Effective Whole Body Nourishment
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Convert every cell in your body towards health? Juicing fresh organic produce has always been a way of life in my family. Drinking freshly made juices boosts immunity, improves digestion, and enhances the bodys detoxification process. It continues to make a huge difference in how a person feelsand in your energy level. Juices arent just to treat illness; theyre also a safe, inexpensive form of preventative medicine. Studies show that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables decreases our risk of developing a number of chronic degenerative diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But even with organizations such as the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and the American Cancer Society urging us to eat more fruits and vegetables, many people still arent getting the message. One study found that fewer than 10 percent of Americans eat the recommended two fruits and three vegetables a day. |
When you put a glass of truly fresh juice against the concentrated, pasteurized juices you find in the grocery stores refrigerated or frozen section, theres no comparison. Juicing gives you more nutrients because its made from whole fruits and vegetables which guarantees you get close to 100% of the foods nutrient content. One of the important nutrients juice is rich in is enzymes. Enzymes spark the hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that occur throughout the body; enzymes are essential for digestion and absorption of food, for conversion of food into body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level. In fact, enzymes are essential for most of the building and rebuilding that goes on in the body every day. When foods are cooked, enzymes can be destroyed; that is why raw fruits and vegetables are so important to us. They provide us with an excellent source of all-important enzymes.
Phytochemicals: Cancer’s Archenemy
More recently, researchers have discovered that fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes contain yet another group of health-promoting nutrients called phytochemicals. These substances appear to be powerful ammunition in the war against cancer and other disorders.
Phytochemicals are the biologically active substances in plants that are responsible for giving them color, flavor, and natural disease resistance. To understand how phytochemicals protect the body against cancer formation, it is necessary to understand that cancer formation is a multistep process. Phytochemicals seem to fight cancer by blocking one or more of the steps that lead to cancer. For instance, cancer can begin when a carcinogenic moleculefrom the food you eat or the air you breatheinvades a cell. But if sulforaphane, a phytochemical found in broccoli, also reaches the cell, it activates a group of enzymes that whisk the carcinogen out of the cell before it can cause any harm to it.
Other phytochemicals are known to prevent cancer in various ways. Indoles, found in cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage, increase immune activity and make it easier for the body to excrete toxins. P-courmaric acid and cholorgenic acid, found in tomatoes, interfere with certain chemical unions that can create carcinogens. The list of these protective substances goes on and on. Tomatoes alone are believed to contain an estimated 10,000 different phytochemicals!
Flavonoids, another powerful phytochemical found in citrus fruits and berries, keep cancer-causing hormones from latching onto cells in the first place. Flavonoids are potent antioxidants that prevent the formation of free radicals. Flavonoids also prevent inflammatory leukotrienes from causing joint pain and destruction. Many flavonoids are more effective than vitamins C and E. Flavonoids also improve the absorbability of vitamin C, which is the reason they are often combined in nutritional supplements that contain vitamin C. They are especially beneficial in treating diabetics, as these phytonutrients have the ability to lower blood sugar levels. Most important to the health of the immune system, flavonoids also stimulate T-cell formation and lymphocyte transformation.
Lycopene, who is the new kid on the block, is a powerful antioxidant that halts damage caused by free radicals. Along with lutein and zeaxanthin, it also can slow macular degeneration in the eyes. A report released by Harvard University states that men can reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer by 22 percent by eating between 4 and 7 tomatoes weekly. Why not juice them? Did you know that your body converts beta carotene into Vitamin A, which is important in strengthening the immune system and promoting healthy cell growth? Not only is it a precursor of vitamin A, it is a powerful antioxidant which neutralizes absorbed when carrots are juiced. Carrots also contain the recently discovered alpha carotene which is thought to be a powerful inhibitor of tumor growth. One carrot, seven inches long and one inch in diameter, yields the following nutrients: 27 mg Calcium, 26 mg. Phosphorus, 0.5 mg Iron, 34 mg. Sodium, 246 mg. Potassium, 7,930 I.U. Vitamin A, trace amounts of B-Complex, 6 mg. Vitamin C, Magnesium and Chromium. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported in their publication that, Carrot juice pulls heavy metals from tissues, binds them and discharges them from the bodys system.
The Many Benefits of Juicing
Juicing, and the benefits of a juicing program in as part of your daily life have long been recognized around the world. Since the early part of this century, researchers such as Doctor Bernard Jensen and Norman Walker, D.Sc., have investigated the effects of fresh juices as part of the daily diet. Their studies conclude that juice can provide all the basics of human nutrition, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Furthermore, because juicing removes fiber, the important nutrients and phytochemicals found in plants are absorbed more easily by our bodiessometimes within minuteswithout too much effort from the digestive system. While fiber is absolutely essential for healthy digestion, it can also slow down the bodys absorption of nutrients. Some people feel an almost instant burst of energy after drinking fresh juice. Vegetable juicing works because it balances the acidity that most of us struggle with. We all need about one pound of vegetables for every 50 pounds of body weight to balance our pH and juicing helps you to easily do that. The bottom line is that with juicing, youre essentially giving your digestive system a rest without sacrificing nutrition. It frees up energy previously used on digestion and allows your body to focus on repairing and restoring tissues and organs.
While the traditional juices such as apple, carrot and orange can give you many important nutrients; there are many lesser-used juices that are extremely important to your health. Below are just a few combinations:
Cranberry and Blueberry Juice Promotes a Healthy Bladder |
Theres no comparison between a glass of processed juice that you find at the store, and the kind that you juice yourself. Its like comparing a cup of sugary fruit punch to a fine wine. Like a good glass of wine, you want to drink fresh juice slowly, savoring every drop!
Drink your juice immediately after you make it, as the nutrients are lost when exposed for any length of time. Lastly, try to use only organic produce when juicing, as the quality of the juice you get is only as good as the fruits and vegetables you put in.