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Power Juice Recipes

October 28, 2021 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Delicious Power Juice and Smoothie Recipes

Top Energy Producing Foods and The Best Power Juice and Smoothie Recipes

This article introduces a healthy way to turbo-charge your energy by juicing or blending special combinations of fruits and vegetables. Here are the top 10 nutrients that create energy, the fruits and vegetables with the highest concentrations of these power-packed nutrients and 3 of the best power juice recipes to boost your energy.

Top 10 Power-Boosting Nutrients and Foods

Vitamin B12 – a lack of this causes anemia, weight loss, decreased muscle control, and even yellow-blue color blindness. The best natural source of B12 besides meat is spirulina which is dried algae. Spirulina even beats meat in protein content! As you will see below spirulina is packed with other energy nutrients which is why it’s a common ingredient in power juice recipes.

B9 (Folic Acid) – a key ingredient in energizing the body. A lack of this nutrient causes fatigue and sleep problems. The foods most abundant in folic acid are Avocado, Blackberries, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Passion fruit, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Raspberries, Strawberries, Artichoke, Asparagus, Bok choy, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, French beans, Lima beans, Okra, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Spinach, Spirulina and Squash – summer & winter.

B7 (Biotin) – in addition to providing energy, it also plays a fundamental role in growth and development. The produce highest in B7 are as follows, and note that another great source of B7 is nuts, especially peanuts, filberts, almonds and peanut butter. A half cup of peanuts provides more than twice the daily requirement of biotin. Here are the biotin-packed fruits and veggies: Avocados, Bananas, Papayas, Carrots, Sweet potato and Swiss chard.

B5 (Pantothenic Acid) – not only does it provide your system with energy, but it helps the body manage stress. Here are the foods highest in B5: Avocado, Broccoli, Black currants, Brussels sprouts, Grapefruit, Butternut squash, Pomegranate, Corn, Raspberries, French beans, Starfruit, Mushrooms, Watermelon, Okra, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Spirulina, Spaghetti squash, Squash – summer & winter and Sweet potato.


B3 (Niacin)
 – not only does it pack an energizing wallop, it also helps keep the nervous system and digestive system running smoothly. The following fruits and vegetables are rich in niacin: Avocado, Mango, Nectarine, Peach, Artichoke, Butternut squash, Corn, Mushrooms, Okra, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Spirulina, Spaghetti squash, Squash – winter and Sweet potato.

B2 (Riboflavin) – it’s essential for blood cell production and the release of energy from the foods you eat. Riboflavin also is an essential ingredient for a healthy nervous system. Here are those fruits and vegetables with the highest content of B2: Avocado, Banana, Grapes, Mango, Pomegranate, Artichoke, Asparagus, Bok choy, Brussels sprouts, Chinese broccoli, Lima beans, Mushrooms, Peas, Pumpkin, French beans, Spirulina, Squash – winter, Sweet potato and Swiss chard.

B1 (Thiamin) – its major task is energy production, especially when the energy comes from carbohydrates. It’s also essential for the function of the nervous system, muscles and heart. These foods are rich in thiamin: Avocado, Grapes, Grapefruit, Mango, Orange, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Watermelon, Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, Butternut squash, Corn, French beans, Lima beans, Okra, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Spirulina and Sweet potato.

Vitamin C – boosts the immune system and provides energy, with the added benefit of assisting in the absorption of another key ingredient in energy production – iron. These fruits and vegetables have an abundance of vitamin C: Grapefruit, Kiwi, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Passion fruit, Pineapple, Strawberries, Bok choy, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Butternut squash, Green pepper, Kale and Swiss chard.

Vitamin E – a potent energy booster as well as antioxidant essential in the healthy function of
the nervous system and muscles. These foods are highest in vitamin E: Avocado, Butternut squash, Blackberries, Parsnip, Blueberries, Potatoes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Kiwi, Spirulina, Mango, Swiss chard, Nectarine, Papaya, Peach, Pomegranate and Raspberries.

Iron – this mineral plays a role in keeping your energy level high. This is especially important for women of the menstruating age since a deficiency triggers anemia with symptoms that include fatigue, headaches, dizziness and inflammation of the lips. High concentrations of iron are not found in fruits and vegetables, but these will enhance the body’s ability to absorb iron: Cantaloupe, Broccoli, Orange, Brussels sprouts, Grapefruit, Green and red peppers, Strawberries and Potatoes.

My Favorite Power Juice and Smoothie Recipes

Try these tasty recipes for a power boosting juice or smoothie that will zap you with vitality. More energy boosting recipes can be found in Juice & Smoothie Recipes That Heal! in the box at the right.


Jan’s Energizer

5 Carrots, don’t peel them!
2 Beet Greens
4 Broccoli spears
1 cup Cauliflower
1/2 thumb Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Spirulina

Power Plus!
2 Apples, skin and all
4 Carrots, peel only half the surface
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 handful Parsley
5 leaves of your favorite Leafy Green
1/2 teaspoon Spirulina

Wake Up Call
1 Apple, skin and all
2 Oranges, peeled
2 Pears
4 Strawberries
1/2 thumb Ginger

More delicious and powerful recipes can be found in Juice and Smoothie Recipes That Heal.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Power Juice Recipes, Power Smoothie Recipes

Greens in Your Own Back Yard!

October 28, 2021 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Pick & Juice Nutritious Edile Greens Growing Naturally Right in Your Own Back Yard!


Editor’s Note:
Blanche Cybele Derby is a foraging lecturer, filmmaker and author. She also happens to be my neighbor. Foraging, for those who may be new to the term, is using weeds around your home and community for food. Foraged greens such as ramps and dandelion are commonly used in salads by upscale restaurants. I’m lucky to have had many amazing full-course meals prepared by Cybele and her husband from foraged foods such as berries, shoots, buds, leaves and flowers picked fresh right from our neighborhood. The plants mentioned in this interview are commonly found throughout New England and in other parts of the country. For other edible plants I refer you to Cybele’s wonderful Youtube videos, DVD’s and books available at http://www.tagyerit.com/freefood.htm .

Bob Hannum: Cybele, I've wanted to do this for a long time – to interview you for a new chapter on foraging in the next edition of my ebook about juicing, Juicing & Smoothie Recipes That Heal! because in the juicing world greens are superfoods and it’s amazing to me that there are so many edible greens growing as weeds right in our own back yards. You’re a wonderful authority on the subject with 3 books, many popular Youtube videos, and ongoing lectures and walks. This is such a pleasure!

My first question: What’s so special about foraging? Why couldn't I just go to the store and buy raspberries instead of going off to some special place in town and picking wild ones?

