Juice Bars : Smoothie Smoothies Recipes


Benefits of Juicing and Juicers

Health drinks especially fresh fruit and vegetable juices as well as smoothies have in recent years become increasingly popular.  Because of this more and more juice bars are being set up in many high streets.  But you need to be aware that some don’t offer the same wholesome drinks as others.  As more and more people want to drink fruit smoothies so these can be found it just about any food outlet and complete fridges in supermarkets are used to show off the packaged versions.

As a result there are all sorts of denatured potions and frozen fruit syrups being blended and then sold to us as being healthy, and as a result it can be difficult to determine what you are actually getting.  In some cases the products you buy contain high amounts of sugar in them.  These types may be convenient for the food outlets but the quality to us is bad.

Raw Juice Drinks – Help Reduce Cravings and Help You with Weight Loss

It was Darwin who showed us how complex evolution is and explained where we came from and showed us the way our bodies adapt and evolve over time in relation to natural environment and the food we eat.  But evolutionary time goes slowly, but the way we obtain nourishment has changed very quickly during the last few thousand years.  No longer do we eat fresh fruits, nuts, roots and leaves that we have sought out in nature.  In fact the majority of use don’t know how wonderful it is to grow our own vegetables, and the nearest that most of us get to being hunter gatherers is when we quickly rush around the supermarket getting the groceries we need.

Along with natural foods, now we have an industry known as “food manufacturing” that spend time processing the foods we eat so that they can provide them to us in more diverse and interesting forms.  But unfortunately yes we have all these different varieties of foods but the problem is most of the nutritional value of the original natural ingredients they use will have been loss during the manufacturing processes.

As yet evolutionary processes have not caught up with the rapid changes made to our natural diets in the developed world.  In evolutionary terms it isn’t that long since we learnt to use fire and cook food.  Today there is plenty of evidence that shows how destructive eating lots of cooked food can be to our health.  We are still meant to be getting the full range of nutrients from the foods that nature offers us.  If we don’t get these then we continue to crave and look for those foods which will hopefully provide us with what we need.  As an extreme example, you can get all you want in a fast food outlet but you will still be undernourished if this is all you choose to eat and you will put on weight.

Your hunter gatherer instincts may have you seeking out convenience foods that are cooked and have little or no nutritional value and you will still have cravings even when your hunger has been satisfied.  This is because you haven’t been able to get the raw vital nutrients that your body needs.

The number of people in the western world who are obese or have diabetes has risen alarmingly because of our depleted diet which is high in sugar and fat.  So if you really want to take care of your body you need to make sure that it is getting a good range of living nutrients and you are far less likely to suffer cravings which will mean you are far less likely to heat foods that don’t have such nutrients in them because they are reduced through heat and processing.  By drinking raw fruit and vegetable juices you are giving your body super doses of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phyto-nutrients which would be in a form that Darwin feels would be ideally suited for the human digestive system.

By making your own raw, nutrient packed healthy drinks using a juicer and blender at home is a cost effective form of health insurance.  Many people who juice various ingredients often report that they start to lose weight because their food cravings have been reduced.

The main objective is to improve one’s health for any juicing enthusiast.  But you will be surprised to learn that along with helping to control weight vegetable juices taste delicious, especially if you have only ever drunk the preserved bottled juices from your local supermarket.  For those who are trying to lose weight by have a juice or smoothie for breakfast or lunch is not only healthy but is a risk free way to achieve your weight loss goals.  However, for most people the real benefit of this type of healthy lifestyle activity is you won’t actually need to diet.

You should use your juicer regularly and be selective as to what foods you eat and eat more of them in a raw state.  Plus you should do some moderate exercise and you should find your natural body weight without having to make it your main goal in life.

You Should Use Your Juice and Blender As Often As You Use Your Cooker

This is a very simple piece of advice as it show how important that eating foods in their raw state if you want to be get closer to a natural diet that we have evolved to consume.  If you want to improve your healthy then you need to own a good juicer and fairly powerful blender or smoothie maker so that you can create a wide array of living nutritional foods in liquid form in your own kitchen.

Juicers and blenders carry out different functions and the advantages they provide can be easily misunderstood.  Juicers separate the fibre or pulp of the fruit or vegetables from the liquid juices.  You need a good quality juicer so that most of the goodness gets extracted into the juice rather than left with the pulp.  In fact when it comes to non organic fruit and vegetables any residue agrochemicals will remain in the fibre, so getting rid of the pulp is a good thing.  As the fibre is removed so your body is able to absorb the raw fruit and vegetables juices more quickly and easily and less energy is needed to help digest them.

Juicers provide us with much of the goodness to be found in fruit and vegetables when extract the juice.  As much of the fibre is removed this means the quantity of goodness we get from the fruit and vegetables are far greater than if we were to eat them in their raw state.  If you were to put 1lb of carrots, half a head of celery and an apple through a juicer in a matter of minutes you would have most of the goodness your body needs in an easily digestible drink, which is not only full of minerals and vitamins but tastes delicious.  Whereas chewing and digesting the same ingredients would be a very arduous task.

