JUICE FOR
THE
HEALTH OF IT

I began juicing about 1996.

When I bought a computer and discovered the Internet, a whole new world opened to me. At that time I wasn't a vegetarian yet, just a feeble "wannabe". Even though I harbored a life-long desire to not participate in the killing and eating of the animals I loved, I had never met a vegetarian in person, and so imagined that the vegetarian lifestyle would be one of frustration and hardship. It didn't help that I was not fond of most vegetables.

Until I became a computer owner, my growing commitment to proper nutrition and pursuing a healthy lifestyle made me feel like the odd-ball in life. Exceedingly few people around me shared my interest and I was constantly accused of being extreme. The Interntet instantly put me in touch with a huge number of health-conscious people all over the world, and I finally received the confirmation I needed to know that I was most definitely not alone and not a freak.

My interest in nutrition and health naturally spurred me to join a few discussion groups on the subject, and I met many, many vegetarians and vegans who dispelled the myth once and for all that abstaining from flesh is hard. It wasn't long before I "took the plunge", so to speak, and I haven't looked back.

I also began to hear a great deal about the benefits of juicing fresh organic fruits and vegetables. It didn't take long for my curiosity to rise and I very much desired to buy a juicer. Money was scarce in those days, but a friend blessed me with a nearly-new juicer she bought for me when she was out yard-saling. Wow, was I happy!

Right away I started using it, and have been juicing 2-4 days a week on average ever since. In the beginning I mostly juiced carrots and apples. A cyber-acquaintance told me about carrot-apple-kale juice, telling me it would give me a boost of energy. It did! That has been my juice of choice ever since (recipe shown below).

>

I replaced my multi-vitamin/mineral supplement with fresh juice. Supplements aren't always derived from food, and even those that are are not always easily absorbed. It is important that juice for the purpose of supplementation be made primarily from organic mineral-rich vegetables. Carrots and dark green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of nutrition, including live enzymes. Because the pulp, which requires digestion, is left behind, the nutrients from the juice can quickly enter the bloodstream and then the body's cells. At the cellular level, that is where nutrition counts. You may have heard the saying, "You aren't what you eat, you are what you absorb." This is so true! Food that has to be digested, although it may be healthful, does not deliver as many nutrients to the cells as fresh juice does. It can't. Much is excreted from the body without being absorbed, particularly when the digestive system has been compromised (as is usually the case with most people who have years behind them of not eating properly or who have been subjected to drugs or other forms of internal abuse).

Now don't be a nut and try giving up all food in favor of fresh juice! You still need to eat food, and always will!!!! In fact, don't even be tempted to replace all fruits and vegetables in your diet with fruit and vegetable juices. You still need to eat whole fruits and vegetables daily.

Please only juice organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. If you insist on juicing non-organic produce, not only will you be getting concentrated nutrients, but you will also get concentrated levels of pesticides and herbicides, which is very dangerous to your health over the long-term. Washing the outside of fruits and vegetables is not enough since the agri-chemicals have contaminated the soils the plants are grown in and thus are sucked right up into the leaves and fruits. In addition, non-organic foods may have been genetically engineered--a technology that defies common sense, arouses immediate suspicion, and has not been around long-enough to bear out consequences. One of the chief purposes for genetic engineering is to enable the crops to withstand higher and higher levels of pesticides and herbicides! Give me a break!!! And we wonder why cancer and birth defects are on the rise!

My recommendation is that you drink fresh organic juices several times a week or daily. On average, I am currently juicing once a day (4-6 ounces) about 5-7 days per week. If you can afford to juice every day and have the time, please go for it. Your body will love it. Four to sixteen ounces per day is good for a healthy individual. If you are battling illness, consider boosting consumption to 1-2 quarts per day. I don't recommend drinking more than 8 ounces in one sitting. When juicing more than 8-ounces a day, try juicing smaller amounts two, three, or more times a day, as needed, to get the maximum absorption and benefit.

Remember that fresh juices are not calorie-free. If you are the type to think if some is good, more is better and go off and drink a gallon a day, you could experience weight gain, particularly if it's mostly fruit juice. It is a fact that if you juice a huge amount of carrots, you could turn orange! You will not gain weight or turn orange if you are drinking just a glass or two a day.

Fruit juices should be made as an occasional treat, as they are a concentrated source of natural sugar. Strive toward developing a taste for vegetable juices. I like juicing a little fruit (like half an apple, a few chunks of pineapple, or a small handful of grapes) along with vegetables to give the juice a more pleasant flavor.

Don't have a juicer or too lazy to juice? Canned or bottled juice is dead juice. As far as I know there is no enzyme activity and pasteurization has destroyed most if not all the vitamins in canned and bottled juice. Until you can acquire a juicer of your own and the motivation to use it, you are better off keeping your "dead juice" to a bare minimum and concentrating instead on making the rest of your food and beverage consumption as healthful as possible.

One more note: Drink your freshly made juice immediately. Live nutrients begin to die as soon as the juice is prepared. There are only a tiny number of top-of-the-line juicers who claim the nutrients live much longer due to their juicer technology. I read about one recently--it cost a lot of money. Hmmmmm, maybe someday!

Drink this at least 15-30 minutes before eating solid food.

½-1 tart organic apple, unpeeled, quartered and chopped
3-5 scrubbed, unpeeled organic carrots, chopped
2 clean stalks of organic kale, stems removed

If you haven't juiced greens before, I know it looks scary, but as it feeds your cells it will energize you and make you feel great!

BOOKS       JUICERS

WHY JUICE?
A great article on juicing.

NATURAL CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY

© 1997-2002 NATURAL CHRISTIAN