Cybele: First of all: I just love doing it! I love getting outside and riding my bike so I can roam and explore and find new places. Secondly, it’s the ultimate local produce. Most of the edible plants that I forage are no further than a mile from my house. Some are right in my back yard. So it's fresher than supermarket produce. Another advantage of foraging is that nothing’s been sprayed and fertilized, so I feel that there’s more nutrition in fruits, greens, and roots that I pick. Also I’m not gathering plants from a ‘monoculture’ meaning that it’s not been farmed with acres and acres of the same plants in the same soil year after year. I think foraged food has much more power nutritionally. It gets you out in nature. And it makes you much more aware of the cycles of nature. If you just go to the supermarket and buy something; you can buy raspberries in January. That's not the way it is in nature. Nature’s cycle is raspberries are ripe in June. They're there for maybe two weeks and then they're gone. And then you go and find another berry. That's what I like – becoming aware of, and following, the cycle of the place I live in. For me, the most important reasons that I forage is to be more aware of nature, and the nutrition from wild plants is so much better than anything cultivated.

B: Is it better than buying organic?

C: I think so. If you buy organic raspberries from California, it takes time for them to get here. This morning, I went out and picked blackberries. That's certainly much faster.

Wild Blackberries (Rubus spp.)

B: About those raspberries - let's say they have a two week cycle in nature. And then you go and pick the next thing that's ready in nature. Is there any special benefit of eating whatever nature has to give you at the time?

C: That’s the way it used to be. Now you can buy things in February from faraway places that would never grow around here. Many people in the foraging field feel that you should only eat what grows around your area. I don't go that far – I like bananas. But, yes, I think it's really a good idea to eat what comes along. That’s not easy here in New England in the wintertime. Unless you can your foods which they used to do in years past. They would can and have a root cellar and save these things.

So yes, I feel it's really important to eat with the seasons. I freeze a lot of the berries because I use those in the winter. It makes me feel that spring is coming soon and summer's coming soon so I like to have those tastes. But those are things that I went and got and froze. Although I do go to the supermarket, I like to try to get what I need from around here.

B: Now you and Charlie just cooked Bonnie and I this wonderful dinner tonight. And could you talk about some of the ingredients you used and their benefits?

C: That's what I was doing on my bicycle this morning. I was picking berries, greens, and flowers. The greens were Lamb's-quarters which is wild spinach. And amaranth which is now considered a super-food, but it's a weed that grows everywhere around here.

Amaranth (amaranthus ssp.)

B: So if I knew what I was looking for I could easily find amaranth?

C: Yes, but you need to be able to positively identify what you’re looking for, because you don't want to make a mistake and eat something that will give you a stomach ache or worse.

This being high summer there's not as many greens available as there are in the springtime. So I picked quite a few flowers: goldenrod, phlox, bee balm, nasturtium, mallow, Rose of Sharon, Johnny jump ups, and bean flowers. Some of the flowers are cultivated. I don’t make a distinction between wild and cultivated because most cultivated flowers were once wild.

Goldenrod (solidago spp.)
Phlox (phlox spp.)
Bean Flower (fabacede family)
Bee Balm (monarda spp.)
Johnny Jump Ups (viola)
Nasturtium (tropaelum spp.)
Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus)

I’m mentioning the common names, but it’s important to know the scientific names because many plants have the same common name yet they’re completely different plants.

B: What was the little white one?

C: Oh, the elder flower. I was surprised to find those because they’re usually gone by now. Elder flowers turn into elderberry by August. Many plants have multiple parts that are useful – sometimes the shoot is good, followed by the bud, then the flower, and then the seed. Milkweed is one of those. There were milkweed buds in our salad and clover blossoms.


Clover (trifolium spp.)
Elder (sambucus spp.)
Milkweed buds (asclepias spp.)

B: I thought milkweed isn't good for you?

C: Oh no. Milkweed is a forager’s dream because you can be a procrastinator! If you want milkweed shoots but you don’t get around to picking them and it becomes too late for shoots, you can pick another part of this plant. If you're too late for the buds you can wait another week for the flowers. If you miss the flowers you can wait another week for the small buds we just ate.

Some plants have to be cooked. Some can be eaten raw. Our salad was essentially a raw salad.

B: Do you have to be careful when you’re foraging?

C: Pokeweed is a plant that you can only eat at a certain stage. It’s a popular edible plant down South when the young shoots are two to six inches high. They are gathered in the early Spring for a couple of weeks. The young shoots have to be cooked in multiple waters which meant that you pour boiling water over the shoots, cook them for maybe 10 minutes, drain that water, and then repeat. There’s a compound in pokeweed that upsets the stomach if eaten raw. It won’t kill you, but you’ll get sick.
Pokeweed (phytolacca Americana) – only the shoots are edible.

So I cook poke in multiple waters and [my husband] Charlie loves it. It's a marvelous spring green. Very tasty. Down South they used to can it. It was so popular it was on the shelves of grocery stores. And there's even a song called "Poke Salad Annie" by Elvis. It should be "poke sallet" because "sallet" means any cooked green whereas “salad” means any raw green.

However, this past winter I was in Florida and a woman who is an herbalist said that she knew somebody who's a fourth generation Floridian who eats uncooked poke with no problems. I was shocked because I've always been told that you have to do this multiple boiling. Maybe it's the soil? It's different in Florida than it is up here in New England. Could soil have something to do with it?

So what I did this spring was eat a few very young raw leaves. One leaf one day. Nothing happened. Two leaves the second day. Nothing happened. Three leaves the next day. Nothing bad happened. But when I lead walks or give talks I still tell people to do the two boil method. I'd rather be conservative. I always tell them, "Whenever you eat anything new, even a new cultivated food, just go easy on it. Don't over do it." Everyone’s digestive systems are different.

B: I heard the same about wheat grass. It’s a favorite green for juicers. Very cleansing. A super-food. But too much can upset your stomach. But some people get used to it and drink it straight. They had to work up to that over time.

C: That's maybe the same for poke. Build your tolerance. I think our food processing is removing bitterness so our digestive system is no longer used to wild foods.

B: What's your favorite foraged food?

C: That's like asking which child is your favorite. Well, I love berries. I just love fruit. And they're so many great greens especially in early Spring when you need more nourishment after winter. You can't get fresh local greens unless you have a green house. And a lot of wild greens are available much earlier than anything you can cultivate. Stinging nettle is one the best greens -- protein, chlorophyl, and vitamin rich.

Stinging Nettle (urtica dioica)

B: When I brush up against that plant on the trail, it stings and itches like hell.

C: Yes, but when you put it in a juicer, the stingers break down. And you’ve got yourself a power drink.

B: Amazing!

C: That's one green I would definitely recommend. If you're uptight about the barbs just put a little water over them and simmer for a minute or two. This breaks down the small barbs.

Lamb's-quarters is another great green. It’s wild spinach. You can get your own quinoa in the seeds from Lamb's-quarters because they're related. Quinoa is a South American cousin of Lamb's-quarters.

Goutweed is another. It's in the carrot/parsley family. That tastes just like parsley. So again, you can use that instead of parsley. But be careful because it looks like the water hemlock which is among the most deadly of plants. This was the poison used to kill Socrates.

Goutweed (aegopodium podagraria)
Water Hemlock (cicuta maculate)

Garlic mustard is another common edible plant. It's in the mustard family with a strong garlicky taste. Mix it with milder greens such as Lamb's-quarters which is very mild. Spring is the best time to find greens. Purslane is a very good summer plant that’s super high in omega 3 fatty acids.

Purslane (portulaca oleracea)

B: Really?

