Best Fruits and Vegetables for Juicing

Do you get enough vitamins from your daily diet? Most people feel that tossing fruits and vegetables in a juicer saves time compared to eating them whole. Juicing extracts the vitamins and minerals from fresh produce. This liquid becomes more comfortable to consume while absorbing all the nutrients, especially if you’re in a hurry to beat that rush hour traffic to work. That is why I started researching to find the best fruits and vegetables for juicing.

When I started my new job, I found it challenging to get out of bed every morning. My work motivated and fulfilled me, but I did not have enough energy to get through the day, despite being in my early thirties.

This is because I was not consuming the right amount of nutrients, and my diet was inferior.

For many years, I skipped breakfast and ate a heavy takeaway lunch or dinner. This did not work well for me, and my body started suffering at an early age.

I was also putting on a lot of weight and wanted to go on a cleanse and healthy diet immediately. That is when I discovered juicing and all the health benefits.

I wanted a way to consume more vegetables instead of having to keep prepping and cooking them. Although I am not a big fan of eating veggies, juicing helped me make them taste better.

Now I can’t stop experimenting with different ingredients and sometimes even go wild mixing both fruits and vegetables.

Juicing vs. Blending – What’s the Difference?

Even though juicing and blending sound the same, there are differences between them.

Juicing is when we put fruits or vegetables in a juicer. The machine squeezes these ingredients until all their natural juices pour out into a container. The liquid is separated from the pulp, which we can then drink as though it is a beer on a Friday night, only much healthier.

Blending, on the other hand, is when we mix all the edible parts of fruits and vegetables. This includes all the pulp and fibrous portions. The blender then crushes all these parts together, and out comes a cocktail of everything we put into the machine.

Fruits vs. Vegetables: What’s Better for Juicing

When it comes to juicing, you should try to use more vegetables than fruits because fruits have more sugar. While juicing fruits, you remove the fiber, which slows down the release of all that sugar.

This could dramatically increase the level of insulin in your body, even if fruits contain natural sugar that is good for us. Having a higher level of insulin might cause weight gain and cravings for more sugar or unhealthy foods.

Choose juice recipes that have ten percent fruits and ninety percent vegetables. Then you can easily balance the vegetable flavors with a bit of sweetness that will hit the spot without adding to your waistline.

Lemons and limes do not have as much sugar, so you can go heavy on them to add a touch of sour and sweet with root vegetables.

Vegetables are the top choice for juicing because they are healthier and reduce many chronic diseases.

Adding more vegetables to your daily diet can save you from strokes, cancers, or heart-related problems. They also contain a lot of fiber for digestion and prevent obesity.

Juicing is the best way to consume more vegetables in one sitting rather than cooking them whole. However, fruit juices are very refreshing, and you can always have a cheat meal with a deliciously sweet citrus blend.

What are the Best Fruits to Juice?

Choosing the right fruits for that juice fast or cleanse comes down to your own opinion. If you prefer apples over oranges, then you don’t have to force yourself to drink apple juices. Here are the top fruits for juicing that will give you the most nutrients.

Apples: Apples are filled with antioxidants and can lower cholesterol if you want to lose weight and avoid heart problems. They are one of the best fruits to boost your immune system, and your boss will be pleased if you call in sick less often. If you want to soften any bitter juices, apples will add that perfect balance of sweetness.

Berries: Cranberries are also packed with antioxidants with antibacterial and antiviral properties to boost your immune system. They are very beneficial for healthy blood flow.

If you suffer from diarrhea and urinary infections, drinking juices with blackcurrants or blueberries can be very healing.

For menstrual cramps, nothing beats raspberries, especially since that is the time you should spoil yourself with some extra sweetness. Strawberries are the best for strengthening your cardiovascular system.

Also, berries are not the easiest to juice and can be very sweet. It would be best to combine them in your recipes because they are so fresh and tasty.

Citrus Fruits: Citrus fruits are trendy for juicing and have tons of vitamin C, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids to help fight cancer. Nothing beats citrus fruits if you suffer from high blood pressure and want to reduce the plaque from your arteries.

