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The beneficial and healthful effects of drinking raw juices have been known to doctors and natural health practitioners since the turn of the century. It was at this time that Dr Max Bircher-Benner and Dr Max Gerson developed the famous raw juice cure (Rohsäft Kur) which is often still used in health spas. However, with an ever increasing range of good juicers coming onto the market, now you don't even need to leave your own home in order to experience for yourself some of the health benefits of drinking freshly prepared raw juices.
Why Juice?
There are many reasons why raw juices are good for us. First of all they are extremely easy to digest, usually taking only 10-20 minutes to pass through an empty stomach. They are a virtually pre-digested food, requiring little energy to assimilate and producing very little waste. In addition, many juices, especially fruit juices, have a laxative effect encouraging prompt elimination and thus the detoxification of the body. And of course, raw juices are simply bursting with vital nutrients - the very same nutrients that make fresh fruit and vegetables so good for us! Raw juices are the richest available source of vitamins, minerals and living enzymes and they also supply many amino acids too. But perhaps most importantly of all, raw juices contain phytochemicals such as indoles, saponins, phytosterols, phenolic acids, protease inhibitors, isoflavones and Omega-3 fatty acids. And not a day seems to pass by without somebody, somewhere, coming up with another reason why these compounds are so good for us and how they can help to protect us from cancer and other diseases. Indeed, it is perhaps because they do contain these other important substances that in the end raw juices could well turn out to be far better for us than any artificial vitamin pill!
If you find it hard to wake up in the morning, then a glass of raw juice may be just what you need to get you going. Raw juice can make you feel alert, wide awake and refreshed. In Juice High Leslie Kenton describes the terrific lift that drinking juice can give you, hence the title of the book. And unlike the lift you get when you drink strong coffee, or take drugs, you don't come crashing down again when the juice wears off. Further advantages of including raw juices in your diet include: a strengthened immune system, improved clarity of thought, increased concentration, generally feeling healthier and happier, having more energy and a clearer, less wrinkled skin! Oh and I nearly forgot to mention it - raw juices taste fantastic too!
So as you can see raw juices can be a valuable addition to anyone's diet. But raw juices have many other uses too, being commonly used in body building, healing and detoxification. Detoxification is the elimination of stored wastes from the body. A 'Juice Blitz' is a form of detoxification, involving consuming nothing but raw juice and spring water for 36 hours and is a procedure often used by natural healers to cleanse the body and to strengthen its healing powers. Raw juices are a very good way of detoxifying the body, often reversing the deadly degenerative effects of a high junk food diet.
Body building involves rebuilding the metabolic pathways. These days many people are deficient in vital nutrients, often as the result of eating a lot of chemically-grown and/or highly-processed, junk food. However, by including supernutritious, vitamin and mineral-rich, fresh, raw juice in the diet on a regular basis it is often possible to correct these deficiencies.
Juices can also be used to heal specific diseases. Carrot juice or green juices made from kale, watercress or parsley are often used to treat acne. Celery juice is supposed to be good for treating allergies. And iron deficient anaemia is often treated by juicing iron-rich greens such as watercress, spinach, kale and parsley. Juices made from pineapples or dandelion greens are particularly good for rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, fresh juices are often used to treat many common degenerative diseases, often with much success, as you can see if you visit the Gerson Institute's website. (This site is listed in the website section below.)
Including Raw Juices in Your Diet
It is recommended that about a pint of raw juice is drunk each day in order to obtain the full beneficial effects. However, it is a good idea to start off slowly, with perhaps just a few glasses of juice each day until your body has had time to adapt. It is fairly easy to concoct simple mixtures of fruit and vegetable juices. And carrot and apple is generally a good place to start! Then after mastering the basics you can start to liven things up a little. For example by incorporating various green vegetables into your juices (see green lightning section below for ideas) or by adding garlic, ginger or other herbs and spices. Soaked seeds such as sunflower seeds are also good in juices and ground flaxseeds (linseeds) add valuable Omega-3 fatty acids.
When juicing there are so many possible combinations of fruit and vegetables, some of which are listed in the table below. Use this list to give you ideas. And if you would like more detailed information, then take a look at the many excellent recipes on p.112- 130 in the book Juice High by Leslie Kenton.
SUGGESTED FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE COMBINATIONS
Carrot & Apple Carrot & Orange Apple & Pear Apple, Celery and Fennel Apple with Lemon & Ginger Tomato, Lime and Chilli Beetroot, Carrot and Orange Watermelon & Molasses Carrot, Beetroot, Celery & Tomato Carrot, Pineapple & Orange Carrot, Pear & Dandelion Greens Carrot, Pear & Ginger Carrot, Kale & Parsley Mint, Pineapple & Cereal Grass Apple, Banana, Spirulina & Chlorella Apple, Carrot, Ginger & Ground Linseeds Carrot, Pineapple & Sunflowers Spinach with Assorted Sprouts Carrot, Apple & Nori Carrot, Apple & Sprouts 
Because juices are so easily digested, they are best taken on an empty stomach. A glass of fruit juice is ideal for breakfast, perhaps eaten with a couple of pieces of fresh fruit. For extra nutritional value you can stir in a teaspoon or two of a green supplement such as spirulina or chlorella. And if you arrive home from work starving, then a glass of vegetable juice makes a wonderful aperitif, taken about 20-30 minutes before dinner.
