How Does Juicing Benefit You?
This is, of course, the most important question, so I’m going to answer it before I go any further. I’ll talk first about the benefits of doing a total juice fast. If this is what you’re choosing to do, then you’re not going to be consuming any food at all other than the juice from vegetables, and possibly fruits. The juice is going to be extracted from fresh produce by a special juicing machine, and you’re not going to be consuming any pulp at all.
One exception to this juice-only rule is that you are allowed to have certain teas, and you can add certain herbs and spices to your juices and teas as well. As a matter of fact, herbs and spices aren’t just allowed, they’re actually encouraged because of the health benefits they provide. I’ll discuss that in more detail later, though. For now, let’s talk about why it’s so important to drink only juice and caffeine-free tea while you’re fasting.
Easy Access to Nutrients
There’s no doubt at all that fiber is good for you, and even essential to a regular diet, but it locks in many of the nutrients that are available in fruits and vegetables. Your body can unlock only a small percentage of the phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that the fruit or veggie contains. This is because the fiber is really difficult for your body to break down. As a result, most of the good stuff is swept out of your body right along with the waste.
When you’re drinking pure extracted juice, all of the nutrients are right there, ready to be absorbed and used. Your body doesn’t have to fight to extract them or to use them. You’re essentially letting your juicer do the work for your digestive tract so that all your body has to do is absorb all of the good stuff.
Tremendous Energy Boost
Since your body uses about 30 percent of its daily energy supplies digesting food, by eliminating its need to do that work, you’re also making a ton of extra nutrients available. Is it any wonder then that you’re going to get a boost of energy?
Easy Access to Antioxidants
Antioxidants are amazing little disease-preventing machines that attach themselves to free radicals so that they can’t do any additional damage to your body. Free radicals are cells that have become unstable and seek stability by stealing ions from other cells. This causes all kinds of problems, from wrinkles to cancer. Antioxidants are abundant in fruits and vegetables, and are readily available when your body doesn’t have to extract them from the fiber.
A Clean Digestive Tract
Your body uses some of the excess energy that it has during a fast to perform some heavy-duty housekeeping. Over the years, you’ve probably not eaten ideally and have taken in a ton of garbage from processed foods. Your environment is also full of junk, such as toxins and poisons, absorbed by your body on a daily basis. When you’re doing a juice cleanse, your body gets rid of all of this trash so that it can function the way that it’s supposed to and fight off diseases and illnesses. You’ll also actually feel lighter as all of the gunk is wiped out.
Improved Cognitive Function
Because you’re taking in so many quality nutrients without the added simple sugars, fats, and other junk, in addition to giving built-up toxins the boot, you’re going to experience some real cognitive power. It’s sort of like an adrenaline shot for your brain — pure, unpolluted energy. All of the nutrients in the juice are going to give your mood a boost, too.
The benefits of participating in a juice cleanse are numerous. You’ll feel better, look better, and think better. Your body will be cleaner inside and better able to fight off illness and disease: the flood of nutrients and antioxidants will give your immune system a major kick start. Finally, at the end of your cleanse, your digestive system will work better because it’ll be free of years of accumulated garbage.