With a juicer you are providing with a way to help improve your western diet by providing you with easy access to large amounts of living nutrients that cooking takes away from the food we eat.  You must ensure that you still consume an adequate amount of fibre in your diet, stripping this out with a juicer allows you access too many different nutrient rich drinks which can improve your health.

With a blender the fibre is left in and makes a thicker drink which we call a smoothie.  In recent years this is what most blenders in kitchens are used for and some manufacturers of blenders now market theirs as “smoothie makers”, which adds to our confusion.  Simply put there is no difference between a blender and a smoothie maker; they are in fact the same machine.

You need to be aware that these blended health drinks take much longer to digest than fresh juices do and offer different advantages.  These are more fruit based and the typical kind of health smoothie you would make at home would have apple, melon, and orange or pear juice from your juicer as the liquid base.  Then added to these would be frozen fruits such as bananas or berries which add texture and flavour.  These kinds of mixtures are easy to process in a good blender and smoothies go well with other healthy ingredients such as natural yoghurt, wheat germ and oatmeal.

Many raw food enthusiasts will purchase commercial grade blenders as these can blend fibrous raw vegetables in to raw soups along with make smoothies and other types of nutritional foods.  Fresh juices from a juicer can be satisfying but a smoothie made in a blender is more like having a meal in a glass.  This machine offers you the facility to blend different ingredients and super foods.  The smoothies and juices you drink can be customised to provide specific nutritional goals say for cleansing the body, providing energy, to help it repair and heal, to build up blood and much more.

So What Are You Waiting For?

By getting a juicer and blender which are built to be used on a daily basis will help to ensure that you are getting the health benefits in your own home from smoothies and fresh juice.  Remember fresh is best.  Yes you could walk into a juice bar each day to get what you want, but you will find it much more fun making your own juices and smoothies at home.

With the economic situation at the moment you can squeeze quite a lot of juice without it affecting your finances when you make them yourself.  Along with the possibility of losing weight you are going to be spending far less because you are going to be having more natural ingredients in your diet instead of relying on the convenience of processed foods that cost more.  In all likelihood you will begin to benefit in other ways as well, you will have more energy and vitality, you will get far less colds and sniffles in the winter, plus you won’t become so tired and your immune system will have been boosted.

If you haven’t started already then the sooner you get juicing or making your own smoothies the sooner you will start to reap the benefits that these healthy drinks have to offer.  Remember that no juicer and blender is the same so you should invest money in the tried and tested models which will make juicing and blending more enjoyable.

If you need a blender that will be required to regularly blend frozen fruit then make sure it is powerful.  In fact you should consider getting a masticating juicer as these will extract more goodness compared to the common centrifugal kinds of juicers which are readily available on the high street.

Today UK Juicers Limited offer a delivery service across Europe on a wide selection of juicers and blenders that are proven to work.  Plus they offer a bespoke email and phone advice service to help you decide which would be the right juicer or blender for you.

- UKJuicers

Starting A Smoothie Business

Is there room in your town for a Smoothie business? Juice bars are popping up in most towns and cities in the UK. Their offering is healthy, nutritious, easy to make, fun and very tasty!

Fruit & vegetable juices definitely beat most other foods having lower calories, higher vitamin and mineral content and are low in fat. They have been recognized as preventing many types of illnesses caused by our fast food / low nutrition diet.

Every fruit and vegetable has its own unique mixture of vitamins and minerals which you can use to make up for many deficiencies in your diet.

Juice on the move – they are great to be consumed on the move in this high pace world in which we live in. With a decent lid and a straw you are unlikely to make a mess either in your office or car. Who has the time to sit down, peel fruit, eat it and then wash your hands?

You can offer supplements in your juice like added Vitamin C, Ginseng, Mint or even Garlic to make your offering even more tempting to the new vitamin popping generation. Why not go the full distance and serve organic fruit and vegetable juices?

Profit margins are good and equipment costs are low. All you need are several juice machines, good quality fruit & vegetables, nice decor and the ability to work hard.

You need to have the right type of footfall though. Find a site that has a lot of younger people passing by. Ideal location would be in walking distance of a large trendy shopping mall and a big complex of offices.

Initial expenses can be high for marketing your new business. You have to let people know you have arrived by sending out emails & doing leaflet drops. Advertise in the local newspaper and radio. Offer free juice to the first thousand customers and people are sure to know that you have arrived!

Try and come up with trendy names for your juices. It might be just pure orange juice to you but how about “Refreshing Orange Bang” for a name? Your apple juice could be called “The Green Devil” whilst carrot juice could possible be named “The Energizer”.

Branding is everything in this business. Choose trendy colors that immediately scream fruit. Use reds, greens & orange in your logo and shop front design. Your slogan should echo the healthy aspects of your products. Possible slogans could include “Crave the taste & Improve your Health” or how about “The Juice that Packs a Healthy Punch”?

Smoothies are not just fruit drinks; they can also be an alternative to a snack or light meal for people who are worried about their expanding waistlines. Add healthy, easy to make sandwiches to complement your nutritious range.

Making fruit juice is easy. The real challenge lies in picking the right site, establishing your brand, building goodwill (and reputation) and generating repeat business.

For the entrepreneur starting out in business, a juice bar can be a fun business with decent profit potential.

- Naz Daud





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