Comparing apples to apples, and other fall fruits

Apples, pears, and grapes: the vitamins in these fall favorites will help you boost your healthy immunity, and the sweetness of late-season fruits will excite your taste buds (and distract them away from the Halloween candy that’s already popping out!).

If you have been reading my blogs for a while, you know how I have touched on the benefits of a juice cleanse. I use apples as a base in a lot of my juices.  One of my favorite juicing recipes for energy is apple, carrot, and ginger.  Consider trying some new varieties of apples this fall.  I was amazed to learn that there are more than 7,500 varieties of apples, with 2,500 grown in the U.S., according to SelectHealth.org.

In the 1980s, the top U.S. apple producers mainly focused on Red and Golden Delicious apples. Horticulturalists eventually started creating new varieties, although Red Delicious is still the most popular.  SelectHealth says that Gala may soon take the top spot, then Red then Granny Smith.  Other varieties gaining popularity are the tangy/sweet Honeycrisps, tart Cripps Pinks, and sweet Ambrosias and Smittens.

The big question:  Which one is healthiest?  They are all packed with fiber and heart-healthy flavonoids that help blood vessels relax, which positively impacts blood pressure.  

Pears are plentiful this time of year too, and are sweetest when they’re soft to the touch.  Bartlett pears turn yellow when ripe and at peak flavor.  Pear juice mixes well with guava and pineapple.

Grapes get even sweeter in the fall.  According to produce experts, the cooler fall nights intensify the flavor of grapes, while the hot days allow them to keep ripening.  Green grapes that are turning the slightest bit amber will be super sweet.  And red grapes are equally good. When I do a juice cleanse, I always use grapes as they as so powerful in pulling toxins from the body.

While kale is always available, it’s really coming into season now.  I love juicing kale with pineapple, apple, cucumber, and green grapes.  My kids love this and don’t even know that nutrient-dense kale is in it.  What is in it?  Lots of vitamin A, K, B6, and C, plus calcium, copper, and manganese.

To capture the bounty of fall and every season, Is juicing healthy? Absolutely I devote a few hours once a week to cleaning my fruits and veggies, and making enough juice to last all week.  Just bottle it up and it’s on-the-go daily nutrition for the whole family.

As a Juice Therapist these are just some of my pro tips. If you are looking for some recipes to do a juice cleanse or want to know more about the benefits of a juice cleanse, check out Evie’s Enlivening Juice List featuring my enlightened list of juicing essentials plus some of my favorite recipes to get started.