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

Therapeutic Meal: Cancer – Antioxidant Fruit Salad

This is the last recipe from the meal we served in class last week. My sisters Alice and Madeline discovered this recipe a couple years ago when they were planning a wedding shower for me, and it was so bright, beautiful and delicious! I adapted it a little for my cancer meal presentation so it would contain more of the important cancer-fighting nutrients.

The pomegranate seeds and berries contain many antioxidants. Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals inside the body, which contribute to cancer cell growth if not kept in control. Pomegranates and berries are particularly rich sources of ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a type of antioxidant that inhibits cancer formation and mutation.

Lemons and limes contain flavonoids that have both antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. These flavonoids can stop cell division in cancer cells. The vitamin C content in lemons and limes helps to eliminate free radicals inside the body.

Raw honey can act as an antibacterial and antioxidant in our blood. It is a good source of B-vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and many raw enzymes. Read more about the health benefits of raw honey here.

This recipe is great for summer bbqs or parties. It meets my mom's expectation of having lots of color at every meal, and is a perfect touch of sweetness after a good meal. Enjoy!

Recipe

1 cup strawberries, slice strawberries as desired

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

2 medium apples, diced

2 pomegranates, remove seeds and include with fruit

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup raw honey

1 lime, juiced

1 TBSP orange zest

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients right before serving.

Water with Lemon

I’ve had some recent questions about adding fresh lemon to drinking water. Some think it’s very powerful for health, while others have heard rumors that it’s not good for endurance athletes.

So what’s the truth?

Lemons can be very cleansing to our internal environment. They are rich in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. These are three very powerful nutrients that can help maintain optimal health inside of us. Some of the benefits of adding lemon to our water are listed below:

• Lemons are antiseptic and can prevent growth of bad bacteria in our digestive system

• Lemon juice helps alkalize the body (remember, cancer and other disease can only thrive in an acidic environment, so the more alkalizing foods we can incorporate into our diet, the better)

• The potassium nourishes brain and nerve cells

• When a pregnant woman drinks lemon water, she is helping the bone health of her child

• Gargling lemon water can soothe a sore throat

• Lemon aids in digestion by stimulating digestive juices, and helps reduce bloating and gas

• Lemon water contains powerful antioxidants, which help flush toxins from the body and cleanse our liver and kidneys

• It can ease constipation

I recommend avoiding the prepackaged lemon juice (you know, the fake plastic lemons). This is not fresh and could have preservatives or other chemicals added to it. Organic lemons are best, and make sure to scrub the outside of the lemon prior to dropping it into your glass. Some swear by the practice of drinking a glass of warm water mixed with the juice of ½ lemon each morning. It cleanses your body and jumpstarts your digestive system for the day. Other ways to enjoy lemon include squeezing lemon into your tea, adding lemon juice to your salad dressings and squeezing lemon juice over foods such as chicken, brown rice and black beans.

We squeeze fresh lemons into our Aquasana drinking water so whenever we fill up from the fridge, we are getting a little boost with the added lemon. And when Ed and I felt a cold coming on a couple weeks ago, we were pushing the warm lemon water morning and night, which seemed to help. I love the taste of lemons, so I find it easy to incorporate them into my diet.

As for the rumor that drinking water with lemon can be bad for endurance athletes…

I could not find much information supporting this statement. I did find out that lemon contains magnesium, and magnesium is known to decrease cortisol levels after aerobic exercise. Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone”, helps restore balance after any type of stress. So I suppose if the magnesium from the lemon blocks cortisol release, an endurance athlete who drinks water with lemon could take longer to restore their body after a race or long workout. However, this is just my own derivation and I really did not find much information claiming this to be true. With all the powerful things lemon water can do for us, I think an endurance athlete would actually benefit from adding a little lemon juice to their water every once in a while.

Have a great weekend! I am off to a nutrition conference in St. Paul, MN (my hometown!), so I am hoping to return next week with some great new information to share with all of you.