The Everything Giant Book of Juicing (2 page)

IN THESE INCREASINGLY HEALTH-CONSCIOUS times, people are aware of the need for better nutrition. Concerns over pesticides, genetic engineering, the empty calories, added sugars, and trans fats in commercially prepared convenience foods all make headlines as authorities try to teach the need for better nutrition.

A good diet is key to good health. Yet, despite a myriad of movements toward whole foods and health foods, the typical American diet tends to fall a bit short of the mark. Crazy schedules, busy lifestyles, and increased dependence on convenience foods have taken us a long way from the days where backyard gardens flourished and everything that came out of the kitchen was made from scratch. Too, there’s a bewildering array of advice out there as to what to include and what to avoid in your daily diet as a means of maintaining good health. But the fact remains, everyone agrees that including greater amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables is essential. Experts recommend anywhere from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Realistically though, that’s easier said than done. Even the best dietary intentions can fall by the wayside when faced with finicky kids, rising grocery prices, and the ever-present temptation of added convenience. Things get even more confusing with the seemingly never-ending array of information about foods that are “bad” for you.

The good news is that regular juicing provides a great answer for those who want a better balance in their diets with a minimum investment in time, money, and effort. Juicing is something you can add to your daily routine without necessarily having to give up the foods you enjoy or spending endless hours in the kitchen. It requires almost nothing by way of preparation, and is faster and easier than popping something in the microwave. Best of all, you can be confident in the knowledge that just by juicing three to four times a week, you and your family will gain maximum nutrition, an increase in overall good health and immunity, and all the antioxidant and disease-fighting benefits you need to thrive.

Why fresh juice? Because juicing extracts essential nutrients and vitamins by breaking down fruits and vegetables at the cellular level. The resulting “liquid nutrition” is absorbed into the body almost instantaneously and far more efficiently than by popping a multivitamin. Unlike prepackaged or prepared juices, fresh juice isn’t pasteurized, as required by the FDA. Although pasteurizing is meant to be a protection, the heating process can destroy much of the original nutritional value. The logic is simple: Whole, living foods provide the best nutrition for living beings. Fresh juice is pure quality, provides instant bio-availability and immediate and tangible rewards.

As science uncovers more and more information about the benefits of juicing, people have come to understand that many of the micronutrients, phytochemicals, and enzymes available in whole, raw fruits and vegetables simply aren’t available when those same foods are eaten raw or cooked. This is because they are not absorbed or digested in the same way that fresh juices are.

What are some of these nutrients? Amino acids, which form the building blocks for protein; soluble fiber that helps control bad cholesterol; essential fatty acids that the body cannot make on its own, yet which are essential to healthy nerve cells and form part of the cellular membrane around all cells; phytochemicals that give plants their unique colors, tastes, and scents, and which have antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. Minerals, such as calcium, potassium, iron, and zinc, that are essential to proper cell functioning. Enzymes, which aid in digestion and regulate chemical reactions in the body, and, last but not least—vitamins, vitamins, vitamins! Fruit and vegetable juices contain vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, as well as B-complex vitamins, all essential to maintaining good health.

Though many people first come to juicing seeking help for a specific ailment or condition, there’s no need to wait for something to go wrong before you try it! The human body has a remarkable capacity to fight disease, to heal, and even to renew itself. When you give it the nutrients it needs, it will respond in amazing ways, rewarding you by regulating your weight, increasing your levels of energy, fighting the effects of time, and even reducing your need to conventionally medicate conditions such as high blood pressure, metabolism, and even acne! The cleansing power of juice makes it clear that the body knows what it’s doing. Adding the good stuff helps get rid of the bad. That’s a “health insurance plan” nobody can afford to turn down.

A lot of people like to talk about the so-called juicing revolution, but the fact is, juicing has been around for a long, long time. In a way, we’re not so much discovering the health benefits of consuming greater amounts of fruits and vegetables as we’re rediscovering them. Back when family farms were the norm rather than the exception, people ate well because they ate what they grew. Today’s movements for sustainability, reduced use of pesticides and fertilizers, and relying more on local food supplies have all revealed the wisdom of a better diet.

