Juice Your Way to Good Health
January 11, 2008 9:59 PM | Diet | Comments (0)
 | It’s a well known fact that most of us need to eat more fruits and vegetables daily, and despite that knowledge, we still don’t do it. Some of us will eat a salad once in a while or eat a piece of fruit each day. Take me for example. I like fruit, so that’s no problem most of the time. In all honesty, I’m not a salad person and most of the time when I eat vegetables, they’re cooked. I know I need raw vegetables but I usually don’t “feel” like eating them. So I juice them. Not only is it a super healthy drink, juicing also allows me to get in more than I would if I were eating vegetables. I’ll drink a full glass of carrot juice no problem, but I’m not likely to sit and eat 5 big, fat carrots. |
When I speak of juicing your fruits and vegetables, I’m referring to the juice of raw fruits and vegetables. Live food contains phytochemicals, which are substances that are thought to have beneficial effects on the body and help protect cells from free radical damage. They also contain enzymes. Enzymes are necessary for the many chemical reactions that take place in our bodies. For example, they digest food, clean the blood, deliver nutrients and hormones, carry away wastes, and are involved in the production of energy at cellular level. Because the nature of enzymes and phytochemicals are to keep the body running efficiently and help protect the immune system, it’s easy to see how they can help prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and allergies. That said, V8 and other pasteurized juices will not benefit you in the same way. First, processed juices often contain sugars and other additives. They’re not pure. Second, they are pasteurized (heated to destroy bacteria). Enzymes are destroyed at high heat (118 degrees Fahrenheit), so unless your juice is fresh and raw, it won’t make the cut.
The question usually arises. Why not just eat vegetables? Ideally, you should incorporate both into your daily regimen. But the reality is most of us won’t eat raw vegetables, no matter how many times we’re told. But even if we did, we shouldn’t neglect the power of juice. Eating veggies whole means the body has to break them down before it can use the nutrients. Most of the enzymes in the veggie must be used to digest the veggie, and the bulk of the fiber in the veggie prohibits the breakdown and use of all the nutrients. If you juice, you assimilate more nutrition out of it. Your body doesn’t have to break it down, and studies show that the nutrients are in your system within 30 minutes.
Juicing is the best way to get an abundance of nutrients from raw foods. If you don’t have a juicer, Whole Foods or other health stores may have juice bars you can check out for fresh juice.
Tips and suggestions for juicing:
- Change the vegetable combinations so you can be sure to get a wide variety of nutrients.
- If you don’t like the flavor, try adding apples, carrots, or grapes.
- Try to drink your juice within 30 minutes of making it. If you can’t, store the extra in an air tight container filled to the top.
Here are some juice combinations to try out if you’re just getting started:
- Carrot Juice
- Carrot, apple, ginger
- Carrot, apple, beets, ginger
- Carrot, beet, cucumber juice
- Carrot and spinach juice
- Carrot, beet, cucumber juice
Benefits of raw foods:
- Carrots – help strengthen cells against viruses
- Apples- contain pectin, which binds to cholesterol and toxins, and helps to flush them out.
- Ginger- boosts circulation, helps body to detoxify, helps soothe digestive ailments.
- Spinach – helps trigger immune response to fight infections
- Beet- rich in iron, detoxifies, and purifies blood.
This short list includes only some of the benefits for each food. The list goes on and on, and all of these foods have elements that help prevent cancer.
Copyright © 2007 by A.M. Birmingham, ISSA CFT
2007 Warrior Fitness World, Inc. All Rights Reserved.