When we chew our food, we are basically juicing it in our mouths. We are breaking down the bolus of food and splitting the cell walls. Our saliva contains enzymes that start the digestive process. These enzymes promote absorption of nutrients in our body. Chewing is very important to get the most out of our healthy food (see the next article for more info on this!). Juicing extracts massive amount of nutrients without the need to consume all that poundage of vegetables every day. It would take hours to chew all the nutrients that can be downed in a glass of juice. Juicing releases about 90 percent of the nutrients in food…I call this hypernutrition.
Before I go on, let me say that not all juice is good juice. The commercially available juices that look so enticing in the grocery store coolers may not be the best choice. Most of these juices contain high amount of fruit which can shoot blood sugar through the roof when separated from the fiber. Many are also pasteurized, which eliminates many of the nutrients. Some have added sugars or other unidentifiable ingredients. The healthiest juice is the juice you make in your own kitchen (just like real food…if you process it in your kitchen, it is much healthier).
The current recommendation for intake of fruits and vegetables is 10 servings per day. Does that information shock you? If so, you are probably not getting anywhere near that amount. Juicing can be a way to add fruits and veggies to your diet. Juicing is an excellent way to boost the nutrient value of your daily intake. The best juice is made from mostly vegetables. Adding a small amount of fruit boosts the flavor and makes it easier to drink. Juicing boosts our energy by flooding our body with nutrients. This can be useful to those who are preventing disease and for those who are healing disease. For those with prevention in mind, supplementing a healthy, mostly plant diet with a cup of juice or two a day is an excellent way to get more vegetables into your body. Juicing for healing takes it to the next level. This is where conscious commitment is key. A more aggressive approach may be the best strategy. Hypernutrition to allow all the phytonutrients to promote healing and wellness.
One of the most important tips I can give you about juicing is to choose organic as much as possible. This may mean spending more money (it will mean that, for sure). It may mean that you have to shop at a couple different stores to get the organic produce you need. It will take extra time and money. And it can be that important. When we juice, it’s best to include the peel and if conventional produce is used, toxins and pesticides may be included. These are not useful in the healing process. Choose organic and soak your produce in salt water or vinegar water to remove any rouge pesticides or other toxins that may have found their way onto your items. If you must use conventional, soak and scrub and do your best to get the produce as clean as possible. The best thing is to get the produce into your body. The nutrients you get even from conventional may outweigh the risk of any toxins that may be included. No stress needed here. Choose organic when you can, wash and scrub if necessary and get the juice onboard.
Some of the healthiest foods to juice are carrots, celery, beets and ginger. Garlic gets extra bonus points. These all have anti-cancer properties and if they can affect cancer, they must be good for just about everything else! Carrots are #1. Carrot juice is rich in vitamin A, beta carotene and alpha carotene. These nutrients promote liver detoxification and occur naturally in the vegetable. Carrots also contain vitamin E, K and B-6, minerals including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium and non-heme iron. Carrots are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids like lycopene and lutein. Falcarinol is a powerful anti-cancer compound found in carrots. Falcarinol has antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting and anti-cancer properties making it one of the healthiest compounds available…and it’s readily available at your local grocery store in carrots. Beets are very high in antioxidants and are also rich in carotenoids, lycopene, and vitamin A. The vibrant color of beets comes from the anti-cancer phytonutrient, proanthocyanidin. They also contain betaine, vitamin C, folate, manganese, and potassium, as well as nitric oxide which helps with blood flow and blood pressure. Celery, like carrots, contains falcarinol, along with vitamin A, C, and K and minerals including potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Celery is high in flavonoids like apigenin and luteolin, which have anti-cancer properties. Celery also boosts nitric oxide and supports healthy blood pressure. Ginger is a powerhouse when it comes to antioxidant content. It’s also anti-inflammatory and has demonstrated anti-cancer properties. Ginger can inhibit tumor cell growth, slow down metastasis (spreading of cancer cells) and induce cancer cell death. It’s spicy flavor add zip to your juice so start with just a small chunk and build up as you begin to love the taste. Garlic must be mentioned, albeit briefly. Garlic is one of the healthiest foods we can eat. It also adds zip to our juice and is an acquired taste. If using, go easy and get the benefits without the risk of not being able to drink the juice once you've taken the time and effort to make it!
Juicing can be a fun way to get more nutrients into your body. You can follow elaborate recipes or you can just play around and experiment with different flavor combinations. Lean toward more vegetables and a little fruit to add a touch of sweetness. Juicing green leafy vegetables isn’t the best way to get them into your body. The yield is minuscule, and a better way is to be make a big salad to go with your juice. Beet greens are the exception…throw a few into your juice for added nutrition. Worried that you aren’t getting enough greens in? Add a scoop of supergreens to your juice. Choose wisely here. Read the label. Choose organic. Look for powders with chlorophyll, barley grass, wheat grass, spirulina. Avoid added sugars or other ingredients that you don’t know. Less is better.
