Is juicing for you? Here are some benefits – and drawbacks

(WomensFitnessFocus.com)  One of the first things that people typically decide to do when they wish to become healthier is juicing. Whether it is a daily juice or a juice fast, it is an easy way to incorporate beneficial levels of probiotics, enzymes and nutrients into the digestive system without the digestive drain. However, along with juicing benefits come some cautions that need to be heeded, in order to truly make it a healthy habit.

Benefits of juicing

One of the most notable benefits of juicing is the flood of nutrients, probiotics, enzymes, water and oxygen that are available in the whole food. However, since the juicing machine separates out the fiber, juices are digested in mere minutes, and these nutrients become much more readily available. This is a tremendous benefit for people with immune system disorders such as cancer, chronic fatigue and AIDS.

Juicing also gives the digestive system a well deserved rest. Juices send a quick source of fuel into the bloodstream and allow the digestive organs to take a break. The high level of energy that would normally be spent on digestion can now be used for cleansing and rebuilding the body.

The alkaline-forming nature of juices can also balance an overly acidic condition and aid in cleansing. Regularly consuming juices strengthens all body functions by keeping organs, glands and cells clean and free of toxins. With their high water content, juices catalyze cleansing.

Juices can also be used to correct an overly contracted condition. It can relieve constipation, headaches, stress and moodiness that some women experience before their periods, due to its balancing effects.

Drawbacks when juicing

Juicing is not a panacea to all things that ail you. There are certain things one needs to keep in mind before they go out and buy a juicer and scores of mason jars.

The first thing to consider is that juicing can be costly. A good juicer can easily run up to $300 and more, and the enormous amounts of fruits and vegetables that need to be purchased, as well as the time spent to prepare it and clean up after, can be a daunting task to do for any period of time.

However, more important is the fact that most juices have a high concentration of natural sugars and therefore feed yeast and other opportunistic organisms. They also don’t combine well, and if they are eaten with proteins or starches, they can cause digestion problems like fermentation and gas.

The most important rule to consider before juicing is making sure that the colon has been detoxified and that there are significant amounts of good bacteria in the digestive tract. If using any high-sugar fruit, there should be no symptoms of yeast overgrowth at all, as the natural sugars from the fruit will feed it and allow the yeast to stay in control in the digestive tract.

Juice from any fruit should be also consumed alone, as sugar does not combine well with any other solid food. Take it at least a half-hour before any other solid food, and up to three hours after a solid meal.

Juicing can be very beneficial if one is ready to follow some simple rules. First, find out if Candida is lurking in the gut through a simple spit test (check sources below), and if all is clear, feel free to juice a balanced combination of fruits and vegetables. However, if one finds that they do have a bacterial imbalance, then stick to a low-sugar juice of mainly green vegetables and spices (like ginger or basil), and use a green apple for a touch of sweetness, as it tends not to feed bacterial overgrowth.

Reporting by Derek Henry, NaturalNews.com.

Sources:

Gates, Donna. The Body Ecology Diet. Third ed. 2007.
http://www.healingthebody.ca
http://science.naturalnews.com

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• Vegetable Juicers: Which One Is Right For YOU?
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