More Juicing!

Yesterday I talked about the benefits of juicing for optimal health. For those of you with juicers (or, potential juicer-owners), I’m going to provide a few more recipes today for good juices that target certain health issues. Enjoy!

Anxiety, Stress, & Panic Attacks

Healing fruits and vegetables for those who suffer from occasional or even chronic anxiety include apricots, bananas, broccoli, carrots, celery, fennel, leafy greens, onions and watercress. Some herbs that are helpful include alfalfa, borage, garlic, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm and parsley. Other helpful foods include almond milk, dulse, honey, kelp, almonds, tofu, and oats.

Foods rich in B-vitamins, such as leafy greens and whole grains, will help support the nervous system, which helps us cope with stress and anxiety. Some foods to avoid during times of anxiety or stress include caffeine, alcohol, refined flours and sugars, artificial flavors and colors, and any foods you may be allergic or intolerant of.

Juice for Anxiety, Stress & Panic Attacks

1 cup spinach leaves

1 cup kale leaves

1 beet

2 celery stalks

1 apple

Optional: dandelion root or blackstrap molasses

Cancer Prevention

The risk factors for cancer, as most of us know, include tobacco and alcohol use; exposure to toxins in food and/or environment; and family history of cancer. A diet of mainly whole foods that includes large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables can be a powerful tool in cancer prevention, along with exercise.

Foods that help with cancer prevention include apples, apricots, berries, citrus fruits, figs, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, peaches, watermelon, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and watercress. Herbs that are helpful include burdock root, calendula, echinacea, garlic, green tea, parsley, sage and turmeric. Other great cancer prevention foods include extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, flax, legumes, nuts, seeds, wheat grass and whole grains.

Juice for Cancer Prevention

¼ head cabbage, chopped to fit juicer tube

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 clove garlic

3 sprigs fresh parsley

1 beet

1 apple

1 spear broccoli

Hangover

As many of us know, a hangover can include things like headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, depression, cravings, and more. Alcohol severely dehydrates the body, increases acidity in our digestive system, causes the loss of potassium and other vitamins, and affects our liver.

Healing fruits and vegetables for a hangover include apples, bananas, lemons, limes and leafy greens. Herbs that can be helpful include cumin, evening primrose oil, ginger, chamomile and lavender.

Hangover Helper Juice

2 apples

1 small piece gingerroot

1 lemon

Optional: 2 starfruits, crushed lavender buds

Note: Much of the above information was adapted from The Juicing Bible, by Pat Crocker

Juicing for Allergies

Juicing has become big recently. Not only are people juicing more at home, but juice bars are popping up all over the place, and smoothie places are beginning to serve freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices as well. Some people juice daily – it’s sort of like their multivitamin for the day. I’m more of an irregular juicer – I have a book called The Juicing Bible, but it’s more like a juice doctor for me. It has a juice remedy for any condition – hangovers, stress, allergies, indigestion, nerve support, and adrenal fatigue, among others.

Juicing is a way of separating the liquid of a fruit, vegetable or herb from the solids. The enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins A, C and E, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium and iodine found within a whole fruit or vegetable are often times trapped inside the indigestible fiber and therefore are not wholly absorbed by the body when eaten. However, when juiced, these nutrients become extremely available to us and will enter our cells within 10-15 minutes after we drink the juice. Juicing is particularly helpful when we need to save our energy, such as when we are recovering from a sickness or right before or after a workout. This is because it takes very little energy to digest juices, yet we still get tons of nutrients from them.

Juicing has a detoxifying and cleansing effect on our digestive tract and colon. This helps increase nutrient absorption and jump-start our metabolism. Many believe that one glass of fresh fruit and vegetable juice daily can help boost immunity, increase energy, strengthen the bones, clear up the skin and lower our overall risk for disease. Obviously it is also important to consume whole fruits and vegetables, in addition to the juice. Both will work together to create a well-balanced diet.

The pulp of the juice can be saved and used for baking or smoothies, or it can be composted.

Since summer allergies are in full effect, I thought I’d provide some allergy juicing tips today. Asthmatic symptoms are caused by inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s response to an injury – it's way to begin the healing process. Allergies tend to reflect chronic inflammation, and certain foods can reduce this inflammation greatly. Healing foods for allergies include apples, blueberries, grapes, mangoes, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, beets, carrots, onions, red and green bell peppers, spinach and watercress. The flavonoids and antioxidants in these foods help promote a proper immune response to the environment. Essential fatty acids from foods like fish, flax and walnuts are also anti-inflammatory and can help with allergy discomfort.

Allergy Juice

3 beets, with greens

1 apple

½ cup berries

1 cup spinach

Parsley

I decided to make this juice today because we’ve gotten so many beets lately from our CSA. I’ve made beet soup, beet salads, and beet slaw, so I think it’s time to juice a few.

Tomorrow I’ll provide a few more easy juicing recipes, including our favorite around here, the Hangover Helper!