It’s no surprise that in an effort to live healthier, juicing has become so popular with counter top juicers in many kitchens. However, before you join the “juicing craze”, it’s important to understand what these drinks can, and cannot, do for your overall health.

If you’re not into fruits and veggies as whole foods, juicing is one way to get them in, helping you to meet the daily recommendations for intake in a single, tasty drink.

But, experts warn, don’t count on juicing as your sole source of good-for-you fruits and veggies. You’re not off the hook for eating these foods just because you’re choosing healthier beverages. You still want to try for two whole fruits and three to four veggies a day, in different colors, as each brings different vitamins and minerals to the body, in addition to what you drink.

If you go online you’ll find lots of juicing fans, as well as claims about what juicing can do for you. You might hear that juicing can boost your immune system and reduce your risk of cancer. And while it is true that eating a plant-based diet is associated with lower risk of heart disease and cancer, there’s not a lot of research on juicing.

What studies have been done on juicing and the immune system find benefits, but these are likely due to the consumption of fruits and veggies, in juice or in solid form.

Some use juicing as an extreme type of weight loss. Trouble is you can’t keep it up for long, and you probably aren’t getting enough fiber to give you a sensation of fullness. Juice only diets leave you far more tempted to eat something tasty because of the restriction. Protein too is likely limited, and this causes you to lose muscle mass instead of fat, which is not the way to go – research has consistently shown that protein is essential to preserving muscle mass while trying to lose weight.

In terms of cleansing the body, experts contend that the liver and kidneys do that just fine on their own, whether you’re juicing or not. There’s no research or paper that supports the idea of cleansing happening because you’re drinking juice.

Fans also claim that juicing is better than eating the whole fruit or veggie because the body absorbs the nutrients more easily, giving the digestive system a rest from fiber. What’s more, the juice, having been processed by the juicer, won’t have the same nutrients as the whole food.

You see juicing machines remove the juice from whole fruits or veggies, a process that reduces the number of nutrients because the skin is taken off. Juicing also takes away the pulp, a source of beneficial fiber. You can add some of this back into the juice, or use it for cooking by adding it to muffins or cakes, or using it as broth for soup, rice or pasta.

Another thing, juicing machines aren’t cheap – ranging in price from $50 to as much as $400. Some of the more expensive models do break down a lot of the fruit you put in by grinding the core, rind and even the seeds of a fruit or veggie. But, you don’t need the fancy juicing machine to make juice; your household blender will work great for most whole fruits or veggies, keeping the fiber in the mix. Just add water if the mixture gets too thick, and remove some seeds, rinds and certain skins.

When juicing, you need to think about the calories and sugar you’re taking in. A midsized piece of fruit has almost 60 calories, a cup of veggies or three cups of leafy greens about 25. Each 60 calories of fruit works out to almost 4 ounces of juice… and a typical serving of juice is 12 to 16 ounces. Those calories can add up, especially if you’re using lots of fruits in your juices.

To add more protein to juices consider almond milk, Greek yogurt, flaxseed or even peanut butter.

When you juice, be sure to follow some common sense safety guidance…

- Wash your hands before touching the fruits, veggies.

- Thoroughly clean the produce by gently rubbing it under running water.

- Hand wash the juicer unit in hot, soapy water and let all parts dry completely before putting away. If it’s dishwasher safe, use the sanitize cycle.

- Drink juice the same day, as it isn’t pasteurized, and don’t keep juice longer than 1 week.

If you decide to give juicing a try, talk to your health care provider about your plans. Large amounts of foods high in vitamin K (kale and spinach for example) might change how a drug you’re taking now works.

Let’s face it; at this time of year, there are lots of tasty holiday goodies about. Things you know in your head are not good for your heart or your waistline, but that doesn’t seem to matter as you give in to temptation.

Many believe that the good feeling that comes from eating these trans fat laden foods will last and last. In fact, according to the research from Spain just published in the Nutrition Journal, the good feeling that comes from indulgence in these treats doesn’t linger for long. Intriguing that the higher trans fat intake was linked to higher levels of depression, and the lowest scores on exams created to measure quality of life.

The most recent study on trans fats and quality of life conducted by Spanish researchers was designed to see if different types of fats had any effect on the quality of life (functional health, happiness and well being).

Over 8,400 subjects who were taking part in an ongoing Spanish nutrition study were used for the latest project. All the participants filled out a 136-item questionnaire on food when they started the program, four years later they completed a health survey intended to assess their current quality of life.

