Make fruits and juices an essential part of your daily diet—in their natural unprocessed form.
Age is no bar for fruits and juices. However, old and young you are, you must make it a habit to have a glass or two of fresh juice daily. Continuous use of fresh and processed fruits coupled with other intoxicants shatters good health and all toxins generated by the regular use of such foods must be purged out of the system—something that can be effectively done by drinking juices. Besides, they are full of nutritive value and restore lost health, vigour and vitality and make your skin glow like never before.
Juice is capable of correcting metabolism and helps immensely in repairing torn out, fatigued and exhausted tissues.
Several diseases such as diabetes, digestion related disorders (flatulence, diarrhoea, gastritis, gastralgia colic, acidity, nausea, vomiting), asthma and other respiratory disorders and other diseases occur primarily because of the apparent indiscreet use of food. Most often, fat-enriched food, an imbalance in protein- carbohydrate intake, lack of water intake and irregular dietary habits act as catalysts for food related disorders. Green vegetables and fruits, either in their raw form or as juice should be included in your regular diet. But the quantity differs for people of different ages. Certain fruits and vegetables however, must be avoided for certain ailments.
In winters, carrot juice mixed with spinach and lemon and little ginger is very beneficial. But if a person is prone to colds, avoid lemon.
Some tips on Juicing
- Buy only the best fruits.
- Make sure fruits have not been artificially ripened and are free from the harmful effects of pesticides and other chemicals. Fruits ripened by carbide are more harmful and may cause digestive and other physical disorders.
- Vegetables should be fresh. If they are green and leafy, the leaves should be bright green and not limp.
- Always make it a habit to wash all vegetables and fruits with fresh water, before use and to discard all decayed portions.
- Juice once extracted should be drunk without delay. Do not store in the refrigerator.
- Wash the juicer before and after use promptly to avoid contamination.
- In pregnancy or severe ailments 250 to 350 ml of fruit juice or vegetable juice should be taken twice regularly.
Most of the dreaded diseases like diabetes, cancer, asthma, most digestion-related disorders (like flautulence, diarrhoea, gastralgia, colic, acidity, nausea, vomiting etc.) and other respiratory diseases owe their causation to wrong and indiscreet use of foods. Very often unbalanced, fat-enriched, imbalance in protein-carbohydrate intake, lack of water intake are often held as attributes of food-related disorders.
Juice for Infants
Digestive system of an infant is very sensitive because he is fed on mother’s milk or on tinned milk. No solids are given to an infant upto the age of six months, for obvious reasons. After six months, juice of sweet lime, orange or grapes or meshed banana can be and is generally given, of course in addition to usual intake of milk and cereals. Care must be taken to ensure that any kind of juice, to which the infant resists and shows any disinclination or dislike (or still worse, if he vomits) should never be forced upon the infant. It is advisable that fruit should be slightly luke warmed to infant’s tolerance, in the afternoon or evening. Never force any food item upon an infant if he shows dislike.
Juice for growing children
As it is well known, from 5 to 12 years, a child embarks upon growth stage and, his body requires plenty of repeated servings of essential food nutrients. Young ones must be given plenty of fresh green vegetable and fruit juices—once, at least in the afternoon (just an hour or so prior to lunch) and once in the evening, when they
return after playing. Timings can be adjusted as per individual suitability and need. It is a myth that costlier fruits and vegetables carry more nutrients. In fact, other less costly ones are equally capable of giving similar, if not better results.
Juice for the Adolescent and Grown-up Young People
From 12 years onwards a young one enters the age which shows changes and expansion of various organs. This is rightly called a ‘Critical Stage’ because changes noticed and experienced baffle the young ones and their food habits, attitude, likes and dislikes undergo a change. It is particularly true of young girls, having their first menstrual flow. Let the young person be made aware of physical changes and consequences flowing therefrom.
Adolescents and grown-ups must have atleast a glass of fresh juice, either of fruits or vegetables, in the afternoon or as a substitute with supper. During both principal meals, they must take leafy and green vegetables or juice or soup or such items. If that is not feasible, they must have the same in raw but natural form. Those, who have impacted and constipated bowels should, as a matter of routine, take lemon juice in luke-warm glassful water and those whose bowels are sensitive should take juice of Stone Apple (Aegle Marmelos) or Papaya—once in the morning and once in the evening or at bed time and such persons should avoid taking spinach, ladyfinger—rather any vegetable/fruit which abound in starch and iron content.
Juice for Pregnant Ladies
Digestion of a pregnant woman is generally impaired due to lack of physical movement and proper/suitable exercise. Keeping this fact in view, it has to be stressed that she should avoid all heavy, starchy, fatty, fried and spicy food. Instead, the emphasis should be laid on calorie based diet suiting an individual’s requirements. Liquefied diet like fruit and vegetable juices, milk, pulses etc. should be preferred. As far as possible meat based diet should be avoided, still better if totally eliminated. A pregnant mother’s diet is partaken by the foetus in her womb, hence food should almost be doubled. She has to take care of her own health as also of her offspring’s development aspect.
Keeping aforesaid points in view a pregnant lady should take plenty of juices, extracted from oranges, lime, apples, grapes, guava, water-melons, musk-melons, leechis and all such green vegetables from which juice could be extracted. 250-350 ml. of juice of fruits/vegetable should be taken at least twice daily— before or after meals. Mango-shake is an excellent nutrient as it is rich in many nutrients. Those, who do not or cannot take juice, should take them in their raw form.
Juice for Aged Persons
In old age, many physical problems like, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, gout, cough and cold, asthma, stiff and painful joints and other allied disorders, respiratory problems and many other diseases continue to torture and torment the aged, leading to mental and physical inactivity and inertia. Major problem lies in weak digestion, reduced food intake, lack of exercise. It is very difficult to recommend a particular type of juice therapy for each and individual person separately. Problem arises because a particular juice extract may be beneficial to one, but not to the other.
Keeping infirmities and limitations of the old and the aged, easily digestible fruits like Grapes, Lime, Mangoes, Leechis, Water enriched fruits, Tomatoes, Spinach, Mint, Garlic, Coriander, Lemon, Beet and Leafy vegetables, should be used for juicing purposes. One has to be rather decisive what suits a person and what not. Only such vegetables/fruits or their juices should be used which do not create any health hazard or still worse do not aggravate already existing ailments. Meat diet should never be used. Dry fruits should also be rarely used, especially which are rich in oily contents. Disease-based and need-based juice diet should always be preferred to starchy, fatty, greasy, spicy, fried and meat diet. It should always be borne in mind that main criterion should be towards consumption of light, juicy, liquids which respond to physical needs, correct metabolism and improve general well-being.