They are also antiviral and bring the most powerful burst of flavor to any juice recipe. Make sure that your citrus fruits are ripe. Otherwise, they might add too much acidity to the juice.

Cranberries: Cranberries are the most delicious way to prevent bacteria from forming in the bladder and causing urinary problems. They cleanse your prostate, kidneys and make your urine smell better and look cleaner.

If you suffer from a urinary tract infection, cranberry juice is highly recommended. They also prevent kidney stones and can be mixed with water to reduce their sourness. Have fun experimenting by adding grape juices or apples to your morning recipe.

Grape: Grape juice reduces the risks of blood clots and has a lot of heart benefits. Drinking grapes lower cholesterol, and they are not as sweet compared to berries. Purple grape juice has similar health benefits to red wine. To maintain healthy blood pressure, add some grapes to your juice recipes.

Guava: Guavas are great for juicing and have a sweet and musk taste. They need to be adequately strained before juicing because they have a lot of seeds. They have a lot of potassium to regulate blood pressure. You will also get plenty of vitamin C from guava juice.

Papaya: Papaya is the best fruit to improve digestion because it contains a powerful enzyme called papain, which breaks down protein. Juice some papaya after meals to help beat any problems with digestion. You can add mint to the papaya juice and enjoy all the vitamin C you will get from drinking it for a better taste.

Pineapples: Pineapples are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial to help beat all kinds of illnesses. They also add a tropical flavor to juices and break down blood clots. Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain, which improves digestion, especially if you eat a lot of protein.

Pomegranate: Pomegranates are rich in antioxidant polyphenols that benefit the heart and lower blood pressure. To get these benefits, you don’t have to drink a large amount, and you can feel the anti-inflammatory effects very quickly.

Tomatoes: Yes, tomatoes are a fruit. They are incredibly beneficial for preventing cancer, especially testicular cancer in men. Tomatoes contain a lot of lycopene, which is good for the heart, and they can mix well with any fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes become acidic when you cook them but juicing them raw will not taste the same as tomato sauce.

What are the Best Vegetables to Juice?

Asparagus: Asparagus contains an amino acid called asparagine, which helps get rid of excess uric acids. If you add asparagus to your juice, it will help with arthritis and prevent any kidney stones. It also helps you feel less bloated and lowers water retention during pregnancy.

Beets: Beets are an excellent source of iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. They improve blood flow, boost your stamina, detox your liver, and reduce the risk of cancer. If you suffer from iron deficiency, beet juice or smoothie will give you a better organic result than taking too many iron tablets.

Carrots: Carrots can be very sweet if you juice them. They have many incredible nutrients and high beta carotene that can make your skin look flawless like a social media influencer. Carrots help fight cancer, infections, and they also protect your arteries.

They also remove any intestinal bacteria and parasites to protect you from colon problems. For the best taste, you can mix apple and carrots. The flavors work exceptionally well together, and both can strengthen your health in no time.

Celery: Celery extracted juice can clean your digestive system by removing excess uric acid. It also helps lower blood pressure thanks to its high potassium. If you bloat a lot and retain too much water, celery is the best vegetable to make that dress feel less tight. Celery is the most effective base ingredient if you want to detox.

Cucumber: Cucumbers have a lot of water content and are best for hydrating. They are also potassium heavy to lower blood pressure and prevent strokes. Cucumbers contain polyphenols that can strengthen you to fight cancer. If you are worried about wrinkles and aging, a daily dose of cucumber juice can boost the health of your skin.

Ginger: Ginger is one of the most potent ingredients for a powerful detox. Ginger helps fight germs, inflammation, illness, and any cancer-causing molecules. A little ginger in your juice will make you feel warm and fuzzy when you are sick and tastes much better if you mix it with lemon juice.

Parsley: Parsley has plenty of chlorophyll, which is very beneficial for healthy blood flow. You can get a lot of energy from drinking parsley juice. It also supports the heart and cleanses your liver and kidneys to prevent stones. If you have had too much garlic or onion during that dinner date, parsley juice can freshen up your breath quickly. And without having to excuse yourself to go to the bathroom.

