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.

Before Making your Delicious Juice

*Before you begin 


One must have the knowledge that fruits and vegetable juices are consumed in raw form. Therefore all fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly washed and cleaned before being placed in the blender.

I suggest fruits and vegetables meant for juicing to be first soaked in salt water to remove any chemical residues coming from pesticides. After that, rinse the vegetables under running water for about 2-4 minutes or scrub them clean in warm water to ensure they are safe for consumption.

Lastly, when making juices, avoid having too much or too many varieties of fruits and vegetables in a single day as this may force our body to secrete complex gastric juices that may lead to indigestion instead.

The combinations of fruits and vegetables for you too blend is entirely up to you to decide, or you can use the ideas in the following recipes that i shall post later on. So unless there is any food item you should avoid, you can mix any combinations of fruits to your liking. However try not to over indulge in juices that are too sweet or too sour! :)