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DOING LESS AND ACCOMPLISHING MORE: A TECHNIQUE FOR SUCCESSFUL FASTING
"One quarter of what you eat keeps you alive;
the other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive."
Americans eat way too much fat, way too much sugar, and way too much protein. In fact, Americans simply eat too much of
everything. The way out of this dilemma is so easy that we usually miss it: consider occasionally fasting.
I can almost hear the sound of yet another one of my books being slammed down, being put back on the shelf, or being quietly
incinerated. While you are warming your hands from the imaginary glow that these pages would doubtlessly produce, may I continue?
Look: nothing succeeds like success. We could spend all day talking about the value of fasting, but only you can find out for yourself
what it can do for you. Experience is your best teacher, and improved health is always the best proof. A fast will cost very little
money, and may well be one of the best things you've ever done for yourself.
Yes, you cannot accuse me of being in this just for the money, for not eating is certainly cheap enough. Fasting should be with your
doctor's approval, and is not for growing children, and clearly not for anyone pregnant or nursing. People who are taking certain
medications and people who have other compelling medical reasons should not fast. This still leaves the majority of us as more-or-less
willing candidates.
One of the reasons fasting merits your attention is that anything else is so often ineffective or downright dangerous. One of the really
amazing books of our time is Medical Nemesis, by Ivan Illich (Bantam, 1977) Dr. Illich shows, in exhaustive detail, that medical care
has become literally sickening. One in five hospital patients is there because a physician's mistake put him or her there. And with that
point, the book is just warming up.
Ever since George Washington's doctors killed him with their prescriptions (No kidding: Medical and Physical Journal, London, 1800.
Volume 3, page 409), people have been seeking LESS HARMFUL treatments than conventional medicine has offered. A common
"scientific" argument against fasting is that it is always unsafe. Truly the pot is calling the kettle black when drug-based medicine
criticizes the safety of the therapy that all animals naturally use, namely fasting. First thing a sick animal does is go off its feed.
Fasting has GOT to be safer than, say cocaine or heroin, don't you think? Yet each year, doctor-prescribed drugs kill more Americans
than street drugs. Drug Abuse Warning Network statistics indicate less than 10,000 deaths annually from illegal drugs. 130,000
Americans actually die in hospitals each year from prescription medication. (Whitaker, J. in Health and Healing, September 1993
Supplement, Phillips Publishing, page 3)
The following is one approach to safe, comfortable fasting.
21-DAY CYCLE FOR CLEANSING AND GOOD HEALTH
A "cycle" is made up of an eight day juice fast, three days to come off the fast, and then ten days on a three-quarters raw food diet. (8
+ 3 + 10 = 21 days.) This really works.
FASTING
First, fast. Eight days may seem like a very long time to go without food. Actually, for the first day or two of a fast, your body uses up
the food remaining in your digestive tract from previous meals. For the next couple of days, your body uses stored food reserves from
your liver. This means that a fast doesn't really begin until about the fifth day. Now an eight day fast is closer to a three day fast, and
attainable by nearly everyone. (Diabetics and persons on medication requiring meals should check with their physician, of course.
Fasting is not for children, pregnant women or nursing women. If there is a medical reason why you should not fast, then don't. Check
with your doctor first.)
Since "fasting" conjures up visions of starvation, it is important to realize that we are talking about JUICE fasting here. Freshly made
vegetable juices, taken in quantity, are not a beverage. They are a raw, highly digestible food. It is ideal to have all the juice you want,
without forcing yourself to drink it. The rules: "When you are hungry, drink juice. When you are thirsty, drink juice also."
JUICING
It is generally a good idea to dilute your juice 50/50 with water. If you can afford filtered water, use it. If not, don't worry... the
goodness of the juices will carry you. Some people, including me, do not like the taste of diluted juice. An alternative is to drink a
glass of water, then drink a glass of juice. This gives the same effect, and tastes better. Be sure to drink the water first, for after the
juice you may not want the water as much.
When we say "juice", we generally are referring to vegetable juice, freshly prepared. Fruit juice tends to be too sweet for comfortable
fasting. However, there is nothing to stop you from experimenting and coming up with your own best regimen. As long as you get
good results, HOW you get them is secondary.
