Juicing Is a Perfect Blend for Immune Health

My husband drinks fruit and vegetable juices first thing in the morning, before he eats any solid food. He feels this is a good and gentle way to get his digestive system started on a daily basis. The blender or juicer does all the chewing for him so that his body can quickly begin absorbing all the nutrients from the produce. I insist on using organic fruits and vegetables for his juices and make sure everything is washed carefully before it’s blended up.

A super-strong blender preserves the fiber from the fruits and vegetables, whereas a juicer separates out most of the fiber from whatever produce is thrown into it. Of course, a juicer is easier to use because it requires no peeling or coring or seeding of the ingredients. To make juices in my juicer, I remove seeds, peels, and rinds (from limes or watermelon), and cores (from apples and pears). So a bit of prep work is necessary. But then I press the “whole juice” button and the blender slowly ramps up its speed until everything is liquefied and smooth in under a minute.

Juicing and blending is very popular with raw food fans. It’s much easier to consume raw foods when they’re whipped into smoothies or tamed into a juice. Plus, salads can get tiring after a while.

I develop juice and smoothie recipes around the FoodTrients philosophy (see more recipes on FoodTrients.com), focusing first on the benefits I want and then choosing those ingredients that will deliver them. I also keep in mind that many vitamins (A, D, E, K, and the carotenoids) need fat in order to be absorbed.

My Immunity Booster  smoothie has yogurt, which has probiotics that keep the good bacteria in your intestines flourishing. This is important because the intestinal tract is a main component of your body’s immune system. Strawberries are very high in vitamin C, a known immunity booster. Limes also have vitamin C and the acid from their juice helps the stomach break down food. Certain flavanoids in limes help detox the body and act as anti-bacterial agents. In some countries limes are used as a natural antibiotic. The carrot juice (or orange juice) provides beta-carotene which also helps boost immunity. If your strawberries aren’t particularly sweet, add a teaspoon or two of honey—another of nature’s antimicrobial wonders.  

Immunity Boosting Blend

Serves 2 Drinks

1 cup yogurt
1 cup strawberries, hulls removed
¾ cup carrot juice (can substitute orange juice)
juice from 1 lime
1-2 teaspoons honey (optional)

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.