My husband Roop and I bought a champion Juicer 2000 recommended by the leading natural cancer treatment centre Gerson Institute. They recommend this juicer for people with non-malignant condition wanting to improve their health through nutrient and energy rich juices. They also recommend more expensive juicers for people with cancer, as these juicers extract more of the nutrients and keeps more enzymes intact that your body needs to heal itself from cancer. Check out their fantastic ‘Guide to Juicers’ here!
Juicing is THE way to get in more vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices into your diet and push up your daily intake of vital, high vibrational nutrients we need to keep our bodies in tip top condition. Not only do we need to be eating at least 12 or more portions a day, we need to be able to find the time and tummy space to fit them all in! That’s why juicing is so important… with one juice, you can easily get another 4 potions into your diet.
Why is this so important? Well, we need an ample amount of nutrients every day to nourish our bodies, providing them with the nutrients to have for energy, to build new cells and repair damaged ones; to help us detoxify and keep our body clear; to help fight free-radical damage and oxidative stress that naturally (or unnaturally!) happens in the body; to fight inflammation caused by everyday living, but also toxins we take in; to give us particular nutrients we need to perform specific function in our body like achieve proper sleep, relax our muscles, grow shiny hair and strong nails and so on. Having a ‘balanced’ diet really does mean having a nice spread of vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, pulses, nuts and seeds rather than just having your average meat and 2 veg for dinner.
We need much more than what in an average diet to prevent poor health and to have the energy to do what we want to do.
I’ve included 2 juices into my daily routine, one in the morning before waking, that I usually create as a detoxifying-aiding juice. I’ll put in veggies, fruits, herbs and spices that support normal liver function, help the body to detoxify gently but also that contains important blood-sugar balancing energy sources and nutrients. Because of my particular health conditions – I always add an anti-inflammatory portion or 2 as well. Hers’s a juice I had today as an example:
For liver support: pear, fennel, lemon, turmeric root
Creating sustainable energy through a nice blood sugar balance: beetroot, courgette, apple, carrot
Anti-inflammatory: ginger, turmeric root, fennel, apple
I’ll often have an energy boosting juice later on in the day, either in the afternoon during work, or after work before my yoga workout. I use energy boosting and antioxidant rich vegetables and fruit like beetroot, ginger, pomegranate and berries and free-radical-fighting foods like lemon, broccoli, berries, artichokes, spinach, before my workout or an evening. This is to make sure I have the right nutrients to see me through the workout as well as offset the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by working out or a long night out on the town.
Juices are an elixir of life gifted to us to nourish our minds, bodies and souls, that can be tailored to do specific conditions and that get nutrients into cells that need them. So, for example, if you have gut issues like low stomach acid or digestive enzymes, you could juice bitter green vegetables or herbs like rocket and tarragon (along with other things) which will help stimulate digestive juices. Or if you have a lowered immune system, you could juice ginger, turmeric and berries to get their incredible immune boosting properties at a concentrated dose.
I’ll be posting more articles about juicing as time goes on, but for now I just want to introduce you to the basics and show you how easy it really is. The best thing is you can just start by experimenting with whatever you have in your fridge. Most of all, for those of you who haven’t got a juicer, I hope this will inspire you to invest in one, or ask your loved ones to chip in for one as a gift to you. Juicing will truly improve your quality of life and give you more energy to be and do what you want!
Enjoy our Top Tips to Juicing!
- Use only the freshest ingredients, preferably organic. Pesticides and herbicides can end up in concentrated doses in your juice and these are known to be cancer causing as well as disrupt hormones.
- Some fruits contain a lot of sugar (carbohydrates), which we need to avoid consuming excess amounts of, because bad bacteria and fungus like Candida will feed off it. Balance your juices with at least at least a 70:30 veg to fruit ratio – the more veg the better!
- When juicing start with the softer fruit and veg 1st and go with the harder one’s at the end to be kind to your juicer. The more love and care you show your juicer, the longer it will last.
- Create your own bespoke juice medicine for particular health concerns or conditions by researching your micronutritional needs and finding the fruits and veggies that contain those. Or if you’re already working with a nutritional therapist – work with them to design a few juices for you to achieve your therapeutic aims.
- Create your juices and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours with a twin gear juicer, or up to 72 hours with a press. Freshest is best, so juice when you want it and get those amazing nutrients whilst they’re at their best!
- Be adventurous! Go wild! Don’t be afraid of your juicer and what you put in it, most combinations work well. Add in an inch of ginger or a handful of mint or coriander for an extra zing in your juice especially for blander or hard-to-palate juices like cabbage! Many herbs, veggies and fruits actually taste different when they are juiced – so experiment.
- Add high quality, therapeutic grade essential oils to enhance the medicinal properties of the juices. For example, adding lemon essential oil which is great for supporting detoxification of the liver would be an amazing addition to your liver and gut cleansing juices. Or adding oregano oil to juices designed to clear out Candida will improve your juice’s anti-fungal capabilities. Use only the purest of oils, from the purest of companies. I use doTERRA essential oils – get them from my online shop: www.mydoterra.com/earthclinicoils
- Get into a juicing regime in order to create an easy-to-follow routine. Juicing in the morning, a little while after you’ve had a toxin-flushing hot drink is a preferable time. You’re body’s been repairing all night long and so the juice will go to replenish the stocks straight away and as your digestive system and liver hasn’t been over-worked with food yet – its likely to absorb and distribute those life-giving nutrients all over your body well.
- Don’t add ice to juices, it will destroy some of the enzymes from the fruits, veggies and in your stomach as well!
- Use juices to make amazing salad dressings. For example, pomegranate juice mixed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pepper – YUM!
- Give thanks, savour the juice and it’s life-giving nutrients and it will nourish your mind, body and spirit even more! Enjoy!