C: Super high. And it's very respected in every country except ours. In Mexico they call it Verdolaga.

B: I'm really curious about that because I know it's difficult to find omega-3’s in plants.

C: Yes, and the omega-3 in Purslane is the same one found only in fish and flax seed. It looks like a jade plant and it sprawls. It's mucilaginous which means a little slimy.

B: It sounds like you just need a little so if you don't like the taste you can add carrot to it or berries.

C: Yes. The taste of Purslane is very green. That's something you can find when the weather starts to get hot. I usually mix it in with coleslaw. Mix it in with carrots and cabbage and chop it up real fine for a Purslane slaw.

B: Sometime would you point out some of the edible plants around my house?

C: Oh yes. I bet there are sorrels which are very lemony tasting plants. There are two types of sorrel's: Oxalis and Rumex, but they both taste the same. Just take the leaves and put them in water and they impart a very lemony flavor. Easiest kind of drink imaginable. And if you drink it you can eat the leaves as your drinking it. I've made myself a couple of flower drinks. Just put elder flowers in a glass. Pour in water and let it sit for a couple of hours. The flavor is very subtle; sweet. Do the same with milkweed flowers. You could probably do it with rose petals, too. Some of the fragrant ones. But don’t use any flowers that are sprayed or come from a floral shop.

Milkweed Flowers (asclepias spp.)

 

Sorrel (rumex)

 

Sorrel (oxalis – wood sorrel)

B: But they are some dangers? You mentioned hemlock. Is that something you can come across locally?

C: Yes.

B: No kidding?

C: Unfortunately yes. It's in the carrot-parsley family so there are a lot of edible members of that family. Water hemlock are poison hemlock are in that family. Some people might mistake those two plants for an edible plant called Queen Anne's Lace which is essentially a wild carrot. And Queen Anne's Lace grows everywhere. The hemlocks are not as common. But I have seen them around here. So it's really important. To stay away from that family.

B: I'm smiling because you hear stories about mushroom experts. It seems that every year some famous mushroom expert dies from mistakenly eating a deadly one.

C: Yes, that has happened.

B: Does that happens in the foraging world, too?

C: No, not as much because most plants are not deadly. The water hemlock and poison hemlock are exceptions. Mushrooms are tricky. Usually when I do walks I don't show mushrooms, unless it's a big puffball where there's no poisonous lookalikes. A lot of plants like dandelion leaves are bitter but if you mix them with milder greens, they’re marvelous juicing material full of vitamins A and C. Stick with plants like dandelion which everybody knows. If you're new to foraging don't try to learn every plant at once. Going on walks with a person who knows what they're doing.

B: Are there any poisonous berries out here?

C: There're some in the nightshade family. Stick with the rose family which include raspberries and blackberries. Any plants in that family have no poisonous lookalikes. Mulberries and juneberries, too.

Mulberries (morus spp.)

 

Juneberries (amelanchier canadensis)

B: What’s your favorite berry?

C: Juneberry. Most people don't even know what it is. It looks like a blueberry but it taste like a cherry and an almond. And those trees are all over Northampton.

B: Really?

C: Yes, a lot of landscapers plant them. In the Spring they have beautiful white flowers, and they bloom much earlier than most other trees. They have many flowers and they're beautiful. Landscapers love them. They’re my favorite berry.

B: I remember you saying once that you keep some of your foraging spots secret.

C: Some yes. I’m like mushroomers, but many of my places are right out in plain sight. One of my favorite trees is right on Main Street, and thousands of people walking by there daily. Usually nobody even asks me what I'm doing which I find very interesting.

B: That makes sense to me since foraging sounds rare.

C: Not any more. When I first started very few people were doing it. Now it seems everybody's writing a book or making a video or leading walks. Everybody's foraging for famous chefs. It’s become the latest fad.

B: Could you go to a field that you've never been to before and pick something edible?

C: Probably. Actually I've done that a month ago. I went to somebody's house who hired me to walk around their farm and point out what plants were edible. We barely got beyond their front door! There were so many wild edible plants growing all over their yard.

B: That were wild? They hadn’t been planted?

C: That’s right. The fellow was really happy to find out that he had a big stand of lamb's-quarters which I told him was wild spinach and he said, "Oh, I had trouble growing spinach and now I have it right here. So I'll use this instead."

B: Do you do most of your foraging in the open or in the forest?

C: In the open. The forest is too dark. Too many trees. Too much shade. Mushrooming is better in the forest.

B: What about all those forest wildflowers in the spring?

C: There are some edible plants in the forest such as ramps, or wild leek. They appear in mid-April and it’s one of the plants that chefs are crazy about. The leaves are really good. They make a strong juice. I wouldn’t just use ramp leaves in the juice. I’d add stinging nettle and lamb’s-quarters. Wow, what a combination. Ramps also have an edible root. But whenever you forage and gather the root you are essentially killing the plant. So a lot of people who collect ramps just collect the leaves. You want to be a responsible forager. And a plant likes ramps can be over-harvested, especially by foragers selling to stores and chefs. Not the same with invasives which you can forage to your heart’s content.

Ramps (allium tricoccum)

B: When you say selling to stores are you saying that we can buy foraged produce in a local coop?

C: Yes.

B: Can we be confident that these greens or berries have not been sprayed? That they are indeed wild?

C: That’s a good question. You have to trust the person who is picking. One example of things that I’ve seen at Whole Food’s is fiddlehead ostrich ferns. They grow everywhere around here, all along the Connecticut River.

Edible Fiddleheads (matteuccia struthiopteris)

B: Are they edible?

C: Oh yes and one of the best wild foods.

B: So almost anything that’s green is edible?

C: No. I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t touch skunk cabbage or false hellebore – their name’s says it all. Jack in the pulpit will make your mouth burn. Just because it’s green or a flower doesn’t mean it’s edible.

B: You really have to know.

C: Yes. Start out with dandelion and clover. Then move on to plants that are not as well known. Sumac is another plant that you can make a wonderful juice from.

B: Poison sumac?

C: No no. See, that’s the problem with common names. Poison sumac is in the same family as edible sumac, but poison sumac only grows in very wet areas, boggy areas, and has white berries. Edible sumac grows in meadows and along roadsides and has red seeds. You can make a wonderful drink out of sumac by putting the seed heads – called “Bobs” – in cold water. Let them sit for an hour or so and you have sumacade. Like pink lemonade. A little sour so add a little sweetener. But again it’s an easy juice to make without any machine. Some people put it in the sun. A lot of folks believe in using the power of the sun to brew teas and juices.

Edible Sumac (rhus typhina)

B: So sumac is good for a sun tea? Anything else you suggest?

C: Linden flowers are marvelous. Just pour cold water and let it steep for an hour. Very soft and subtle flavor.

B: Just the flowers and not the leaves?

C: The leaves are a good sandwich green used like lettuce. In England they call the linden a lime tree, and they have lime leaf sandwiches at tea time.

    Linden (titia spp.)

B: If someone wanted to go on one of your walks, how do they find out about it?

C: On my website or sometimes I advertise it: And usually my walks are free.

