Each and every individual has a desire to live a long and healthy life which is free of diseases and disorders. Thus, one persistently make efforts too to achieve good health and to maintain it for as long as possible. If one falls ill, he makes all the efforts to gain his health back as soon as possible. Juices extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables have an ability to fulfill this desire of mankind. Juices when consumed regularly can help a person live a long and healthy life and keep all diseases at bay. For this, it's essential that we extract most of the nutrients present in these fruits and vegetables. Otherwise, even regular consumption of these juices will not yield as great benefits as expected.

One rule that is very important and should always be taken care of is that juice consumed has to be fresh always. Thus, fruits and vegetables chosen to extract juice has to be fresh and free from impurities or microbes. Only freshly extracted juice in which all the essential nutrients are present is effective in curing ailments and maintaining health. Vitamin A present in certain vegetables which is also known as carotene is very susceptible to oxygen present in atmosphere. For example, if carrot is left unused after been chopped for almost 20-25 minutes then most of Vitamin A present in it gets lots. Vitamin C is present in excess in lemon, orange, raw mango and other such citric fruits. If these sources rich in Vitamin C are not used immediately when they are fresh and left unused for almost 1 month then almost 40% of its nutrients get lost. Even the cold temperature of refrigerator cannot save its nutrients from been lost. Thus, care should be taken that fruits and vegetables are fresh while purchasing them and after bringing them home they should be consumed fresh. Excess of purchase of fruits and vegetables and then storing them in refrigerator for months together is of no use. In the same way, one must take care that as soon as fruits and vegetables are chopped they should be consumed immediately that can be in the form of salad or in any other form and the same goes with extracted juices too. Preparing liters of juices together and then consuming them in small amount throughout the day will not produce any desired effect. The whole purpose of juice therapy gets lost if care is not taken. Our purpose behind consuming juices should be extracting and consuming maximum amount of nutrients from these rich sources.

Before extracting juices out of vegetables and fruits, it is essential that we clean them thoroughly. Once cleaned, their skin has to be peeled. Later they should be chopped in small pieces and transferred to juicer for extraction of fresh juice. Apart from juicer, other techniques can also be used for juice extraction but this whole process should take place quickly. Delay should not be made to extract juice after fruit or vegetable has been peeled and chopped. Likewise as soon as juice is extracted, it has to be consumed immediately. This will enable maximum benefits as maximum nutrients enter our body. Nutrients present in juice get lost when it comes in contact with air. Thus, the whole process has to be carried out efficiently and quickly. Many essential nutrients are hidden in fibers of various fruits and vegetables. Thus, during juice extraction its essential that these fibers are finely mashed. Juice has to be filtered before it is consumed. It should not contain any skin or pulp in it. The whole aim of juice therapy is that digestive system has to take minimal load and maximum benefits has to be derived. If the juice is unfiltered or else even if it contains even small traces of pulp or outer peel then essential nutrients cannot be obtained in maximum amount from this therapy.

There is a special method to drink freshly extracted juice. It should not be gulped down quickly. Rather it should be consumed very slowly. Slow consumption enables it to mix thoroughly with saliva. Digestive juices present in saliva help in breakdown of sugar present in juices and thus digestion starts in oral cavity itself even before juice enters stomach. In this way, within half an hour the whole juice gets digested and we get benefited as our body derives maximum nutrients present in it. If the whole aim of juice therapy is to achieve good health and get rid of diseases then the freshly prepared juice should never be tempered by adding sugar, salt, black pepper or any other ingredient for better taste. These kind of additions are not good for health. They can enrich the taste of juice but will exert negative effects on the essential nutrients present in the juice. If taste of certain juices which are extracted out of certain vegetables or green leafy vegetables is not good then addition of few drops of lemon juice can make wonders or even addition of a fruit to it like an apple can mask the whole unpleasant taste and aroma as well as make it more nutritious and enable us to derive maximum benefits.

Now a days lots or processed juices are available in market. These tetra packed juices are of no use when the whole aim of juice therapy is to gain good health. These juices may be far more appealing to taste buds. However, when it comes to deriving essential nutrients, they lack in this aspect. Apart from it they are made extra sweet by adding sugar or artificial sweeteners which again is not good for health but definitely can amuse taste buds. Preservatives and other chemical agents present in them are harmful to the body. Purchasing such packaged juices available in market and then storing them in refrigerator and using them as and when required is slowly becoming a trend today. It definitely saves lots of time and effort that is required to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables and then extract juices from them but the fact cannot be denied that it is nutrient deficient. Before juices are packed in tetra packs or bottles, lots of chemical treatment is done on them. The whole process destroys the nutrient present in fruits and vegetables. However, they are labelled as fresh juice and it only means that they are extracted from fresh fruits. This whole storing process and chemical treatment done on juices take away its goodness and the available packaged material is of no use with respect to health. Thus, we shouldn't make a mistake of assuming these kind of packaged juices as fresh and healthy. Companies manufacturing such juices add sugar and other sorts of chemicals to them which will preserve the whole color, aroma, taste etc..... of juice for months together. Chemicals used in the juices like benzoic acid, sulphuric acid etc..... are not good for health. Fruits first are chemically treated and then the juices are extracted from them. The whole extraction process is lengthy and goes through various steps. Most important step is that extracted juice is exposed to high temperature which will enable destruction of microbes present in it. This heating up will take away all the essential nutrients present in it.

