Juicing and Immune System

The juice that boosts the immune system can be made from therapeutic vegetables (the green leafy ones in particular) and fruits to enhance the flavor of your juice, especially for children.   

Juicing strengthens the immune function mainly through the detoxification mechanism. I don’t think I would exaggerate when I say that we swim in a polluted world from, noise, lights, breathing, touching, and eating toxins. Of course not to mention the danger of electromagnetic field pollution. 

Most people eat foods that are contaminated with all types of pesticides such as insecticides and herbicides and who knows what other chemicals they use on crops. And we always hear that these chemicals are harmless in small quantities, but are they harmless? And let’s just say for a second that we will go along with this claim, and then how about the cumulative effects of all these different chemicals being exposed to them and the frequency? 

The same thing goes when consuming conventional meats and milk that are loaded with steroids, antibiotics, and other drugs that can weaken immunity and negatively affect health in general. Antibiotics and other drugs that are found in meat, milk, and the type we take when we get sick have damaging consequences in our digestive system and the gut flora particularly. Personal Care Products: Perfumes, Makeup, Deodorants, Etc

Years ago we thought the human skin is a barrier therefore whatever topical personal care products we apply topically are harmless. Now we know this is not true, and your skin and mucous membrane that are parts of the immune system have the same capacity to absorb chemicals and toxins as your mouth when you ingest foods. Many of the deodorants and other personal care products have aluminum and lead as the base material. 

Talc (aka Talcum) which is another toxin found in my baby lotion products (not to mention white rice that we eat!) and women’s care products too.

Toothpaste has fluoride and sodium Laureth sulfate just to mention a few that are considered toxic chemicals or, at least, suspicious of damaging your health.

House furniture such as your carpet is most likely treated with this toxic chemical called formaldehyde and the same thing goes with carpet adhesives. This compound is used in many house furniture and even it is sprayed on Christmas trees unless you get an organic tree. Formaldehyde-releasers are employed in cosmetics (1) which is an antimicrobial preservative that releases formaldehyde slowly in cosmetics. This toxin caused allergies (2) and is considered carcinogenic.

Your Body Is Amazing but to a Limit

Our bodies are efficient in detoxifying toxins, but they can be overwhelmed if it loaded with toxins thus juicing can help the body to get cleaned and enhance immune function. Juicing has been used for many years around the world, and Gerson Therapy is a well-known institute using juicing to heal people who have various diseases including cancer. Dr. Natasha McBride at Cambridge clinic in England uses juicing as one effective strategy to detoxify her patients’ bodies and strengthen their immune systems. 

Using Veggies and Fruits for Juicing

Vegetables I like to use for juicing are the following:

  • Dandelion
  • Carrots
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro
  • Stinging Nettle
  • Ginger
  • Spinach
  • Arugula
  • beetroot (small amount 10 to 15 %)
  • Basil
  • Garlic (use tiny amounts like 1 or 2 cloves, trust me on that!)
  • Dill
  • Lettuce

Fruits to Add for Juicing

  • Pineapples
  • Apples
  • Oranges
  • Mangos
  • Kiwis 
  • Berries (black, blue, raspberries, elderberries) 

Juicing is considered a gentle detoxifying method in the body for many people and it can have a noticeable effect regarding die-off reaction particularly for individuals who have high levels of toxins. 

Frequency of Juicing

In the beginning, I juiced about three times a week and after a month or so, I reduced the frequency to once or twice per week. Depending on how busy your schedule is, I only juice during the weekends and one day during the week.

I like to drink my juice immediately after juicing and first thing in the morning where my body is ready for absorbing nutrients as much as possible. Don’t make the juice and drink it later or a day after since it will start to oxidize the minute you finished juicing so don’t wait for more than a few hours and keep it in the fridge sealed tightly.

The ratio of Fruits and Veggies

Veggies and fruits contain vitamins, minerals, and many beneficial phytochemicals, however, leafy vegetables (herbs) seem to have a more therapeutic outcome to my understanding from reading Dr. McBride’s writings and Gerson for Juicing therapy. Therefore, I usually use mix about 60 to 70% of vegetables and 30% of fruits for a pleasant taste. For children, I use about 50 or 60 % fruits and the remaining vegetables, and I don’t use garlic for her juice, not even half-clove! So make sure you make a tasty juice that you and your family members will enjoy and at the same time boosting their immune systems by cleansing toxins from their bodies.

Final Words about Juicing

Although juicing is considered comfortable to the body for cleansing that is not true for many individuals so we are different regarding how much our bodies carry toxins and the reactions we will feel. So start gradually with a small amount like three to four ounces and see wait see how your body is going to react. If you are diabetic or have issues with blood sugar then maybe it is a good idea to mix it with cream or raw pastured eggs (if you feel comfortable doing that), so you have protein and fats to minimize the blood glucose spike in your body. Beetroot, for some reason, caused me to have mild diarrhea, and when I researched more about the reason behind it, I found it is not recommended to have more than 5-15% of the juice amount.

So juice can boost the immune system through its ability to cleanse the body, thus, try to be consistent and see for yourself the improvement of juicing. 

Sources 

  • Source (1)
  • Source (2)   
  • Source (3) Campbell-McBride, N.  (2010) Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia. Cambridge, England. Medinform Publishing