You cannot buy freshly prepared vegetable juice in any store at any price... unless they literally juice the vegetables right in front of
your eyes and you drink it down before they make you pay for it! Any juice in a carton, can or bottle has been heat treated and was
certainly packaged at least a few hours ago. Even frozen juice is not fresh, then, is it? This means that you will need one essential and
somewhat expensive appliance: your own juicer.
JUICERS
A juicer is not a blender. A juicer makes juice; a blender makes raw baby food. There is nothing wrong with blending your foods. If
you found such food to your liking, it would actually be very digestible. However, to make juice you need to extract the fluid part of
the vegetable along with the vitamins, minerals and enzymes it contains. Therefore, you need a juice extractor. We are also not
referring to a whirl-top orange juicer, either.
Be sure to get a really good juicer. Good juicers make tastier juices, faster. Good juicers also clean up more quickly than cheap juicers.
I have no financial connection whatsoever with anyone who makes or sells a juicer. I do not sell juicers; I only recommend owning
one. I personally like the "Champion" brand juicer. It costs under $300 and might last you 30 years. Basically a motor with teeth, a
Champion will virtually juice a two-by-four. Quick and easy to use and to clean. I’ve had mine for 15 years now and it is used daily. I
did buy for an extra blade assembly, but haven’t really needed it yet.
There are many cheaper juicers and also many dissatisfied folks who thought they'd save a buck and now regret that they bought a
"bargain" juicer. If you spend under $150, you are likely to be disappointed with your purchase within weeks.
Clean-up is easy. The moment you have finished making (and drinking!) your juice, just rinse the cleanable parts with water and set
them in a dish-drainer rack until the next use. Soap will rarely be necessary as long as you don't mind the plastic parts of the juicer
gradually becoming the same color as your favorite vegetables.
WHAT TO JUICE
You can juice almost anything you can eat raw. Vegetables are best, especially carrots, cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, zucchini squash,
romaine lettuce, sprouts, celery and cabbage. You may juice fruits also, naturally. Freshly made raw apple, grape, and melon juices are
delicious. It is not generally a good idea to juice potatoes, eggplant or Lima beans (not that you'd want to.)
It is wise to peel vegetables that have been sprayed or waxed, such as cucumbers. Sprayed fruits are also good to peel before juicing.
Carrots and other underground vegetables often do not need peeling. Instead, give them a good scrubbing with a nylon-bristle
vegetable brush while rinsing under tap water. Beets are the exception. Since beet skins are very bitter, it is wise to peel beets before
juicing. A hint to save time: dip the beets for about 20 seconds in boiling water and then peel them... it's much easier.
Your juice will taste the best if you drink it right after preparing it. I mean within moments! Fresh juice contains a great amount of raw
food enzymes and vitamins, many of which are easily lost as the juice sits. So don't let it sit! Drink it right down, with the thought that
this is unbelievably good for you.
HOW MUCH JUICE TO DRINK
Drink as much juice as you wish. Remember that it is a food, not a beverage and that you can have as much as you want. There is
little fear of over doing it. It is, after all, hard to hurt yourself with vegetables!
A good rule of thumb is to drink three or four eight-ounce glasses of fresh juice a day (for an adult). The best time is right before a
meal, or between meals. Absorption of and benefit from the juice is highest then.
You will probably find that you will be urinating more as you drink more juices. That figures, doesn't it? You are taking in more
liquid. You may also notice that you have more bowel movements now than you were previously accustomed to. This, too, is to be
expected. Your body may well respond to all this nourishment by "cleaning house" a bit. More excretory symptoms would be the
result. Ever notice how many trash cans you fill when you clean out the attic, basement or garage? Why, you hardly noticed all the
rubbish you had stored in there until you went to clean it out. The same is true, by analogy, with your body.
WHAT JUICES ARE BEST FOR YOU
You may drink those juices that appeal to you the most. To find out your favorites, try each of them!
CARROT juice is tasty and popular, and two glasses of carrot juice per day are highly beneficial. There is no need to peel your carrots
if you first scrub them well with a tough brush. I recommend a vegetable brush with nylon bristles for this purpose. Brush the
daylights out of the carrots while rinsing them under water. This is quicker than peeling, and is less wasteful.
