To Juice or Not to Juice… that is the question

Did you know the gastrointestinal tract is supposed to be a closed semi-permeable wall ONLY letting in completely dissolved food particles?  Chewing is helpful but not everyone chews every bite 20-30 times!!!    Reflux, gas and bloating is a common complaint and I hear about these symptoms in my nutrition office regularly.   Antacids are an over prescribed medicine for acid reflux and help temporarily but can change the semi-permeable wall of the GI tract to a picked fence when taken for long periods of time.    Bigger undigested food particles get through the picked fence and are immediately seen as invaders by the immune system and then we attack ourselves!!!

Juicing pulverizes the vegetables and separates the pulp from raw liquid nutrition.  Our body is constantly fighting off the things we eat and drink

…Juices are by nature raw foods and retain nutrients that would be destroyed by cooking, including some B vitamins and especially digestive and anti-inflammatory enzymes.  What about the pulp? Toss it in your compost or make veggie burgers.

I often feed the fiber to my 16 year old, sometimes constipated, beagle, April.

If you are suffering from chronic belly issues like bloating, reflux, or even an auto immune disease, juicing may help.  It is not always determined what came first, the diagnosis, GI symptoms or the picked fence; however,  juicing can be safely added as a complimentary treatment for short periods of time and/or extended periods of time by adding solid food as well.

We have had quite the heat wave in Rhode Island and instead of standing over the stove or cooking on the grill, now would be a good time to try juicing one or more of your meals.   You must know someone who is trying to get rid of some cucumbers, squash, greens or tomatoes!!!

I’ve been juicing with a friend of mine and the concoctions we have invented have all been delicious and fresh!  We use mostly greens, with an assortment of other veggies, like carrots, celery and fennel.  Always some lemon or lime, an organic apple or grapes and definitely some ginger and turmeric.

My friend is juicing to try and gain back some mobility and decrease numbness due to MS.  He has not seen any improvement with the symptoms mentioned but we both enjoy the increased energy.

We buy mostly organic vegetables especially the dirty dozen…https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php)and now that our gardens are flourishing in the northeast, we juice what we grow and harvest!

No fertilizer in our gardens; just hard work, water and sun.  Whether we juice or cook the harvested veggies, we know exactly where everything came from.

For more information, this is a great article siting the many reasons why juicing could be a health strategy for you or someone you love!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/woodson-merrell-md/juice-cleanses_b_4549641.html  Of course the benefits of juicing vary from person to person but there are no adverse side effects of juicing for the short term.

My friend and I have come up with so many juice variations; but this juice recipe was particularly good…1 head Romaine lettuce, 1 bunch parsley, 1/2 bunch of mint, some leftover spinach, 1 beet, 1/2 fennel bulb, 2 organic green apples, 7-8 carrots, 1/2 bunch lacinato kale, 1/2 bunch celery, 4” thick finger of ginger, 4 small fingers of turmeric, 1 peeled lemon, 2 large cucumbers!

This made approximately 1.5 quarts, enough for 3 large glasses, total cost only$10.00 for all 3 servings.  Sometimes we chug it down and other times we sip. Bottoms up and enjoy!