B: Cybele, thank you so much. This has been such a pleasure.

C: Let me give you a list of the plants that we mentioned with their scientific names for easier identification.

B: Great!

C: Remember, it’s so important to include the scientific name – genus and species.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Blanche Cybele Derby, foraging, greens, juicing greens

Create Your Own Recipes for Juicing & Smoothies

August 22, 2020 by msondesigns@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Often the Simplest Recipes for Juicing & Smoothies Are the Most Delicious!

Here are the Most Popular Juicing & Smoothie Recipes

Increasingly today, more and more people are turning to recipes for juicing and smoothies to boost their energy and overcome such prevalent health problems as heart disease, diabetes and asthma. My wife and I juice nearly every day with special recipes to help keep her breast cancer in remission. It’s easy to juice at home and even easier to create your own tasty juice and smoothie recipes.

Simple Recipes for Juicing & Smoothies

Everyone loves a fresh juice or smoothie. I love both! The simplest recipes are often the best tasting such as a glass of your favorite fruit or vegetable juice all by itself. Carrots, beets, grapes, watermellon and oranges are the most common fruits and veggies that by themselves taste great. If you feel adventurous add some fresh sprouts or greens – just a bit will greatly increase the nutrients in your juice or smoothie without altering the taste.

Complex Juicing & Smoothie Recipes

Recipes for juicing and smoothies that tackle particular illnesses require some online research, but with just a little study or a good juice recipe book such as my favorite in the box at the right, you can make a juice or smoothie that targets your health issue and at the same time tastes wonderful!

The first step is to understand your health condition. Simply go online or speak with a health care professional to find out exactly what vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are directly related to your health problem. A surprising number of health issues are strongly linked to the deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals in your diet.

For example, studies show that those who have a higher intake of folic acid have less allergy symptoms and a lower incidence of asthma. By understanding exactly what vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are directly related to your particular health problem, you can take the next step of simply finding out which vegetables and fruits are rich in these nutrients. Once again you can turn to the internet or a health care professional, particularly a nutritionist, for advice. The best collection of disease-fighting recipes for juicing and smoothies is Juicing & Smoothie Recipes That Heal! available here in the box on the right and for Kindle, Nook and iPad users at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks. All the recipes are based on the latest nutritional research.

Select The Right Combinations

Selecting the right ingredients for your recipe is key. Particular fruits and vegetables are known for their specific vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. As an example, bananas are known for their high content of potassium and oranges contain a significant amount of vitamin C. By understanding the unique nutrient content of particular fruits and vegetables, you can select and begin to experiment with those that most strongly address your problem.

Most importantly, buy organically grown produce. Recent research has found that organic produce contains more of the nurients that fight disease. And organic contains less chemical residue from pesticides. Even if you rinse or even wash your produce, remember that rinsing and washing remove bacteria but not the chemicals. The greater the quality of the ingredients which you purchase, the more healthy your recipes for juicing and smoothies. Locally-grown organic fruits and vegetables are often the highest quality. Better yet are the fruits and veggies that you grow in your own back yard!

Filed Under: Recipes

Juicing With Cacti and Succulents

June 1, 2020 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Be Careful – Most Cactus & Succulents Are Not Edible!

 

A Few Are Incredibly Nutritious!

I’ve written about the marvelous benefits of aloe vera, a member of the succulent plant family which includes cactus. So I naturally thought all succulents and cacti are great additions to juices and smoothies. Not so!

What A Surprise!

Juice from the agave and the new juice craze involving the fruit of the nopal cactus are good examples of cacti and succulents that can be juiced. But the truth is that most cacti and succulents are poisonous, even common household varieties. One common succulent is not only poisonous but corrosive!


Nopal Cactus

Historical Highlights

Before we look at the down side of these plants, let’s take a brief look at their historical highlights. Succulents refer to plants that store water to guard against the harsh arid environments in which they grow. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti!

Native to most regions where both arid conditions and poor dry soil occur, succulents are native to Africa, Southeast Asia and Central America. They have long been treasured for medicinal and spiritual uses.


Peyote Cactus

For thousands of years Native American and Mexican shamans used succulents for their healing power. Peyote (along with other non-succulent plants) plays a crucial role in spiritual rituals.

Few Are Safe

Now let’s look at the dangers. The bottom line is that there are very few cacti and succulents that are safe to eat raw. These are aloe vera, the fruit of the nopal cactus, and the Elephant Plant (see the very interesting video Juicing the Elephant Plant).


Elephant Cactus

The common jade plant is a succulent that is not harmful to humans but poisonous when chewed by cats or dogs. Fruits of cacti are edible but all other parts are either inedible or safe only when cooked such as the agave.


Jade Plant

Cacti Myths

The poisonous nature of most cacti dispels one of our great desert myths, that you can get water from a cactus if you’re dying of thirst. The truth is that it’s not easy and the juices of the most prevalent kinds of cacti such as the barrel have levels of toxic alkaloids and other substances that cause diarrhea and vomiting. Those who have experimented with hallucinogenic cacti such as peyote can attest to these very unpleasant side effects. The barrel cactus can give you safe water to drink but only if the weather is cool and if you understand the complicated process of extracting it from the gooey pulp below the tough spiny skin – it is so laborious that anyone but desert-dwelling people would lose more water than they would gain! Besides it is now illegal to harm these majestic plants.

The Dangers

Nausea is a side effect of too many greens in our juice or smoothie. But this is a very different reaction from the sickness of eating a toxic cactus. Greens are so nutrient rich that our bodies are not used to it, but we can work up to it. The nausea from ingesting the alkaloids from most cacti is actually our body fighting off poison. My real surprise came from learning that most succulents including ones we love to grow indoors are not only poisonous but even corrosive!

Aloe vera and the elephant plant are not harmful and in fact are great to juice for their incredible nutrient content. But our most popular succulents, from the Euphorbia family which has thousands of species, bleed a milky white sap that is poisonous and corrosive. Common names are Greek spiny spurge, wood spurge, milk barrel, Medusa’s head, caper bush and gopher plant to name a few. A small scratch on the leaves starts sap flowing. Believe it or not you should wear protective glasses and gloves, as the sap can burn the skin and even cause blindness. Even the vapor of this sap can irritate eyes and lungs. A botanist added shockingly, “Only prune in a well-ventilated, preferably outdoor area, with you positioned upwind.”


Euphorbia

Some Euphorbia look like cactus while others look like common garden shrubs. The simplest way to test is pin-prick the surface and if a milky white sap appears it’s probably a euphorbia. Interestingly milky sap in all plants such as the milkweed, thistle and dogbain have a similar reputation, but a foraging expert explained to me that this is a myth when it comes to the milkweed and thistle.

One of the most popular succulent houseplants is the pencil plant, also known as the milkbush. It, too, is a member of the Euphorbia family. It can grow 30’ tall. Tiny leaves appear briefly at the ends of new pencil-thick stems. One owner reported that after getting the sap on his hands, adverse reactions began within an hour, starting with burning in his eyes, followed by numb lips and shortness of breath. A quick visit to the emergency room and a shot of antihistamine took care of the problem – a case of an allergic reaction.


