After trying it, however, I soon found that vegetable juice could serve as the perfect afternoon snack or beginning to a meal. It curbs your appetite while delivering lots of nutrition.

The best form of vegetable juice is when it is juiced fresh—taking raw vegetables and sending them through a “juicer” machine that removes pulp and squeezes out the juice. This is a practice you may want to consider once you have tried juicing and are sure you would like to continue. However, since most of us are on a college budget and schedule, this is not such a feasible option.

If you would like to sample fresh vegetable juices without having to purchase your own machine I encourage you to investigate some of the local restaurants and eateries that make their own vegetable and fruit juices. One such establishment is Smoothie & Juice, located on Clayton Road in the same strip mall as Schnucks. It has an excellent selection of juices, some of which are combined for optimal organ-system cleansing.

But how reliable are these assertions? Do they actually “cleanse” your systems? To a certain extent there is validity to the claims, as plenty of research has been done on the effect vegetables have on the organ systems. For example, some of them act as diuretics, flushing the body of water, and others as laxatives, which cleanse the colon. When combined in concentrated amounts and put into just one glass, it is reasonable to expect that the benefits of vegetables are present in even greater concentrations.

What juice promoters fail to mention is that eating vegetables, raw or cooked, can be more satiating because they contain the fiber and cellulose that are removed during juicing. So why juice at all? The basic idea of drinking vegetable juice is to get the vitamins and minerals provided by vegetables in a concentrated and tasty way as well as to mix them in ways that provide additional direct health benefits.

If you’re interested in learning how to juice, I encourage you to check out some books from the library or even a local bookstore to learn more about the perceived health benefits.

For now, I have outlined the benefits of the most commonly packaged vegetable juices—carrot, tomato and vegetable blends:

Carrot juice:

As one of the most potent sources of Vitamin A in our daily diets, carrots are often touted as a “sight-improving” food. Vitamin A strengthens eyes, proving especially helpful in sharpening night vision. The average eight-ounce glass of juice contains two to three carrots.

Carrots are also rich sources of Vitamin E, which is linked to new growth and cell division and is used by the body to renew and repair tissues. Vitamin E strengthens nails, hair and enamel on teeth, and because it promotes healthy cell growth and division, it is believed to play an essential role in preventing cancerous cells from developing.

To change up the recipe, try mixing 100 percent carrot juice with orange juice for a jumpstart to your morning, or mix with apple juice for an afternoon snack.

Tomato juice:

Tomato juice contains a concentrated amount of lycopene, a plant pigment and phytochemical that has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Because the effects of this phytochemical are enhanced when ingested in larger quantities, tomato juice is the optimal way to get plenty of lycopene—as much as it would probably take eating three or more full tomatoes to reach the amount of lycopene in just one eight-ounce glass of tomato juice.

There has also been a factor found in tomato juice that results in blood thinning, which reduces the chances of clotting diseases and other conditions such as sickle-cell anemia and type 2 diabetes. Tomato juice also contains Vitamin C and potassium, both of which are used for daily metabolic processes and bolster the immune system. The juice reduces hunger, improves digestion and when mixed with spinach juice will relieve constipation.

Mixed vegetable juice:

V8 and other brands do a great job of mixing proportions of tomato juice, watercress, spinach, beets, etc. Beets and carrots in combination improve circulation and have been linked to liver cleansing. Parsley, celery and carrots in combination are used for kidney stimulation. Kale and spinach are often added to other mixes to improve elimination, and ginger has been known to lessen nausea and improve digestion.

There are several combinations of vegetable juice available for sale, including low-sodium, high-fiber, immunity-improving and a spicy flavor for the more adventurous vegetable juice drinkers. You can find a variety of these bottled mixed vegetable juices in most on-campus eateries.

Of course, juicing is not for everyone. In the event that it is not for you, stick to raw or cooked vegetables and you’ll do just fine. But if eating vegetables is not your thing, I strongly encourage you to try drinking them, because, ironically, vegetable juice tends to be a more palatable way for non-veggie eaters to get the nutrition they need in a fast and convenient way.

Sources: www.soymilk.com, health-care.eu, www.living-foods.com