Nutrition Notes
By Heidi Nebel Ochsner, MS, CN, RD
Juicing to Heal and Detoxify Your Body |
 Image by JoeM500 |
Juicing is a great way to heal and detoxify your body as can help everyone move towards optimal health. It’s no secret that increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables is a healthy nutrition choice to make. Juicing is a convenient way to get in those extra fruits and veggies that is also easy and delicious! Fresh juice is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals in an easily digestible form. Raw fruits and vegetables, and their juice, can help you increase your health, detoxify, recover from illness and increase your energy. There are many famous healers and individuals who have discovered the therapeutic benefits of juicing. For example, Max Gerson, MD who treated cancer patients using a juice therapy regimen and Ann Wigmore co-founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute.
The best balance for juicing is to juice mostly vegetables, especially greens, with some fruit. Fruit contains a large amount of natural sugars, so a little goes a long way. Store bought juice is usually pasteurized, which can destroy much of the nutrients found in the juice, therefore I highly suggest getting your own juicer. Purchasing a juicer is a great way to invest in a long and healthy life. There are a number of different juicers on the market from inexpensive to top of the line. Once you have juice fresh from your own juicer you’ll never go back to store bought!
Fresh juice should be part of a healthy diet based on whole foods of high quality and free from junk foods. Remember, organic fruits and vegetables are a must for juicing! After all, who wants pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and who knows what else in their life-giving juice?
Here is a delicious juice recipe that is also liver supportive, anti inflammatory and much more! This juice contains beta carotene, zinc, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, chromium, manganese, pantothenic acid, folic acid, riboflavin, vitamin K, B6, E and C to name just a few!
Liver Lovin’ Juice
1-2 beets, greens removed
3-4 carrots, greens removed
1/4 inch wedge of ginger
2 handfuls of spinach or kale
a small handful of parsley
2 stalks celery
1 cucumber
1 apple
Push all ingredients through juice hopper per machine instructions.
Serves 2
For more information check out The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health by Cherie Calbom.