Pencil Plant

The Real Risks

It’s important to keep this shocking info in perspective. While plant poisonings do occur, the incidence of fatality is exceedingly low – about the same as being hit by a meteor. And while a high percentage of calls to our Poison Control Centers are plant related, the majority are panicky parents of toddlers who took a bite out of an unknown but harmless houseplant. Some houseplants are poisonous, but the likelihood of a child ingesting a sufficiently large dose is rare. And keep in mind that other common plants can easily sicken us and we don’t pay them any attention such as the daffodil and rhubarb leaves.

For more fascinating reading on this subject please refer to http://www.theamateursdigest.com/epoisons.htm

Recipes

For juice recipes using aloe vera click here.


Aloe Vera

More delicious and powerful recipes can be found in Juicing & Smoothie Recipes That Heal! available here in the box on the right and for Kindle, Nook and iPad users at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: cactus juice, cactus smoothie, succulent juice, succulent smoothie

Wheatgrass Juice & Smoothie Recipes & Benefits

November 15, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Wheatgrass Is the Most Nutritious 'Superfood' of Them All!

Wheatgrass is becoming more and more popular as a key ingredient in home-made juices and smoothies. It is so rich in nutrients - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and many other phytonutrients. You should seriously consider adding a little wheatgrass to all of your juice and smoothie recipes.

Amazing Benefits

Studies show that wheat grass has a multitude of health benefits. In addition to providing most of our daily recommended requirement of vitamins and minerals, wheat-grass is also used by many to detox the body, prevent cancer and improve digestion and blood circulation. It assists in oxygenating and alkalizing the blood, suppressing appetite, regulating the thyroid and boosting the immune system. Wheat grass contains as much as 70% chlorophyll, which is higher than most vegetable greens. Some researchers have even recommended that a diet high in chlorophyll can significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer.

wheatgrass juice

With its high content of chlorophyll, wheat grass is more like the composition of our blood than any other plant substance. As a matter of fact chlorophyll is considered the “blood” of the plant world due to its similarity to our blood in molecular framework. Once you consume wheatgrass, you can feel it almost immediately. Many say that drinking wheatgrass first thing in the morning is as energy boosting as a cup of coffee or tea.

Where To Get It

No wonder wheatgrass is found in more and more juice and smoothie recipes. You can find fresh wheatgrass sold at your local health food store and farmers market, and now in many supermarkets. You can even find already bottled, frozen, powder and pill forms of wheatgrass, but these do not have as many nutrients - especially enzymes - as freshly juiced wheatgrass

How To Grow Wheatgrass

Anyone can grow wheatgrass at home! It's as easy as growing grass - just order organic wheatgrass seed online (Amazon is my source - just click wheatgrass seed), and plant it in a pot of organic soil easily found at any garden store. Within 2 days you'll see white shoots. Within 4 days you'll see green blades of grass which you can start cutting and adding to your juice. Don't be fooled by anyone who makes it sound complicated and expensive with special trays and whatnot! No special equipment is needed.

Here's what to do. Take one of your flower pots, fill it with soil, sprinkle seed liberally on top, cover with 1/8" of soil, and water. When the grass blades get about 5-7" tall cut a thumb length and thickness and add to any of your juice recipes. That's enough to get all the amazing nutrients, but not so much that is makes your juice or smoothie bitter. This is important: when you have cut all the green part of the grass, let it grow again for a second harvest. But after that start over with fresh soils and seed, because the soil is depleted.

wheatgrass juice recipes

How To Add Wheatgrass to Your Juice or Smoothie

Unique juice machines known as a "slow" juicers are particularly effective for juicing wheatgrass at home. I use a slow juicer made by Hurom though an equally fine one made by Omega has a better warranty. These juicers remove the liquid from the wheatgrass in a more thorough way than the common juicer. They're not only best with wheatgrass, they are also superior when juicing other greens including lettuce, celery, spinach, watercress and herbs. For smoothies you need a high powered blender - the best and most popular is the Vitamix. Your cheap kitchen blender is not powerful enough.

How To Drink Wheatgrass

You can drink wheatgrass by itself or as an ingredient combined with other fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Few people enjoy the flavor of wheatgrass by itself. But it’s easy to make it very tasty by combining carrot, cucumber or apple. Add a little honey as a sweetener. You can also add other greens like kale, parsley, dandelion, alfalfa sprouts or celery. Try adding some ginger for a delicious surprise!

My Favorite Juice & Smoothie Recipes
With Wheatgrass

2 Oranges
2 large Carrots
1 thumb-inch round Wheatgrass
Handfull of Grapes
1/4 Beet
2 stalks Celery
1 thumb-inch round Wheatgrass

juice recipes for wheatgrass
More recipes based on the latest nutritional research can be found in Juicing & Smoothie Recipes That Heal! available here in the box on the right and for Kindle, Nook and iPad at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

Caution

Drinking wheatgrass must be done with care. The juice from most greens is powerful on the stomach. Too much can cause nausea. Drink only about 4 ounces of wheatgrass each day, preferably in 1 ounce portions throughout the day. This is due to its powerful cleansing effects. If you have a sensitive stomach, simply reduce your intake as I do to 1 ounce a day. And never drink it on an empty stomach.

Filed Under: Recipes, Smoothies

Juicing for Cancer

June 16, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com


There Are Alternative Treatments For Cancer Suppressed By the AMA and FDA!

 

New Way To Treat Cancer

There have been important changes in the treatment and prevention of cancer in recent years. Every day the better medical centers across the country are taking a new look at how diet plays a critical role in cancer treatment.

In these better facilities, patients immediately begin a diet of fresh vegetables, fruits,
and other raw natural foods alongside traditional cancer treatments. This is combined with meditation, yoga and Pilates. The result is a stronger immune system and a heightened sense of hope and emotional well-being proven to significantly boost the healing process.

New Look At the Past

Science is also beginning to take a serious look at several innovative nutritionists and physicians who have not only suggested new methods for the prevention and treatment of cancer, but used these treatments successfully on themselves and their patients for decades.

As early as the 1920’s, one such individual, Johanna Brandt, published a book describing how she cured herself of cancer by drinking juiced grapes. And sure enough, in recent years research has found that grapes, especially the Concord variety, contain particularly effective cancer-killing properties when the fruit is ingested skin, seeds, and all.

Another early researcher Dr. Max Gerson, is famous for developing a successful cancer treatment based upon juiced vegetables, particularly carrots. Since he first introduced his juice therapy in the 1920’s with his book Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases and the Cure of Advanced Cancer, thousands of people have reported dramatic improvement by following his juice protocol. This protocol is freely available on the internet.

Resistance  

Unfortunately most cancer treatment hospitals and oncologists believe that any cancer treatment other than medically approved ones should be avoided. If a new method shows promise, even success, the medical community maintains that these should be disregarded until proven effective. Sadly, behind these warnings is also a ‘vested interest’ particularly among hospitals: they depend upon the money they receive for dispensing proven treatments and receive nothing for trying anything that’s unproven.