From nutrition point of view there is a wide spread difference between fresh juices and packaged juices. For example, freshly extracted carrot juice contains 8 mg of Vitamin C whereas packaged carrot juice only contains 2 mg of Vitamin C. Spinach juice which is freshly extracted has almost 51 mg of Vitamin C and packaged spinach juice can only give 14 mg of Vitamin C. Not only these kind of packaged juices are nutrient deficient but also pose a lots of problems. The chemicals present in them are known to cause ulcer, urinary tract disorders, cancer, tooth decay etc..... Thus, seasonal fruits and vegetables have to be freshly purchased from market and freshly extracted juices have to be consumed for good health and disease free life.

Method Of Juice Extraction:-

First and foremost thing should be taken care of is that one should always purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes, local vendors for weeks together keep the fruits and vegetables with them in their store and thereby purchasing of such aged fruits and vegetables is of no use. Most of the essential nutrients are lost on storage. Next thing is to pick each and every fruit and vegetable carefully. They should not be rotten. If there is presence of even small pin point darkened area on them then such fruit or vegetable should not be purchased. Freshness can be determined with their fullness, color, aroma etc..... Fruits and vegetables main constituent is water. Gradually as they age, water content in them decreases. Thus, fresh ones will have fullness as well as their color will be bright and also each and every fruit and vegetable has its own distinct aroma. When all these factors are present then one can purchase them. Fruits should be ripe but not extra ripe while purchasing. It is always better to consume organic fruits and vegetables as organic farming does not include spraying of harmful pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers etc.... Organic fruits and vegetables are a little expensive when compared to other fruits and vegetables but are full of essential nutrients and free of any harm. Vegetables grown in one's own garden are best when compared to any farming.

Electric juicers are considered as best appliance when in comes to extraction of juices of fruits and vegetables. These appliances easily and completely mash not only pulp but in fact even peel of fruits and vegetables and thus extract all essential nutrients from them. No other method is as effective as extraction done by juicer. If juicer is not available, one can mash fruits and vegetables or else grind them in mixer and then can filter the juice to separate juice from pulp and skin. Before subjecting fruit or vegetable for extraction, they should be washed properly. Then they should be cubed into small chunks. If their skin is not hard enough and edible then they should not be peeled as lots of nutrients are present in their skin. As soon as fruits and vegetables are chopped, immediately their juice has to be extracted. If necessary a little water can be added. The resultant juice should be free of pulp and peel and thus it should be properly filtered. Once prepared this juice has to be consumed immediately without any delay. If it is left unused or else if any sort of delay is made then most of the vitamins present in it come in contact with atmospheric air and are lost. Juice has to be slowly gulped down with each sip and not whole glass at a time. Once juice is extracted, juicer has to be cleaned properly with warm water to make it germ free. If juicer is contaminated with germs, the whole juicing system will lose its purpose and importance.

Portion Size Of Juices:-

It is well known that no matter how much amount of juice one consumes it does not exert any negative effects on the body. It only exerts positive beneficial effects on body and health. A diseased person is seen to be becoming disease free at a rapid rate. It increases the healing process, throws away the excess waste and harmful toxins out of the body and kick starts the metabolism.

People usually when become disease prone and are not able to treat their diseases or disorders with the help of any medication are seen adopting juicing therapy as their new life style. Until this time, it can be said that they have tortured their whole digestive system and body by adopting unhealthy life style and wrong and untimely eating patterns. They have been very undisciplined towards their whole body system. To correct all the ill-effects that have been exerted on the whole body system by irregular eating habits and not so disciplined life, they will require plenty amount of juices. Cancer specialists recommend drinking at least 5 or even more liters of juices everyday for cancer patients. This dose is for them who wants to be on juice therapy for a prolonged duration. A healthy individual should normally consume 2-3 liters of juices everyday to improve his health. A duration of 2-2.5 hours should be kept in between intake of juices and should be consumed 5-6 times a day. Each time 0.5 to 0.75 liters of juice can be consumed. A person who is physically fit and has adopted juice therapy and if his aim is to maintain his health in long run should also at least drink 1 liter of variety of fresh fruits and vegetable juices on a daily basis. People who have already adopted a healthy life style and are eating balanced healthy diet in which raw foods are a part of it, need not consume juices in excess amount.

