Put the squeeze on health

Why would you voluntarily drink up a blended bitter round? Norbert Rego asks around and come up with some testy pointers

So, do you really enjoy that blended bottle gourd or bitter gourd first things in the morning? Well, a lot of people surprisingly do. And what’s more, juices bars are not just mushrooming all around town, but are becoming popular hot sport too. Health aficionados across age groups are flocking to freshly made juices that are even quickly replacing those from tetra packs.

        Tarana Masand, fashion designer, takes a combination of vegetable juices everyday. “I take any three different juices. It makes me feel better keeps me full. Vegetable juices make you feel active, lighter, your skin and hear feel better,” she says.

        Karnvir Bohra, film personality, feels juices should not be kept for more than half an hour. “Every morning, my wife and I drink spinach and tomato juice, which is good for our eyes and complexion. Amla juice is good for our hair.” he says.

        What’s the fuss about juices anyway? Well, firstly, many people eat the same vegetables everyday. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chances of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can have a wide variety of vegetable that you may not normally eat. Vegetable juices cab not be made from every vegetable, unlike fruit juices. They help you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables and allow you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. Juices in short, are almost a one-stop dose of every thing your body needs.

        “It is water, flavours, pigments, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and nutrients working synergistically to give your body the materials that promote healing, energy and protection from disease. But there is still a mystery left undefined. There is a miracle of energy supplied by live plants and fruits that comes from nothing else,” says Dr Ashwani Chopra, Delhi-based physician and gastroenterologist.

        But there are still rules that you must follow while juicing. The juice must be prepared fresh and consumed soon after, or else it will lead to loss of essential vitamins and antioxidants. Vegetables must be washed thoroughly before preparing the juice. Avoid straining/discarding the pulp of the vegetables, as it will lead to loss of fiber. Use a pinch of rock salt instead of adding sugar. Limejuice enhances iron absorption and ginger, garlic and cardamom add not just flavour but also aid digestion. Mix it up-use different vegetable every day. Avoid consuming any food an hour before or after a glass of juice for enhanced nutrient absorption. If you must buy, choose juices without preservatives or added suger. Dudhi, amla, mix-vegetables, tomato, cabbage, spinach, karela and wheat grass are healthier options for diabetice and people on weigh loss. And don’t try juices of vegetables you are allergic to.

        “Juices should be a part of your diet but they should be of high quality and junk-free. Besides nutrients, there are certain things called ‘helper nutrients’ and there are all found in row fruits and vegetables.

        Drinking raw vegetable or fruits juice is basically eating food the way God made it,” adds Dr Chopra.

        Juice bars have now become new health hotspot. Amoretto, a juice bar chain, has positions itself as a health and fitness brand with out lets in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Juice Zone, North America’s juice brand, has set shop Gurgaon and new Delhi with franchisees in Ahmedabad, Jodpur, Faridabad, Pune and Mumbai. HAS Juice Bar in Mumbai offer is a vest range of vegetable juices.

        “Vegetable juices are good for all age groups. However, at no cast should they replace your daily katori of vegetables. When it is a choice between bowls of raw home-cooked vegetables, then vegetables win hands down as compared to juices. Vegetable juices are a good way to meet the recommended allowances for the vegetable group. An average Indian adult is recommended 5-6 servings of vegetables per day. At least one third of this requirement can be met with a glass of, “juice” says Dr Richa Anand, executive dietician Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai.