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Juices and Smoothies
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Specifically, says Cousens, "The advantage of juices is that they focus and concentrate the energy of enzymes, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients. Juices carry the amplified healing energy of fruits and vegetables plus added food concentrates such as chlorella."

He continues: "Fruit juices act primarily as cleansers. Citrus fruits, for example, have solvent actions; apples contain malic acid and galacturonic acid, which are detoxifiers; pineapples have a high bromelain content, which has many healing and anti-inflammatory effects.

Fruits -and fruit juices even more so- help to cleanse and purify the organs. Vegetable juices have more of a tonic effect that heals, stabilizes, and builds the body.

Like fruit juices, each vegetable has a specific power to heal a particular organ. For example, beets and dandelions help heal the liver. Green juices contain chlorophyll, which is a tonifier that leads to incredible healing experiences for many."

Further on in the same book, author Meyerowitz, who is popularly known as the "Sproutman," discusses the proper way to wash fruits and vegetables, warning that a simple rinse is not nearly enough to clear the residues of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.

He recommends one or more of the following: grapefruit seed extract, a volatile citrus oil that acts as a potent antimicrobial; a lemon juice or white vinegar bath (soak the produce for 10 minutes and then rinse under cold water); or a boil bath in which vegetables are dipped into boiling water for between five and 30 seconds, depending on how hearty their outer skins are.

Chlorine bleach is yet another possibility, one which governments use to "purify" municipal water supplies, but Meyerowitz acknowledges that the environmental hazards associated with chlorine make it controversial.

How juice is obtained from fruits and vegetables also is a matter of some concern to juicing enthusiasts.

In his book, Getting the Best Out of Your Juicer, William H. Lee, R.Ph., Ph.D. devotes an entire chapter to "Buying a Juicer."

Although it is possible to squeeze an orange by hand, he points out that this approach won't work with a carrot; so it is inevitable that anyone who wants to go even a little deeply into the juicing lifestyle is going to have to buy a juicer.

In making their selection, he remonstrates, consumers must recognize that "juicers are not blenders. What comes out of a juicer and what comes out of a blender are not the same.

Juicers deliver the juice and leave the pulp behind. A blender chops up whatever is put into it and turns it into a liquid- maybe a mushy liquid, but a liquid nevertheless. It combines the liquid and the pulp.

Blenders cannot deliver pure juice, which can become body-active in 15 minutes. Blended material requires a much longer digestion and assimilation time."

There are two types of juicers, says Lee.

Centrifugal models chop up the fruit or vegetable in a plastic or stainless steel basket, then spin the contents at very high speed to separate the juice from the pulp. The juice comes out of a spigot, and the pulp remains behind to be removed afterward.

The other style, masticating juicers, grind the produce into a paste before spinning at high speed to squeeze the juice through a screen set into the juicer bottom.

Gary Null, Ph.D., and his daughter Shelly, co-authors of The Joy of Juicing, argue on behalf of purchasing a high-quality juicer, one on which fruits and vegetables can all be pushed through in one session.

If the quality is good enough, they add, "you can even juice wheatgrass."

Juicing is not just about flavor, of course. Many people believe in it as a quick and sure way to achieve health, sometimes even in the face of cataclysmic illnesses.

"There is a large and growing body of scientific research that shows an intimate connection between diet and the recovery process, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., in her book, The JuiceLady's Guide to Juicing for Health.

Calbom reports that "people all over the world have found healing from ailments such as chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and many other conditions by juicing and making dietary changes."

Smoothie Mania

One of the newest and hottest trends on the juicing front might, if it were a B-movie, be called The Attack of the Smoothies.

As Kirk Perron, founder of Jamba Juice, a 350-store chain, could attest, millions of Americans were ready and waiting to stop relying on empty-calorie foods; all they needed was "a life-nourishing, affordable, convenient alternative," and "freshly made smoothies and juices were the ticket."

In his book, Jamba Juice Power, Perron asserts, "Fruit is the ultimate gift from Mother Nature. ... Naturally sweet and often sensually juicy, fruit not only tickles our taste buds, but it's packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other helpful nutrients."

References:
Power Juices Super Drinks by Steve Meyerowitz
Getting the Best Out of Your Juicer by William H. Lee, R.Ph., Ph.D.
The Joy of Juicing by Gary Null, Ph.D., and Shelly Null
The Juice Lady's Guide to Juicing for Health by Cherie Calbom, M.S.
Jamba Juice Power by Kirk Perron

From WHOLE FOODS Magazine - JUNE 2005
Used with permission

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