Juicing for Clear Skin

Interested in how to get clear skin? Juicing can help! First, juicing can help in keeping us hydrated, which is very important in developing clear skin. Second, juicing provides us with an abundance of vitamins and minerals, some (if not all!) of which is essential for healthy skin. Last but not least, juicing detoxifies all of the bodies cells!

Vitamins for Clear Skin:

Vitamin A is essential in developing and maintaining the epithelial tissue. This is the outer tissue of the body such as skin. Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, also protects skin cells from some of the damage of free radicals. Free radicals are responsible for the aging process.

Vitamin B2 is essential for the body’s growth mechanisms, therefore it benefits the growth of skin, as well as hair and nails.

Vitamin B3 helps promote blood circulation around the body, which in turn helps deliver more nutrients to more of the skin cells.

Vitamin B5 is also referred to as the “anti-stress vitamin” because it plays an important role in regulating hormone production of the adrenal glands and helping to combat stress. Stress is a recognized contributor in skin flare ups.

Vitamin B6 deficiency can lead to dry and cracking skin, especially around the mouth.

Vitamin C is an essential component of collagen. Collagen is a protein found in the skin that gives it elasticity and youthfulness. It should not be understated how important collagen is for the health of your skin. The minerals iron and copper are also important components in the make up of collagen.

Vitamin E is an important and key antioxidant for protecting the skin from ultra-violet light, pollution and smoke.

Recipe for Clear Skin #1 – Blackberry Juice

4 cups of blackberries

Wash berries thoroughly and juice. Blackberries (and berries generally) actually contain all of the above listed vitamins, so they are the perfect fruit for you to have clear skin! They are particularly high in vitamins A, C and E.

Recipe for Clear Skin #2 – Berry Medley

1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of blackberries
1 cup of raspberries
1 cup of strawberries

This juice is both nutritious and delicious and loaded with great skin vitamins.

Recipe for Clear Skin #3 – Clear Skin Vegetable Juice!

3 large carrots
1 celery stalk
1 cup of of broccoli heads
1 cup of spinach
1/2 apple

These vegetables will ensure you get your daily dose of healthy skin nutrition! This is also a great juice for a total body cleanse.

How to Make a Healthy Juice

A FUN and EASY way to get more vitamins & minerals into your diet is by drinking freshly made fruit juices, vegetable juices, and by blending thick and frothy smoothies and shakes from frozen fruit. 

A friend of mine describes drinking freshly made fruit juices like this:

"If you have never taken a mouthful of cantaloupe juice or strawberry juice mixed with apple, you simply have not lived. Blueberry juice is a taste of liquid heaven."

Freshly made juices are a tremendous source of bio-available vitamins and minerals which are the partners of enzymes and co-enzymes.  Vitamins activate enzymes and without vitamins, enzymes could not carry out their work, and we could not live.

Enzymes act as catalysts in hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that take place throughout your body, and are  essential for digesting, absorbing and converting food into body tissue.  Enzymes produce energy at the cellular level and are critical for most of the metabolic activities taking place in your body every second of every day.

Another benefit of drinking fresh juices and smoothies is that your body can absorb MORE of the vitamins and minerals then if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole!  Many of the nutrients are TRAPPED in the fiber and by blending fruits and vegetables, you break down the fiber and release the vital nutrients.  

Example:When you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate a small percentage of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, a LARGE percentage of the beta carotene can be assimilated by your body.

Of course, you still need to eat whole produce because fiber is also an important part of your daily diet.

 

Meeting you or your children's need for energy and nutrients is essential for good health. Children who do not meet their needs for energy may stop growing and gaining weight.  In severe situations, they can develop a condition which is life threatening called protein energy malnutrition.  Vitamins and minerals are only required in very small amounts, but a diet insufficient in these can cause SEVERE deficiency diseases.

You may be showing signs of malnutrition if you . . .

• feel tired and weak.
• feel like you never have the energy to clean your home,
  make meals or even do the dishes.
• have difficulty losing or gaining weight.
• can't easily get to sleep.
• feel stressed and/or nervous.
• feel drowsy during the day.
• sometimes can't concentrate, you're mind feels numb,
  or you get confused easily.
• have problems with your digestion.
• have constipation and/or hard dry stools.
• have mood swings, or get easily upset.
• don't have patience for anything.
• sometimes feel depressed.
• have overly dry or oily skin.
• sometimes have nausea and/or abdominal pain.
• have annoying eye twitches.
• bruise easily.
• have muscle cramps and/or low back pain.
• sometimes get cracks and sores in the corners of your mouth.
• notice that your nails have become thin and/or brittle.
• are losing your hair.
• have water retention.
• have uncontrollable temper outbursts.
• don't eat a well-balanced nutritious diet EVERY DAY

Natural vitamins are found only in living things, that is, plants and animals. Your body, with a few exceptions, can't manufacture vitamins. They must be supplied in your food or in dietary supplements but supplements can't replace food, especially fruits and vegetables which provide thousands of substances, some of which have well-known functions, and some whose roles in the human body are not yet understood or recognized.

 

Vitamins and minerals . . .

• reduce your risk of getting a stroke or heart attack!
• strengthen your nails!
• improve your hair condition, strength and growth by providing certain essential nutrients to the hair follicle!
• beautify your skin by keeping it smooth, soft and disease-free!
• provide essential compounds that are necessary for growth, health, normal metabolism and physical well-being!  Without them, you would die!  
• promote normal growth and development!
• maintain bone density and strength!
• regulate blood clotting!
• help in the function of nerves and muscles, including regulating a normal heart beat!

When it comes to choosing a healthy diet for their children, many parents don't realize the important role that beverages play.  For example, fruit flavored drinks and soft drinks are not a substitute for real fruit. Many of these drinks only contain 10% real fruit juice.  The very best drinks are made from whole fruit and you can make great healthy drinks at home.  

How to make homemade fruit and vegetable juices:

1. You will need an inexpensive juice machine.  
2. All fruits and vegetables should be juiced raw.
3. Small seeded fruit, such as watermelon and pears, may be juiced with their seeds, with the exception of papaya and apple seeds.  Orange and grapefruit seeds might impart a bitter taste to your juice.  Remove the large pits from fruits like peaches and nectarines, etc. 
4. Peel all fruits and vegetables that are not organically grown because the peel is where most of the chemical residues can be found.  While most skins of organically grown fruits and vegetables may be left on, with the exception of waxed produce, the skins of pineapples, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits and papaya should be removed.  
5. Choose fresh ripe produce.  Rubbery vegetables, bruised fruit, wilted greens and over or under-ripe fruits will produce juices that are neither tasty nor healthful.
6. Cut the fruits or vegetables into pieces that will fit into the mouth of your juice machine.  Turn the juice machine on and push the pieces through the mouth of the juicer.  As you juice, pulp will collect in a large receptacle.  If you don't clean the pulp out right away, it will develop a sour odor and tiny gnats and fruit flies may appear after 8 to 10 hours.
7. It is best to drink freshly made juices within one day.