Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of a wide range of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients, including phytochemicals-compounds that have been shown to combat cancer. Since more of the healthful substances found in fruits and vegetables are being discovered all the time, no supplement pill can contain all of these compounds. Also, because each plant appears to produce particular phytochemicals that work against cancer in particular ways, it is suggested that a rich assortment of fruits and vegetables be included in the diet. It is also recommended that you consume two glasses of live juices a day for health maintenance. Four glasses a day is recommended if you want to speed healing and recovery from illness.
Juicing is an excellent means of adding fruits and vegetables to your diet. Since juice contains the whole fruit or vegetable-except for the fiber, which is the indigestible part of the plant-it contains virtually all of the plants’ health-promoting components. Because fresh juices are made from raw fruits and vegetables, all of the components remain intact. Vitamin C and other water-soluble vitamins can be damaged by over processing or overcooking. Enzymes, which are proteins needed for digestion and other important functions, can also be damaged by cooking. Fresh juice, however, provides all of the plants’ healthful ingredients in a form that is easy to digest and absorb. In fact, it has been estimated that fruit and vegetable juices can be assimilated in twenty to thirty minutes.
Ideally, the juices recommended as under, should be made fresh in your kitchen and consumed immediately. Many commercial juices are heat-treated to lengthen shelf life. As just discussed, this process can destroy important nutrients. In addition, preservatives may have been added. Even pure, freshly made juices can lose some of their nutrients by being allowed to sit for long periods of time. By buying the best produce available, properly preparing it for juicing, and processing it in your own juicer, you will produce the most healthful, nutrient-rich drinks possible.
Juices: Benefits of juicing to health
- Juicing is an extremely efficient way of obtaining large quantities of high quality nutrients in the form that the body is most able to use.
- Juicing allows the body to be flooded with the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
- Concentrated phyto-chemicals and antioxidants.
- Fresh juices are a perfect food supplement
- Juice is an excellent source of energising, cleansing and reparative nutrients and because it is in the raw state that the body is designed to deal with, there is no accompanying loss of energy when digesting it.
- Helps to fight disease.
- Reduces acidity in the body.
Preparing Produce for Juicing
Juicing is an easy way to make delicious drinks that can boost your health and help you treat a number of disorders. By following these guidelines, you will ensure that your juices are as pure, nutrient-rich, and appetizing as possible:
- Whenever possible, buy and use organically grown produce-produce that is grown without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. This prevents chemical residues from ending up in your juice.
- If you are unable to obtain organically grown fruits and vegetables, peel or thoroughly wash the produce, using a vegetable brush to remove chemical residues and waxes. Most health food stores carry vegetable washes that will help remove any residues.
- When purchasing potatoes for juicing, avoid those with a green tint, and be sure to remove any sprouts or eyes. The chemical solanine, which gives the potato its green cast, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- When using organically grown produce, feel free to leave the skin on in most cases. Do remove the skin, though, before juicing apricots, grapefruits, kiwis, oranges, papayas, peaches, and pineapples. The skins of oranges and grapefruits are quite bitter, and also contain a toxic substance that should not be consumed in large amounts. Because kiwis and papayas are tropical fruits, their skins are likely to contain residues of the harmful sprays often used in foreign countries, where some chemicals outlawed in the United States may still be legal. The skins of pineapples are too thick to be processed by’ most juicers.
- When juicing fruits, leave in small seeds, except when using apples. Apple seeds actually contain cyanide, a toxic substance. Because of their size and hardness, all pits must be removed.
- Juice most produce with stems and leaves intact. However, remove carrot and rhubarb greens, as they contain toxic substances.
- When using soft fruits that contain very little wateravocados, bananas, and papayas, for instance-puree the fruits in a blender rather than using a juicer. Then stir the puree into other juices.
- Remember to rotate vegetables and fruits so you get a variety of nutrients.
Green Juices or “Green Drinks”
Green juices cleanse the body of pollutants and have a rejuvenating effect. Made from a variety of green vegetables, green juices are rich in chlorophyll, which helps to purify the blood, build red blood cells, detoxify and heal the body, and provide the body with fast energy.