Juicing Tips for Novices:
Try to purchase organic fruit and vegetables for juicing. Then you won't need to peel fruit and vegetables in order to avoid taking in large amounts of pesticides.
Make sure fruit and vegetables are fresh. Try not to buy more fresh produce than you can use up in a few days.
Drink your juice as soon as it is made. It will start to deteriorate as soon as it comes into contact with the air. Alternatively, store it in the fridge for a few hours in a lidded container.
Don't thow away your pulp! It contains nutrients and valuable insoluble fibre. Use it in baked potato fillings, soups, shakes and salads. Or add it to porridge or cereals. It can also be used as a topping for ice cream. And if you are really stuck for something to do with it, you can even compost it! If you want more ideas on how to use up your pulp, then Leslie Kenton gives a good selection of pulp recipes on p. 66-67 in Juice High. If you can't use your pulp up straight away, then freeze it for later use.
Whenever possible leave the seeds in fruit such as grapes, melons, lemons, limes and oranges, as these are very nutritious. However, remove large stones such as those in cherries, peaches, apricots and plums which can blunt the blades of your juicer! Apple seeds contain some cyanide so are probably best removed before juicing.
Green Lightning
As mentioned above basic juices can be made using any combination of different fruits, or by combining fruit with vegetables. But you can make your juices more interesting and even more nutritious by adding some green vegetables to them. Start off by adding a small amount of greens to your juice until you get used to them. Then gradually increase the amount used. Suitable green vegetables include broccoli, kale, watercress, parsley, dandelion greens, beet tops, lamb's quarters, young nettles, comfrey and spinach.
Many green supplements can also be added to raw juices. One of the best green supplements is the freshwater, blue-green alga known as Spirulina. Another is the green alga Chlorella. Add about 1 tsp-1 tbsp of either of these supplements to your glass of juice. Cereal grasses such as wheat, rye, oat or barley are also extremely nutritious and have many protective properties. Wheatgrass for example may have anticancer properties. Cereal grasses are very rich in minerals, enzymes, growth hormones, fibre and in chlorophyll. And they are also a very good source of many vitamins, particularly vitamin A and folic acid. Finally you can also add seaweeds to your juices. Try adding some powdered kelp, dulse, wakame, kombu or nori, all of which are rich in trace elements. And don't forget that you can also add many types of sprouts to your juices, so get sprouting too!
Types of Juicers
There are many different types of juicers available. Conventional juicers include centrifugal juicers e.g The Vitamine Rotel (also known as the Juicemaster) and mastication-type juicers such as the Champion Juicer and the Suco. Centrifugal juicers shred up the cells, but these are not completely broken down. Mastication juicers are more efficient, chewing up the fibre and breaking up the cells. Juices made in mastication juicers usually contain more fibre, enzymes and vitamins and tend to be darker in colour and have a more full bodied flavour. Total juicing is another type of juicing which is carried out using a molecular or total juicer. In traditional juicing the pulp is extracted by the juicer as the juice is being made. But in total juicing nothing is wasted. All of the fibre and nutrients are left in the juice and consequently total juices have a thicker, smoother texture than juices prepared in a more conventional manner.
Many juicers can also be used for other purposes too. The Champion Juicer, for example, homogenises well and can be used to make nut butters, fruit purees, baby food and ice-cream. It can also be used to grate food. The Green Power Plus juicer will also juice cereal grasses and herbs. Please note that if you don't have a Green Power Plus juicer and want to juice cereal grasses, then you will also need to purchase an additional juicer with sharp teeth, especially designed for this purpose. Suitable cereal grass juicers include: Green Leaf, Health Fountain or a Porket Manual juicer.
If you are thinking of purchasing a juicer, further information on the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of juicers is available in the form of a useful information sheet from the FRESH Network (address given below). FRESH also offers a good selection of juicers by mail order and can supply you with up-to-date price details.
Further Reading:
- Juice High by Leslie Kenton (Vermillion, 1999). Please note that this book is one of three books contained in the author's other book entitled The Raw Energy Bible.
- Juicing for Health by Caroline Wheater (Thorsons).
- Juice Up Your Energy levels by Leslie Waters (Orion)
- Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by Norman Walker.
- Superjuice by Michael van Straten.
- Living With Green Power. All about the Greenpower juicer. This book contains 150+ recipes.
Websites:
Some Easy Juice Recipes For You To Try Out
These simple recipes are taken from Juice High by Leslie Kenton:
- Apple and Pear - juice 2 apples and 2 pears.
- Carrot and Apple - juice 4 carrots, 1 apple
- Carrot and Orange - juice 1 orange, 4 carrots
- Orange Tonic - juice 2 oranges, 1cm cube of ginger. Add sparkling mineral water to the juice.
- Lemon Zinger - juice 1 apple, 1/2 lemon. Add sparkling mineral water to the juice.
- Sprout Special - juice 4 carrots, 1 apple and 1 cup of sprouted seeds. Sprinkle with grated ginger and serve over ice.
Click here for more Juice Recipes.
*Note: Citrus fruits should be peeled before juicing as they are often waxed
Mail Order Juicer and Book Suppliers (UK)
- The FRESH Network Ltd, Unit 4, Aylsham Business Park, Shepheards Close, Aylsham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 6SZ United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)845 833 7017. FRESH offers a good selection of juicers, including the Champion Juicer and the Miracle stainless steel manual juicer. (Information updated February 2009)
- UK Juicers - offers juicers and books on juicing. (Information added in February 2009)