Sweet Potato: Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins and beta carotene. They are also packed with plenty of vitamin C, copper, fiber, B6, potassium, iron, and manganese. They have anti-inflammatory benefits that can help when you are sick or suffer from arthritis.

Wheatgrass: Drinking wheatgrass juice will give you tons of chlorophyll, amino acids, enzymes, vitamins A, C, E, K, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium. If that wasn’t enough, wheatgrass also has ninety-two minerals. Wheatgrass acts as the best medicine to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart diseases. Make sure to drink wheatgrass juice undiluted on an empty stomach so you can absorb all those nutrients.

Healthiest Leafy Green Vegetables to Juice

Broccoli: Broccoli is the most popular vegetable for bodybuilders and athletes. It reduces cholesterol, strengthens bones, prevents cancer, and makes you look lean and muscular. By drinking broccoli juice, you will also benefit from getting tons of vitamins B and C that will boost your immune system.

Cabbage: Cabbages are one of the best juice ingredients even though most people do not like the taste. You can improve the flavor by adding carrots and apples. Cabbage juice is excellent for losing weight, and it purifies your intestines while strengthening the immune system.

Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a great juicing ingredient to lose weight. It has minimal calories, usually just twenty-five calories a cup. Cauliflower also contains a lot of fiber and makes you feel full faster, so then you will eat and drink fewer calories throughout the day. If you are prone to snacking when you shouldn’t, try drinking cauliflower juice instead.

Dandelion Greens: Dandelion greens have a lot of leafy benefits such as high chlorophyll. It also helps to cleanse your kidney, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and bowels. People with anemia, diabetes, and hypoglycemia can benefit a lot from dandelion greens. If you suffer from a lot of acne, these greens can help clear your skin. Drinking juice with these veggies will give you a lot of calcium, potassium, iron, and manganese.

Kale: Kale has become a trendy vegetable and source of vitamin K. It strengthens the bones and has a lot of calcium, copper, minerals, potassium, iron, and manganese. If you are on a diet and want to lose weight, kale has minimal calories. It has become the famous “Green Juice” that every health nut and influencer online is talking about.

Lettuces: Lettuce has a very mild flavor but is packed full of nutrients. Adding lettuce to your vegetable juice will boost vitamins and minerals without changing the taste at all. If you don’t want to drink a smoothie or juice that is too bitter, add some romaine lettuce to mellow the flavor.

Spinach: Spinach made Popeye’s muscles grow significantly within seconds and is known to help increase brain function. It is an excellent ingredient for juicing as it’s packed full of vitamins A, C, E, calcium, potassium, choline, protein, and iron. If you do not like spinach’s taste very much, add some apples, carrots, and ginger to the juice. Your muscles might grow just like Popeye’s with a better flavor.

Swiss Chard: Swiss Chard protects bones and prevents too much blood clotting. It is packed with vitamins A, C, K, potassium, magnesium, and iron. To get the best juice using swiss chard, mix it with pears, ginger, lemon, or apples.

What are the Best Fruits and Vegetables Can You Mix with Juicing?

There are many juice recipes available online. If you are running out of ideas, why not explore some blogs and try new flavors. Such as Tangerine Dream, which is a citrus smoothie using frozen peaches, vanilla, and some Greek yogurt.

On a hot summer day, the strawberry lemon fizz with fresh strawberries, honey, mint, lemon juice, and sparkling water can be a quick refreshing fix.

For a more earthy flavor, try the Basil Grapefruit Fizz with chopped basil and grapefruit juice. Add some sparkling water or diet ginger ale for an exotic kick.

There are also flavors combining sweet and green vegetables, such as green juice with honey. Just add some green apple, ginger, kale, cilantro, and cucumber to balance the honey, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.

The most fun part of juicing is experimenting with different flavor combinations, and there are many recipes to try every day. Then you will never get bored with juicing and will always look forward to the next tasty adventure.

What are the Health Benefits of Juicing?

