Eating and drinking fruits and vegetables that are in-season is so important. As the seasons have transitioned from summer to autumn, I have played around with fall produce a lot more than usual, especially while juicing. It is such an important time to really up our colorful fruit and vegetable intake to keep our immune system strong. To be honest, I am a huge summer fruit lover, I love juicy peaches and a fresh bowl of Farmers Market berries. But I do find joy in all fruits in all seasons for different reasons. Eating in-season produce provides more nutrition and flavor and when produce isn’t in season, it undergoes early picking, cooling and heating which of course reduces the flavor. When I think of fall, my mind quickly hops to orange root vegetables, lots of sweet potatoes, carrots and apples. After playing around with different juices, I fell in love with this Autumn Energizing juice, as it not only looks like sunshine but tastes like it. It is packed with different vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system feeling good during the colder months (even in California it has been getting down into the 40’s).
Root vegetables are called the “Powerhouse of Nutrition”. Because the roots absorb the water and nutrients to feed the rest of the plant, root vegetables are a huge help in boosting the health of gut bacteria.
Benefits
Let’s dig “underground” and learn more about these healing fruits and vegetables and their health benefits.
Carrots
Carrots are extremely good for your eyes, this is their greatest superpower. They are very rich in beta-carotene, a compound that your body quickly changes into vitamin A. They are also very high in vitamin C which is wonderful for preventing illness in our bodies.
Apples
Apples are healthy for our heart and have prebiotic effects which promote good bacteria in the gut.
Sweet Potato
Sweet Potatoes have a significant amount of magnesium. Magnesium helps to relax the body, so I like to think of Sweet Potatoes as a natural stress reliever for the body and mind.
Golden Beets
Golden Beets are high in powerful antioxidants. Beets are incredible for brain health and have been shown to particularly improve blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain, which is associated with higher level thinking.
Turmeric
Turmeric is nature’s medicine. It has a glowing reputation for a reason and is truly next level for fighting inflammation in the body.
Ginger
Ginger is among the healthiest spices on this planet. It works wonders for calming nausea and also has enzymes that help aid in digestion.
Produce
When juicing I highly recommend to use organic produce when possible. When you juice non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables that have been grown using pesticides, you are not only consuming the nutrients but preventing the juice to be giving you the benefits it should. This is why I recommend to buy organic or at your local farmers market.
Ingredients:
– 3 Large Orange Carrots
– 2 Red Apples (Any Type)
– 1 Large Orange Sweet Potato
– 3 Golden Beets
– 2 Inches of Turmeric
– 2 Inches of Ginger
How To:
1 Scrub your produce clean
2 Chop your produce into smaller pieces to make it easier for the juicer to process (Mainly the Sweet Potato)
3 Juice all the produce into a juicer
4 Once all produce is juiced, you can either stir and pour into your favorite glass or store it in the fridge
5 Sip in bliss!
x Emily