If you’re not already on it, it’s time to jump on the juicing bandwagon! Juicing is a great way to meet your daily fruit needs in your diet, and the benefits they pack are incredible! We’ve got the top 5 essential fruit juices that all men must try.
1. Beet juice
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Beet juice is especially beneficial for endurance athletes. Want to run further, workout longer, and easily add extra miles to your bout of cycling? Beet juice is what you’ll need as it is considered an endurance powerhouse. According to registered dietitian Barbara Lewin, beetroot juice contains nitrates, which the body converts to nitric acid, boosting dilation of the blood vessels. This promotes increased blood flow capacity decreased oxygen needs of the muscles.1 In turn, this allows active individuals to perform more efficiently and for longer durations.
You’ll reap the most benefits by building up the levels of beet juice in your body days leading up to your event. If you want to give this essential fruit juice a shot, aim for 6-8 ounces each day in the 3-4 days leading up to your event.
2. Tart cherry juice
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Looking for a great post-workout recovery drink to go along with your usual protein shake? Tart cherry juice may be perfect for you. This juice has properties that are beneficial for everyone, especially those who really push themselves during their workouts day in and day out. Tart cherry juice reduces muscle soreness, weakness, and inflammation via it’s concentrated amounts of anthocyanins.2 Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.3
Drink 8-12 ounces of tart cherry juice within 30 minutes post-workout to reap the most benefits. Tart cherry juice will keep you feeling great and help you stay on track so that you don’t have to take any extra or unwarranted rest days!
3. Lemon juice
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Lemon juice is great for your digestive health and weight maintenance amongst other things. Lemons contain citric acid, which stimulates digestive juices and helps to break down fats in the body.4 This can help with body fat reduction and normalize your digestive health. Lemon juice is also thought to help increase alertness, as well as combat anxiety and fatigue, which can benefit us each and every day.
Start your day off by squeezing half of a fresh lemon into an 8-ounce glass of water each morning.
4. Blackberry juice
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While it may take three cups of fresh blackberries to make one cup of blackberry juice – it’s worth it. Blackberry juice helps the body to tolerate stress, aids in the breakdown of carbohydrates, and many antioxidant properties.5 It’s also a fruit juice that can help you to meet many of your vitamin and mineral needs as it has high amounts of potassium, vitamin C, and folate.
For active men in particular, 1 serving (1 cup) of blackberry juice is essential for optimal cartilage, tendon, and ligament health because of it’s high vitamin C content.
5. Pomegranate juice
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Pomegranate juice is so important for men and it is particularly beneficial for heart and prostate health. Relative to heart health, this fruit juice aids in the lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as helps to inhibit platelet activity, which helps to reduce one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.6 In terms of prostate health, pomegranate juice has shown to improve erectile dysfunction, slow prostate specific antigen levels, and slow the reproduction of prostate cancer cells.6
This essential fruit juice is also considered to support immune system and brain health. Drink 8-12 ounces of pure pomegranate juice to reap the most benefits.
