Smoothie-Cubes Freeze the Nutrition
Fruit Juices should be consumed within an hour of processing to get maximum benefit. But the trouble of making fresh juice every time makes people opt for sugar laden and preservative filled packaged juices. Reasons for fresh juice degradation are oxidation of nutrients, heat damaging of enzymes, storage conditions and the rate depends on types of vegetable and fruits used.
Can people be motivated to consume homemade fruit juices if the processing labor is reduced a bit by juicing for 2-3 days and preserving it with least degradation? The answer is “Yes”. We have to slow down oxidation and prevent loss of enzymes as much as possible.
Tips to slow down the degradation-
Use of slow speed blender/ masticating juicer.
Juicing with the pulp(smoothie). Fiber slows down oxidation.
Adding citrus fruits like lime or lemon(with rind) to slow oxidation.
Keeping fruits and vegetable in refrigerator before juicing/adding cold water/ice cubes.
Use air tight containers almost filled up to the brim.
Keeping all these in mind I prefer freezing Smoothie-Cubes in an air tight ice cube box straight away(available online ). It can also be frozen in popsicle moulds making it healthy iced lollies for kids.
My favourite is a drink made by adding cubes of Pomelo, Lemon and Orange zest smoothie to honey water. Works well for alcoholic drinks too. 😉
Aloe Vera juice cubes work well both for drinking and for external applications. Can be kept in air tight containers for more than a month.
The popular weight loss drink made by cucumber, lemon, ginger and mint can also be stored in a similar way.
Pinacolada ice cubes and iced lollies are a favorite at home. (recipe from Goodhousekeeping)
So this summer say no to packaged juices. Try these smoothie cubes with whatever juicing apparatus you have. You will surely lose a bit of the vitamins and delicate minerals but the phytonutrients are more hardy so you’ll probably still be able to preserve that.
Photo
