Let's Talk Juicing!

How would you feel if you just won the lotto?

That is quite possibly how your cells feel when you juice. With minimum effort generated on the part of your cells, maximum nutrition is received and it all adds up to a sustainable boost of energy.

It is well suited to those with compromised digestion or assimilation (stomach/intestine) as well as those who have compromised immune systems. The juicing process compensates for where the body is working to regain balance with invaluable support.

It is a commitment to caring for yourself. It is an investment of time and resources that will grant you a significant return, and whether you turn to it periodically or consistently it will create momentum toward vitality and wellbeing.

“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer

To begin this journey into self-care, you need three things....equipment, produce, and time.  Let's explore each of these.

Equipment:

• There are lots of juicers on the market and they all have particular things they are good at.  So, it’s important to match your juicer with what you intend to do with it.

• For our purposes, which is optimal health and vitality, we are going to focus on the juicers which are made specifically for juicing greens, sprouts, and wheatgrass and are capable of preserving delicate phytonutrients.

• The Omega 8006 which uses a dual-stage single auger runs around $300.  It uses a single auger to crush the produce into the screen of the juicer in the first stage, and then in the 2nd stage, it goes through an even finer holed screen to get even more juice.  This allows the juicer to get the maximum amount of juice from the produce. It runs at a low RPM, so there is little oxidation, or loss of nutrients, and is easy to clean. 

• The Green Power or Green Star which uses twin gears runs around $440. It uses two gears that turn at a very low RPM and mesh together to break down the fibrous cell wall by first shredded the produce and then by squeezing it.  It is an optimal way to preserve nutrients and work with fibrous produce like leafy greens or sprouts.

Produce:

• Produce that gets juiced is going to provide a concentrated version of itself directly into your bloodstream.  Because of this, it is valuable to exclude sweet things like fruit, carrots, and beets from your juice.  These are best eaten in limited amounts and whole where the fibrous content will help to slow down the absorption of the sugar.

• Because of the concentrated nature and quick assimilation of juicing, it is valuable to get organically grown produce.  It is free of pesticides, sewage sludge, GMOs, and irradiation and has grown up in soil free from artificial fertilizers.

• Wash and cut the produce before juicing.

• While juicing it can be helpful to rotate harder vegetables with softer vegetables.

• Green juice is highly perishable and begins to lose its delicate phytonutrients within ½ hr. to an hr after juicing, so it’s ideal to drink it as soon as you make it.

• If you are going to store it, put it in an airtight container like a mason jar and fill it to the top to prevent oxygen from interacting with the juice. 

• Juicing is high-quality nutrition but does not contain valuable fats and fiber so is best used in addition to regular meals and not in replacement of them.

Time:

• It takes time to juice, but it is an investment in yourself. 

• Because green juice is so perishable,  store-bought green juices can not compare health wise to your own freshly made juice.

• You'll need time to wash and cut the vegetables, juice them, and then clean the juicer.

• The juicer is easier to clean immediately after use.  If you choose to clean it later, consider taking it apart and putting the parts in water to soak until you're ready to clean them.

• An average time for prep, juicing and cleaning is around 15-20 minutes.

• It is nice to have the juicer sitting out on the counter where it draws your attention and reminds you to set aside time for your own health.

4. Recipe

Hippocrates Health Institute recommends a simple plan of 50% vegetables and 50% sprouts to promote alkalinity, high-level nutrition, and hydration. The recipe below which will create 16 oz of juice and is what they serve their guests twice a day.

1 1/2 organic cucumbers

(Great for hydration and keeping the taste mild.)

2-3 stalks of celery

 (Great for electrolytes.)

Large handful of pea sprouts/greens 

Large handful of sunflower sprouts/greens

(Great for phytonutrients which are chemicals that plants make which have anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits.)

One lesson this pandemic is teaching us is how important it is to take care of ourselves. Being willing to get a bit uncomfortable and try new things is a way of exploring new levels of our own health and vitality

“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos- the trees, the clouds, everything.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Here’s to you and the cultivation and experience of your own well being.

Juice on!