Carrot juice is very high in vitamin A. The vitamin A in carrots is actually "provitamin A" or carotene. Carotene is completely nontoxic, no matter how much you consume. The worst thing that can happen if you drink a huge amount of carrot juice is that you will
turn orange.
No, really. You see, beta carotene is a natural pigment, a natural coloring. Excess carotene is stored in your skin until your body wants
it and then turns it into active vitamin A as needed. An abundance of carotene in your skin makes you look orange. This condition is
called "carotenosis" and is harmless. Okay, it looks odd to visit the folks (or the doctor) when you are orange. I know: when my son
was little, he LOVED sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash to the point of orange skin. The relatives got a bit worried, but the
coloration disappeared after we limited his orange veggies for a week or two. So, to get rid of the color, simply back off the carrot
juice (and other orange vegetables) for a while and it will go away. If someone thinks you are not well, tell them what you are doing.
A doctor who thinks you have jaundice could then understand right away that you don't. Liver function tests would also confirm your
good health. Naturally, you don't have to turn orange to enjoy the goodness of carrot juice. You can drink just enough to feel great
...without looking like a pumpkin!
Some folks have tried canned or bottled carrot juice and they didn't like it. No wonder! Fresh juice tastes SO much better that there
isn't really any comparison. I have two teenagers who WILL drink freshly-made carrot juice. Could there possibly be any higher
recommendation than that?
CELERY juice is very tasty, but a bit high in sodium. Use small amounts of this juice to flavor the others. Juice celery leaves and all
for the most benefit.
CUCUMBER juice is remarkably tasty. It tastes rather different than a cucumber itself. Perhaps you will find that the taste reminds
you of watermelon. Peel cucumbers before juicing to avoid the waxes applied to their skins to enhance their shelf life in supermarkets.
ROMAINE LETTUCE or BEAN SPROUTS will make an especially nutritious juice with a taste that is well worth acquiring. This
"green drink" is loaded with minerals and chlorophyll.
ZUCCHINI SQUASH juiced up tastes better than you'd ever imagine. Peel first, and enjoy. You may well be the first on your block to
be a zucchini-juice fan. It also keeps the juicer from clogging on higher-fiber vegetables.
BEET juice is, traditionally, a blood-builder. In days past, herbalists looked at the blood-red beet as a tonic more so because it
worked, rather than any color similarity. Beets must be peeled before juicing. Beet skins are very bitter. The beets, on the other hand,
are quite sweet and make great juice. They will also permanently stain your juicer, so don't try to remove that color by washing. More
important, beet juice will color your bowel movements.
That lovely red color of fresh beets can cause genuine alarm when it is seen in the toilet water. I know someone who had forgotten that
he'd had beet juice the day before. He could only figure that he had a terrible case of hemorrhoids when he looked into the toilet and
saw that red, red water. It was the beets, of course. When you have beet juice, remember not to be alarmed. Beet juice is widely used
in the food industry as a natural coloring agent. You can (literally) see why!
A hint: you will save time if you first carefully dip beets in boiling water before peeling them.
CABBAGE juice was used by Garnett Cheney, M.D. to cure bleeding peptic ulcers back in the 1950's. (Cheney, G. (1952) "Vitamin U
therapy of peptic ulcer." California Medicine, 77:4, 248-252) Dr. Cheney's patients drank a quart of cabbage juice a day and were
cured in less than half the usual time... with no drugs whatsoever. Since then, cabbage juice has successfully been used for a variety of
gastrointestinal illnesses. Colitis, spastic colon, indigestion, chronic constipation, certain forms of rectal bleeding and other conditions
seem to respond well to the nutrients in cabbage juice. Dr. Cheney called its healing factor "Vitamin U" (for unknown). More
recently, the American Cancer Society has urged people to eat more of the cabbage/broccoli family of vegetables because of their
protective effects against cancer. There may be something to this cabbage juice idea. It certainly couldn't hurt to try it.
TOMATOES are easily juiced. Do not juice the leaves, vines, or green tomatoes. Only the red, ripened fruit is good for you. Yes, the
tomato is a fruit. A fruit of a plant is essentially a seed-containing structure that can be picked without killing the plant. Hmm. This
means that cucumbers, squash and even green beans are all fruits. That's true. Think of the fun you will have at your next
Thanksgiving dinner when you ask Aunt Xanthippe to "Please pass the fruits" when the only foods near her are squash and green
beans.