If juicing large amounts, store in glass jars filled to the very top in the fridge and drink within 24-48 hours ideally. Juice can be frozen to preserve its vitality. Choosing a juicer can be a challenge. The less expensive models will yield less juice from your produce. Some juicers can cost up to $2500 or more…spending that much is not necessary. Do your research and choose the one that you can afford that has good reviews. You may want to explore Marketplace or other used items sites as many people purchase juicers and don’t use them…you can get a really good deal on a better juicer this way.
Juicing can be an excellent way to get hypernutrition in the smallest package. Consider juicing as a supplement to a healthy (whole foods, plant-based) diet. 😊 If you are looking for healing…it’s a great way to skyrocket the nutrient value of the veggies you consume.
We’re not just what we eat, but how our body processes what we eat. In this way, we are what we can digest, absorb and utilize. We often overlook the importance of the many chemical reactions in our bodies and particularly in our digestive systems. There are those that are triggered by the food choices we make, and there are those affected by the strength and efficiencies of our organs. Every meal can become a feast. It is an opportunity to savor and delight in the taste and aroma of our meals.
Digestion is one of the essential jobs of the human body.
In fact, digestion is a cascade of actions where the success of each event is considerably dependent on the completion of the prior action. While some of the initial steps involved in digestion are chemical, one of the first is mechanical. This is chewing. When you chew, your food breaks down and signals hormones, enzymes, and gastric juices to initiate the process of digestion. The longer your food stays in this stage, in this mechanical and chemical decomposition that occurs within your mouth, the easier digestion is on the rest of your body. Not only is your food dissected into smaller and smaller bits by your teeth, but your saliva produces enzymes that further disassemble your food’s molecules. It also contains softening agents to allow for easier swallowing. Well-chewed food glides easily through the esophagus and into the stomach. In addition, you also have more time to chemically alert the rest of your digestive system to kick into gear! Dried and unchewed food has a rougher journey through the entire digestive and metabolic chain reaction.
Chewing alone can eliminate bloating, gas and abdominal pain.
Believe it or not, chewing is a cheap and easy way to increase the health and efficacy of the digestive system and benefit overall health. By freeing up the energy of the digestive system, what else might you have energy to accomplish? How about making this Spring your time to practice more chewing? What changes might you see in how you feel? You have the power to impact your own health. An easy way to start is by chewing your food more!
Tips: Chewing!
• Learning to chew well involves the tongue. The tongue has the important role of keeping the food in the mouth. Leaning forward a bit helps keep the food toward the front of the mouth.
• Once the tongue is well-practiced at the art of dissuading the chunky swallow, take 7-10 days of counting to 4 – 50 chews for each bite. Some foods dissolve quickly and will only take 4 chews…others can be chewed many more times. Can you get to 50?
• If the task feels daunting, try this for only one meal of the day. Try making a conscious effort to savor and chew even those meals that are eaten on the run.
• After several weeks, this chewing will become habit. Tune in to the feel of the fully chewed food in my mouth and how you feel after these meals.
I retired over five years ago. It looks so strange as I typed that sentence. Time passes so quickly. Working in the healthcare field opened me up to all the awesome outcomes that medicine can deliver. It also exposed me to many undesirable realities. Many say that nurses and doctors are the worst patients and that may be true. I can tell you that when I was faced with a health concern, I did not immediately accept the advice of my physician. When I was told I would need a new knee within the next three years, I thought to myself…” Oh, no way!” One of my best friends had a new knee and the wrong size was implanted…she had to go back in for a “redo” procedure. She is still not happy with how her knees are. I wanted no part of that. This began my search for other options.
The internet made my effort so much easier. I searched keywords like, alternative to knee replacement, dietary interventions and anti-inflammatory diet. I was sure that if I got away from eating fast foods and processed foods, my knee would feel better. One day I was walking on my treadmill, trying to take a few pounds off thinking that would help my knee when I came across a PBS Special called “Three Steps to Incredible Health” with Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I listened to the program and it made sense to me. What I had been doing as far as my lifestyle was likely contributing to inflammation and knee pain. At that moment, I decided to learn more and I purchased his book and read it over the following weekend.
My husband was traveling for business that same weekend and came across an article by Dr. Andrew Weil who is known for his anti-inflammatory eating style. Together we decided to move forward with a whole food plant-based diet like the one that Dr. Fuhrman was recommending. It intrigued me most because of all the stories I read regarding multiple health concerns becoming improved or completely reversed! I was excited and my husband was all in with me. To this day, I remain extremely grateful that he joined me on what would be ‘our’ journey.
It’s been 11 years since we adopted this way of eating. What has happened for me is no less than a miracle. I did not need a knee replacement. In fact, I ran a 5K with my sister in 2015…my first and last. I am no runner but I wanted to do it to say I did and to prove that my knee was up for the challenge. Shortly after adopting a plant-based lifestyle, my knee pain improved significantly. My weight dropped quickly…so quickly that people were asking if I was sick. I wasn’t…and I felt better than I ever had! I had energy to spare and my mood was exceptional. I felt happy. I feel accomplished. I feel empowered that I had taken my health into my own hands and “fixed” my knee pain.
