“Wanna have healthy cells and body? Cellular Nutrition can be obtained only through a special blend of highly solvable vitamins and nutrients that help the body cells to absorb the nutrients and vitamins from foods and supplements. In order to get the inactive body cells to absorb vitamins and nutrients, they need to be cleaned up of toxins, that keep them inactive, and activated. These juices can help!”

My husband saw this and asked if I thought he should get a juicer for is office so he could have juice more often. Well, I just laughed. I love my husband and he is amazing at all the he does, but I cannot see him breaking out the kale and celery after a meeting to start juicing. 

My solution was to make the juice for him and pack it in a cooler so he can have it throughout the day. I washed and cut the veggies and my 7-year-old juiced them, she had a blast. Forget the toys and the iPad, she had more fun with the juicer than most things I have seen her play with. It took us about 20 minutes to make the juice you see in this picture. I ran out of larger mason jars, so I had to use a combination of two small ones. The filled mason jar helps prevent the juice from oxidizing and losing nutrients — make sure you fill them to the tip top. And yes, I numbered them for him, so he knew which order to drink them in. You don’t see the lemon water in this picture because he drank it before he left the house.

The orange one was delicious. You can freeze this juice in a pop mold to make a healthy treat.

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“When you know better, you do better.”

Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today. Its medicinal properties and components (primarily curcumin) have been the subject of over 5600 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies. A five-year long research project on this sacred plant has revealed over 600 potential preventive and therapeutic applications, as well as 175 distinct beneficial physiological effects. Given the sheer density of research performed on this remarkable spice, it is no wonder that a growing number of studies have concluded that it compares favorably to a variety of conventional medications, including: Lipitor, Corticosteroids, Prozac, Aspirin and many more. (Source)

Studies have also shown that curcumin, a compound in turmeric, may reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation damages healthy tissue, raises blood pressure and can cause cancer cells to grow. Most diseases such as arthritis, asthma, allergies, cancer, Alzheimer’s diabetes and heart disease, have an underlying basis in inflammation.

The UMMC says curcumin has been suggested to prevent, manage and possibly treat a number of cancers, including breast, colon, prostate and skin cancers based on test tube and animal research. Turmeric may also help prevent the accumulation of plaque that can obstruct arteries and lead to heart attack or stroke. Animal research found an extract of turmeric helped improve cholesterol levels, according to the UMCC. It’s uncertain whether the same effect would occur in humans. (Source)

As with everything, I believe moderation is best when using turmeric. I like to eat a variety of fresh foods without getting fixated on one thing (with the exception of lemon — if you have been following my blog for a while now, you know how much I love lemon and I go through at least 4-5 a day). With turmeric, liver toxicity and stomach upset are possible when taken in large doses or for extended periods. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center warns people with liver disease to avoid taking turmeric. Diabetics should use extra caution before taking turmeric since it can lower blood sugar levels. Turmeric also may interfere with blood-thinners such as aspirin, warfarin, brand name Coumadin, or clopidogrel, sold as Plavis, and may affect the blood’s ability to clot, cautions UMMC. Turmeric may also interfere with antacids including famotidine, brand name Pepcid, and ranitidine, sold as Zantac. (Source)

Just as it’s important to select and consume wholesome, unprocessed organic foods, you should do the same with herbs and spices. If the herb or spice is processed or not organically grown, you risk missing out on their most potent active ingredients, which provide you with optimal benefits. You can find turmeric in the spice aisle of your local grocery store, but this is not an optimal choice due to the quality of these herbs and spices. Even though there may be some good spices available in the spice isle, it’s very difficult to verify their purity and potency. Lastly, the turmeric powder you buy in your store is a spice. It doesn’t necessarily come from high-quality organic herbs — and may not be produced using certified organic processes, causing you to risk missing its healthful benefits. (Source)

When using turmeric in juice, I suggest lightly peeling a 2-inch piece. Put the turmeric in the juicer first (when using a small item or piece of an item for taste, you should insert that item during the first half of the juicing process because the full taste may not come through if inserted at the end). If using in a smoothie, add 1/4-1/2 inch, lightly peeled.

