Pineapple and Starfruit Juice

A drink with a great and refreshing taste that helps dispel heatiness from one's body and relief cough and phlegm

What you will need:    
2 starfruits
300ml pineapple juice (try to use fresh pineapples instead of canned ones)
15ml honey
10ml lemon

Method
1. Rinse the starfruits, cut into slices and discard the seeds.
2. Add the starfruit slices and pineapple juice into juicer
3. Strain the juice and pour into a glass
4. Stir juice with honey and lemon added with ice before serving

Benefits:
Starfruits have high vitamin content, fibre and organic acids such as malic, citric and oxalic acids. All these components in a starfruit help dispel heat from our body, relieve cough and sore throats, dissolve phlegm and prevent constipation.

Pineapples are high in fibre and vitamin C that aid our body to prevent and fight infections. They help with movement of bowels and aid digestion too!

Tips:
When choosing starfruits, choose firm and heavy ones. Their skin should also be bright golden-yellow in colour.

Take note:
Starfruits tend to turn mouldy easily if placed in airtight containers. This is due to water vapor accumulating in an enclosed space. Hence, starfruits should be stored in areas with plenty of ventilation.

When preparing juice that has starfruit in it or serving a fruit platter that contains starfruit, one should cut them at the later moments of preparation as starfruit flesh tend to oxidise or decolourise when exposed to air for long periods. If need be, place the starfruit slices in ice water with a little bit of salt so that it would prevent the oxidation and colour change occurring rapidly.


Eat well and stay healthy!

Strawberry and Mango Juice Smoothie Recipe!

This is a cooling and refreshing drink/smoothie to make during a hot summer's day or under humid weather.


What you will need:   
A cup of frozen strawberries
A mango
1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt and 100ml pineapple juice
A cup of crushed Ice

Method
1. Rinse and peel the mango, discard the pit and cut into slices.
2. Rinse the strawberries, remove the leaves and caps and cut into halves
3. Put frozen strawberries, mango slices, yoghurt, pineapple juice and crushed ice into blender and blend till smooth
4. Pour mixture in glass and serve.

Benefits:
Strawberries are a high source of vitamin C which helps beautify our complexion. It also helps protect our body from common illnesses such as flu and influenza. Strawberries keep our gums strong and prevent gum bleeding as well.

Mangoes are rich in vitamin A, which improves our eyesight and beautifies our complexion. It also contains potassium which strengthens our muscles and improves our nervous system. Mangoes also contain a host of other minerals that prevent the hardening of arteries so that our blood pressure won't increase.

Yoghurt, it is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, which are both necessary for maintaining healthy bones. They also contain probiotics which are good for our intestine lining and digestion.




Tips:
Strawberries are fragile fruits and should be handled with care as the y bruise easily. Choose strawberries that are firm, shiny and brightly coloured. They should have an intact bright green cap with fresh green leaves as well.

As strawberries have thin surfaces, they tend to lose moisture to surroundings easily. I suggest placing strawberries in an air tight container while storing them in the refrigerator to minimize contact with surrounding air so they remain fresher for a longer period.

Choose mangoes with a yellowish orange peel with brownish spots on it. The mango should also be smooth and firm as you touch it to ensure it is ripe and fresh.
Remember that mangoes have a short shelf life and should be stored in room temperatures so that it can remain fresh longer.

Take note:
 Frequent consumption of fruits that are high in potassium such as mangoes (including bananas) may lead to excessive potassium in the body. Therefore, our kidneys will need to remove these excess potassium from our body. People with weak kidneys should try avoid consuming fruits or juices that have high potassium content so as not to put strain on their kidneys
Enjoy and take care!

Apple and Carrot Juice

What you will need:      

2 Apples
450g Carrots
15ml honey
15ml lemon juice

Method 

1. Rinse and peel the apples. Cut into pieces
2. Rinse carrots, remove the stem of the carrot and cut it into pieces
3. Pour all ingredients into juicer and make sure its thoroughly mixed.
4. Add lemon juice and stir.
5. Finally, add crushed ice and serve in a serving glass.

Benefits:

Apples are rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, malic acid and fibre. They help beautify complexion, lowering one's cholesterol and reduce high blood pressure.

The high amount of beta carotene found in carrots is known to prevent cancer. Also, as beta carotene gets converted to vitamin A in the body, it helps to improve eyesight and reduce hair loss.

The combination of those two fruits mixed as juice serves as a great thirst quencher as well.

Tips:

Remember to blend and serve quickly as once the apples are cut, the apple pieces will start to oxidize and may spoil the taste of the juice if left by itself for a longer period

When choosing carrots, choose thick carrots with a smooth bright orange surface. Avoid those with dark patches or cracks. Avoid carrots that appear to be worm eaten too.

For apples, choose those with a bright red colour and a glossy feel. The feeling of the apple should be smooth as well.

Tips For Making Fruit and Vegetable Juices

 

Tip 1 - Do I use a Fruit Blender or a Fruit Juicer?




A blender would be recommended if most of the fruits and vegetables blended to juice are of the fibrous type. Such fruits and vegetables would include celery and pineapple. A blender would separate the fruit residue from the juice after blending, which would save you the trouble of straining your fruit juice.

A juicer on the other hand is more suitable for soft fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers and kiwis. Take note that straining has to done if one wants to enjoy their juice without residue when using a juicer


Tip 2 - Use only fresh ingredients

Fruits and vegetables tend to lose their nutrients once they are left uneaten after a long period, especially after being exposed to heat. This will cause fruits and vegetables to turn bad easily, and lose their flavour and nutritive value. Also, since fruits are eaten raw, it is even more important that fresh and clean fruits are used so the juices made can be safe for consumption.

Tip 3- Prepare the juices quickly

The longer time you take to prepare your juice, the more nutrients you lose. Once the juice is blended, pour out immediately and serve. Refrain from over blending as juice becomes bitter after awhile

Tip 4- Add ice for better tasting juice  



Trust me on this one. Ice added to juice makes the drink more refreshing. It also helps make thick juices easier for consumption as it dilutes the juice slightly. Crushed ice can be added together with the fruits during blending. This not only helps the juice taste better, but also reduces bubbling and prevents the fruit juices from oxidizing. Thus, the colour of the fruit juice would look more appealing and less vitamins will be lost along the way.

Tip 5- Add lemon juice at the last stage of juice preparation

This make the juice much more delicious and gives your juice a nice fragrance as you serve the drink to yourself, family and friends!