Get Jiggy with the Juice by Eat Cleaner

Growing up in a warm country, a prerequisite for a blistering hot day – about 10 months out of the year –was to pay a visit to the juice bar around the corner from our flat.  The proprietor would stack the counters up with colorful pyramids of oranges, beets, mangoes, guavas and pomegranates, depending on what was in season.  Vases filled with rods of sugar cane and long carrots anchored the artful arrangements to create an edible landscape.  Once the juicers started to whir, the sweet scent of freshness would dance through the steamy streets, luring customers in like a pied piper.   He’d create his own signature fruit and veggie ‘cocktails’, mixing beet with orange, carrot and mango, a soulful blend of sweet and savory.  At a time when soda made it to our side of the globe, juicing was just pure refreshment.

Now we know that fresh juice provides us with invaluable nutrition in a glass.  Yet, most of the juice you purchase at the store has been heat pasteurized, which destroys bacteria along with many of the beneficial nutrients.  If you make it at home, you’ll not only preserve a bevy of vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids and good carbohydrates, you’ll also ensure its safety of the fruit and vegetables when you buy and wash them yourself.  Added bonus…you get the best of the fruit, including fiber and concentrated nutrients, while reaping the benefits of quick-release energy in a flash – a great pick-me-up before and after your R.I.P.P.E.D. workout.

Strive for two 8-oz glasses each day and let your inner gourmet shine with countless combinations.  Follow our chef’s tip and drink seasonal fruit and vegetable combinations to take advantage of the freshest produce at your local farmer’s market.  Apple, beet and celery with a dash of ginger are the perfect cool weather warmer while watermelon and carrot with a splash of mint makes a sweet, refreshing chiller on a hot day.   You’ll get your money’s worth out of a good quality juicer, or you can put your blender to work on easy-to-mix matchups, including fresh berries, citrus fruit, melons, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach and herbs.  If you’re diabetic or watching your sugar intake, increasing the vegetable content is a great option.  You can also add ice or water to dilute it further.  The bottom line…getting your 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day is a cinch when you sip it.  Your waistline will thank you.

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