This may help ease the minds of those who question whether you should have fruits and vegetables together at a meal. Since few
people are aware that pumpkin pie, tomato soup, and zucchini bread are all made out of fruits, why split hairs?
JUICE AT WORK?
Sam writes:
“I was reading a lot about juice fasting and how it might help. You’ve written that it has to be all fresh juice, so what should I do on
working days? I cannot possibly carry a juicer and a box of veggies to the office. Any suggestions?”
Sure.
1) Juice at home and carry it in a Thermos. Not ideal for taste, but people have done it. I’d add a little vitamin C (crush up any size
tablet) to retard oxidation. Fill the vacuum bottle all the way to the top so when you close it, a little juice overflows. This also helps to
reduce oxidation, insuring that there is little or no air inside to spoil the goodness. Of course you can juice as soon as you get home,
too.
2) Bring a ton of little cans or bottles of “V-8” vegetable juice with you. Be sure to get the “low-salt” variety. And I do NOT refer to
so-called “V-8 Splash,” which is NOT “vegetable juice.” Read the label.
3) Simply eat your vegetables. Have a salad-bar lunch. Also eat lots of fruit; great snack. (They do let you have lunch and snacks and
breaks, don’t they?) Fresh fruit and veggies are as easy to pack for your lunch as they are to put in your kids’ lunches.
Still more hints at http://www.doctoryourself.com/juicing_2.html
A TIMETABLE
At the beginning of this section we were talking about a 21-day "cycle" beginning with eight days just on fresh juices, three days to
come off the juice "fast," and then ten days of a 75% raw food diet. This makes a total cycle duration of three weeks (21 days). Now
that you have a better idea about the juicing segment, let's take a look at the next steps.
Coming off the juice "fast" is best done by eating lightly for a while. Fruit, fruit salads, vegetable soups, cottage cheese and other light
foods are appropriate at this point. A good rule of thumb here is to eat only half as much as you want to at any one time... but eat
twice as often. This is for about three days.
For the ten day 75% raw food diet, you can eat all you want as long as three-quarters of it is uncooked. For the uncooked part of the
diet, eat fresh, raw vegetables and fruits. Don't forget nuts, too. If they are raw, they count. Begin each meal with a large salad,
perhaps a fruit salad for breakfast. Then, when you've finished the salad, have whatever you want within reason. The 25% cooked
portion could include whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice, cooked beans, lentils, cooked vegetables including potatoes, sweet
potatoes, yams, squash and other foods that you like. Meat is not recommended, nor is chicken or turkey.
One of the best sources of flesh protein is seafood. Fish is a major source of important oils and other nutrients in addition to protein.
Enjoy it as often as you wish, but avoid breaded or fried seafood. Shrimp and shellfish are good foods. Generally, it is wise to avoid
eating a catch from questionably polluted waters, such as the Great Lakes. This is one statement that I look forward to striking from
this writing when our fresh waters are cleaner.
If you don't want to eat seafood, you do not have to. Eggs in moderation, cheese, unsweetened yogurt, raw cow's milk, goat's milk,
tofu, miso, tempeh, nuts, and especially beans and bean sprouts are all good protein sources. The issue is not WHERE you get your
protein but ARE YOU getting your protein. If you are not yet a vegetarian, now is the time to move in that direction. If you currently
don't eat meat, good for you... and remember: get plenty of protein.
When you go out to eat, it's easy to stay right on this program by eating at salad bars. Remember, try to make the other three-quarters
of your diet fresh and raw.
All the strongest and longest-lived animals on earth are vegetarians, or close to it.
Juicing Lessons
Lesson # 1: Important—Your current health
Fruit juice causes a rapid rise in blood sugar. In a normally healthy person, fresh fruit juices would not pose a problem as the sugars in
fruits are easily assimilated and digested. But, if you are suffering from candidiasis or are prone to suffer from thrush, please refrain
from consuming fruit juices. Opt for vegetable juice instead.
Or, if you suspect that you may have a yeast infection in the digestive tract, check with your doctor before you embark on a fruit
juicing diet. This advice also applies to those with low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) or are diabetic.
