If you have never taken a mouthful of cantaloupe juice you simply have not lived, or strawberry juice mixed with apple. Sipping blueberry juice is a taste of liquid heaven. Orange, grape, melon and strawberry taste great all by themselves. But, hey, let's have some fun! I am going to give you a few suggestions to get you well on your way to becoming a fruit juice inventor. By the way, if you come up with something really spectacular, I would love to hear from you so that we can bless the world with your new invention. E-mail us at ron@freedomyou.com It’s really hard to go wrong. I guess that’s all to do with the harmony that naturally occurs in God's creation.
The produce in supermarkets is grown with chemical fertilizers. Fruits and vegetables are usually sprayed with various pesticides; thus toxins become lodged in the fibers. When juicing, most of the toxins are left with the discarded pulp. Because fruit is far lower on the food chain than animal products, toxic build-up is much less. Cows, pigs and chickens accumulate and concentrate toxic chemicals and pollutants from the environment. Unlike meat, fruit and vegetables are equipped with antioxidants and detoxifying agents that help keep the body clean of toxins.
Yes, fruits and vegetables do have pesticides and toxins present, but eating a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables will clean and protect from the very toxins in our food. If you are blessed enough to afford organic, pesticide-free produce, then we encourage you to enjoy. But for most of us going totally organic is simply not an option. Juicing standard produce from the local grocery store has healed many that are desperately sick, even for those with terminal cancer. As Keith Green sings, you do your best and God will do the rest.
During a cleansing fast, do not start resorting to bottled dead juices that have been on the shelf for six months. You are setting yourself up for a more difficult fast. There is a rush of well-being when you take a draught of living juice.
A good juice extractor will be your primary tool. All the essential nutrients in fruit and vegetables are locked within the fibers. A juice extractor frees these essential nutrients so they can be absorbed directly through the stomach wall without need of digestion. Metabolic energy is then used fully to cleanse waste from cellular tissue.
Fruit and vegetable juices are the cleansers, energizers, builders and regenerators of the human system. A combination of either fresh raw fruit or vegetable juices will supply all the enzymes, vitamins, minerals, protein and fats critical to increased vitality!
Apples
The many varieties of apples are all wonderful for producing juice no matter what time of year. Apple juice is a powerful cleanser and a general tonic for the entire system. It has an abundance of vitamins A and C. The juice tastes strong and may be diluted with water or mixed with other fruit or vegetable juices, such as carrots, cucumbers or melons. To keep apple juice from turning brown, juice a lemon before juicing the apples.
Apples should be crisp and firm. Soft, mushy apples do not juice well. Always store apples loosely in the refrigerator; it will increase shelf life six-fold. In a refrigerator, less tart apples can store up to 2 months.
Apple Cider Vinegar
If you have a batch of carrot juice with a tart flavor, a few tablespoons of cider vinegar will greatly help the flavor. It contributes to healthy veins, blood vessels, and arteries. Apple cider vinegar has extraordinary potassium content and beneficial malic acid. When purchasing cider vinegar, it should have fuzzy sediment (mother) on the bottom, proving that the vinegar is still in the live fermentation stage. A tablespoon of cider vinegar and honey in hot water is a tasty health drink. Look for unpasteurized.
Cantaloupes
Cantaloupes are considered the most nutritious of all fruit. The Center for Science in Public Interest compiled a list of fruits by their nutritional value. Cantaloupes came in first place, followed closely by watermelon, then oranges. Next came strawberries, grapefruit, pineapples, tangerines and peaches. Sauntering in at last place comes the lowly plum.
Cantaloupes are packed with vitamins A and C. Per pound, this fruit has 15,000 I.U. of vitamin A and three times the vitamin C content of apples. It also contains myoinositol, a lipid that helps with anxiety, insomnia and in battling hardening of the arteries. Cantaloupes contain the greatest amount of digestive enzymes. Melons are recommended by the American Cancer Society as powerful agents in the fight against intestinal cancer and the all-too-common skin cancer, melanoma. One average-sized cantaloupe contains approximately 100 calories, yet is dense in nutrients. This makes melons a perfect juice for weight loss.
Melons should be purchased firm, sweet-smelling with a soft navel. During the summer, cantaloupes are cheap. To check for ripeness press firmly against the fruit with your thumb. They should give a little but not be soft.
Melons can look decrepit, but still produce excellent juice. A major part of the cantaloupe’s nutritional value is in the rind. Juicing the rind will give more nutrition but diminish the taste. In juicing cantaloupe with the rind, scrub the skin well with water and an organic cleaner. Slice and juice, seeds and all. When juice fasting, melons are the most convenient source of cheap, nutritious, delicious, refreshing, colorful, revitalizing, energizing juice.
Grapefruit
With five times the vitamin C content of oranges, this juice is a powerful cleanser. The tastiest grapefruit is grown in Texas and Florida. Pink is sweeter and less acidic than white. Many people can tolerate grapefruit more easily than oranges. Juice some of the white pith for valuable bioflavonoids. Grapefruits can be prepared in a hand citrus juicer quickly. All citrus juices should be drunk immediately because of the fragility of the vitamin C.
