The best way to cleanse or detoxify is through “live “juice. It promotes healing by removing toxins while supplying the body with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Since 150 B.C., juicing has been widely recognized for its curative powers.

I often get asked WHY juicing, WHY not blending? I absolutely believe that the whole fibers contained in blended juices are largely beneficial to health. However, during periods of detoxification, cleansing, illness and/or maintaining optimum health, beauty and vitality, juicing is preferable. Juicing allows a more gentle digestive process, which leaves more energy for detoxification, cleansing, and regeneration. Did you know that 1 cup of carrot or celery juice provides most of the same nutrients found in 5 cups of those vegetables chopped up or blended? Juicing is a direct infusion of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to your blood stream. A word of caution : Juicing removes the fiber from fruits and vegetables, so the liquid juice is absorbed into your blood stream quickly. If you are only juicing fruits, this would cause a rapid spike in blood sugar. Unstable blood sugar levels can lead to mood swings, energy loss, memory problems and ultimately diabetes! Vegetables do not do this. Taking pure, undiluted fruit juices will load us with a ton of sugar, because we removed the fiber which helps lower the absorption of fructose in fruit.

In order to gain the greatest benefits of juicing, it is a MUST to choose a juicer that is right for you. It can make the difference between juicing daily and never juicing again. How do we choose among all the models on the market? Having tried almost every juicer made throughout the last 35 years, I have my favorites. We came to the Philippines in 2000 with Norwalk, the Rolls Royce of all juicers, and Champion Juicer. Both juicers are great, but Norwalk is the most expensive juicer up to this date, US $3000.00.

Wellness was not common then, so finding the right juicer for our patients in the Philippines was challenging. We focused on finding a juicer that gets the job done efficiently and at a reasonable price. No one, including me, will spend hours prepping, juicing, and cleaning up. It is not practical or sustainable. After several months, we found the Matstone juicer.
I hope that the information below will help guide you find your very own juicer. Before purchasing your juicer, whether it’s your first one or an upgrade, please review this guide:

Centrifugal Juice Extractors: The most common type of juicer. These typically utilize a fast-spinning metal blade that spins against a mesh filter, separating juice from flesh via centrifugal force. Ex: Most juicers sold at department stores are entry-level juicers. Buy centrifugal if you… are new to juicing • have not decided if you want to juice regularly • have a fast-paced lifestyle •use the juice mostly for cooking, baking or other processes where heat will eventually be applied •Breville Juice Fountain Max is the top-of-the-line, quality centrifugal juicer (costs less than PhP 10,000.00).

Cold Press (one gear masticating) Juicers: Slowly extracts juice by first crushing and then pressing fruits and vegetables for the highest juice yield. Generates less heat and
foam, preserving more phyto-nutrients and enzymes. Generally has a long shelf life. Moderately priced, this juicer does an excellent job on all fruits and vegetables including wheatgrass and other leafy greens like malunggai. Buy masticating like Matstone, Champion and Omega (not available in the Philippines) if you… are into serious or regular juicing for health, cleansing, making nut milks, and green juices especially malunggay • want to pack the most nutrients into your body • do not mind spending a bit more for a good juicer.

Triturating (twin or dual gear) Juicers: Incorporates twin gears to operate at low speeds, thus generates less foam. High-pressure squeezing helps break open tough veggie cell walls to efficiently yield juice, and low oxidation of the juice preserves optimum nutritional value. Buy a dual gear juicer if you… are looking for a very high end, top-of-the-line juicer and have a budget of US $ 2600-3000• want super high juice yield with very little pulp • want to juice every fruit and veggie you feed into it, including delicate sprouts, pulpy fruits, guava seeds and tough fibrous veggies • are looking to perform a wide range of other functions, such as making pasta, rice cookies, and even bread sticks!

Finding the right juicer is so important to save time and help you reap the nutritional benefits of vegetable juicing. If a good juicer is not part of your health tool box, you are missing out on the easiest way to proper detoxification and/or consuming vegetables and greens. It is a simple and quick way to increase your servings of vital nutrients without actually eating several pounds of produce every day.

Overall, in the Philippines, I favor the efficiency and affordability of masticating juicers like Matstone based on years of experience. Matstone is not just a juicer; it is also good for processing whole foods and creating tasty meals, snacks, pasta, noodles, sauces, baby food, soups, dips etc. It grinds and minces, and can be used on meats and fish as well as herbs for creating your own seasonings. It’s one thing to find an incredible juicer like Matstone that can provide you with so much capability. It’s another thing to make sure the juicer’s high-quality with 5-year motor warranty is backed by a reputable distributor. The company’s integrity is second to none with a solid commitment to excellent customer service. I have known the company for almost 14 years, and it is the juicer that I recommend to our patients.

The Green Secret’s Super Detox Juice for optimum health, beauty and vitality . . . (Make sure to scrub and wash well all vegetables and fruits before juicing). It is a IDEAL to use organic vegetables only.

1 unpeeled cucumber
3 unpeeled carrots
1 beet (unpeeled is optional)
2 stalks of celery
5 stems Malunggay
½ lemon
Juice all ingredients through a cold press juice extractor Stir and serve at room temperature or chilled, as desired.

Armed with the green secret, jumpstart your health with the proper tools for detoxification so we can break the chain of chronic diseases. Thank you, IAJ Wellness, for making this article available to the public. For more info and questions, please email me at [email protected].

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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