This juice is surprisingly refreshing and smooth. It was one of the more enjoyable combinations I have made. You will notice a produce spray in the juice picture, this is the spray I use to wash my fruits/veggies. Water alone does not clean fruits and vegetables. Vermont Soap Organics Produce Magic is my favorite.

Print

Turmeric Juice

Total Time: 10 minutes

Number of servings: 1

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

WholeFoodRealFood.com

Ingredients

• 2 inch piece of lightly peeled turmeric
• 1 lemon (juice the peel if the lemon is organic, if the lemon is not organic, peel before juicing)
• 1 cucumber
• 2 cups of spinach

Instructions

1. Wash produce thoroughly.
2. Place ingredients in juicer.
3. Enjoy!

Turmeric Juice

• 2 inch piece of lightly peeled turmeric
• 1 lemon (juice the peel if the lemon is organic, if the lemon is not organic, peel before juicing)
• 1 cucumber
• 2 cups of spinach

1. Wash produce thoroughly.
2. Place ingredients in juicer.
3. Enjoy!

To receive daily health tips and gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free meal/snack ideas, like us at www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood.

“When you know better, you do better.”

Avoid Juicing

• Rinds: You should always peel your oranges and grapefruits because they are bitter. If your lemons and limes are organic, you can juice those. If they are not organic, they should be peeled.
• Bananas: These are best in the blender, in baked goods or whole. They have very little juice and it would be waste of time and produce to juice them.
• Avocado: These have very little juice. They are best in a smoothie, salad or whole.
• Rhubarb: Simply does not taste good.
• Coconut: Very hard on your juicer and will not yield very much juice.
• Okra: Very slimy and will not yield much juice.
• Potatoes: Sweet potatoes taste good when juiced. Regular potatoes have very little nutrition and are not sweet, thus it is best to avoid juicing these.
• Mushrooms: Will not yield any juice.
• Mustard Greens: Bitter and strong. They will yield juice, but are not enjoyable at all. Other leafy greens taste much better and provide as much, if not more, nutrition.
• Edamame or Soybeans: Will not yield any juice.
• Leeks: Very pungent. Best used when cooking.

* Avoid juicing anything that is not organic. It is better to not juice at all than to juice vegetables that are non-organic. When you juice, the contents hit your bloodstream within 15 minutes — juicing non-organic is like giving yourself an injection of pesticides and herbicides.

Fruits to Juice in Raw Form

Vegetables to Juice in Raw Form

Herbs to Juice in Raw Form

* You can also juice wheatgrass, which is considered a plant.

– “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

There are basically two different types of juicers you can buy, a centrifugal juicer or a masticating juicer. My husband did a lot of research before purchasing the juicer and he came to the conclusion that a masticating juicer was the best option for us. Once he narrowed that down, he made his decision based on availability (he bought it the day before Mother’s day so needed it quickly) and price. There are so many juicers to choose from, we have no other juicer to compare with ours and we are far from the experts on the subject, but we are very happy with the one he chose — we have the Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer. This juicer is extremely easy to assemble, operate, and clean. I have read countless blogs and articles about different juicers and most of them recommend different ones, so it is very difficult to figure out the “perfect” juicer. So, all I can do is talk about our juicer and the benefits we have found from it. Here is a good site to read about different juicers and price compare.

A centrifugal juicer spins at high speeds. During the spinning motion, the vegetables are ground to a pulp. The spinning motion then forces the juice away from the pulp. The juice then pours into a bowl.

Masticating means to chew, to grind or knead into a pulp — a masticating juicer grinds vegetables and literally squishes out the juice. Since a masticating juicer works at low speeds and with no spinning action, it tends to juice many vegetables more efficiently. Although I cannot personally compare, I have read on various sites that a masticating juicer tends to be a lot more quiet, less messy and easier to clean.