Trans fats were alone in showing a significant association with quality of life scores according to lead researcher Christina Ruano of the University of Las Palmas de Gram Canaria.

Participants whose diets had the most trans fats were also more likely to report things that were associated with a poorer quality of life. Things like feeling worn out, having a negative attitude toward both work and social life or holding negative beliefs about their own future health.

Of course trans fats are a recognized part of a poor diet and this likely has an impact on mood and how people feel. If you’re putting bad things into your body all the time, it’s not likely to feel very good or energized. Still, it’s not at all clear, even to the experts, that trans fats alone are to blame for a decreased quality of life.

Participants in the latest research were all college educated, and their average intake of trans fats was almost half that of the Spanish population in general, one quarter that of most Americans. This has researchers believing that the association could be even more robust in populations that have higher intakes of trans fats.

Trans fats are lab created with a process that adds hydrogen to liquid oil so that it becomes more solid. Once upon a time they seemed like a good idea, enhancing flavor, texture and shelf life to many foods.

You see these fats most often in fried fast foods, and heavily processed items like pastries, crackers and cookies. And while they taste good, they then go through your digestive tract and into your arteries, where they turn dangerous. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats to under 7% of your total daily calorie intake, trans fats to less than 1%.

If you’re concerned about your own intake, there are things you can do. Shop smart and read nutrition facts carefully on any product you buy. Watch out for labels that say “0 Trans Fats” as the FDA allows this to be used on any product that has 0.5 grams of these fats per serving. Some of these items cost more, but not all of them do. Be sure to also look at the total fat content (saturated fat included) and choose products that have the least amount of fats or that use healthier canola oil.

Now here’s a reason to get up and get active in the New Year. A new bit of research appearing in PLoS Medicine finds that even if obesity is in your genes, you can fight back with exercise.

Being active is able to reduce the effects of the so-called “fat mass and obesity associated” (FTO for short) obesity gene. Earlier work has found that almost 74% of all U.S. adults who are of European ancestry carry a genetic variation of the FTO gene that can bring weight gain… putting too many of us on the slippery slope of obesity.

For the study, the team, led by Ruth J.F. Loos of the U.K.’s Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit examined data on an impressively sized sample, more than 218,000 adults, to be sure the gene does raise the risk of becoming obese. They saw that indeed it did, but that adults who exercised as a regular part of their routine had a 33% lower risk of being obese when compared to more sedentary adults.

The take home message, according to experts, is that even if something is wired into your genetic code, you can do something to manage the effect it will have on you… and your future health.

There are things you can do, today and every day that will keep this nasty gene from having its way and leaving you dangerously heavy and at higher risk for disease. Rather than giving in to your “fate”, experts encourage you to fight even harder, because you can beat the genetics. Regular exercise is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Other experts who work in the genetics of obesity have discovered that the FTO gene has people craving an added 200 more calories each day. It’s all about the consumption of calories not how the body handles those calories, so it makes sense that offsetting the extra intake, say by a 2 mile walk, can have quite an impact.

This latest work might also help in the development of medications to block the effect of the FTO gene, though testing for the gene is still rather controversial.

In a PLoS Medicine editorial published along with the research, J. Lennert Veerman, PhD, a senior fellow out of the School of Population Health at Australia’s University of Queensland suggests that testing for genetics associated with obesity doesn’t change the advice you’d give to an obese patient. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet and exercise on a daily basis – this is good advice to anyone, regardless of genes.

The encouraging news in all of this is that, yet again, we see plainly the value of lifestyle choices when it comes to our own health. We can, and do, have control – we are not at the mercy of our genetics. While not smoking is one of the most important choices we make in order to keep both lungs and heart healthy, eating a balanced, natural diet and exercising regularly are equally important. These choices help us avoid packing on the pounds and upping the chances of dangerous, life-altering conditions like diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer.

Yes, yard work can be wonderful workouts. Workouts shouldn’t be a chore. Turn these chores into workouts and reap the calorie-burning benefits.

Sesame seeds have a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible crunch.  Depending on the variety, they can be white, yellow, black or red.  Sesame seeds are valued for their oil, which is very resistant to rancidity.  These seeds were thought to have first originated in India.  From India Sesame seeds were introduced to West Asia, Africa and Asia.  Currently, the largest commercial producers of sesame seeds are India, China and Mexico.

I just saw this recipe and had to share it. Hope that you do not mind.

DeeJay Santos of McCormick at the SM Hypermarket Master Chefs cooking marathon.