I did not even notice that I had not had a migraine in quite some time when my husband asked me about it. I literally cried when I realized it had been weeks since I had a migraine headache. I had suffered with debilitating migraines since I was 19 years old. For 35 years, I had migraine headaches several times every month. They stopped with this way of eating. If you have ever had a migraine, you know how amazing this is! I still get teary-eyed thinking about the fact that all those years I could have prevented them if I had only known the power of food.
At 64 years of age, I feel better than I ever had. I have the energy of a 30-year-old (well, maybe that’s a stretch…but for sure a 40-year-old!) and have all my own body parts. I plan to live a long, healthy life and am proud to know that I am contributing to that outcome by eating the highest nutrient foods, moving my body and staying very active, and feeding my soul with friends and family I love. Life is busy and we can get caught up in the rat-race. Focusing on what we can do for ourselves holds so much power. So often we have the power to improve our health. Taking steps in that direction will allow you to reap the benefits and love the life we lead. Here are just a couple tips to get started on your own health journey.
Love yourself. Love your body and treat it like the palace it is. It holds all the secrets to a long, healthy life. Listen to it. Our bodies give us cues all the time…we tend to ignore them. Notice how your body feels when you overindulge and make changes to improve how you feel.
Incorporate more fresh vegetables and fruits, beans and nuts and whole grains. These are the healthiest foods on the planet. Start where you are…if you are eating very little, increase the amount in small increments and keep building until you are eating much less animal-based and processed foods.
Ask your family and friends to support you in your effort to feel better. We show love with food and we are deeply connected to the way we eat. Ask those around you to bear with you while you experiment with adjusting your eating habits.
No need to make a big announcement about your plan to get healthier…just start where you are and build on what feels right and notice what happens. People will notice, too. Just say…”I’m trying this new thing. We’ll see how it goes.” No need to try to convert others. We all get to the place of making changes in our own time. If this is your time, enjoy every minute…even the uncomfortable ones. Change isn’t easy and there will be uncomfortable moments. Embrace them and know that you are shifting…being uncomfortable is a sure sign of that.
Know that that you are an imperfect human and you will have setbacks. Get back on track as soon as possible…don’t wait til after the holidays or after the weekend. Now is the best time.
Beet Soup (Borscht)
Ingredients:
3 medium beets, peeled and grated
8 cups low-sodium veggie broth
2 cups water
3 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-size pieces
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons ketchup or 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 can white cannellini beans with their juice
2 bay leaves
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar, or to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 large garlic clove, pressed/minced
3 tablespoons chopped dill
Instructions:
Peel, grate and/or slice all vegetables (keeping sliced potatoes in cold water to prevent browning until ready to use then drain).
Heat a large soup pot over medium/high heat and sauté the grated beets with a little water to avoid sticking. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly until beets are softened.
Add 8 cups of broth and 2 cups of water. Add sliced potatoes and sliced carrots then cook for 10-15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
While potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium/high heat and sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper with a little water to avoid sticking. Stir almost constantly until softened and lightly golden using additional water as needed. Add the ketchup or tomato sauce and stir for about 30 seconds then transfer to the soup pot to continue cooking with the potatoes.
When the potatoes and carrots reach desired softness, add 1 can of beans with their juice, 2 bay leave, the white vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and dill. Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes and add more spices as desired.
Adapted from natashaskitchen.com
After adjusting for disease history and other risk factors, the researchers found that a healthy plant-based diet was associated with a “significantly” lower risk of osteoporosis, while an unhealthy plant-based diet was associated with a higher risk. The foods that had the most beneficial effects were whole grains, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, nuts, legumes, and tea whereas the unhealthiest foods were refined grains, sugary drinks, and desserts.
I am adding a new feature that I think will be interesting for you all. Dr. Michael Greger released his “How Not to Age” book recently and it is jam-packed (like all of his books!) with facts that can help us to slow the aging process and feel great until our last breath. For the next several weeks, I will share little tidbits that I am reading. I strongly encourage all my readers to look for Dr. Greger's books. They are based on scientific evidence and worth their weight in gold (in my humble opinion). :)
Glycation is something many of us are unaware of. Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) are known to be one of the main factors in the aging process. Check out Part 1 of How Not too Age for more details.
To help slow this aging pathway, on a daily basis, consider:
smoking cessation (like today…right now)
avoiding the worst foods, like bacon and hot dogs.
eating an “AGE less” diet by emphasizing lower AGE foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
cooking high protein foods using low heat and high humidity methods, such as boiling or steaming rather than broiling or frying.
favoring raw nuts and seeds over roasted or toasted.
Choosing lower-glycemic-load foods. (Ask me how to lower the sugar hit of baked potatoes! It's easy!)
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