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The most telling story is that of Harry Hoxsey who’s father discovered a mix of herbs that cured cancer in horses. He subsequently offered it to cancer sufferers with dramatic results. His son opened clinics to provide the treatment to anyone who asked for it regardless of financial means. At one point his clinics were the most popular cancer centers in America! For years he welcomed the FDA and AMA to test the treatment, but sadly instead they waged a constant campaign to discredit him, and finally succeeded in banning the treatment. This is all well documented in a film that is one of the most shocking example of greed and ego suppressing a promising treatment. To this day no clinical trials have ever been done. On a positive note this treatment is still available in Mexico.

New Research  

Epidemiological studies among large groups of people, especially in Russia, China, the Mediterranean, and Africa whose diets are based primarily, if not entirely, on fruits, vegetables, and other natural foods point to a new and exciting way to treat illness. These studies show a significantly lower occurrence of diseases. Most interesting of all, there are no signs of certain cancers such as prostrate and colon cancer, as well as other health problems that are so prevalent in our North American population.

Several recent studies have concluded that a diet rich in fresh, raw veggies, fruits,
nuts, root herbs, and spices have preventative and possibly even curative powers. In particular, studies (including those done by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute) regarding phytonutrients have created quite a stir within the cancer treatment community. Phytonutrients are rich in compounds that not only remove cancer-causing toxins from the body, but may in fact prevent and even treat certain cancers.

Foods That Fight Cancer

There are quite a number of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and even spices that contain cancer fighting nutrients. The vegetables receiving the most attention include leafy greens such as turnip, mustard, kale, and collards. Other veggies under intense study are carrots, jalapeno, onions, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, red beets, cauliflower, leeks, bok choy, rutabaga, kohlrabi, and chives. Certain fruits also show exciting promise such as citrus, cantaloupe, apples, pears, apricots, and in particular, Concord grapes. Exciting too are on-going studies on garlic, turmeric, black pepper, and ginger. Other studies, notably one conducted by the Independent Cancer Research Foundation have discovered that special nutrients found particularly in natural uncooked, juiced fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices do in fact contain significant cancer fighting properties.

Research at Oregon State University is focused on broccoli as a strong cancer fighter! One study found that a compound in broccoli and other cruciferous veggies known as “sulforaphane” fights cancer in two ways. It boosts both DNA methylation and HDAC inhibition, which work together to keep your cells safe from cancer, particularly cancers of the prostate and colon.

Another study found the cancer-fighting properties in turmeric are enhanced when combined with black pepper.

In December of 2012, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily it was discovered early in her yearly mammogram. And luckily her surgery and radiation treatments were successful. Her prognosis is so bright that she no longer takes any medication. In addition to the hormone medication she took for 5 years following her radiation treatment, we also juiced every day using the top cancer fighters according to the latest nutritional discoveries. Our favorite cancer-fighting juice recipe is this which makes enough for 2:

5 Carrots
1 Green Apple
2 stalks Celery
1/4 Beet
1″ home grown Wheatgrass
slice of Jalapeno
1 thin slice of fresh Ginger
liberal dash of Turmeric
2 dashes of fresh ground Black Pepper

So if you haven’t started juicing start today not only for the taste but to help prevent cancer and other diseases.

Filed Under: Fighting Disease, Recipes Tagged With: Harry Hoxey, Johanna Brandt, juice recipes for cancer, juicing for cancer, Max Gerson

Juice and Smoothie Recipes for Better Sex

May 29, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Certain Compounds In Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Enhance Sexual Performance

 

Exciting News!

Several compounds in fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and spices boost sex drive, performance, and pleasure. This article reviews these compounds and what foods contain the highest concentration of these sexually stimulating nutrients. Plus my own favorite juice and smoothie recipes for better sex.

Important Time

These discoveries come at an important time. Supplements and prescription medications to treat ED (erectile dysfunction) are incredibly popular. A female Viagra is being developed. Few people realize that these drugs have serious side effects such as memory, hearing, and even vision loss. So toss out those pills and start juicing the following foods for a healthy and natural enhancement of your sexual experience.

The Older Body

Great news for the older body, too! Both women and men begin experiencing decreased hormonal production starting as early as age 40. Not only that, the oxidation of blood plays a major role in a healthy and vibrant sexual drive. This starts to decrease at a relatively young age, further impairing sexual performance and satisfaction.

Certain raw foods help to counter the aging process and increase the nutrients vital to enhancing and maintaining a healthy sexual experience. Juicing is not just a great way to improve your health, strengthen muscle, and reduce weight. Juicing is the healthiest way to have more fun!

Male Enhancement

The following is a list of foods that increase the sex drive in men:

Bananas

Rich in potassium, bananas assist the body in reducing levels of sodium. Sodium increases the retention of water which lowers libido by decreasing blood flow.

Blueberries

Abundant in antioxidants, blueberries cleanse your system of free radicals. Blueberries increase blood flow and deliver nutrients to muscles. This is achieved through the production of nitrogen monoxide (nitric oxide).

Cherries

Like blueberries, cherries are rich in antioxidants which remove harmful ‘free radicals’ and increase blood flow. This is accomplished by ‘bioflavinoids,’ compounds found in plants which trigger the natural production of nutritional enzymes necessary to heart health and the prevention of disease.

Ginger

Ginger is rich in nutrients that increase the flow of blood. Just a
little in your juice two or three times a week is all you need. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which cleanse blood vessels and help to prevent erectile dysfunction.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a rich source of the amino acid citrulline, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, in turn, increases blood flow.

Onions

Now this would be an experiment, because I have not yet found a way to add raw onion to juice and have it taste good. However, recent research discovered that onions are a true aphrodisiac, at least for rats! Rats fed onion juice increased their testosterone level over 300%.

Try this juice and smoothie recipe about an hour before sexual activity:

Watermelon – without seeds and rind
15 Cherries – without pits
1 slice of fresh Ginger – with the skin

Add 1 or more of these foods to your fresh juice for added benefits:


Almonds

This nut is rich in vitamin E. This, too, increases nitric oxide in the body which increasing blood flow. Add about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup to your juicer 2 or 3 times a week for excellent results.

Black Tea

This is a traditional Chinese remedy for erectile dysfunction. It increases testosterone in the body.

Eggs

Abundant in vitamin B compounds, eggs reduce stress in men and women. Sex drive is greatly reduced by stress. In fact, stress is considered by many doctors to be the greatest cause of lowered libido. Consider adding a beaten egg to your juice once a day. While there has been much ‘to-do’ about eggs and cholesterol, in fact, it’s more ‘hype’ than truth. Eggs are a natural source of protein and nutritionally beneficial compounds.

Flaxseed Oil

Flaxseed oil is another food which increases blood flow. It’s a rich source of omega-3 compounds. These encourage the creation of nitric oxide, which is critical as an antioxidant nourishing the blood and preventing erectile dysfunction.

Garlic

Only a small amount of garlic added to your juice assists the body in the production of nitric oxide. For those uneasy about the smell of garlic, odorless garlic powder and supplements are available at your local health food store.

Nutmeg

This is a wonderfully flavorful addition to your juice or smoothie. It is a
factually-based aphrodisiac (research published by BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine). It increases the male sex drive by creating nitric oxide.

