Nutritionists and doctors advise that fruits should be essential part of diets. But many people do not have the time to eat fruits, so they settle for ready-made fruit juice which could be bought from shops.
If only one could regard the benefits of fruit juices, which justifies the stress. However, the stress in juicing the fruit at home could be reduced.
Mabel Idiagbonya, a nutritionist, revealed that fruits contain vitamins which regulate metabolism and help in the conversion of fats and carbohydrates into energy.
“Fruits have protective effect as they can protect the body from major diseases like cancer and heart disease. They are also one of the best non-prescription drugs. When some people have catarrh, they think of oranges first,” she explained.
Fruit juices contain all the goodness of the whole product in a condensed form. Nobody will be willing to take five oranges at a single meal, but juicing concentrates the five oranges into a single glass of nutrients that the body can quickly assimilate.
One can either buy packaged fruit juice or find the time to do it at home with or without a juicer or a blender.
The packaged juices have many varieties and combination of fruits but “why I abstain from them is that they are not all natural, as additives would have been added,” said Bunmi Edomwonyi, a food and nutrition teacher.
She is one of those who prefer to juice at home. She explained that juicing manually, without juicer, can be pretty easy if one knows what to do and can experiment with different combinations.
Easy methods
Juicing lime, lemon and orange is the same way. The first thing is to roll them between the palms or on a clean flat surface like a table counter. “This will help in bursting open some of the individual segments inside these fruits to be able to get more out of them,” explained Edomwonyi.
It is advisable to cut it lengthwise rather than clockwise which makes it easier to grip and squeeze.
Using a fork, remove the seeds and squeeze out the juice before pouring through a sieve to remove leftover seeds and pulps.
Watermelon contains about 70 per cent of water; so more juice can be extracted from it. Just cut it into small chunks, squeeze with the hand into a bowl and pass it through a strainer. This method may not give you as much juice as you may want.
But Edomwonyi has a better method. “Put small chunks in a muslin cloth, hold tightly at the top and start squeezing over a bowl. As you crush with your hands, you will be surprised at the amount of juice coming out,” she explained.
Getting the juice out of a pineapple can seem difficult without a juicer, but if one knows what to do, it is just a stroll in the park. The best and easiest way is the ‘beat and grind’ method. Edomwonyi clarified that the ripe pineapple should be thoroughly washed as a whole. Then using a wooden spoon, one can start ‘beating’ it to break it up inside; thus it will be very soft outside to the point of almost bursting.
“You can now put it in a clean tray or bowl and grind as if you are using a grinding stone. The more you do this, the more juice you get out of it. Pass the juice through a strainer and it is ready to drink,” she explained.
A great juice
For you to get the best out of juicing, take advantage of fruits in season. You can also add fresh ginger to give it a little kick. It is advisable to immediately store it in the fridge and consume it when you are ready.
It should be poured in a jar with an air-tight lid and filled it to the very top to allow minimal amount of air in the jar, so that oxidisation does not occur.