Green juices can be made with alfalfa sprouts, barley grass, cabbage, kale, dandelion greens, spinach, and other green vegetables, including wheat grass. Wheat grass juice is particularly important in any cancer treatment, especially when radiation therapy is involved.
Although green juices have great health benefits, they should be consumed in moderation. Try drinking about 8 to 10 ounces a day. The following is an excellent “green drink”:
- 4-5 carrots
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 large handful spinach
- 1 large handful kale 1 beet, including tops
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/4 head cabbage
- Thoroughly wash all vegetables, peeling the carrots and beet if they were not grown organically. Cut the vegetables into pieces small enough to fit into the juicer.
- Process the vegetables in the juicer, and drink immediately.
Fresh vegetable juices are restorers and builders. They boost the immune system, remove acid wastes, and balance the metabolism. They also aid in the control of obesity by removing excess body fat.
Among the most healthful and delicious of the vegetable juices are beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, kale, parsley, turnip, spinach, watercress, and wheat grass juice. Carrot juice is probably the most popular of the juices and is packed with carotenoids, including beta-carotene, the vitamin A precursor that helps fight cancer. Because carrots are the sweetest of the vegetables, their juice is not just delicious on its own, but is also great for mixing with other vegetables to increase their appeal. On the other hand, strong-flavored vegetables-broccoli, celery, onions, parsley, radishes, rutabaga, and turnips, for instance-should be used in small amounts only.
Garlic is a great addition to vegetable drinks. Before juicing, drop the garlic into vinegar for 1 minute to destroy any bacteria and mold on its surface. To avoid irritating the lining of the intestinal tract, use only 1 fresh garlic clove in 2 glasses of juice.
For the greatest health benefits, use many different vegetables when making your juices. That way, you will provide your body with a variety of important nutrients. The recipes that follow are just two of the many healthful vegetable juice drinks that you might want to try.
Potassium/Raw Potato Juice
- 1 pound potatoes (3 medium potatoes)
- 1 carrot or 1 stalk celery (optional)
- 6-8 ounces steam-distilled water
- Scrub the potatoes well, and cut out any eyes. Do not use potatoes that are part green.
- Cut each potato in half. Cut the peel from the potato, making sure to keep about 1/2 inch of potato on the peel. Set aside the potato center for another use.
- Cut the potato skins into small enough pieces to fit into the juicer. If desired, wash the carrot or celery, peeling the carrot if it was not grown organically. Cut into pieces.
- Process the vegetables in the juicer. Add the water, and drink immediately. Do not allow to stand.
Cabbage Juice for Ulcers
- 1/4-1/2 head cabbage
- 1 apple or 2 carrots
- 1/4 cup steam-distilled water
- Thoroughly wash the vegetables and fruit, peeling the apple or carrots if they were not grown organically. Cut the produce into small enough pieces to fit into the juicer.
- Process the vegetables and fruit in the juicer. Add the water, and drink immediately. Do not allow it to stand, so as not to lose its benefits.
Fruit juices help cleanse the body and nourish it with important nutrients, including cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Although any fruit can be juiced, certain juices are particularly healthful and delicious. One favorite cleansing juice is watermelon. To make this refreshing drink, place a whole piece of watermelon-with the rind intact-in the juicer. Other delicious juices can be made with apples, apricots, bananas, berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, melons, pearswith just about any fruit that you want to use.
You can enjoy fruit juices at any time of the day. About 10 to 12 ounces per day is recommended. The following is just one of the delicious fruit juice drinks you can make at home.
- 1 firm kiwi, peeled
- 1 small bunch red grapes
- 1 green apple
- 1/2 cup berries (blueberries, blackberries,
and raspberries are good choices)
- Wash all of the fruit thoroughly, peeling the apple if it was not grown organically. Cut the fruit into small enough pieces to fit into the juicer.
- Process the fruit in the juicer. Pour over ice, and drink.
Variation: Frozen fruit mixes can take the place of ice. This will make the drink taste like a shake. Add a cup of frozen fruit mix to the recipe above. You can also add rice milk or soymilk and a banana if desired.