Superfood Fruit Juices - Not All Fruit Juices Are the Same
Acai, Blueberry,
Cherries,
Cranberries,
Goji,
Mangosteen, Noni,
Pomegranate are
excellent sources of rich nutrients that will improve your
health and help your body ward of potential health problems such
as cancer, autoimmune diseases, age-related diseases and more.
 Acai is a berry that is one of the
most nutritious superfoods in the world, plus it tastes like a
mixture of berries and chocolate!
The Acai berry is
about the size of a blueberry and is dark purple in
color. Acai is mostly seed and is covered with pulp.Acai packs tons of energy by providing amino acids,
monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber, essential fatty acids
(similar to the formulation of olive oil), phytosterols,
anthocyanins (20X red wine), trace minerals, and lots of
antioxidants (more than pomegranates, 2X blueberries and 10X red
grapes!) which help protect against premature aging.
Acai has been found to reduce the risk of cancer,
including digestive cancer,
and it supports a healthy nervous system.
Acai
originates in the Brazilian rainforest and comes from the Acai
Palm Tree. It will go bad within 24 hours of being picked,
so fresh Acai is not an option. The pulp is harvested and
frozen for shipping or dehydrated into a powder form and then
freeze-dried. It may be hard to find right now, but most
health food stores will have it in either energy bars or juice.
|
 Blueberries
are chock full of antioxidants and have been shown to
lower high cholesterol. Blueberries also protect
the nervous
system from oxidative damage. |
 Cherries
work to reduce inflammation inflammation. Cherries reduce, and
in some patients, end arthritis pain.
The anthocyanins found in cherry also reduce the consumers risk
of cancer. |
 Cranberries have long been known to eliminate urinary tract infections,
but they can also help protect you from airborne viral infections. |
 Goji
berries originate in Asia. This red
berry contains extremely high levels of antioxidants,
vitamins, and minerals, plus many unique phytochemicals,
polysaccharides, and complex compounds.
|
 Mangosteen
isa tropical fruit of
attractive shape, color and excellent flavor. It has
great economic potential and is often referred to as
"Queen of Fruits" or "the finest fruit of the world." A
major limitation to the development of a mangosteen
industry is the long pre-bearing stage (8-15 years) that
seedlings take to bear fruits for the first time. A
study was undertaken to determine the effects of various
shade and fertilizer treatments on growth of young
mangosteen plants. It was found that plants grown under
50% shade and supplied with nine grams of a 15-11-13
(N-P205-K20) commercial fertilizer accumulated
significantly more dry matter, had thicker stems, grew
taller and developed a larger leaf area. The
recommendations made in this study are highly
transferable and will be used by Extension Specialists
and commercial nurseries. |
 Noni
is a small evergreen shrub that is a member of the
coffee family. Noni cultivation for commercial use is
mainly concentrated the the Big Island of Hawaii, but it
is found on all the islands. Noni fruits are harvested
year round, but production is lower during the winter
months.
Noni is extremely potent in reducing the risk of
cancer and it boosts the immune system.
All parts of the noni plant have uses, but the fruit is
of greatest commercial value. The fruit and fruit juice
contain compounds that may help counter aging-related
diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, high blood
pressure, and arthritis. Noni is also being studied to
watch it's effects in cancer patients. |
 Pomegranates
are native to Iran and Turkey. The pomegranate is a complex structure
which contains many seeded berries inside a leathery husk.
Pomegranates are grown on all
continents except Antarctica. The United States
leads in production (primarily California's San Joaquin
Valley), followed by Turkey,
Tunisia, and Spain. There are
3,000 varieties, but only one variety,
Wonderful, is commonly grown worldwide.
Pomegranate is good for you, because it is low in
calories and sodium while providing potassium, vitamin C
and antioxidants. 100% pomegranate juice is a little
bitter and not sweet. When it comes to fruit juices, the
best taste may mean the worst nutrition.
An 8-ounce glass of pomegranate juice can deliver
over 30 grams of sugars, so if
you' have trouble with blood sugar levels, either diabetes or hypoglycemia, you should
never drink pomegranate
juice on an empty stomach. If you eat pomegranate seeds,
the natural seed fibers will slow the absorption of the
pomegranate sugars and thus, it is easier for your body
to process. Pure pomegranate juice is better for
your blood sugar than blends containing apple juice or
grape juice. Pomegranate sugars do not appear to
raise blood sugar levels as easily as other fruit
sugars.
Humans motor skills and cognitive thinking abilities
decline with age. This has been thought to be due
to the long-term effects of oxidative stress and
inflammation. Findings have suggested that these
declines can be slowed by increasing the dietary intake
of natural antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
Pomegranates have been shown to be anti-cancer and to
protect the heart and the cardiovascular system.
|
It is best to drink any juice while eating a salad or
other fiber-filled foods, such as oatmeal or bran, which will
keep the blood sugar levels from spiking.
All berries
contains nutrients that have long been used as natural
medicines. The rule of thumb is that the smaller the berry
or the more vibrant the color, the
more nutrients it has. Cherries, strawberries and grapes are not nearly as
medicinally powerful as smaller berries like cranberries, black
berries,
red raspberries, acai or red currants. Bright colors usually
have a higher density of these medicinal nutrients.
Eat or drink a variety of berries and
other superfruits to get the best results.
Consumers are often misled when it comes to juices at the
stores. Raw juice is always healthier than pasteurized
juice. Many of the nutrients are destroyed in the heat
processing during pasteurization. Concentrated juices are
often imported from all over the world and are reconstituted
with water. When the water is initially removed, nutrients
are lost in the process. This makes it less nutritionally
viable than raw juice. Plus, these reconstituted juices,
since they come from all over, do not have the same stringent
health requirements in place. Juice companies do not have
to list where the juice originated, but it often comes from
China and China is not doing too well these days when it comes
to the safety standards!
Try to stick to organic juices. They are higher in
vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, which are natural plant
medicines for us. Plus, there should be no cancer-causing
pesticides even in trace amounts. But, if you can't find
organic, drink the regular store juice. Any juice is
better than no juice.
Be sure you read your labels. Many juices claim to be
the juices with high nutritional values, but in actuality, they
may be made with mostly less expensive juices like apple juice
and grape juice, which have much less nutritional value.
Make certain you are getting what you need. Skip the
juices that are not 100% of the juice you are choosing.
Make sure that you don't buy juice that uses sodium benzoate
which is used to preserve juice or corn syrup, sucrose or sugar
which are used as sweeteners. |
