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I was recently asked to provide some information on fresh juice vs bottled juice for an upcoming article in a big natural health magazine in Australia. I thought I’d share some of that information with you here as it’s important to know the difference. Don’t think that drinking a bottled cranberry juice is anything like a fresh vegetable and fruit juice – they are not even in the same stratosphere!

Fresh juice vs store bought bottled juice – which is better and why?

Freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices are brimming with live enzymes, chlorophyll (in juices made with leafy greens) and organic water and very quickly deliver deep hydration and oxygen to the cells and bloodstream. Bottled, store-bought juices, on the other hand, have lost many of their life-giving enzymes, the nutritional properties have been largely compromised and they often contain added colourings and fake and refined sugars. In addition juices made fresh with live foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables give your body a concentrated dose of pure Life Force Energy, the force that breathes life into every living thing. Bottled juices only serve to deplete this vital Life Force. If you need any more convincing, just try drinking a freshly pressed, organic fruit and vegetable juice one day and then a bottled juice the next and notice the difference in the lift it gives you!

What is the best way to consume juice and why is it best done this way?

For maximum absorption, it is always best to consume freshly pressed juices on an empty stomach, ideally as the first thing you consume in your day, after only pure water. However, fresh juice is a fantastic addition to your diet at any time of day – just always do your best to drink it on an empty stomach. Fifteen minutes is enough time to wait after drinking your juice before eating if you drink less than 500ml. If you drink 500ml or more, it is best to wait 45 minutes to one hour before consuming anything else to allow the juice to be fully absorbed and digested.

If you want to drink your freshly pressed juice later in the day, always wait a minimum of 3 hours after your previous meal. So your afternoon might look like this: Lunch meal at 2pm, followed by 750ml freshly pressed juice at 5pm, followed by your dinner meal at 6pm.

Is fruit or vegetable juice better?

While fruits and their juices have amazing nutritional properties, they are not ideal to include in large quantities in freshly pressed juices. Unfortunately with our environment, lifestyles and food and drink choices what they are today, almost every person has too much yeast in their body (particularly women), fueling the fire that causes innumerable symptoms and diseases common to our population today. Fruit, despite its benefits, contains natural sugars which yeasts thrive off. Stick to fresh vegetable juices as much as possible with lemons and limes to sweeten. A small amount of low sugar fruits like green apples, grapefruit and berries would also be good options to flavour your vegetable juices. A bit of apple, a lime or lemon and an inch of ginger, or carrots and beetroot, almost always add the flavour and sweetness needed for bitter vegetable juices.

Why is vegetable juice the leader of the pack?

Vegetables are “safe” choices for your juices always. Not only are they powerhouses full of live enzymes, nutrition, chlorophyll and Life Force in liquid form, they do not have the potential drawbacks of the fruit sugars. Emphasise the leafy greens in your freshly pressed juices for optimum nutrition, energy and bounce in your step!

Are the juices from juice bars OK?

Provided you stick to fresh vegetables and fruits only in your juices and no extras like whey, protein powders, yogurts, sugars, etc, juice bars can be a convenient option. It is always best to find an organic or health foods cafe however that make fresh juices as the quality of their produce and the variety of fruit and vegetables they have available to juice will always be much greater.

My final tip:

If you do nothing else but add 500ml to one litre of freshly pressed vegetable juice (with a little fruit) to your diet everyday, you will be doing your body such a huge favour it will thank you long into the future! There are countless examples of people healing and rejuvenating with dramatic results just from including fresh juices in their diet daily. Drink up!

So after all that talking about the powers of fresh juice, here’s a yummy juicy recipe for you to try:

Rainbow In A Glass

6 carrots
2 beetroots
1 cucumber
6 stalks celery
1 lime
1 inch of ginger
Optional: 1-2 apples or a few drops of stevia to sweeten if it’s too “vegetabley” for you

Juice all the ingredients and enjoy all the colours of the rainbow pouring into you and enlivening you!

P.S. This is a very small sample of some of the content I will be covering in my Awaken Your Va-Va-VOOM group coaching program, starting April 16. Go here for details.

P.P.S. Have you signed up for my FREE teleclass yet “Seven Ways to Ignite Your Va-Va-VOOM…and Keep It Alight Forever!” yet?