Benefits of Juicing

In the last year I have been juicing virtually every day, and I have experienced so many benefits that I thought it was time to share. A year ago I started juicing celery every morning, inspired by healing reports from the medical medium movement. I wanted to give it a go. I started juicing 1 bunch between my husband and I, and within days we both experienced a radical remission of chronic pain in our joints and muscles, and a sense of brain fog clearing. 

For me it was first noticeable in my feet, as I had been suffering with plantar fasciitis for 18 months, and it had stopped me from being able to take walks when it flared. While I had tried many remedies, exercises and treatments, and some worked for a while, nothing had eradicated the return of the chronic pain- until I started on the celery juice. The pain went within a few days and hasnt returned. For Dave, it was similarly miraculous, in that he quickly felt 10 years younger, all chronic aches and pains disappeared, and he kept telling me about how amazing he felt. He still does, and reckons he wants to be on celery juice for the rest of his life. 

Celery seed has a long traditional history of helping with gout and arthritic conditions. Research has shown it can reduce uric acid levels in the body, which is probably at least partly responsible for its effect. It seems that juicing celery- which really is something we have only been able to do in recent decades- has a similar and perhaps even stronger effect. 

We also know that celery has been traditionally beneficial for kidney health, it can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, it is anticancer, antiinflammatory, diuretic and is beneficial for the digestion. And before someone asks….I used to think I was sensitive to oxalates, but I have had no problem at all with celery juice, in fact, the opposite.

Dave and I have also increased our vegetable consumption radically, both raw and cooked, and I often make us a second juice in the afternoon, of various vegetables with sometimes some apple, orange or lemon. Vegetables like fennel, cucumber, celery, carrots, and herbs like ginger, parsley and turmeric. 

When I have shared the benefits of juicing to clients, a common question is, wouldn’t it be better to eat the whole food, with the fibre? Isn’t juicing going to affect my blood sugar negatively? Everyone is worried about sugar nowadays.

Only about 10% of people eat enough fruit and vegetables. Even vegans often don’t eat enough, as busy lifestyles mean we resort to easy foods, often made with grains, and often not even whole grains (white rice, pasta, cereal and wraps). While most people do not even reach the benchmark of 5 servings of vegetables a day, if we have chronic illness, much evidence shows that eating several more servings a day of vegetables can be beneficial. Particularly raw vegetables. 

Many people have cured their chronic, often severe illness through a diet high in vegetables. Dr Terry Wahls was in a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis and cured herself with a diet high in vegetables- her protocol recommends 6-9 cups of vegetables a day. Dr Brooke Goldner had debilitating Lupus in her teens and early 20s, her kidneys were failing, and she cured herself with a vegan diet of mostly raw vegetables, and she recommends 450g of raw cruciferous vegetables a day. Other evidence is emerging suggesting 600g of non-starchy vegetables a day can radically lower inflammation in the body. There are many other stories, including thousands from people who do not have internet fame. 

There is quite a history of juicing in the Naturopathic and Nature Cure movements, as juicing allows us to absorb the nutrition easily from large amounts of vegetables, as the fibre is removed. For many people excess fibre can even be a problem while they are ill. We do need fibre- and our diet should contain plenty- but it’s not easy to eat large amounts of vegetables, especially raw ones, without juicing or smoothies. 

Juicing raw vegetables gives us immediate access to the vital principle and living enzymes in raw foods, which is diminished when the food is cooked. While it is not for everyone, many people have found great healing through a raw food diet, and juicing is a way to access that incredible nutrition and vitality directly. When we are chronically ill, our body often lacks the ability to digest lots of food, and also lacks sufficient vitality to overcome toxins. 

As for blood sugar- while many people may be fine with carrot, beetroot and apple juice, I prefer to base my juices on celery and cucumber, to minimise the rush of glucose. While that glucose has wonderful healing qualities and helps the liver to heal and offload toxins, nowadays many have unstable blood sugar and it may be too much. Celery and cucumber juices have strong flushing and hydrating qualities, and can be taken alone or as a base for adding other vegetables and fruits.  I often add plants and leaves from the garden, such as parsley, dandelion and nettles.

I also consume orange juice daily, by itself or in vegetable juice, and it has a lot of evidence for benefits. In fact, a study published in 2021 shows that fruit juices in general can be of far more benefit than a problem in children’s health, and since children now consume less fruit juice they are also lacking in some of the beneficial nutrients they contain.

Fresh juicing takes some time and work. For the last year, I have been buying, washing and juicing conventional celery and cleaning the juicer every morning. However, the benefits have been so immense that it feels worth it and has become a morning routine. I don’t even think about it and it takes about 15 minutes.

Personally, I am not someone who fasts well. I integrate juicing into my otherwise pretty healthy diet, although I normally have my juice on an empty stomach. But many people have done juice fasts with great benefit. 

Spring is here, and perhaps its time for a dose of the powerful medicine in fresh vegetable juices, to bring the body back to vitality, so that it can heal itself from accumulative toxins and heaviness from eating winter foods. However, this is general information only, and each of us has a unique situation. If being reminded of juicing excites you however, I would say that is the life energy in you responding to it positively, and I encourage you to get the juicer out from the back of the cupboard.