Juices of ginger, onion and raw turmeric are very thick and should not be consumed more than 20-25 ml per day. 1 tsp of garlic juice per day is more than enough. In the same way, daily intake of juice of fresh coriander leaves and basil leaves should not exceed 20-25 ml. Sometimes, one needs to add a little water to extract juices from certain types of fruits and vegetables. Patients adopting juicing therapy to treat their long-term illness or chronic diseases should make use of variety of fruits and vegetables and should make it a point to drink at least 5-6 liters of juice daily. In such long-term illness and chronic diseases, juicing therapy prevents excess energy of body from been spend on digestion. Once a person comes out of his long-term illness, he can decrease the quantity of juices he was consuming and adopt a more healthy life style by including lots of raw vegetables, fruits, dry fruits and green leafy vegetables in his diet along with 1-1.5 liters of daily juice intake.

Timing Of Juice Therapy:-

A person adopting juice therapy often wants to know for how long should he follow this therapy. Another usually asked question is whether on juicing one can spend a longer duration. Research shows that one can spend their whole life time on juice therapy and wheat grass and still can see no harmful effects on health neither can one complain of depleted energy. One can derive lots of protein, vitamins, essential minerals, carbohydrates in the form of sugar from juices. But, there is no oil present in juices. Thus how will one derive the fat which is usually very essential for daily activities. Another problem is that fruits and vegetables available today are not very affordable and not easily available everywhere. When speaking about cities and small towns, fruits and vegetables are readily available but when question arises about rural areas where farming is not been done, even availability of seasonal fruits and vegetables is seen to be difficult. Thus this whole juice therapy is not very cheap. Apart from this an individual requires different varieties of foods to amuse his taste buds. Juice therapy cannot keep him bound and restricted for days together. He needs tasty foods and cannot spend his whole life drinking tasteless juices.

All these causes and conditions when kept in mind, time duration for which juicing system has to be followed can be fixed as follows:-

• To get rid of long-term illness and chronic diseases, it becomes essential to follow juice therapy for a long time.
• Once a person gets rid of his diseases or shows improvement in his illness can gradually decrease the amount of juices and start adopting a healthy life style by consuming lots of raw vegetables.
• For good taste, once or twice a week, one can consume cooked food.
• Depending on one's ability as well as depending on one's needs, one can adopt juice system if he wishes to give rest to digestive system or save physical strength.
• If one wishes to keep both body and mind healthy as well as active, then one should develop a habit of drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices along with raw or cooked food. This enables dual benefits. A person is neither deprived of tasty food nor his health is getting deteriorated.
• If once or twice a year for a duration of a week, if a person adopts juice therapy then his body will be detoxified and mild disorders and diseases will get corrected automatically.
• Along with juices, a person has to consume raw vegetables, green leafy vegetables, fruits, sprouts, dry fruits, cereals etc..... to maintain good health.

Juice fasting means drinking juices for whole day. One can although very well survive on juice therapy or juice fasting provided he has made up his mind to do so. Whereas others cannot survive only on juice fasting or juice therapy as strong determination and will power is very essential. If it is adopted for whole life time, it weakens digestive system and other organs of the body as digestive system is hardly made to do any digestion. As a result it weakens badly. Thus, one should not make up his mind to depend on juice therapy for life time. One thing to be kept in mind is that if main purpose of adopting juice therapy is to make oneself free from diseases, then one has to continue the usage of juices even after the disease has been cured efficiently. One should not become careless towards health and body as soon as one gets rid of his illness or disease. A healthy life style should be adopted and one should not go back to wrong eating habits where taste is always given priority above everything and nutrition takes a back seat. Any carelessness shown towards body is harmful for the health. Juice therapy can create wonders to the body and impart marvelous beneficial effects on the health. It provides good health as well as right amount of energy. At times, it comes to rescue like a life saver therapy. When all other medicines fail to show their effects, it brings a remarkable improvement in one's health status and inculcates habit of healthy living in an individual. If adequate amount of juices are consumed on a daily basis, life becomes becomes rich, peaceful, risk-free and active.

Combination Of Juices:-

Juices of pineapple, orange, carrot, apple, papaya etc..... can be consumed alone and are very tasty. However, if juicer is available, one can extract juices of various fruits and vegetables and combine them together which will create a variety.

Plums-Apple:- Equal quantities of plums and apples are taken. With the help of juicer, fresh juice is extracted and the taste of resultant juice is very different as plums are slightly citrus and apples are crunchy and less sweet.

Cocktail:- Equal quantities of pineapple, orange, grapes and apple are taken and juice is extracted. It is topped up with some ice cube or crushed ice. This is a very refreshing drink to enjoy.

Apple-Ginger-Cherry:- This juice can be prepared by mixing 1 cup of apple juice, 2 tsp juice of ginger and half cup cherry juice. This can be topped up by a few ice cubes.

Grapes-Pineapple:- 1 cup grapes and medium sized pineapple are used to extract juice. To this juice, 1 tsp of honey and some crushed ice added can greatly enrich its taste.

Black grapes-Pineapple-Figs:- 1 cup black grapes, few pieces of pineapple and 1 fig can be used to prepare this juice. This juice will have a peculiar but appealing taste.

Spinach-Carrot-Tomato:- Few spinach leaves, 3 carrots and 2 tomatoes are taken for juice extraction. 1/2 tsp lemon juice is added to the resultant juice. To this small amount of rock salt can also be added.