads, etc, though you should be able to reduce the amount you normally buy since you will get most of it through vegetable juicing.

With our list in hand, grocery shopping is as easy as finding the produce in the store.  Some of the produce you can buy comes in bundles, so you must account for that.  Also, you can choose between fresh produce on display or pre-packaged.  The quality is usually the same, but there may be differences in price and whether it’s organic or not.  Nothing you can’t handle.  Check this list of foods to buy organic to get a good idea of what produce is likely to contain pesticides if not organic.

Do NOT treat vegetable juicing as an exact science. The produce from store to store will vary in size and quality.  A green pepper from my supermarket will not be the same as a green pepper from yours, and this will affect your vegetable juicing recipes.  You can only learn by doing, so it is essential that you experiment…

Cucumbers are made of mostly water.  Because of this, cucumbers are a great thirst quencher and one of the best natural diuretics.  They are very useful for cell hydration, regulating body temperature, and waste removal, just like plain water.  Cucumber juicing recipes are great on hot days or after workouts.

The skin of cucumbers is rich in silica, which is a vital mineral in maintaining healthy connective tissue.  This list includes the tendons, muscles, cartilage and ligaments.  Cucumbers have earned the biggest reputation to aiding the skin and its complexion.  They can help treat skin conditions such as eczema and acne, which is why cucumbers are used a lot in skin beautify products.

BUY ORGANIC! You will definitely want to juice the skins of the cucumbers for the silica.  But you will find that most cucumbers will have some waxy stuff on it to make it look shiny.  It is hard to wash off and you probably won’t get it all, and you do not want that stuff in your vegetable juicing recipes.  Look for firm cucumbers with a dark green color – it’s ok if they have bumps.

Some vegetable juicing recipes to help you keep “as cool as a cucumber”:

Green Juice

• 2 celery stalks
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 small green pepper
• handful of spinach

Cucumber Melon Juice

• 2 cucumbers
• 1/2 honeydew

Carrot Cooler

• 3 carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 cucumber

Simple Cucumber Juice

• 3 cucumbers
• small handful of grapes
• water (dilute to taste)

Many already know or have heard that carrots are great for improving vision.  Besides this, carrots contain many antioxidants that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.  They contain the largest amount of vitamin A out of all produce, which improves night vision and skin health.  The pectin in carrots can lower cholesterol levels.  Carrots also have small amounts of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin K, making carrots a very powerful vegetable.  Carrots are extremely cheap at the grocery store, so you can even save money by making your own healthier carrot juicing recipes.

One caveat to vitamin A is that it is harder for your body to dispose of excess vitamin A because it is fat-soluble.  It is possible to overdose on vitamin A, known as hypervitaminosis A, which can cause a slew or problems including hair loss, skin discoloration, and bone fractures.  Fortunately, consuming less vitamin A will reverse the adverse effects.  The benefits of carrot juice vastly outweigh this potential overdose, so carrot juice is still a miracle vegetable when used in vegetable juicing.

Interestingly, unlike almost all other produce, you can increase the amount of nutrients through cooking.  Recent studies show that boiling carrots whole boosts health benefits.  The heat will soften the cell tissue inside the carrot, making it easier to absorb the nutrients from those cells.  In essence, by boiling it whole you are locking in the nutrients.  This isn’t to say you should not juice carrots – in fact, carrots should be a main staple in your vegetable juicing diet.

Here are some delicious carrot juicing recipes:

Carrot Apple Juice

Carrots and apples make a very versatile combo.  You can add all sorts of other fruits and vegetables and still create some great tasting juicing recipes.

• 4 carrots
• 2 apples

Carrot Potato & Beet Juice

• 3 carrots
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 beet

Carrot Spinach Juice

• 4 carrots
• A handful of spinach
• 1 celery stalk

Carrot Salad Juice

• 5 carrots
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 1 celery stalk

Vegetables are most nutritious eaten raw.  The nutritional content of vegetables diminishes with different cooking methods and for the duration of cooking time.  However, eating only raw vegetables is flavorless and boring.  Some do not like the taste of certain vegetables unless prepared a certain way.  With juicing, you get all the nutrients of your veggies in one easy drink.

Vegetable juicing is extremely easy.  Get a bunch of vegetables, throw them all in the juicer, and let the magic happen.  No cooking or preparation needed – and you get more nutrients and enzymes than if you had done so.  You can mix together as many different vegetables as you want too and enjoy the health benefits of each one.  Don’t like the taste of only veggies?  Mix in fruits that you love to add nutrients and deliciousness to all your vegetable juicing recipes!

But you can just buy vegetable juice at the grocery store!  What’s the point of indulging in vegetable juicing?  Well, you could buy commercial vegetable juice, but when compared to your own fresh juicer recipes, they are seriously lacking in terms of nutritional content.  Some of the enzymes in vegetable juice are fragile, and will die off not long after juicing it.  Commercial juice will also undergo processes that will further reduce the nutrients.  That’s not to mention the number of additional unhealthy ingredients that you cannot even pronounce.

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Why vegetable juicing recipes? Because you are probably not getting the proper amount of vegetables in your diet.  You’re probably not getting enough fruits either.  With fruits, you can just buy raw fruit and eat it as snacks.  Vegetables are a little trickier.  Rarely do you start snacking on a raw broccoli stalk or cucumber.  You should also be focusing on vegetable juicing recipes because they contain a lot less natural sugar and will not raise insulin levels as high as fruit juicer recipes do.

There are plenty of reasons to be vegetable juicing.  It is fast, it is easy and it is fun.  You’ll find yourself eating your servings of fruits and vegetable, and you do so in a much more fulfilling way (you’ll find a bunch of free juicer recipes on this website!)  You’ll enjoy great health benefits that will instantly boost your lifestyle.  Go out and start juicing with Vegetable Juicing Recipes!