THE JUICE ON JUICING

 

Drinking vegetable and fruit juices is something I have gone through phases with over the years. I should point out here that I’m certainly not talking about pasteurized “freshly squeezed” bottled juices, but rather freshly pressed vegetable/fruit juices, usually made with a home juicer. Despite the apparent healthfulness of the latter, I always encountered two schools of thought on juicing: the most dominant was on its numerous benefits, but I was also disillusioned  after reading reports about the high levels of (natural) sugar content, which could cause spikes in insulin levels, and made me question how “primal” juice really was. Thus, I sipped in and out of daily juices until more recently… and I’m proud to report I’m now a firm advocate of the daily, freshly pressed vegetable juice!

I had a number of questions and concerns about juicing, and after conducting a bit of scientific and personal research here’s some answers to my earlier questions:

Why not just eat the vegetable or fruit in its whole form?

Because most people don’t eat enough vegetables and fruit, and because our produce just isn’t as nutrient dense after being grown in depleted soil. Juicing means you get massive amounts of concentrated nutrients without having to consume huge amounts of fruit and veg. You would never eat a pound of carrots but you could easily drink the equivalent in a glass of carrot juice.

Don’t we need the fibre?

Yes, but you can get fibre from everything else you are eating. Consider your juice like a supplement – a concentrated amount of nutrients in a glass. And if you do suffer from intestinal and digestive issues taking out the fibre can help heal the gut and allow you to better absorb nutrients.

Isn’t fresh extracted juice high in sugar and won’t it spike insulin levels?

Yes, if you juice a lot of fruit. No, if you mainly juice vegetables. The low amount of sugars present in vege juice are perfectly balanced with enzymes, minerals and other nutrients which the body instantly recognises and turns into energy. They act totally differently to those sugars found in nasty pasteurized and processed bottled ‘fresh juices’.

What about the oxalates in green vegetables that can cause digestive upsets?

These vegetables are great to juice but in small quantities – you don’t need more than a few leaves of spinach/kale/collard greens/mustard greens/dandelion greens per glass of juice to get the benefits without the discomfort.

What about adding fats like raw milk / eggs / avocado / chia seeds / ground flax seeds / coconut oil to make the juice more filling like a smoothie?

Absolutely a great idea (especially if you are a protein type), as natural fats won’t interfere negatively with the nutrients available in the juice but will provide more sustenance if that’s what you’re after.

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A bit of history…

The pioneers of juice therapy in the late 1800s were Dr. Norman Walker and Dr. Max Gerson – they brought juicing to the medical world by using it as a method to help cure all manner of ailments. Despite numerous cases of curing people from terminal illness, skin tuberculosis, cancer, migraines and headaches, and Dr. Gerson being awarded a Nobel Prize,  juicing was still regarded as “radical”. Dr Walker died at age 99, while Dr. Gerson died under suspicious circumstances – with many suggesting the results of his juicing research were  too much of a threat to major drug companies. Jay Kordich, a disciple of theirs, is the most current and loudest voice in the juice world today. Having cured himself of cancer as a young man through juice therapy he continues to spread word to the masses.

… And there certainly is a lot to spread! Freshly pressed juices:

•  Remove heavy metals, toxins and poisons from the body without any side effects
•  Provide all the goodness from loads of fruit and veg in a very concentrated and bioavailable form
•  Allow people who suffer from digestive issues, whereby fibre impairs absorption of nutrients, to easily digest and soak up all the beneficial vitamins, minerals and so on
• Are easily absorbed and fed around the body in as little as 20-25 minutes
• Are perfect for fussy children who don’t enjoy eating vegetables to get all their nutrients
• Are rich in magnesium (cellular functions, muscle relaxant), selenium (immune support), zinc (hair, skin, eyesight health) , amino acids (memory, metabolism, cravings, brain energy) and many more nutrients.
• Prepare the digestive system for coming meals, stimulating stomach acid production and pancreatic enzyme production
• Come in endless variations and flavours!
• Increase energy levels and feel good hormones

After a week of having a juice each morning people report: increased energy, better digestion, clearer skin, brighter eyes, incidental weight-loss

After a long period of time people report: lower blood sugar, decreased hypertension, decreased inflammation in the body such as arthritis, better sleep

Ditch that conventional bottled juice!

The vast majority of bottled juices have been pasteurized: a heating process that destroys much of the nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients of juice, and creates a high sugar environment which feeds abnormal bacterial and fungi in the gut. I recently came across this (admittedly sensational) list which nevertheless provides some pretty disgusting facts on a number of popular “health drinks”…

HOW TO JUICE RIGHT!

Buy lots of fresh organic vegetables! Organic is definitely preferred for juicing, because you’re ingesting such a strong, concentrated dose of veges/fruit so you don’t want any residual pesticides or other nasties in the mix. If cost/access is an factor, at least do your best to avoid The Dirty Dozen

• Wash
• Cut off any bad bits
• Leave the skin and the seeds on
• Throw in the juicer! (Here’s a couple of quality models)

WHEN?

• First thing in the morning, or 2 ½  hours after a meal

WHAT TO USE:

Use 70% of these most therapeutic ingredients:

• carrot
• celery
• cucumber
• white/red cabbage
• lettuce
• beet and carrot tops
• fresh nettle leaves
• basil
• spinach
• kale
• parsley
• fennel
• dill

… and the remaining 30% on these tastier options:

• lemon
• lime
• ginger
• apples
• cranberries
• grapefruit
• grapes
• mango
• pineapple
• orange

RECIPES:

Great for liver cleansing 

• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• ½ apple
• ½ a small beet
• ½ a lemon including skin

Great for heavy metal detox 

• 4 stalks of celery
• 1 cucumber
• handful of spinach
• handful of parsley
• 1 tomato
• ½ a lemon
• 1 small beet

Great for carb-types

• 2 cucumbers
• 2 celery sticks
• ½ a beet
• ½ an apple
• 1 lemon (skin included)

Great for protein-types

• 2 celery sticks
• handful of spinach
• 2 carrots
• ½ an apple
• blend w/ a spoonful of avocado, coconut oil, ground flaxseeds

My favourite green juice

• 4 stalks of celery
• 1 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• handful of spinach
• knob of ginger
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp turmeric

• To cut out a bitter taste add: lemon, lime, cranberry, ginger
• Feel free to dilute juices with purified water
• A green juice w/ tomato + lemon is full of magnesium and iron: great chelators of heavy metals
• Cabbage and celery stimulates disgestive enzyme production, and are great kidney cleansers
• Freeze juice in popsicle molds – great ice lollies for children
• Use leftover carrot pulp in baking
• Smoothies: blend with avocado, eggs, pressed flaxseeds, chia seeds etc.