No Chewing Required! What's Up With Juicing?

Juice bars are springing up everywhere.

You see health food stores offering juice fasting programs and you have to wonder what it's all about.

So here’s the scoop! 

At a time when so many people are obsessed with supplements – juicing is the most complete and natural form of supplementation around. 

All the nutrients that a body needs are present in balanced quantities in fresh fruits and vegetables.  They are best utilized by your body in their whole form, not in separate supplement form. 

Juices supply us with the vital building blocks for cell regeneration, in this way are a true longevity food. 

Juices tend to satisfy our thirst and therefore we tend not to reach for other less nutritious foods. 

They are the only beverage the supplies us with real, vital energy.

Take a look at Joel Fuhrman’s Green Longevity Drink listed in the recipe section on my website.  My husband and I drink one of these each morning and have done so for the last 23 months.  It is filling, satisfying and let me tell you, keep you as regular as anything out there. 

Imagine chopping all those ingredients and putting them into a bowl and trying to eat them.  It would take a lot of time and a heck of a lot of chewing.  By juicing them you are extracting their organic liquid, chlorophyll and enzymes from heaping mounds of fruits and veggies without using any digestive energy. Enzymes in fresh fruits and vegetables have the vital role of converting food into body tissue and energy. Enzymes are also involved in metabolism, so one of the more valuable health benefits of juicing is that it can increase metabolic rate. Juicing also ensures that the body is getting sufficient amounts of phytochemicals, substances in plants that are considered among the most powerful ways to combat disease. While most people do not eat enough raw fruits and vegetables to obtain the amount of phytochemicals that would make a difference, it is relatively easy to drink enough juice to obtain sufficient amounts of these powerful nutrients. In addition, antioxidants and other immune boosting nutrients are concentrated in juices.

Juicing can therefore help to accelerate recovery from illness. In fact, juicing with specific combinations of fruits or vegetables can target particular conditions and improve or alleviate symptoms.
 
A juicer separates the fiber of the vegetables, leaving you with only the pure organic water from the fruits and vegetables.  The reason that this is important is that your body is able to digest more organic water without expending any energy or getting full on fiber.  The enzymes go right to the cellular level to do their work.  Remember, when enzymes can go straight into the cells they can go to work cleaning out the toxins that make your leaner and healthier.

So what about those bottle juices?  They appear to be fresh but they are not.  They have been pasteurized, which kills the live enzymes.  Bottle juices don’t count as green juices and should be avoided. 

So how about those juice bars?  It is a good place to get fresh juice but don’t assume that anything you get there is good for you.  Many of those chain stores are a made of blended juices with frozen, sugary fruit, soy or frozen yogurt.  This is distinctly different from what we are talking about as healthy.   These are filled with sugar and tons of calories and contain little nutrients.

So what about those green powders?  They are not the same as green juice.  They are lacking in organic hydration.  They are better than nothing but real fruits and veggies are the key.

When buying a juicer, look for one that extracts the pulp.  Breville makes a great juicer.  So whether you are going to start juicing at home or know of a store that you can obtain fresh organic juice, juicing fruits and vegetables is a great way to improve your health.

You deserve to be Healthy!

If you want to watch a great film about juicing and how dramatically it can affect your health check out:

Fat Sick and Nearly Dead | a Joe Cross Film

 Mindy Kannon is a holistic digestive coach and personal chef.  She works with busy women to increase their energy, improve their health and create healthy digestion.  Check out her website at MindyKannon.com and sign-up for a complimentary break-through session and start changing your health today!