Vegetable juicing when done correctly, however, would not be a problem in these cases.
Lesson # 2: What to expect when you improve your diet
When you start consuming superior quality foods (fresh fruits and vegetables that are nutrient-rich), your body gets to work by ridding
the inferior material and tissues to make room for the superior materials to make new and healthier tissues.
For example, when you stop taking your daily stimulant "fix" such as coffee, tea, chocolate, or the like, headaches or migraines may
occur. This happens when your intelligent body discards toxins like caffeine or theobromine from your tissues and transporting them
in your bloodstream.
As these toxins travel on its way to their final destination for elimination, these irritants register as pain. It could be a headache, or a
joint pain, or weakening of a limb, etc.
Another letdown that can occur in your body during this time—when you choose superior quality over inferior quality food—could be
a slower heart action which your mind may translate as lethargy, or a decrease in energy.
When you encounter these symptoms, do not give up. Your body is going through a regeneration process, which on average may take
about seven days to a couple of weeks, depending on the toxicity level in your body. Take this period to rest, as your body recuperates
and prepares for better health ahead.
Be persistent and wait out this period. When these symptoms happen, know that your choice to improve your diet is the right thing to
do, and that a renewing is happening within you.
Your success starts here, as you understand the process, knowing that you are on the way to a healthier and new you.
Lesson # 3: When to drink your fresh juices
The best time to drink your fresh juices is on an empty stomach—at least half an hour before a meal. This is when your stomach
hungers for food and would pounce on anything you consume.
When you drink a nutritious healthy fresh juice, your body quickly absorbs all that you consume, wasting nothing. Likewise, when
you eat something harmful on an empty stomach, it would all be as quickly absorbed. So choose wisely.
You may have been told not to eat a citrus fruit or drink its juice on an empty stomach in the morning, because of its acidicity. I
suggest you try a little bit and see if it does give you any problem. But I can assure you that once your stomach is conditioned to
drinking fruit and vegetable juices, you should not encounter any problem taking citrus juices. In fact, I feel that the optimum
absorption of the vitamin C does wonders to my skin!
As a general rule, drink fruit juices mostly in the morning, or at the start of your day as it provides the complex carbohydrates to fuel
energy, or at least two-three hours before you go to bed, depending on your body metabolism.
Lesson # 4: What to juice
If you are new to juicing, try to start with the fruits you enjoy eating. This way, your body would already be familiar with its pleasant
taste.
Step 1: Start with the more common fruits first which are easier on your stomach, like apples, oranges or watermelons.
Step 2: After juicing these fruits a few times, and you feel ready to add something new to your menu, try adding carrot juice, celery,
cucumber or beet.
On lazy days, I like to juice one carrot, one apple, one tomato and one orange altogether. These have all the best ingredients that when
combined, provide a synergy of the nutrients which are powerful in keeping me in my peak. And they taste delicious.
I try to add at least one or two medium-sized beet root per week in my juicing diet. Beet roots are both powerful cleansers and builders
of the blood and kidney, therefore, its consumption should be limited.
Once you are familiar with fruit juicing, you may feel ready to move on to vegetable juicing. Vegetable juices may not be palatable to
some people in the beginning and takes some time to get used to, but their health properties are immense.
Step 3: The greener the vegetables, the more nutritionally valuable they are, and less palatable. When you think you are ready for
green vegetables, you may add lettuce, spinach, endive and cabbage for a start.
Step 4: You are well on your way when you have achieved Steps 1, 2 and 3 above. You may now start to experiment with all other
kinds of fruits and vegetables. But first, check out the list of fruits/vegetables and their health benefits; then try out the combination
recipes.
Lesson # 5: Rotate fruit/vegetable juices intake for best results
To maintain and promote optimum health, our bodies need adequate amounts of the following:
•Essential amino acids / •Vitamins / •Minerals / •Enzymes / •Essential fatty acids / •Carbohydrates / •Fiber / •Water
We need all these sufficiently, constantly, and variedly in order to help accelerate and enhance the process of restoring nutrients to
your nutrient-starved tissues.
When we regularly eat a mixed-variety of these fruits and vegetables, the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and all the abundance of healthbuilding elements from these juices work together in a synergy. The results of these combinations on your health can be simply
amazing!
