To cure a hangover, nutritionist Sarah Lockenmeyer suggests having a shot. But the drink she recommends isn't made from alcohol. It?s made from wheat grass juice, a superfood typically sold as a one-ounce ?shot? because of its strong taste.
?Wheat grass is packed with B-12 vitamins, which help the body recover after a night of drinking,? says Lockenmeyer, who works at Basin Bar, a juice bar in Asbury Park.
Basin Bar owner Regine Flimlin says customers call her establishment ?the day-after bar? because they rely on the vitamin-rich wheat grass shots and other organic vegetable and fruit juices to revitalize their systems after overindulging in alcohol.
You don?t have to suffer from a hangover to reap the benefits of juiced fruits and vegetables. The nutritious beverages can be made at home using a juicer or purchased at places such as Basin Bar, Bodhi in Somerset, Tico?s Eatery & Juice Bar in Princeton, Asana House Juice Bar and Lounge in Montclair, The Health Shoppe in Morristown, Namaste Cafe Organic Juice Bar in New Brunswick and Dean's Natural Food Market in Ocean and Shrewsbury. They can be a healthful everyday addition to the diet, according to Tina Marinaccio, a registered dietitian.
Turning fruits and vegetables into a juice instead of eating them whole makes it easier to reach the recommended five-to-nine daily servings of produce, says Marinaccio, who owns Health Dynamic, a nutrition counseling center in Morristown.
?Juicing is not any healthier than eating fruits and vegetables raw, but it can be very healthful for people who aren?t getting enough fruits and veggies in their diet,? Marinaccio says.
A lack of produce in his diet is what drove John Leary of Metuchen to try juicing.
?There is no way I would be willing to eat five whole carrots and two apples in one serving, but all of that is in my juice,? says Leary, who makes his own carrot-apple juice at home as well as purchases juices at Namaste Cafe Organic Juice Bar. ?I try to have juice once a day.?
Marinaccio says juicing is also beneficial for people who aren?t getting enough variety in their diet. Kim Shah, of Piscataway, began making her own juice so she could include more beets, which are high in iron, and ginger, a natural antioxidant, into her daily diet. She combines the two with carrots and apples to make a juice. ?It tastes really yummy,? says Shah, who works as a health coach. ?I wouldn't eat ginger on a daily basis, but if I put it in a juice I eat it every day.?'
Juicing vegetables also makes it easier to consume their most beneficial parts, Lockenmeyer says. Many people only eat the leafy portion of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and kale, leaving the stems, which often contain the most vitamins, behind. At Basin Bar, the entire vegetable, stems and roots included, goes into the beverage, she says.
While there are many benefits to drinking fresh vegetable and fruit juices, there are also issues to consider before adding large amounts of it to the diet, Marinaccio says.
Juices made at home or at a juice bar usually have not been pasteurized, which means they have been heated to a certain temperature and then cooled. This process slows bacteria growth, so juice made at home or purchased at a juice bar should be consumed right away, before bacteria has a chance to grow, according to Marinaccio.
?Only make as much as you can drink at once,?' she says.
When produce is juiced instead of eaten whole, most of the fiber is removed. That is why it is important to use juice as a supplement to whole fruits and vegetables and not as a replacement, Marinaccio says. Fruit juices can be high in sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation, especially by people with diabetes. When consuming a product from a juice bar, Marinaccio recommends asking to see calorie information.
?Try and keep it to under 300 per drink,? she says. People trying to maintain their weight should stick to vegetable-based juices instead of fruit, Marinaccio adds.
Many people are skeptical of vegetable juices at first, but most learn to love them over time, according to Flimlin.
?Most people start out with a mix of fruits and vegetable, and then as their body starts to heal ? they amp it up and try just veggie juices,?? Flimlin says. ?Your taste buds start to change, and you start craving healthier foods.??
Carrot juice is a good start for those looking to drink more vegtable juice, says Leary, president of the board at George Street Food Co-op in New Brunswick. ?Carrot is the bridge between the vegetable world and the fruit world,?? he says. ?Start with that and then start branching out from there.?
Those new to juice shouldn?t be afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. Leary says juice bars are a great place to expand the palate.
?That's the real joy about going to a juice bar; they combine flavors you would never think to combine at home,? says Leary, who always hated beets until he tried them mixed into a juice.
Drinking juices may change more than just what vegetables and fruits are consumed. Lockenmeyer says regular juice drinking can change the taste buds entirely.
?You put a plate of fries in front of someone after they have started juicing and they don't want it. They notice the salt, the grease ? your taste is almost heightened,? she says. ?When you are healthier, you are less likely to put bad things into your body.??
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