Healthy Juice Diets

Eating raw foods is a way to give your body some of the nutrition it desperately needs.

Many of us are at least slightly overweight, and even the morbidly obese are starving for essential proteins and amino acids.

All the processed, cooked foods we eat give us only a small percentage of what we need.

Consequently, we eat and eat and yet we're still not nourished.

Psychologists try to tell us we're eating to make up for an emptiness in our souls.

Wrong! Our bodies our empty and trying to tell us so.

Eating raw foods is good for us on so many levels. It's satisfying to eat them. They take more time to chew and swallow, so we don't eat as fast. And we're getting so much more in the way of nutrition by consuming fruits, vegetables, nuts and sprouts.

It can take time to prepare raw foods, however. Which is why a juicer is an important addition to your kitchen once your start to be serious about raw foods. A good juicer can process an entire apple - seeds, stems, peel, pulp and all - and turn all that into a healthy, nutritious juice.

Buying apple juice is NOT the same thing!!! Don't even look at apple juices or even ciders in the grocery store. Put that $2 or $3 aside and save up for a juicer.

Buy bags of apples, orange, bananas, carrots and make your own juices to get everything from the fruit that you'd get by eating it raw. Now you're getting juice that's as fresh as the fruit or vegetable you made it from.

No preservatives, no processing that strips most of the energy from the fruit.

And think of all the delicious combinations you can make with the many tropical fruits that are available now in most grocery stores. You can customize your fruits and add non-typical ingredients like pumpkin to an orange juice. Now that's a powerhouse of a juice!

We saw an interesting article about starvation in which the comment was made that there are really two types of starvation.

One, of course, is caused by too little or no food at all.

But there is another type of starvation caused by serious malnutrition, and even though the U.S. is the fattest nation on the planet, our bodies are starved for important nutrients and enzymes.

It's partly why we're so fat, because we keep eating and eating, but we're eating highly processed, cooked foods that have the essential components burned out of them.

Cooking removes up to 80% of food's important amino acids, fibers and vitamins.

It's one reason why switching to a raw foods diet makes such compelling sense.

When you start eating raw foods, you're suddenly getting all the nutrition from food that nature intended you to get. It's the way our bodies were meant to eat, in balance with the planet.

We suddenly become the vibrant, healthy animals we're supposed to be.

But we still live in the modern world, with all its pressures and time constraints.

It's one reason why getting your whole foods from juicing is a good idea. You can still get all the fiber you need without taking the time to cut, peel or slice the food.

Raw foods do take a little more time to chew and swallow and that's a good thing. But if you don't have the time for that, then you should consider using juices for at least a portion of your raw foods intake.

You do need to invest in a good juicer though, and that's different from a blender. A blender can't process the fruit peels that contain most a fruit or vegetables vitamins and enzymes.

A juicer is a more high-powered appliance that will process everything - seeds and stems, peels and pulp. It's designed to do it quickly and efficiently.

They can be expensive, but there are many more options today than there used to be as this concept has gained in popularity.

If you're eating more raw foods and making that important lifestyle change, at some point you'll need to consider investing in a juicer.

A blender is NOT the same thing.

To get all the benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables, you need to be able to process every part of the food - seeds, stems, peels and pulp.

That's where all the vitamins are.

A blender just can't do that effectively.

A juicer will extract all the nutrients from fruit or vegetable that not even your stomach can adequately do.

Juicers routinely used to cost $300-$400 and more. The best ones still do, but if you're just getting into juicing, there are less expensive styles on the market as well. Here are a few you can research to find the best one for you.

Natural food stores and cooking catalogues like Williams-Sonoma also carry juicers.

Here are some reasonably priced juicers to consider.

Omega 1000 - Makes good, virtually pulp-free juice. It's a high-yield juicer but not good for juicing leafy greens. This juicer will not process wheatgrass. Price $150-$200

Commercial Champion - Better juice quality, pulpy with good nutritional value. Also a multi-purpose machine that grates and churns and can make nut butters. A good heavy-duty juicer, high volume, good for families. Does not process wheatgrass. Price $230-$300.

Solo Star - Create a pulpy juice, but very high nutrient value because the motor is a lower RPM. This is a multi-purpose machine that can grate, churn, make nut butters and extrude pasta. It can process wheatgrass. Price $190 - $300.

Green Power - A premium juicer, although a more complicated machine with more parts that need to be cleaned. Creates the least pulp with more nutrients.

It is a Twin Screw Press type of juicer that is superior to masticating or centrifugal juicers. It will process wheatgrass. Also a multi-purpose machine. Pricey, but may be well worth it.

Juice can actually be considered a natural water source and provides the body with protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that can be absorbed quickly and efficiently.