Olive Oil

Filled with Omega-3 and six (healthy) fatty acids. It increases levels of testosterone.

Pistachios

They are a rich resource of the amino acid ‘arginine,’ which increases blood flow by stimulating nitric oxide in the body. Just a 1/2 cup added to your juice is enough.

Walnuts

This is the richest source of the amino acid arginine which creates nitric oxide. A 1/2 cup is recommended for best results.

Whole Milk

Whole milk is not only a great source of calcium and Vitamin D. It also increases the levels of testosterone in the body. I personally believe based upon material I’ve explored from the Weston Price Foundation that unpasteurized milk is much better primarily because you get nutrients that are destroyed by the pasteurization process. Local farms are a great source for unpasteurized products.

Female Enhancement

The following fruits and veggies help increase female sexual drive, response, and satisfaction.

Avocado

Avocados increase drive, stamina, and energy due to their high amount of folic acid. Remember to use your blender to add avocados to your juice so as not to clog your juicer.


Bananas

This fruit is a rich source of the enzyme ‘bromelain’ which assist in the body’s digestive health and healing, and increases female libido.

Carrots

The abundance of Vitamin A in this vegetable increases tissue sensation in a woman’s body.

Celery

Celery intensifies a woman’s libido due to its high concentration of the natural hormone aldosterone.

Dark Green Veggies

Add just a few of these leaves to fresh juice increases the female sex drive due to their rich source of zinc.

Pineapple

Pineapple creating the hormone vetrogen, produced by the abundant presence of manganese. Women especially require vetrogen for their libido and sexual satisfaction.

Here is a great juice recipe – try it about 2 hours prior to sex:

8 Carrots – only half peeled
2 Celery stalks
1 cup Pineapple – without the skin

The following are other additions to increase female libido and pleasure:

Cloves

Studies show that cloves are one of the very few true female aphrodisiacs.
Cloves amplify a woman’s sexual desire and ability to be sexually satisfied.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate assists in the flow of blood and increases sensation by enlarging blood vessels in the body. It also contains phenyl ethylamine. This compound affects the brain both as an ‘analgesic’ (pain reducer) and anti-depressant. It also creates a sense of well- being. All of these have been shown to increase libido and satisfaction.

Eggs

An abundant source of vitamin B compounds, eggs reduce stress, thus increasing sex drive and desire.

Figs

This fruit is especially helpful in augmenting the sexual drive and stamina in women. Figs are a rich source of amino acids used for centuries, particularly in the Middle East, to enhance female libido.

Ginseng

Ginseng has been used for centuries by Chinese medicine to increase a woman’s sexual desire and drive.

Foods To Stay Away From

These foods lower libido in both men and women, and should be avoided:

Sugar

Processed sugar is unhealthy for many reasons. One of them is that it diminishes testosterone in men which lowers libido.


Trans Fats

Not only are trans fats nutritionally unhealthy, they lower blood flow. This diminishes sexual performance in women and men.

Canned Foods

Most cans are lined with ‘BPA.’ This is a substance which causes erectile dysfunction as much as four times more often in men who eat canned foods frequently. Look for “PBA FREE” labels on cans.

Soy

Estrogen-like compounds in soy decrease testosterone which lowers male libido.

Salt

Large amounts of sodium are a source of erectile dysfunction which even medication cannot undo.

Alcohol

Though it diminishes inhibition and lessens stress, alcohol actually lowers our ability to perform and to feel sexually satisfied.

Fresh juiced fruits and vegetables with added nuts and spices are not just a great way to increase your health, strengthen muscle, and reduce weight. Certain combinations as listed above will truly enhance your sex life. No matter what your age, juicing is one of the best ways to increase your pleasure!

More recipes based on exciting new research can be found in Juice and Smoothie Recipes That Heal.

Filed Under: About, Recipes Tagged With: juice and smoothie recipes, Juice recipes for better sex, juicing and sex, juicing for sex

Grow Wheatgrass at Home – It’s Easy!

April 21, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Grow Wheatgrass for Pennies Plus Recipes!

 

Wheatgrass Is Considered One of the Most Nutritious Foods

 

Wheatgrass is becoming more and more popular as a key ingredient in fresh home-made juices and smoothies. It is incredibly rich in nutrients – vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and many other phytonutrients. It is gluten-free. You should seriously consider adding a little wheatgrass to all of your juice recipes.

A Little History

Wheatgrass can be traced back in history over 5000 years to ancient Egypt and early Mesopotamian civilizations. There is some evidence that ancient Egyptians used wheatgrass for medicinal purposes.

Fast forward to 1900. Edmund Bordeaux Szekely claimed to have discovered an ancient biblical manuscript which upon translation revealed that Christ taught the Essenes that wheatgrass is the perfect food. He founded a society devoted to a new way of eating which included wheatgrass.

In the 1930’s Dr. Charles F. Schnabel studied the amazing nutrition in wheatgrass and produced a powdered wheatgrass pill which became the most popular nutritional supplement of his time. Schnabel was not alone. Other scientists, medical doctors, hospitals, and health practitioners produced a significant volume of research on wheatgrass and other cereal grasses during the two decades between 1930 and 1950. Schnabel is considered the ‘father of wheatgrass.’

In the 1960’s Ann Wigmore was a major contributor to the popularization of wheatgrass by curing her own ‘untreatable’ colitis by consuming wheatgrass, raw greens, seeds, and grains. She shared wheatgrass with several sick friends and claimed that each recovered from their sickness. She co-founded the Hippocrates Health Institute which is the leading advocate for more raw foods in our diet.

Amazing Benefits

Studies show that wheatgrass juice has a multitude of health benefits. According to the Hippocrates Institute, wheatgrass is the most nutritious food with these benefits:

  • cleanses the blood
  • improves skin and hair
  • builds muscle and endurance
  • fights infection
  • lowers blood pressure
  • fights tumors
  • lessens the effects of radiation
  • increases energy
  • neutralizes toxins including nicotine, cadmium, strontium, mercury and polyvinyl chloride.
  • acts as an appetite suppressant by stimulating the thyroid and metabolism

Wheatgrass contains as much as 70% chlorophyll, which is higher than most vegetable greens. Some researchers have even recommended that a diet high in chlorophyll can significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer.

With its high content of chlorophyll, wheatgrass juice is more like the composition of our blood than any other plant substance. Chlorophyll is considered the “blood” of the plant world due to its similarity to our blood in molecular framework. Once you consume wheatgrass, you can feel it almost immediately. Many say that drinking wheatgrass first thing in the morning is as energy boosting as a cup of coffee.

wheatgrass juiceWhere To Get It

You can find fresh wheatgrass plants sold at your local health food store and farmers market, and now in many supermarkets. You can find bottled, frozen, powdered, and pill forms of wheatgrass, but these do not have all the nutrients – especially enzymes – of fresh wheatgrass juice or a smoothie.

How To Grow It

Anyone can grow wheatgrass at home. It’s as easy as growing grass. Don’t be fooled by anyone who makes it sound complicated and expensive, and don’t be tempted by special trays and kits. None of that is necessary. All you need is seed, soil, and a pot or cut-off plastic container.

