Maybe you’re a health nut who assiduously follows the latest editions of “Brooklyn Juice Cleanse Monthly” and awaits your weekly organic juice delivery. If that describes you, then well…kudos. Clearly you’ve found something that works for you. Chances are though, that you’re one of the over 85% of Americans who don’t intake enough fruits and vegetables per a day. Now, we get it. Fruits are alright, but many of us would take cake, pie, or gummy worms over fresh fruit any day. And vegetables are a hard sell to most people!
Still, even if we may not like it, getting the recommended daily dose of five fruits and vegetables is extremely important. Studies show that people who miss this mark are at higher risk for heart disease, obesity, certain types of cancer, and diabetes.
So, how do folks like us who just aren’t too enamored with this side of the food pyramid get our intake up? Well, the answer is hiding in the health nut’s daily routine. That’s right. We’re talking juice! Cold press juice especially has been trending lately in the health community.
“Wait. What exactly is cold press juice?”
At the risk of sounding redundant, cold press juice is simply juice that has been made by squishing fruits and vegetables into juice without adding any heat, which is part of the normal pasteurization process.
“Okay…so what? Why is cold press juice better than other store-bought juices?”
While the pasteurization process kills some of the bad bacteria left over from produce’s life out on the farm, it also makes the fruits and veggies less nutritious and exposes the components to oxidization much faster. Cold press juice spares the fruits and veggies from this invasive mad scientist process and helps the juice retain more nutrients. Cold press juice is also a really efficient way to bring up your fruit and vegetable intake, as you can put three or four components in one shake and fulfill this requirement.
“Hmmm. What’s the catch?”
Well first of all, if you’re buying cold press juice rather than making your own, it ain’t cheap. This is one of those items they make fun of in satires that feature a Whole Foods scene. Still, cold press juice is a healthier indulgence than say, Starbucks. Second of all, if you’re buying cold press juice, you’re going to want to take a look at the “best before” date, as the down side of not pasteurizing is that the juice has an extremely short shelf life. Finally, many people erroneously think that just as long as they drink their fruits and veggies, they’re taken care of. In fact, most nutritionists recommend getting these foods in a combination juice and solid form, as solid produce gives your body much needed fiber. Also, don’t just assume that because something is cold press it’s 100% organic or devoid of added sugars. If you’re interested in lowering your sugar and synthetic chemical intake, these are things you’re going to have to investigate on the nutrition label separately.
Go ahead, get out there. Buck up and swallow down that cold press juice. Together we’ll get better acquainted with the colorful side of the food pyramid. And please, share any good reliable brands and/or juice recipes in the comments section below.
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