BE WELL
Nurturing Through Juicing
Shelley Tidmore, contributing editor
An Introduction to Raw Food Health and Juicing
In the spirit of the many questions that come in on a day to day basis about raw foods (the Paleo Diet) and cold pressed organic juicing, we made the decision to provide a monthly article submission with Recipes for Good Living Magazine to share insight about all the wonders of eating non-processed foods and consuming nutrients in their purest, most nourishing form: cold pressed juice.
Each pint usually contains an average of two pounds in organic, chemical free, fresh produce. Nuts, spices, and herbs may be added for additional nutritional and supplemental support.
Washington DC has not quite seen the juicing and raw food trend grow yet: there seem to be only a few legitimate raw food and juice bars. Mostly this contribution will focus on juicing and is recommended in tandem with moderate exercise, and any form of meditation you choose, whether it be a quiet walk, a quiet thirty minutes of time to yourself, or one of the many true forms of meditation. No matter how healthy your nutrition, the remainder of your life must be balanced and healthy, too.
The inaugural editition of this series features a “why’s and how’s” of juicing, in addition to one starter recipe. Remember, if you have any questions, please submit them to me at Shelley.Tidmore@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to answer any you have. All inquiries are encouraged and I will respond at my soonest availability.
First, let’s discuss how to juice and what you need. It is crucial that you only use truly organic fresh produce. The taste of raw, organic produce is not only better, but if you use regular produce with added chemicals and pesticides, you risk those additives going straight into your cellular makeup, causing potential harm to your body. The purpose of juicing is to cleanse; with regular produce, you would be doing just the opposite. Our bodies expend massive amounts of energy to break down food into its original form. Once food enters our digestive tract, we experience a sluggishness; our body temperature often drops, as does our blood pressure. When you remove the pulp through juicing, you yield the same nutrition, but without the energy consuming pulp. Nutrients are infused into your cells and your energy is spent on healing stress, removing toxins, and alkalizing your system. Higher energy, more focus, increased immunity to ailments, a higher metabolism, and a pH balanced system are some of many results of adding raw foods and juicing into one's lifestyle.
It is suggested to incorporate at least a partial juicing to your weekly schedule once per week and add a two to three day minimum juice cleanse once per month for optimal ongoing results. Many juice daily, and some juice for an entire month! I am sorry, but I just love food too much to do this myself. Two to three days is fine for me. The most I have lasted was a mere 10 days.
Specific recipes of juices and raw foods are targeted for a holistic approach to specific health concerns and prevention of ailments which we will discuss in articles to come. These range from every health aspect from heart health, to joint pain, to complexion improvement and elimination of acne. We will cover some of these ongoing.
Some may choose to juice at home. Juicers range from home to commercial use at a price range of $99.00 to $3000.00 and beyond. I suggest that you get what you pay for; target a $300.00 at home version and ensure it is high yielding and comes with a warranty.
All produce needs to be prepared so you’ll need a paring knife and a carving board. Feel free to add more or less of an ingredient to taste. Juicing is up to your creativity and there are no limits to combinations. Be your own creative chef! Expect to clean the blades in between changes of juice recipes, and try certified organic local farmers markets for the best in produce used. You’ll need empty glass (recommended for re-use) or plastic (carcinogenic when heated) containers in pint size for storage. Note that each batch lasts no more than three days and should always be refrigerated.
A couple of of the simplest juicing recipes is straight coconut milk from chopped coconut meat, or straight carrot, or tomato juice. It can’t be easier than this.
The first more complex juicing recipe I offer in this inaugural edition is one I recommend for you folks with joint pains (myself included).
Juice for Joints:
Thoroughly wash produce. Remove skins of carrots. Leave the skin of the apples and cucumber. Chop cucumber into large long pieces. Juice carrots as is without skin. Bunch the spinach and stuff into a hollowed out cucumber to get the highest yield of juice from leaves. Leaves tend to sneak by the blades in some machines.
(2 Servings)
1 cucumber
5 carrots
2 Cup Spinach
2 Cup Kale
1 apple
Serve and enjoy!
For more information or comments, contact: Shelley.Tidmore@gmail.com.
