
In 2001 a good friend of mine introduced me to juicing. He explained to me that the body has to use a lot of energy digesting food, where as with juices your body gets a rest from all the hard work, and all the nutrients go straight into your system.
I started off by buying a book on juicing called Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices, written by the juice guru Dr. Norman Walker. My main ailment was low energy so following the books instructions I drank 16oz of organic carrot juice everyday. Not only did I get more energy, but my eczema cleared up. Now I have found if I do not have carrot juice for over a week, my eczema comes back and my fatigue returns.
You might be saying to yourself “Well, I eat a lot of cooked vegetables with my meal so why should I consider juicing?” When you cook vegetables at temperatures above 114 degrees, heat destroys the enzymes. (Enzymes are naturally occurring chemical substances in the human body that help a chemical reaction take place). Enzymes aid the digestion and absorption of food in your body. Fruit and vegetable juices that are sold in a shop or supermarket are no good either as they must go through a pasteurising process before they can be sold to you the customer. The reason for this pasteurising process is to give these drinks shelf life. However during this process heat reaches about 120 degrees which destroys the enzymes. Raw vegetable or fruit drinks contain live enzymes, so you must drink it straight after juicing, or they will start dying. Also use a sieve to separate the liquid from the fibre.
Nutritionally if you ate one raw carrot, your body would only be able to absorb about 1% of the available vitamin A (beta carotene). That is because most of the nutrients in a carrot are locked in its fibre. However, if you separate the liquid from the fibre, your body would be able to assimilate 90% of the nutrients.
Tips For Juicing
Get a good quality juicer, the best is the Champion Juicer, but it is very expensive
Use organic produce whenever possible.
Wash the fruit and veg and cut into manageable pieces.
You can put most parts in the juicer, please include leaves, tops and outer skins such as celery and beet.
Drink as soon as possible.
The benefits of consuming these freshly made, health drinks are many. They aid in keeping organs such as heart, liver, and kidneys strong and healthy. They also help prevent colon cancer and keep your digestive system in tiptop shape. This is because they are a great supplier of protein, vitamins and minerals.
These drinks also boost the immune system and promote good-looking healthy skin.
Another health benefit to consuming these drinks is that they help you lose weight and lower cholesterol naturally.
Below are some common ailments with the juice recipes to help aid them.
COLDS - Carrot 8oz, celery 5oz, Radish 3oz
ACNE - Carrot 10oz, spinach 6oz
HAY FEVER - Carrot 10oz, Beet 3oz, Cucumber 3oz
INSOMNIA - Celery 10oz, carrot 6oz
RHEUMATISM - Lemon 16oz
PANIC ATTACKS- Apple 16oz
So forget all those multi-vitamins you keep popping everyday, get your nutrients the natural way.
GET JUICING
Illustration by Conrad Jones www.conradcrispin.com