Fruits and vegetables have a lot of vitamins and minerals, and we introduce these extra nutrients into our bodies to boost our health. Juices are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, which makes us feel more energetic and positive because they boost our immune system.

If you feel sick and can’t shake off that sniffle, natural orange juice with vitamin C is more helpful instead of taking Flu tablets.

Juices can also flush out toxins from our bodies. If you had a part on the weekend and feel hungover the next day, a freshly squeezed juice can do wonders in the morning.

They improve digestion by introducing healthy enzymes. These enzymes help our gut work more effectively when it comes to breaking down food.

Our gut does not need to absorb too much fiber, and juice provides us with all the nutrients we need for healthy digestion. Most nutritionists will tell us that we need to eat two or three pounds of vegetables in a day, but no one has the time to sit down and munch on all that.

By putting all these vegetables in a juicer, we remove the pulp, which slows down digestion and only drinks the liquid with the right nutrients that get absorbed faster into our bloodstream. We also get to try a wider variety of vegetables to get more nutrients.

Usually, at home, we only cook a couple of types of vegetables for each meal and often eat leftovers every other day.

Then we go out with friends on the weekends and eat the same spinach or lettuce and do not get enough variety. Juicing helps us ingest that variety because the options from a grocery store do not limit us.

By juicing before each meal, you can use around six different vegetables, and this may include leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables.

There is no limit to how many veggies to put in the juicer. You can be creative with new recipes or find many good ones online.

Imagine how much more nutrients you will get to consume compared to cooking only a few vegetables or salads at home.

Famous philosopher Hippocrates said two thousand years ago that all diseases begin in the gut. This is because a third of our immune system is present in our digestive tract.

If we want a healthy gut, foods rich in prebiotics such as bananas or leeks can increase the number of good bacteria in the stomach.

Vegetables are the best source of prebiotics. The light green, dark green, or yellow-colored ones are the richest in carotene, Vitamins E, and C, which are the most helpful in fighting colon cancer.

Another ingredient that soothes an upset stomach is ginger. Adding these ingredients to juices can make you feel stronger and healthier.

Juicing can help fight cancer because it is a form of alternative medicine. Chemotherapy takes a toll on the body, and it is also costly. Although juicing does not cure the disease, it keeps the body nourished during the challenging process of chemotherapy.

During chemotherapy, people feel weak and struggle to chew foods properly. Juicing is the best way to swallow a lot of nutrients from different vegetables and fruits.

The digestive system does not have to work vigorously to digest juices other than eating solid food. To get the same amount of nutrition, we would have to eat twice as much because today’s vegetables are not as nutritious as they once were.

This is due to over-farming, which removes many nutrients from the oil. Instead of eating more to reduce the chances of cancer, we can drink it all in one go.

How to Juice Fruits and Vegetables

Juicing fruits and vegetables is elementary. Unlike meal preps, juices should not be stored for too long. The ideal amount to consume is a glass per day. Since you will be drinking fresh organic juice, it is perishable faster.

Because it is not pasteurized to make it last longer. Make enough juice so you can drink it all instead of letting it perish by sitting in the fridge.

The first step is to wash and clean your fruits and vegetables thoroughly with plain water. If you are using potatoes or veggies with some dirt, use a scrub or dishwashing sponge to remove all the contaminants.

You can either peel the fruits or juice them unpeeled if the skin is edible and clean. At times, the peel or skin of fruits and vegetables contains a healthy amount of fiber, useful for healthy digestion.

If you suffer from constipation, this fiber can cleanse your bowels, so juicing with the peel is a better decision because it contains a lot of antioxidants.

Instead of juicing with just one fruit or vegetable, you can mix and match flavors but make sure the tastes balance. Otherwise, you might get a blend of unnatural tastes that will put you off juicing altogether. Here are some of the mixtures you can try to find the ones you enjoy most.

If you want a sweet juice, you can mix berries, apples, melons, grapes, mangoes, pears, pineapple, and papayas. For an acidic and citrus flavor, you can mix lemon, oranges, grapefruit, and lime.

