Does juicing really work? I used to ask myself that question often. Although the evidence was everywhere, I questioned the power of juicing.
The problem is this. We live in a society that treats symptoms. Not causes.
Walk into any doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, and what happens? You’re diagnosed based on your symptoms. A doctor then prescribes medication and possibly even recommends surgical proceedings.
And if you have a serious illness or disease? Well, we all know what happens then, right? You’re hurled into a system that pumps you full of prescription drugs, more doctor’s visits and even more surgeries.
That’s called treating the symptoms. But what about the causes? What’s the reason we get sick in the first place? Sure, some of it is genetic. I get that. And I don’t disagree.
But a large part of what plagues us are based on our poor diets, bad habits, and stressful environments.
You Are What You Eat
In America, where I live, you can’t drive but a few blocks in a city where you won’t run into a fast food joint. In some places, you’ll have one on all four corners of the same block.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against fast food personally. But continued consumption on a daily basis destroys us from the inside out.
Ever eat a couple of massive burgers and still be starving right after? What happens in your body is this. The saturated fat and massive influx of calories place an enormous amount of oxidative stress on your cells. Meaning that the body is fighting hard to rebalance and detoxify itself.
This causes glucose levels to spike, which leads to the release of insulin to counterbalance that. And that insulin release makes you feel hungry again. That’s why you feel so hungry after eating a large meal at a fast food joint.
Does Juicing Really Work?
Sadly, I don’t have a magic wand that you can wave to cure yourself overnight of all that ails you. Especially, if you continue to make toxic diet and lifestyle choices. That can only cause more harm than good.
But, the evidence is clear. Juicing does really work. However, the reason why most people don’t drink more green juice is likely for two reasons. Number one, it’s expensive to shop for all the ingredients. Number two is that juicing takes a lot of time. There’s prep work, the actual juicing, then the cleanup.
That’s the reason why most people revert to green juice powders that are already loaded with all the veggies and superfoods that they need for overall health and wellness. These pre-bottled mixes make juicing far simpler.
So why is juicing so vital to optimal health? And how come some people swear by it? Take someone like Chris Wark from Chris Beat Cancer and you’ll see why juicing is so important. Wark used juicing rather than chemotherapy to heal his body from cancer. And it worked.
But he’s not a one-off case. Countless people have turned to juicing to heal all sorts of diseases and illnesses. The power of juicing is evident. But what does it really do to the body and how is juicing so beneficial to our health?
1 — Juicing Improves Digestive Health
Depending on the type of juicing you do, but more specifically, juices with leafy greens and superfoods contain enzymes that work on breaking down food that’s in the gastrointestinal tract. Plus, they contain acids that further add to that breakdown.
Most superfoods, leafy greens and veggies that are typically found in juice recipes also have probiotics, which are the good bacteria that help to feed and protect our gut microbiome. That’s the combination of good bacteria and bad bacteria that lives in our gut.
Most probiotics come from fermented foods like yogurt and cheeses, but they’re also natural compounds that exist within leafy greens, veggies and superfoods. That’s why juicing helps to improve gut health, and eases gas, bloating and constipation.
2 — Juicing Enhances Mental Clarity
Most leafy greens, fruits and superfoods found in typical juice recipes are filled with super antioxidants and minerals that help boost mental health and mental clarity. Juices that are rich in Vitamins K, C, and Potassium (amongst others) help support brain functions.
Most leafy green veggies contain Vitamin K, an important nutrient that works to fight oxidate stress. Oxidative stress happens whenever there’s an imbalance of food in the body where the cells are working overtime to help rid the body of toxins found in fast foods and other food and beverage items we consume.
These leafy greens also enhance mood through antioxidants. Since oxidative stress is strongly associated with depression and anxiety, the release of oxidative stress also reduces these symptoms while enhancing your mood.
3 — Juicing Supports Immune Functions
Since juices that contain certain leafy greens, superfoods and fruits have powerful antioxidants, they also support immune function. Antioxidants fight off what are called free radicals. Free radicals are the result of cellular waste that builds up over time. And they’re the source of many forms of cancers and other serious diseases and illnesses.
Imagine, if you will, a powerful vacuum that comes through and cleans up a big cellular mess, giving your body a much-needed boost to allow it to fight off diseases and illness. That’s how antioxidants work against free radicals. Not only is it reducing oxidative stress, but it’s also giving your immune system a fighting chance to defend itself.
For example, most people know that Vitamin C gives your body an immune boost. That’s because Vitamin C has super-antioxidant properties. But there are many other vitamins that provide this type of support such as Vitamin A (found in carrots and apples), Vitamin B (found in beets and carrots), and much more.
4 — Juicing Boosts Energy Levels
Juicing is a quick way to boost your energy levels for a number of reasons. First, by supplying your body directly with juice, it doesn’t expend energy to break down foods and extract the vitamins, minerals and nutrients from it. This saves your body an abundance of energy.
The second is that by delivering these vitamins, nutrients and minerals directly to your body, it helps to supercharge energy levels by adding powerful antioxidants and enzymes that help boost energy at a cellular level. This reverberates throughout the body, increasing energy available to the muscles, skin, organs, and more.
The third is that juicing helps to increase the level of good bacteria in the gut microbiome, which helps to counteract the bad bacteria that the body is constantly fighting against. And since 70% of the immune system is controlled by the gut, this provides a supercharged boost of energy levels.
5 — Juicing Helps Prevent Cancer
Most juice recipes contain powerful antioxidants, which are vital in helping to prevent many forms of cancer. Cancer occurs through cellular build-up of waste over time through free radicals and oxidative stress.
This comes from diet and lifestyle choices that lead to “an imbalance between production and accumulation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and tissues and the ability of a biological system to detoxify these reactive products.”
Since antioxidants clean up free radicals and cellular waste, they work to prevent many forms of cancer, and even other serious diseases and illnesses.
6 — Juicing Reduces Inflammation
Many of the vitamins, nutrients and minerals in leafy greens, superfoods and fruits found in juices help to reduce inflammation. This leads to better heart health. Inflammation occurs when your immune system is working to fight off infections by using its white blood cells. This can happen over the short term or the long term.
Inflammation over the short term, such as a rush of white blood cells to heal a wound, can be good. But inflammation over the long term can be very bad for the body and can lead to many serious long-term illnesses and disorders such as diabetes, arthritis, cancers and more.
The anti-inflammatory properties in juices help to alleviate some of the inflammation in the body, helping to reduce the risk of many of these long-term diseases and illnesses. It’s also great for heart health, and provides an immense amount of cardiac support.
7 — Juicing Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
Specifically, green leafy vegetables, and other ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, magnesium, and others can help to lower and control blood sugar levels. Most blood sugar control supplements are loaded with these types of ingredients.
Studies suggest that antioxidants in many juice recipes are also great for helping to lower and control blood sugar levels. However, since most of the fiber has already been removed when juicing, sugars present in certain fruits can spike blood sugar levels. So it’s important to choose the right recipe when juicing for blood sugar control.
8 — Juicing Promotes Healthy Weight Management
Juicing can help to significantly reduce the caloric intake on a daily basis. Especially when it’s paired with a sensible diet and exercise regime, juicing can help promote healthy weight management. However, you have to be careful when juicing solely for weight management as the drop in calories can lead to a reduction in your metabolism as the body enters “starvation mode.”
Rather, juicing should be combined with a healthy diet in order to stimulate the body to increase its metabolism. Some ingredients like celery, beets and others are low in sugars and are great for many juicing recipes that can help to promote weight management.
9 — Reduces Stress Levels
Juicing reduces stress levels by tackling anxiety and depression symptoms. It does this through the influx of certain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants like magnesium, zinc and Vitamin C and B. Leafy greens are incredibly rich in many of the vitamins and minerals that provide antioxidant support.
Not only does juicing reduce stress, but it also substantially boosts mood. Juicing attacks the levels of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is one of the stressor hormones released when we are experiencing any number of levels of stress. Studies show that Vitamin C helps to lower cortisol levels, thereby reducing stress.
10 — Juicing Improves Skin Health
The vitamins, antioxidants and minerals found in most juicing recipes can help to keep skin looking healthy, young and hydrated. This is particularly important if you are not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.
In fact, there has long been a link between diet and skin health. Vitamins A, C, E, Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and probiotics all help to dramatically improve skin health over time. This is incredibly important if you’re experiencing dry, aging or sagging skin to keep it moist and hydrated.
How To Find The Right Juice Recipe
Okay. So you’re convinced. Juicing really does work, right? Now, where do you go from here? And how do you find the right juice recipe to help you quickly get your health back on track? Well, there is no one-size fits all. But juicing should become part of your daily habits and regime.
While there are plenty of juice recipes, you have to decide whether doing the shopping, prep, juicing and cleanup, is worthwhile for you. Keep in mind, it’s not cheap. It will cost you. Both in time and money. That’s why most people turn to green juice powders and other bottled up superfoods.
It’s easy, cost-effective, and a quick way to get your juicing done without having to do all the legwork, so to speak. But whatever way you cut it, make juicing a part of your daily routine. Give it a few months, and watch as your digestive health, immune health, energy levels and overall mental health skyrockets over time.