To achieve optimum health we have to eat seven servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits every day. Others health professionals also say that we need to eat between 75 to 80 percent of our diet raw if we are to enjoy abundant energy, reverse illness and slow down aging. Cooking and processing food destroys its live enzymes and many of its vitamins and minerals.

So if you want to be healthier and younger eat raw fresh vegetables and fruits. The question is: how are you going to get all these fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet? It might be difficult to make every meal at least one half to three quarters raw food. The easiest way is to drink your vegetables and fruits or “juicing”.

This might be a new idea for you, but as a holistic nutritionist, juicing is something I always recommend especially for my busy clients. Investing in a good juicer and using it every day to juice your veggies and fruits can be a time saving solution for you.

Fresh juices are a concentrated form of nutrients and are considered the best natural dietary supplements available for you. They contain all the plant’s health promoting nutrients including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients as carotenoids, bioflavinoids, betaines, anthocyanidines and much more that we might not know of yet. Best of all they are consumed in their natural best absorbable form. It is estimated that fresh juices without fiber can be assimilated in twenty to thirty minutes because they are so easy to digest and absorb.

The therapeutic benefits of juicing have been proven even with cancer patients. Dr Max Gerson found that when he put his cancer patients on a juice therapy regimen, they not only all got well but recovered from cancer. His gentle treatment of cancer is described in detail in his book “A cancer therapy: Results of fifty cases” Juice has all the powerful nutrients plus the live energy of plants that work synergistically to promote healing. By giving your body all the nutrients that it needs you allow it to activate its innate healing power and recover from any illness and all diseases.

Combined with a high quality whole foods diet, juicing can do wonders for your health if you make it part of your daily diet. Once you start juicing you are guaranteed to feel a major increase in energy and mood. Juicing also helps to release and cleanse toxins from the body, help a lot with weight loss, boost your immune system and clarify your skin.

Try juicing in the morning before breakfast or even in place of breakfast. It is a clean and energizing way to start your day. If you intend to go on a “juice fast” for an extended period of time, it is better to consult a certified nutritionist.

It is very important to emphasize that I am talking here about freshly pressed juices made from raw fruits and vegetables in your kitchen and consumed immediately. Store bought juices do not provide much nutrition because they are heat treated, stored for long periods and may have preservatives added, so they are better avoided.

So now that I got you excited about the benefits of juicing, here are some juicing tips to help you in preparing your juices:

1-It is better to use organically grown, non sprayed produce to make the purest juice. When this is not available peel produce or wash thoroughly with a biodegradable soap and scrub with a brush to remove chemical residue and wax from surface.

2-Remove the skin of oranges and grapefruits because they contain a toxic substance and also taste somewhat bitter. Leave the white part of the peel though because it has valuable bioflavinoids.

3-All pits as peach and plum pits should be removes before juicing. Also apple seeds should be removed because they contain small amounts of cyanide.

4-Include stems and leaves along with fruits and vegetables but avoid carrot and rhubarb greens as they contain toxic substances. The leaves of celery are often bitter so you may want to remove them.

5-Most of fruits and vegetables have high water content and can be juiced with exception of a few as bananas, avocados and papaya so don’t try to juice them

6-Remember to rotate vegetables and fruits so you get a variety of nutrients.

7-Green juices offer the best nutritional value, so combine green vegetables with other vegetables and fruits. Be sure to stick to a ratio of 2-3 non sugary vegetables (as cucumber, celery and kale) to one sugary vegetable or fruit (as carrots, beets or apples).  

8-Ginger is a great addition to your juices. Add ½ inch of ginger per glass of juice.

9-You can juice cabbage, carrots, celery, beets, broccoli, cucumber, apples, pears, melon, greens, herbs, ginger garlic, peppers, tomatoes and so much more.

There are endless combinations that you can experiment with and also there are specific combinations that can provide a high concentration of certain nutrients for therapeutic purposes. Carrot juice is probably the most popular and is packed with beta carotene, the vitamin A precursor that fights cancer. Cabbage juice is high in a nutrient called S-methyly methionine that helps with healing gastro intestinal ulcers and stomach soothing while pineapple juice is rich in the enzyme bromelain which aids digestion in cases of belching, bloating and gas.

I will share with you this simple and delicious juice recipe that can make a good start to your juicing efforts.

Refreshing Apple Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 apples (gala or gold delicious)
• 1 inch slice lemon peeled
• Ice

Method

Juice all ingredients, add ice and drink immediately

I would love to hear about your experience with juicing. Please feel free to post your comments  or share any favorite recipes here.

We offer tele-health coaching via Zoom, so we can help you if you are out of area. If you need help with your health and nutrition, sign up for a 15 Min Discovery Call with Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Life Coach, Maha Nasr to discuss your current goals and concerns and ask how we she can help you.

If you find this information useful, please feel free to share with your family or friends.

References

Juicing for Life, Cherie Calbom, MS and Maurine Keane, MS, CN

Prescription for nutritional Healing, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC