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The Benefits of Healthy Drinks
By poisoneyes | February 7, 2008
Before I start my posting on ‘Fresh Juice’ I would like to share with you people about The Benefits of Healthy Drinks. Please spend some of your precious time reading it. Perhaps it will help you and your family too in the future with the information given. 
Taking vitamin and mineral supplements has now become part of our routine as a safeguard to maintain good health. Although supplements can be very useful, they shouldn’t take the place of a healthy, balanced diet full of nutrient-rich foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables eaten in their raw state, and juices made from them, are very nutritious, cleansing and balancing for the while body, and they also offer the greatest supply of vitamins and minerals. Drinking a glass of juice is so much tastier and more satisfying than taking a multivitamin tables, and is much better for you than convenience products. Fruit and vegetables can also be blended with other healthy components to provide different flavours, textures and drinks for any occasion.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds that are effective in very small amounts. The body can’t make them for itself, yet they are vital for good health. Therefore, they have to be ingested daily, preferably from a natural source, for maximum benefit to the body, i.e. in the form of good fresh food. We need vitamins to energize the body’s metabolism, and to stimulate its growth and repair mechanisms. A serious vitamin deficiency can lead to disease. Here is the range of vitamins found in fresh juices.
Vitamin A (retinol): Needed for growth and development, proper eyesight and the maintenance of the skin. Carrots and green vegetables have the greatest quantities in the form of beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A for use in the body by the liver.
Vitamin B-Complex: B1 (thiamin); B2 (riboflavin); B3 (niacin); B6 (pyridoxine); B12 (cobalamin); biotin; folic acid; and pantothenic acid - these vitamins work together to help with digestion, and aid resistance to infection. Whole grains are rich in these vitamins, and among fruit and vegetables, green vegetables, sprouting seeds and citrus fruits contain the most significant amounts
Vitamin C: An antioxidant (it is incapable of being destroyed by oxygen - see below). Helps the body to protect the nerves, glands, tissues and joints from oxidation, and aids the absorption of iron. All fresh fruits and vegetables contain this vitamin.
Vitamin E: An antioxidant that aids in the function of the heart and the proper use of fatty acids. Whole grains, seeds and nuts are good sources, as are green vegetables.
Antioxidants: There is an increasing body of information about the value of these vitamins and minerals. Research is being carried out on the protection by antioxidants against degenerative diseases, and their ability to stabilize “free radicals” (an atom or group of atoms containing at least one unpaired electron and existing for a brief period of time before reacting to produce a stable molecule). Free radicals react with molecules in our bodies and put our cells at risk, which in turn leads to degeneration in our bodies. They are generated by toxins which get into our bodies from pollution in the air.
Minerals
Minerals found in food sources are very different from those supplied by supplements. They are always accompanied bu specific amino acids and vitamins, which the body recognizes and can put to use straight away. They help maintain our energy levels, nerves, muscles, hair and bones. They keep the blood clean and at the right pH (acid/alkaline) balance. These are some of the minerals found in fruit juices, with a description of their direct action on the body.
Calcium: Maintains pH balance; strengthens teeth and bones.
Germanium: An antioxidant, it allegedly aids function of immune system, and helps reduce high-blood pressure.
Iodine: Enables the thyroid gland to maintain the body’s metabolism.
Iron: Part of the blood: helps transport oxygen around the body for cell respiration and for heart and lung operation.
Magnesium: Helps the body use proteins, produce energy and keep the cells in good repair.
Manganese: Necessary for maintaining the body’s nervous-system structure; activates enzymes concerned with energy release.
Phosphorus: A structural component to bones and teeth. which helps with energy release.
Potassium: Maintains the chemical balances in all the muscles, including the heart; aids energy production and maintains water balance in the cells.
Selenium: An antioxidant that works alongside vitamin E to delay oxidation of fatty acids.
Sodium: Works with potassium, calcium and magnesium to neutralize acids, maintain water balance in the cells, and maintain cell and tissue energy.
Sulphur: An essential part of the body’s function and general well being.
Kathyrn Hawkins
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
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