By
Maria Teresa De Donato, PhD, RND, CNC, CMH, CHom
Although the art of juicing is
quite an ancient one, most of us have been more used, since infancy, to fruit
juicing rather than to the vegetable kind.
In those last several decades, however, along with the raw food
movement, juicing – both the fruit and the vegetable one, or a combination of
the two, have become well known and amply spread worldwide.
Why is that? Because besides being very easy to prepare,
raw fruits and vegetables are rich of nutrients which, especially when they are
organic, can boost your immune system to an extent no other food can. Last but not least, juicing allows for a fast
and easy digestion and absorption as well.
As a matter of fact the digestive process is fundamental in our health
and wellness for several reasons. First
of all, it might be worth to know that our body destines some 80% of the energy
at its disposal towards the digestion process while saving the remaining 20% to be divided among all other body
functions. Hence, it goes without
saying that when we eat either too much or junk foods or simply wrong
combinations of foods which require a greater effort to be digested, the body
will take the residual energy it needs to reach its goal from the remaining 20%
which it is supposed to be used for other purposes. This not only means that in those cases we
put all the organs taking part to the digestion under unnecessary stress, but
also that we deprive the other body systems and organs responsible for other
fundamental body functions of the energy they need in order to perform as they
should. The consequence of this is that
not only the digestive process requires longer time and more efforts but also
that all other functions are impaired, overloaded and put under a great deal of
pressure.
Juicing on the other hand, can
help us not only to have a better diet regimen by helping us to reduce or even
to completely eliminate the consume of animal proteins which requires, especially when eaten regularly and/or in
great amount as most of westerners seem to do, more energy to be digested, but
also facilitates the digestion and absorption of a higher amount of all sorts
of precious nutrients, that is vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants, we would
not otherwise be able to consume if eaten as simple raw or cooked
vegetables. That said, besides helping
you to detoxify and to boost your immune system, juicing can also be used to
prevent nutrition-related disease and also help in the healing process no
matter what health issue we might be affected with, be it an acute, a chronic,
or even a debilitating, degenerative one.
In her book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life author Sandra Cabot, physician,
writes about her grandmother experience.
When in her twenties, Mrs Susannah Dalton was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis, a severe kidney
disease in which “the immune system attacks the tubules of the kidneys causing
widespread kidney inflammation and blood and proteins in the urine.” The doctors at the hospital told Mrs.
Dalton’s husband that there was nothing else they could do, which might have
sounded pretty much like a death sentence.
Thanks to his expertise in
nutrition, Mr. Harry took his wife home and started a raw juicing regimen
giving her a glass of raw vegetable juice every hour, alternating “from
vegetable growing above the ground and from vegetable growing below the
ground.” This allowed Susannah to
gradually regain her health with her kidneys going back to their normal
function. All of this was possible
thanks to all the vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants contained in the juices
she consumed. She died after a pretty
active life at the age of 78.
Another inspirational story is
that of Jay Kordich, also known as “the Juiceman”, who has been among the very
first and most active advocates to promote juicing in order to maintain and
even restore one’s health. According to
his statements, Kordich was able to completely heal his bladder cancer which
affected him some 50 years ago, by refusing conventional therapies such as
chemio and radio and rather drinking some 13 glasses of carrot and apple juice per day. In so doing, he proved to be a follower of
Norman Walker and Max Gerson, two physicians who spread the notion of the
fundamental role that raw foods and juicing play in our health.
In conclusion, no matter what
kind of diet regimen you prefer or whether you use juicing to help your body to
stay healthy, to work towards optimum health, to prevent nutrition related
disease or even to facilitate you inner body mechanism so that healing can
occur naturally, the truth is that you will always greatly benefit from it.
References:
Cabot, S. (2001). Raw Juices Can
Save Your Life! Introduction. (p. 8).
Glendale , AZ
Prussack, S. (2007) Steve
Prussack Interview with the Juiceman (Episode 32). Raw Vegan Radio.
Retrieved June 12, 2014
from http://rawveganradio.com/wordpress/transcripts/KordichTranscriptEbook.pdf
Updike, R. (11
November 1991 ). Juicy
role is making him famous. (Article published on the Seattle
Times). Retrieved June 12, 2014
from http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19911111&slug=1316616.
Disclaimer
The information above are
intended for educational purpose only and not as a medical advice. Whatever
your situation, please consult with your physician first. For more information
about how I can assist you as a Traditional Naturopath, Classical Homeopath and
Nutritional Consultant, feel free to contact me at info@dedoholistic.com
To know more about my holistic health practice and my coaching activity, please feel free to visit also the following sites:
