The Healing Properties of Fruits and Vegetables and the Power of Juicing
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” — Hippocrates
Hi there. I’m back to talk to you more about juicing. A lot of people don’t realize that fruits and vegetables are the most powerful medicine around. Nothing works better to cure illness, increase vitality, and improve mental clarity than fruits and vegetables. It seems so easy, but your mom and grandma were right. You need to eat your fruits and vegetables – the more the better.
It’s sad to say, but most people do not get enough fruits and vegetables into their diet. The FDA says that we need at least 7 to 13 cups of fruits and vegetables per day. Sadly, most of us don’t even meet the old FDA guidelines of “five a day.” Some school children can’t even identify fruits and veggies when asked to. And remember, the guidelines suggest “at least” this amount. But, more is better.
A multitude of studies have revealed that eating more fruits and vegetables as a part of a healthy diet helps protect the body against obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Independent studies such as the one done in the documentary: “Sick, Fat & Nearly Dead” have shown time and again that when it comes to fruits and vegetables, more is better.
Scholarly studies show that you literally cannot eat too many raw fruits and vegetables. You cannot get fat off fruits and vegetables. Your body needs the phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein found in fruits and vegetables, which are with few exceptions, low in fat and calories. The thing is, these types of studies are hidden from you by the food and drug industry who stand to lose a lot if everyone started eating their fruits and veggies, realizing that more is better.
A great book to read about the power of fruits and vegetables is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II MD. By eating more fruits and vegetables you’ll lose weight, get rid of food cravings, clear up skin issues, think clearer, and be able to even overcome addictions. More importantly you can literally make yourself heart attack proof if you follow a mostly plant based diet.
I saw a really powerful photograph recently. It was a meme going around Facebook. It had a picture of a man stuffing nutritionally devoid food into his mouth. I think it was some kind of fried potatoes, steak, and bread. You could see the shadow behind him of what it looked like when he held that fork full of processed food to his mouth. It looked like a gun. It looked like he was holding a gun to his head. Honestly, if you continue eating the SAD you are basically killing yourself. By adding in more fruits and vegetables into your diet, eating more plant based food, whether it’s in the form of super powerful juices, or a huge mixed salad, you’ll improve your health exponentially.
People who eat more fruits and veggies get less colds, less flu, less cancer, suffer from fewer allergies, and are often able to think better. When I was in college, to keep my brain functioning and my body awake, I drank fresh vegetable juice and ate a lot of bananas instead of drinking coke and eating candy. I was able to maintain a high GPA and stay more energetic than many of my peers.
I promise you, if you replace all your processed foods and sweet junk foods with fresh fruit and veggie’s — whether juiced or not, you will see a huge improvement in your health and mental clarity. It might not happen overnight, but most people see a dramatic result within just 14 days. If you find that you cannot eat the recommended 7 to 13 cups of fruit and vegetables a day for some reason, definitely juice them to ensure that you get at least that minimum amount into your body every single day.
Next week we’ll talk about blending vs. juicing. How they’re different and how they’re the same.
