Juicing has gone far beyond the days of just good old orange or apple juice. Today, a combination of fruits and vegetables is preferred for juicing. These mixtures are richer in nutrients and provide a more complete range of vitamins, minerals and co-factors (enzymes, phytochemicals, chlorophyll) in balanced dosages that only nature can produce.

 

That’s in contrast to pills and capsules that are produced in laboratories and marketed as making up for nutritional deficiencies in the foods we consume.

 

Virtually every health authority recommends that we consume six to eight servings of vegetables and fruits per day. But very few of us actually get to do that. Also, these recommended servings are hardly met if you eat fruits and veggies that are cooked and processed. Juicing is an easy way to guarantee that you will reach your daily target.

 

Carb types should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight a day. Most people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.

 

Juicing helps in absorbing all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. Impaired digestion hampers the body’s ability to absorb all the nutrients from vegetables, but juicing will help predigest them.

 

Juice fasting for weight loss, on the other hand, is not a new idea, but some people are discovering the benefits only now.

 

Lifestyle changes

 

I was one of those who experienced rapid weight loss on a juice diet. In 2004, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension) and was prescribed anti-hypertension pills.

 

By coincidence, I got hold of a book, “Fit For Life” by Harvey Diamond, ND, which says hypertension is reversible through changes in lifestyle and a diet dominated by foods from the plant kingdom (fruits, vegetables and their juices in their natural state).

 

Immediately and without thinking (please don’t emulate me—first consult a medical practitioner before going on a diet change), I stopped taking my anti-hypertension pills and aggressively embarked on a diet dominated by fresh and raw fruits and vegetables.

 

That was more than nine years ago. Today, I have zero drug maintenance.

 

And I lost weight. After two months, I lost about 23 lbs (down to 25 lbs later) and reduced my waistline by approximately three inches (down to 4 inches later). This was truly amazing for me, a rapid weight loss where I didn’t feel any weakness or sluggishness. On the contrary, my energy level surged, something I enjoy to this day.

 

Stomach discomforts

 

In 2007, we went to Singapore to visit my daughter and family. Upon arrival, I was informed that our son-in-law had been suffering from loss of appetite and frequent stomach discomforts for the last two months. I suspected that overacidity of the stomach was the cause.

 

Applying what I learned in “Fit for Life,” that when alkaline and acid solutions are mixed they neutralize each other, I recommended celery juice to neutralize his stomach acidity, since drug medication had not brought any relief.

 

According to Diamond, celery is one of the richest sources of alkaline plant foods, besides being very palatable. I’ve seen some foreigners munch on celery sticks while taking a leisurely stroll.

 

After three days of drinking fresh and pure celery juice (taken one hour before meal, twice a day, preferably on an empty stomach), my son-in-law had reduced stomach discomfort and his appetite improved.

 

A week later, after four more days of drinking celery juice, he was back to his old self. Without a doubt, celery juice (a true and natural alkaline drink) cured him.

 

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was right when he said, “Let food be your medicine.”

 

Remedies

 

When you are not feeling well or about to catch a cold—signs include occasional or frequent sneezing, runny nose—or already have one, fresh juice and plenty of water (preferably distilled) are your best remedies.

 

If you lack appetite, fresh juices are the best solution to keep your nutrient intake adequate, to prevent energy-level deterioration.

 

Fresh juices help cleanse the body of accumulated waste. They provide continuous supply of nutrient-dense foods without requiring any expenditure by the body.

 

They also supply us with vital building blocks for cell regeneration (way safer and better than the much-touted and very expensive stem cell treatments, if there is ever any truth to them).

 

Fresh juices are the best source of nutrition for sick people. Healing and recovery need tremendous amounts of energy, and since fresh juices are predigested, extra amounts of energy are available for healing and recovery.

 

Joyce Rogers, author of the book “The Bible’s Seven Secrets To Healthy Eating,” wrote that she drinks juice as preventive medicine. Her goal is one big glass of fresh vegetable juice a day.

 

Expiration dates

 

Commercially sold juices in whatever kind of packaging have expiration dates of up to two years, meaning they are fit for consumption on or before the indicated dates.

 

That means they are not fresh. Also, their labels may contain words such as “from concentrates” (water content taken out, then reconstituted) and “not from concentrates” (as is, undiluted). Others don’t even have these markings.

 

What all these mean is that the content has undergone a process to extend “natural” expiration dates, and the most common practice is “pasteurization” or simply heating (yes, boiling).

 

Pasteurization is meant to kill “bad” bacteria that can spoil the juice.

 

Fresh juices have no bad bacteria and will stay fresh for a couple of hours before losing their freshness and begin fermenting. They may last up to a week if refrigerated, depending on the degree of coldness.

 

Fresh juices are alkaline drinks that become acidic when processed and packaged for commercial sale.

 

“The single most beneficial habit you can possibly cultivate is the habit of consuming exclusively fresh fruit juice from the time you awaken in the morning,” wrote Diamond.

 

Drinking fresh juice regularly and embracing a diet dominated by foods from the plant kingdom “in their natural state” are all you need to meet your nutrient requirements, even for calcium and protein.

 

Taking prepared and processed supplements in pill, capsule or in any form is just a waste of resources. Besides, some may contain ingredients harmful to your body, and may not even be in the right amount or dosage to match nature’s formula.

 

Remember, drink veggie or fruit juice slowly, mix it with saliva in your mouth, then swallow, preferably on an empty stomach. You’re on your way to a healthier life.