If you want a spicy kick to the drink, choose ginger, paprika, and cayenne pepper. The best leafy green drinks, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, and broccoli, work very well together. Carrots and beets are the most popular root vegetables to combine for that earthy and natural flavor.

Apples, cucumber, tomatoes, and celery produce the most juice and less pulp. You can be very creative when it comes to juicing, and there’s no limit to what you can achieve by mixing flavors.

The rest is easy because you need a top juicing machine that will do all the work. You can put all your fruits and vegetables in there, and the liquid form will pour out in a glass within minutes.

What Type of Juicer Should You Choose?

Buying a juicer is an investment, so choose the best one that fits your budget but is also high-quality. You don’t want a juicer that will breakdown every month. Explore your options, either online or in shops, and read reviews.

Juicing machines are straightforward to use will all come with instruction manuals. For more information, you can also watch some videos on the companies’ websites or on YouTube on how to set up a brand-new machine.

There are five main types of juicers you will see on the market. These are centrifugal, masticating (cold press), twin-gear (triturating), manual, and citrus juicers.

Centrifugal juicers

The centrifugal juicer is one of the fastest and most affordable automatic juicers you will find. They have a mesh chamber with very sharp teeth that spin at superfast speed to chop down all the fruits and vegetables, even with peels.

They are very effective at making juices under a minute and have a large feeding chute for bigger chunks, so the machine does not get clogged. With this machine, you can save a lot of prep time since you won’t have to dice all your ingredients into smaller pieces.

The only downside is that these machines are very noisy and sound like the sink dispenser. Hopefully, the loudness does not wake your children up if you decide to juice late at night.

Masticating or Cold Press Juicers

Masticating juicers have an auger that works like The Hulk to crush the ingredients and squeeze all the juice out. They work very slowly and are not suitable if you rush to beat the early morning traffic before work.

The cold press juicer have smaller chutes, so your prep time is going to be longer. You will have to dice all the ingredients finely before putting them in the machine.

Masticating slow juicers are multifunctional. They can be used as both a food processor and a grinder. You can use them also to make sorbets and nut milk. There is no heat to destroy the enzymes and antioxidants, so that you can get the best quality juice from kale, grapes, or leafy greens.

Triturating or Twin-Gear juicers

Triturating juicers have two gears that rotate slowly to crush and grind all the ingredients. They are much smoother than the centrifugal juicers and can also handle leafy greens and crunchy fruits.

Twin gear juice machines are hefty and large, so you might have to find a decent amount of space on a kitchen counter. However, the juices come out much more vibrant and smoother with tons of nutrients.

Citrus juicers

Citrus electric juicers have a vertical hand-press and are best for making orange juice or mixtures of grapefruit, lemon, pomegranate, and lime. With the detached parts, they are effortless to pull apart or assemble. Electric juicers also don’t make a mess, and if you make that early morning orange juice for breakfast, you can finish cleaning up in just a couple of minutes. Citrus juicers take very little space in the kitchen and look great next to that coffee machine or microwave.

Manual juicers

If you do not want to spend a lot of money on an electric appliance, you can also opt for a simple manual juicer that has a cone shape to drain all the juice. These juicers are also easier to clean as you can rinse them in the sink with warm water and scrub the remains with a regular sponge using dishwashing liquid. Operating by hand might get tiresome, but manual juicers are cost-effective and can produce the best juices.

The Bottom Line

Juicing is perfect for you and will give you the most nutrients out of fresh fruits and vegetables. It does remove the pulp and fiber from these ingredients, but that is necessary to keep your colon healthy.

Juicing helps to reduce heart diseases and lowers blood sugar levels and cholesterol. Instead of cooking vegetables in supermarket sauces and adding protein, you can consume fewer calories by juicing them instead. This is very beneficial for those who want to lose weight and get that summer body they have been dreaming about.

It is a lot of fun to juice different fruits and vegetables together. There are many incredible recipes that you can try to drink a new flavor all the time. In my family, we have started a calendar called “Flavor of the day.” This makes juicing exciting for us and motivates us to try varieties of fruits and vegetables we would never have eaten otherwise.