Fresh juice also contains necessary enzymes, and pigments such as carotenes, chlorophyll, and flavonoids.

Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables provides numerous nutritional advantages that are extremely important to weight loss.

In addition, diets containing a high percentage of uncooked foods are significantly associated with weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and lower blood pressure.

Your appetite finds a raw foods diet more filling. Cooking can cause the loss of up to 97% of water-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Since uncooked foods such as juices contain more vitamins and other nutrients, they are more satisfying to the body, so it does not feel starved for nutrients. This means the metabolism will keep running efficiently and keep your weight loss efforts headed in the right direction

Juicing kick-starts your body's digestive process and enables quick absorption of high-quality nutrition, which can result in increased energy. This is one of the great advantages of achieving weight loss through improved nutrition.

Fresh juices, combined with a well-balanced diet will provide you with the energy needed to burn more calories, fat, and provide you with the fuel you need for physical activity.

However, juicing does remove the fiber from these nutrient-dense foods. So be sure to include an appropriate amount of fiber-rich foods in your daily diet. Juicing should be a complement to a well-balanced healthy diet, not a substitute.

So with a little planning and creativity, juicing could enhance your well-balanced diet and add some zest.

The internet is a great resource for juicing recipes and information, and with the realization that raw foods and juicing is a great health boost, books and magazine articles are touting the benefits and offering recipe ideas.

Cranberries may help to fight off urinary tract infections (UTIs). They reduce the power of certain E. coli bacteria to adhere to and penetrate the walls of the bladder.

In about half the cases of UTIs, the E. coli responsible have special little hairy tips called P fimbria.

The bacteria use their fimbria to attach themselves to the bladder so that they can multiply and cause an infection.

That's where cranberries--which contain a group of chemicals called proanthocyanidins---come in.

They bind to the P fimbria of the E. coli and hinder them so they are unable to sticking to the walls of the bladder.

As a result, the E. coli is flushed out in the urine instead of causing an infection. And because cranberries remove rather than kill the bacteria, there's less of a chance for the E. coli to become resistant.

It's imperative that those who are prone to UTIs eat cranberries or drink cranberry juice on a daily basis, because once the bacteria are able to adhere to the wall, the infection sets in, and the cranberries can't help at that point.

It's probably best to use cranberry products twice a day if you are prone, as the effects of the cranberries wear off after about 10 hours.

You should also be diligent about drinking lots of fluids in order to flush the bladder out on a regular basis. Citrus fruits and fresh vegetables high in vitamin C are also good, as they help boost the body's immunity and germ-fighting abilities.

Coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages should be avoided, as well as alcohol.

Be sure to complement your diet with plenty of foods rich in vitamin B, such as fortified cereals, lean proteins, asparagus, almonds and bananas, as they all assist the body in the digestive process and converting food to energy, which your body will need if it's working to fend off a UTI.

When Do You Need Vitamins the Most?

Everyone needs vitamins and if you have a healthy diet and lifestyle, you'll usually get all the vitamins you need from your food. But there will be stages in your life when you'll need more of specific vitamins.

These are the times its handy to juice your fruit and vegetables so that you can get your full daily quota of vitamins and minerals without having to eat a bucketload of vegetables or fruit to get them!

Pregnancy A pregnant woman's body undergoes lots of changes because of the unborn child she's carrying. During this stage, she has an extra need for folic acid, one of the B vitamins, as well as calcium and iron. Vitamins A, C, and D will help her absorb minerals better.

Old Age As your age increases, your bones get older and weaker as well. To fortify your bones, you need an extra dose of calcium and vitamins can help you get as much calcium as you can from food.

If you expect work to prevent you from eating healthily, taking multivitamins will ensure that you meet your daily nutritional requirements.

How to Recognize Vitamin Deficiencies

There are times when your body will suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Here are indicators to watch out for and determine which vitamin you need.

Vitamin A If you can't see clearly at night and your skin appears rough or dry, you're suffering from Vitamin A deficiency.

* Vitamin C If your wounds take too much time to heal and you're suffering from teeth and gum problems, nosebleeds, and skin hemorrhages, you might have an inadequate intake of vitamin C.

* Vitamin D Soft bones, muscular weakness, and slow and irregular healing of fractures and kidney difficulties are all possible signs of vitamin D deficiency.

* Vitamin E If you don't have the usual vigor you had for sexual activities and you notice problems with your heart and muscles, you could be suffering from vitamin E deficiency.

* Thiamin Known as the morale vitamin, Thiamin deficiency will greatly affect your nervous system and mental attitudes. If you're suffering from mental depression together with gastrointestinal problems, an increased intake of Thiamin might just be the solution you're looking for!