At the same time, modern technology makes juicing accessible to more people than ever before. When fresh produce meets a modern juicer, it constitutes a true evolution in the way we think about nutrition. It’s fast, easy, delicious, and good for you, too!

Juicing has been around for centuries, playing a large role in healing and medicine. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain several references for the preparation of medicinal juices, and the ancient Indian tradition of Ayurvedic medicine utilized ingredients such as limes, oranges, grapes, beets, radishes, and mango.

The modern age of juicing began in the early 1930s when difficult economic times made consumers think harder about ways to stay healthy and maximize the nutritional value of foods. The first modern juicer was created by a man named Dr. Norman Walker, who must have been well aware of the benefits of the practice, because he lived to be 108 years old! After World War II, the advent of technology came to the kitchen along with such dubious improvements as TV dinners and commercially canned products, and there was less of an emphasis on healthy eating habits. But in the 1960s, the publication of books such as
Diet for a Small Planet
sparked renewed consumer interest in organic and health-conscious eating.

In the 1970s, Linus Pauling, two-time winner of the Nobel Prize, brought the importance of daily doses of vitamin C to public attention and its importance in fighting disease and ailments such as the common cold. In his book,
How to Live Longer and Feel Better
, Dr. Pauling reviewed an enormous amount of scientific literature to discover and demonstrate that large doses of real vitamins and minerals do cure real diseases. A pioneer in American allopathic medicine, he emphasized the role of proper nutrition and vitamins in maintaining health.

Today, modern FDA guidelines mandate four to five servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Modern foodies are embracing healthier living concurrent with a rise in concern over how commercially produced foods may be contaminated by a variety of environmental factors and farming practices. Going organic and buying local are both on the rise and these factors have, in turn, led to a renewed interest in how to get the most nutritional bang for your food buck and maintain optimum health at the same time.

Many food experts maintain that raw foods are the healthiest for the body, because heating foods above 110 degrees is thought to denature enzymes that are naturally present. Those enzymes are thought to be the life force of foods, helping the body to digest and absorb nutrients. In some cases that’s certainly true. Vitamin C, for example is destroyed by heat, and the cancer-fighting sulforaphanes found in broccoli are diminished by heating.

In other cases, though, cooking can actually increase nutritional value. The lycopenes in tomatoes, for example, increase when the fruit is cooked, but that’s because the fibrous portions are broken down. Kale, garlic, spinach, and onions have also been shown to be more nutritious cooked as light cooking releases compounds that might otherwise go undigested. Whether or not you’re a raw foods advocate, it’s important to do your homework, and, as always, balance is the key in any diet.

Whatever your food choices, regular juicing offers the best of both worlds. First, because you gain all the benefits of raw foods, and second, because juicing breaks down the fibrous portions of fruits and vegetables at the cellular level to maximize their nutritive value. More than any other dietary practice, juicing puts the “whole” back in whole foods and offers great economy, digestibility, and nutrition without a huge adjustment in lifestyle.

While it’s true that a good high-speed blender can give you many of the same benefits as juicing, blending doesn’t break down fibers of fruits and vegetables at the cellular level. Thus, you may not derive the same nutritional punch as with a juicer. Still, a good high-quality blender can be useful in concocting smoothies, soups, and frozen treats with your fresh juices, so they’re good to have around.

Some newer technology claims to have narrowed the gap between juicers and blenders with higher speeds and greater cellular breakdown, especially in “bullet” type machines, but it’s important to keep in mind that even the best blender will result in liquids with greater amounts of pulp and fiber, which may be harder to digest and absorb than juice products. Some juicing proponents claim that higher speeds and the resulting heat from powerful motors destroy valuable nutrients, but so far, there’s not a lot of evidence to support that claim. If any machine is running so hot that it’s heating your juice, it’s best to put it in retirement and look for something new.