Grapes
There are between 40 and 50 different varieties of grapes that come in a rainbow of greens, whites, reds and purples. Grapes fill the mouth with an explosion of delicious flavors. Grapes are an excellent source of potassium, which encourage an alkaline blood balance and also stimulate the kidneys and regulate heartbeat. The restorative power of grapes is phenomenal, cleansing the liver and removing the uric acid from the body. In France, many people go on a grape fast during harvest time. Studies have shown a lower incidence of cancer in the areas of France where this grape fast is practiced yearly.
Grapes are the most over-sprayed of all the fruits; therefore, wash thoroughly. Always look for a faint, powdery appearance, indicating blooming. A grape bunch should have a few grapes either falling off or mushy. The stems should not be shriveled, but green looking. Grapes keep for a week in the refrigerator. Raisins are also a wonderful, healthy candy and a good source of iron.
Honeydews
Just like their name, when ripe, honeydews have a light green, juicy flesh with a sweet flavor. It is a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium and zinc and excellent in digestive enzymes. To juice, wash skin and juice with seeds.
Look for melons that have a creamy, yellow navel and are slightly soft when pressed by the thumb. Rock-hard melons will not be sweet and will take a long time ripening. They should also have a pleasant honey aroma. They will store well at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Lemons
Lemons are the king of citrus fruit. Because of their high source of bioflavonoids, they are powerful in detoxifying the body. They are also an excellent diuretic. During fasting, lemon juice has a tremendous ability to dissolve mucus and scour toxins from the cellular tissue. When juicing lemons, leave some of the inner white peel for the bioflavonoids. Dilute five-to-one with water. One of the most refreshing drinks on a hot summer day is chilled mineral water with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Juicing a lemon before juicing apples keeps the juice clear and pleasantly colored. Lemon juice is an excellent addition to vegetable juices. It acts as a delicious lift to the heavy flavor commonly associated with vegetable juice.
Limes
Similar to lemons. They are an excellent addition to any juice.
Oranges
Everybody loves oranges. And what is breakfast without a fresh, tall glass of orange juice? Some of the highest quality oranges are grown in the sunny state of Florida. Florida oranges have higher juice content than oranges from California. The Valencia and Navel oranges from California are considered excellent for eating. Orange juice, fresh from the juicer, has a live taste. The powerful healing effects of fresh juice come from the dramatic increase in enzymes available to the body. Orange juice, frozen or bottled has no enzymes but can be added to freshly made juice.
Green skin on oranges is not necessarily an indication of their being unripe. In fact, the familiar bright orange color is a result of an orange dye applied to the skin. Oranges in their true color are yellow and green. It would be far healthier if the consumer could grow accustomed to what would appear to be an aesthetically unappetizing orange. Look for thin skin, heavy fruit, and store in the refrigerator.
Pears
When pears are perfectly ripe—not too soft and not too firm, they are the most delicious of fruits. The juice from a pear is thick and sweet and can be diluted with apple juice. They are high in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid, which help establish a healthy cardiovascular system. They are also a good source of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and minerals. Levulose is the fruit sugar in pears easily tolerated by diabetics. Pears are higher in pectin than apples, helping with regularity. Common varieties are Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou and Comice. The sweetest and juiciest are the Bartletts, with their bright yellow skin. Bartletts are available from summer to fall.
Look for slightly soft flesh around the stem area. For juicing, a firmer pear is desirable, so that it will not clog the juicer. Firm pears can be ripened on the counter in a couple of days. Keep pears for juicing in the refrigerator.
Pineapples
Take a cold, fresh glass of ripened pineapple juice in crushed ice. Find a quiet, comfortable corner in your home and close your eyes. You will begin to hear the waves of the ocean lapping on the powdered, white shoreline of a tropical island. Above you, the gentle dance of palm leaves moved by hot tropical breezes. Add a pinch of coconut juice and you have been transformed into Robinson Crusoe, living a life of solitude in a tropical paradise. Pineapple has the taste of sun-soaked tropics, especially if you find one that was picked in its ripened state.
Pineapples are jam-packed with minerals, potassium, choline, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and iodine. They have loads of vitamins, including vitamin C, and are an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion. Bromelain has also been known to cure laryngitis, and is soothing to the throat.
To cut pineapple for juicing, remove top and bottom. If not organically grown, stand vertical and remove skin. Cut in slices, including the core and pass through the juicer. Learning how to choose a sweet pineapple may take some practice.
Your pineapple ought to have a strong, sweet aroma. Look for a large, plump, heavy fruit. The leaves should easily pull out. The skin should be a dark golden color. The summer is prime pineapple season because the sun is at its strongest. Jet-shipped or jet-fresh are more expensive but have been flown from the field a day or two before you eat them. The majority of pineapples are shipped by sea and are often months old. Always keep pineapples at room temperature unless cut.
Watermelons
When in season $2.50 can produce a mother-load of juice. Ninety-five percent of all the nutritional content of watermelon is in the rind. Whereas eating the rind would be hard on the stomach, juicing it is a wonderful source of chlorophyll, vitamin A, protein, potassium, zinc, iodine, nucleic acids, and enzymes that aid in digestion.
Thump a watermelon with your knuckles, if it sounds hollow, it’s going to taste sweet. They should be dark green in color, dull rather than shiny and their underbellies should have a pale yellow color. Store whole watermelons in a cool place.
Related Article: Vegetable Juice Nutrition Guide