* Riboflavin Oily skin, digestive and skin problems as well as bloodshot eyes are just some of the indicators of Riboflavin deficiency. Riboflavin is one of the vitamins in the B family.

* Cobalamin If you're feeling dizzy, sleepy, and exhausted for no reason not to mention having problems with your memory and mood swings, you could be suffering from Cobalamin deficiency.

* Niacin If you don't have enough Niacin, this could lead to headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, and even bad breath!

Of course, you should always consult your doctor for official confirmation of your suspicions.

"Are you caught in a natural energy shortage?"

Sometimes, the demands of modern life seem to require an endless supply of energy. It's hard enough just trying to squeeze everything in, then finding the energy to actually do everything presents a whole other obstacle.

Even when we try to lead healthy, balanced lives, the energy our bodies need may not be there to sustain us. So where do we find the energy to accomplish everything so we can meet our goals and live our dreams? Here's a series of Food Health Issues articles on what your body needs to produce energy and how you can get more of it.

What is the difference between health and wellness?

What is the difference between wellness and dynamic wellness?

A lot of people look at the information about nutrition and how the body breaks food down and absorbs it through the villi, putting it into the blood stream to deliver it to their cells and say, "That just makes sense".

There is a big step though from knowing how the body does this to understanding that each of us needs to be taking some personal action to give our bodies what they need for optimum performance.

Once upon a time vegetables were grown in your garden and animals grew up in fields. I say "once upon a time" but it is only 40 or 50 years ago that this was basically true.

Now we find that vegetables are grown in depleted and often contaminated soils. They are nurtured with chemicals to get best production but the trace elements that are so important to our long term health are not in the soils to begin with and son the plants cannot put them into the vegetables and fruit that we buy.

It is a difficult place to begin the food chain.

How does your body react when you put it under stress? How well can it stand outside pressures, and all the damaging things modern society throws at us every day, is directly related to our level of wellness. If we have dynamic health, if we have a reserve of energy and strength and our body is not working flat out just to keep us going then we can withstand problems much better

Having enough energy to be able to get up and do your daily tasks with enough energy to do them easily it a much better way to live. Life is more interesting and you have the capacity to go beyond your normal routine and meet a friend for a drink or get to the library for a book or to get that extra job done around the house. Life is much more pleasant when you have enough energy to do normal things without having to push yourself.

You can learn more here in our articles about Natural Remedies

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) diet ranks among those diets that are difficult to assess. Thought he diet is part of a fad diet craze, it also falls under the category of natural weight loss remedies . The apple cider vinegar diet is actually not a proper diet plan. It is just a diet any that is supplemented with adequate amounts of apple cider. The diet, therefore, is actually based on the weight loss properties of only one item. The apple cider vinegar diet does not prescribe any menu. There are no allowed or disallowed food groups too. The diet only suggests moderation and avoidance of mid meal snacks.

The ACV diet is primarily about the health benefits of the apple cider vinegar, which is prepared from crushed apples. The process involves adding yeast and sugar for fermentation. This transforms the alcohol into acid and gives apple cider vinegar its incredible flavor, distinctive taste and weight loss properties (or so it is claimed).

The ACV diet requires consumption of two to three teaspoons of apple cider vinegar before every meal. The acidic taste is typically strong and difficult for many people to take it in its original form. The apple cider is equally beneficial as a salad dressing or as part of a sauce or any other manner that suits individual culinary preferences.

There are many other health benefits if the ACV diet too.

Medical trials have shown that small amounts of apple cider vinegar, added to food or taken along with a meal reduce the glycemic index of other carbohydrates being consumed.

The main benefit for weight loss that the ACV diet offers comes from the pectin content of apple cider. Pectin is used to increase viscosity and volume of stool for easy elimination as a treatment for diarrhea and constipation.

Some studies conducted on rats have also shown show that animals fed with acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, had significantly low levels of cholesterol and triacylglycerol, the main constituent of vegetable oils and animal fat.

The acidic properties of the ACV diet help to clean the digestive system and remove calcium deposits from bone joints without the risk of decalcification of teeth and bones. The pH of vinegar is typically in the range of 2.5 to 3, which is considered to be beneficial for treating cold as the body tends to become more alkaline prior to it.

Due to its acidity, the apple cider vinegar can be extremely caustic and can burn the throat. It should be diluted with fruit juice or warm water and some honey to make ingestion easy. Such a concoction is also sold as a weight loss supplement.

The benefits of apple cider vinegar are still inconclusive despite the fact that it has been used as a weight loss supplement for a long time. On the other side, it is a known fact that the best way to lose weight is through regular exercise. However, since apple cider vinegar does not involve any apparent risks there is no harm in using it.