Unless you’re growing your own, it’s often difficult to determine where produce comes from or how long it’s been in your supermarket aisle. If you’re someone concerned about food pedigree, be sure to check for labels. Often they’re an indicator if the produce was grown outside the United States or in a country where laws governing the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers aren’t as stringent as they are here.

Local farmers’ markets are a great source for fresh produce as are food cooperatives. Food “rescue” organizations are also springing up all over the country, purchasing fresh produce in bulk from farmers, restaurant, and grocery chains and selling them to members at significantly reduced prices. Members report that for a contribution of as little as ten dollars they can receive up to sixty pounds of fresh produce.

When shopping for and selecting the best produce for your juicer, a good rule to follow is the G-R-O-W rule (greens, reds, oranges, and whites). It’s perhaps not such a coincidence that the fruits and veggies with the most eye appeal and the deepest, most vivid colors are also likely to be the most nutritious. Greens include lettuces, spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard, and kale. Reds include beets, red cabbage, raspberries, strawberries, and red peppers. The orange group includes carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges, and pumpkins. Last but not least, the “w” stands for white—cabbage, parsnips, and cauliflower.

Whether it’s organic, nonorganic, or so fresh you picked it off the tree yourself, always wash your fruits and vegetables before you juice. Store your produce in the refrigerator whenever possible, and if you have a humidity setting in your vegetable drawer, keep it on the high side in dryer, more arid zones such as Arizona, parts of California, Utah, and other Western states, as higher humidity makes for longer keeping, If you live in a moister environment such as the Pacific Northwest, or along the eastern seaboard, lower humidity settings are appropriate. The more water content the produce has, the greater the yield of juice. Most produce for juicing can be safely kept for a week or more in the refrigerator, depending on what it is. Lettuces and leafy greens like spinach will begin to deteriorate after a week, but root vegetables like carrots or beets will keep much longer. And while it may seem obvious to point it out, any bruises, spots, or blemishes should be trimmed away before juicing. Pick over berries and discard any that may have become overripe or wrinkled.

An “organic” label doesn’t necessarily guarantee consumer quality. Because the movement has become so popular, many companies have jumped on the bandwagon. Whether or not you choose organic, do know some fruits and vegetables are more susceptible to absorbing chemicals and pesticides than others.

Even if you do choose organic produce, be especially aware that there are some fruits and veggies that are more susceptible to environmental factors than others. E. coli, for example, occurs naturally, as does anthrax, even under organically raised conditions. So rinse, rinse, rinse before juicing.

The Environmental Working Group, which, among other things, analyzes produce and identifies susceptibility to pesticide and chemical residue, has identified the “Dirty Dozen” and stresses the importance of buying them from a reliable organic source. They are:

•  Apples

•  Celery

•  Sweet bell peppers

•  Peaches

•  Strawberries

•  Nectarines

•  Grapes

•  Spinach

•  Lettuce

•  Cucumbers

•  Blueberries

•  Potatoes

Their list of fruits and veggies where an organic label might not be so important includes:

•  Onions

•  Corn

•  Pineapple

•  Avocado

•  Cabbage

•  Sweet peas

•  Asparagus

•  Mangoes

•  Eggplant

•  Kiwi

•  Cantaloupe

•  Grapefruit

Whatever your choice, do know that many companies and producers are hopping on the organic bandwagon. So check your labels carefully. There’s a difference between a “certified” organic label and a “transitional” organic label. The “transitional” label means that the grower may have used pesticides and chemicals in the past and, while they have applied for certification, may not get it.

In the best of all possible worlds, of course, you have your own garden and can exercise quality control from your own backyard. For those fortunate enough to have a garden or orchard, juicing is a great way to utilize excess yields without resorting to canning or sugar-laden preserving methods. Best of all, leftover pulp from your juicers makes excellent compost material, and you can return the gift back to the soil that produced it.