While we may not get all the above-mentioned essentials from fruits/vegetables alone, there are some other healing foods that you
may add to your dietary to ensure balance.
Some suggestions of other healing foods that you can add to your dietary:
•Protein powder: I do not agree in getting protein from milk. Consider taking protein powder which contains glutamine, an amino acid
which plays an important role in protein metabolism.
•Cod liver or fish oil: The green vegetable juices that you drink is abundant with vitamin K which helps to "stick" the calcium to your
bone matrix. But, in order for this to happen, you need some fats (from cod liver or fish oil) to assist with the vitamin K absorption.
•Chlorella and spirulina: Fruits and vegetables contain very little or no vitamin B. You may add chlorella and/or spirulina in
tablet/powder form as a supplement. These two algae have very high content of vitamin B.
•Seeds and nuts: Many seeds and nuts contain protein and fat that is needed to fuel the body. They also contain important amino acids
for the brain and the immune system. These can be eaten as they are, or ground and blended with your juices.
Lesson # 6: How safe are fruit juices?
The concerns I am going to mention below are not major concerns. We have come this far and understand that the abundant health
benefits of fruits far outweigh these little-understood issues.
A common nagging question for most people who want to start a juicing lifestyle is, "how safe is it to drink fruit juices?" I've been
there too, so I can understand these concerns.
Concern 1: The sugar
Of course, if you don't fall into the category of those suffering the conditions I mentioned in Lesson # 1 above, there is simply no need
for you to avoid fruit juices.
The natural sugar in fruits can be easily assimilated and digested, unlike table sugar which is totally harmful to the body. They
generally have low glycemic index (GI), which means that it doesn't make the glucose level in the blood rise as fast and as high as a
high GI food.
However, only when drinking some very sweet fruit juices do I suggest you dilute them with water. When giving any fruit juice to
young children, always dilute them with water. For very young kids, do not give more than half an apple as apples has some natural
laxative effect that too much may cause diarrhea.
Examples of very sweet fruits are like pineapple, grapes and mangoes. For these, dilute them according to taste.
A word of WARNING, though: These natural sugars
and fruit acid, when left in the mouth,
may corrode your teeth enamel.
Therefore, it's important that you
rinse your mouth after your "juice fix".
Concern 2: The pesticides
We know that commercially-grown fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals. This is not something that
we can avoid, as not all of us are blessed with easy access to organic or pesticide-free produce.
One very effective way I've found to remove these toxins from fruits and vegetables is to soak them in clean water with a mixture of a
small capful of apple cider vinegar and some sea salt.
Vegetables tend to catch more of the pesticides. When preparing them, tear (not cut) them up from their bunch and soak them in this
solution.
Soak it for about 10 minutes and you will start to notice the water smell. This means the pesticide has come off. Rinse the vegetables a
couple more times and it's ready for juicing. Do the same thing for fruits.
To ensure you minimize the pesticides and chemicals in your juice, invest in a good gear juicer. Learn how a gear juicer can eliminate
much of the toxic chemicals from your juice.
Concern 3: The wax
What about the wax on fruits, like apples? Again, no concern here, really.
The thin layer of wax used on fruits is applied to contain its moisture, prevent it from shriveling and weight loss, therefore, improving
its storage life. The wax used on fruits are non-petroleum based, natural and edible.
In most fruits, nutrients are most concentrated just under the skin. So, if you peel the skin off, you lose all those precious goodness.
Some people, however, would prefer to just peel off the skin and recover the precious goodness by eating more fruits.
The decision is up to you, but in this case, neither option is harmful.
Lesson # 7: What about the pulp?
The pulp, or the fiber, is also known as roughage or bulk. These are the parts of the fruits/vegetables that your juicer retain behind
when it separates the juices from the plant foods.
There are two categories of fiber - soluble and insoluble fiber. Your body needs both of these. When consumed, these fibers do not get
digested but passes through your digestive system unchanged. On its way to being eliminated from your body, it adds bulk to your
stool and soften it, preventing constipation.
Depending on what I'm juicing, I sometimes add the pulp back to the juice for its fiber. It may take a slightly longer time for digestion
but it is also very healthy. A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticular disease
(formation of small pouches in the colon).
The soluble fiber has been known to lower blood cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of sugar, reducing the risk of developing
type 2 diabetes.
So, where possible, add the pulp back to your juice for these added health benefits.
Lesson # 8: Listen to your body
Juicing should be a pleasant experience. The juices should taste pleasant and not nauseating. I can't emphasize enough, the importance
of listening to your body.
After drinking juices, your stomach should be calm the whole day long, not churning and growling and leaving you with a queasy
feeling. If this happens, your body is telling you that you have probably consumed something which your stomach is not accustomed
to. You can condition your stomach by taking the same thing in smaller amounts in the future, and slowly increasing the amount.
When you start noticing pains and aches with your new juicing dietary, do not stop juicing. Read Lesson # 2 again and understand
what your body is doing.
Lesson # 9: Drink your juices right away
With good juicing equipment, preparation of fruits, cutting them up, juicing and washing up should take only about 15 minutes (not
including the fruits "de-pesticide" soaking time).
Once juiced, juices do not keep as long as its natural whole form. When it gets exposed to the air, it starts to lose its nutrient rapidly
and quickly spoil, so must be consumed almost immediately after being juiced.
If you must juice and keep it for 'later', you can do so by carefully keeping the juice in a thermos flask, or an air-tight glass jar. Fill the
juice to the brim, leaving very little space for air as the oxygen in the air can oxidize the juice.
If using a glass jar, wrap the glass jar in aluminum foil to block out the light, and store it in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
Light destroys enzymes. Take the juice out 30 minutes before drinking as it's best to drink your juices at room temperature.
Lesson # 10: Clean your juicer properly.
One of the more important factors when you choose a juicer, is that it must be easy to assemble, dismantle and clean. If it takes you 10
minutes to juice and another 15 minutes to clean up, you will not enjoy juicing. My juicer, an Oscar (a Samson 6-in-1 equivalent),
takes under 5 minutes to wash, and I simply love it.
Fruits/vegetables residue left behind on your juicer can easily contaminate with mold growth. To prevent this microbial proliferation,
clean your juicer as soon as you can, after use.
To clean, dismantle the juicer parts and rinse it under running tap water. For the strainer, use an old toothbrush to get the remnants out.
When you juice citrus fruits, the juicer tend to have a slight oily feeling. Simply clean this with a mild detergent solution. Rinse well.
Cranberries
Cranberries belongs to a group of fruits found in cooler parts of the world like America and Canada. Many different species of
cranberries can be found. Currently the most popular cranberries type is the "Vaccinuim macrocarpon L". In Asia, another species of
cranberry called "Vaccinium microcarpum" is more common.
Why Drink Cranberry Juice?
Cranberries are very popular because it is very easy to make and contains a lot of health benefits. With more people more mindful of
their health nowadays, it's no wonder cranberries has become a favorite fruit of many.
So what can cranberries do for you? Cranberries has been widely researched by food scientists and their studies have shown that these
berries are able to prevent certain life threatening diseases like heart attacks, cancers, bladder problems and on top of that, prevent
urinary tract infection.
If you have gum problems, you will be glad to know that cranberry juice
contains bacteria fighting capabilities to fight this dental condition. Drinking cranberries juice regularly can help to reduce the
presence of oral bacteria and prevent unhealthy gum disease caused by bacteria plaque.
For women, cranberries can help to boost free radicals and improve the skin health. This can help to reduce cellulite and aid the
recovery of that dimply skin.
How much should you drink?
Experts have recommend that one should drink at least one glass to three glass of cranberries juice per day will provided the required
health benefits. Clinical studies had shown that three glasses per day has helped the trial participants to lower their risk of heart attacks
by up to 30 to 35%.
How much nutrients does cranberries contains?
One cup of cranberries measures roughly about 50 calories. It contains good nutrients such as 9.3grams Vitamin C and 12.1 grams of
dietary fiber. Cranberries contains zero cholesterol and the total fat composition is only 0.1 gram, which makes it a very low fat drink
juice.
Over Consumption
As with all things in life, moderation is key. Despite the reported positive health benefits of drinking cranberry juice, excessive
consumption can lead to obesity due to the high sugar content level within it. This can further give rise to unwanted health problems
like bad dental cavities and gastrointestinal imbalances.