Try growing 2 or 3 pots in intervals so when you’ve harvested one, the next pot is ready and you never run out.

Purchase wheatgrass seed at your local garden store or online. I purchase seed in bulk on Amazon. A pound will last a year. Don’t make my mistake of buying more than a pound because even though extra seed will keep well in your refrigerator, seeds have a lifespan of about a year. A seed packet from your local garden store will give you about three small pots of wheatgrass. Look for “certified organic” seed and soil to avoid harmful chemicals.

Fill a pot or small plastic flat with soil and spread the seed liberally on the surface. Then cover the seed with about 1/8” of soil. Water and place anywhere near sunlight. Be sure that your pot or other container allows water to drain.

Here’s a little trick for watering the dry soil the first couple times to avoid uncovering the seeds. I cover my dry soil with a napkin. Then I just discard this cover after watering. This covering is not necessary, just convenient.

Seeds will sprout in about 3 days and grow 5-7 inches for harvest within another 2-3 days.

The best time to harvest is when the nutrient content is at its peak. This is any time after the grass is about 4” tall but BEFORE the “jointing stage” which is when the initial stalks of grass divide and start to brown at the base. This occurs in about 10 days, so you have a comfortable amount of time to harvest.

When it’s ready to harvest, I gather together a mass of grass about the thickness and length of my thumb and snip it off with scissors. This is just enough to get all the wonderful benefits without upsetting my stomach or creating a bitter taste.

After about 3 of these ‘harvests,’ compost the remaining crop and soil and start over. By 3 cuts you’ve pretty much depleted the nutrients in the soil.

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Add Wheatgrass to Fresh Juice and Smoothieswheatgrass juice recipes and benefits

You can simply add wheatgrass to your smoothie blender. Juicing is another matter. You need a special juicer for wheatgrass or any leafy greens.

“Slow” juice machines are currently the most popular that start at about $300. There are very inexpensive hand operated wheatgrass juicers available on Amazon.

I use a slow juicer made by Hurom though last I looked, an equally fine one made by Omega now has a better warranty.

How To Drink It

You can drink juiced wheatgrass by itself or as an ingredient combined with other fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Few people enjoy the flavor of wheatgrass by itself. But it’s easy to make it very tasty by combining it with carrot, cucumber or apple. Add a little honey as a sweetener. You can also add other greens like kale, parsley, dandelion, alfalfa sprouts or celery. Try adding some ginger or garlic for a delicious surprise!

wheatgrass juice and smoothiesWheatgrass Juice and Smoothie Recipes

For a smoothie add to each recipe a 1/2 cup of your favorite liquid such as rice, almond, soy, or dairy milk.

1 Orange
2 large Carrots
1 thumb of Wheatgrass

1 bunch of Grapes
1/4 Beet
2 stalks of Celery
1 thumb of Wheatgrass

1 Papaya peeled, sliced
1/4 cup of Pineapple
½ cup of Coconut, fresh or dried
½ cup peeled Mango
1 thumb of Wheatgrass

2 Oranges without the peel
1 Banana – juice the other ingredients then blend it with place the banana
½ cup fresh Brries of any kind
1 thumb of Wheatgrass

More great wheatgrass recipes based on exciting new research can be found in Juice and Smoothie Recipes That Heal.

One Caution

Drinking wheatgrass must be done with care. The juice from most greens is powerful on the stomach. Too much can cause nausea. Drink only about 4 ounces of wheatgrass each day, preferably in 1 ounce portions throughout the day. This is due to its powerful cleansing effects. If you have a sensitive stomach, simply reduce your intake as I do to 1 ounce a day, and I never drink it on an empty stomach.

Filed Under: About, Recipes Tagged With: grow wheatgrass at home, juicing wheatgrass, wheatgrass, wheatgrass juice recipes, wheatgrass recipes

Juicing for Your Blood Type

March 8, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com

New Research Has Found a Scientific Basis for This Fascinating Idea!

 

New Breakthrough Research

For many years the idea that certain foods are better for certain blood types has been championed by Peter D’Adamo, N.D. in his book, Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight.

A recent discovery in the field of nutritional research has turned this theory into fact. Scientists in Finland found that blood molecules are effected by different nutrients depending on the blood type. More study is underway, but this fascinating new finding suggests that certain foods – juicing and smoothie recipes included! – are better for certain blood types.

How Does Each Type Differ

To briefly review his book, there are 4 blood types: O, A, B and AB. People with type O blood do best with a high protein and low carb diet. Type A folks do best with vegetarian diets. And type B and AB people are particular combinations of O and A diets. The amazing point of all this is that finally we can understand why diets work fine for some people and not for others! When you eat – and juice – according to your blood type, not only do you feel better, but you can cure a whole host of digestive problems. More importantly it can be the difference between success and failure in your weight loss efforts.

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This hardly does justice to his fascinating book so I highly suggest purchasing a copy and reading it. The fascinating history of blood types, their particular digestive strengths and weaknesses, and what foods to eat and not eat are fully detailed. Here I cut to the chase and list the best fruits and veggies for each blood type and then provide my favorite juice recipes for each.

Let Peter D’Adamo explain it for you himself:

Now let’s take a look at how we can apply his theory to juicing recipes for your blood type.

Type O

Type O’s do best with the following fruits and vegetables: blueberries, mangos, figs, plums, cherries, bananas, broccoli, kale and spinach. Try these great juice recipes for O’s:

1 pint Blueberries
1 Banana – remember to blend bananas and then add them to your juice
1 spear Broccoli
Add a little water as needed

20 Cherries – pitted
1 Mango – with skin, without seed
2 leaves Kale


Type A

The best Type A fruits and veggies are plums, figs, avocado, berries of all kinds, pears, peaches, carrots, broccoli, collards, spinach, kale, garlic, soy and pineapple. These juicing recipes are wonderful!

2 cups Pineapple
2 Peaches
1 leaf Spinach

5 Carrots
2 leaves Kale
1 slice fresh Ginger

Type B

Fruits and vegetables that do best in the type B digestive system are beets, leafy greens, carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, eggplant, grapes, bananas, cranberries, plums, papaya, watermelon and pineapple.

20 Grapes – seeds and all
1 Banana
1 leaf Kale

5 Carrots
1/4 Beet
3 Collard Greens
1 slice fresh Ginger

Type AB

And finally, the fruits and veggies best suited to AB folks are green vegetables, sea kelp and pineapple. You can also play with dairy and spirulina in your juice recipes. Try these recipes for starters:

4 cups Pineapple
1 leaf Kale
1/8 teaspoon Spirulina

5 Carrots
1 Beet
1” Wheatgrass
1 slice fresh Ginger

Let me know great recipes that you come up with so I can share them here. More recipes can be found in Juice and Smoothie Recipes That Heal.

Filed Under: About, Recipes Tagged With: Eat Right for Your Type, Juicing for Your Blood Type, Peter D'Adamo

Watch Out for Added Sweeteners

January 2, 2019 by msondesigns@gmail.com

Too Much Sugar, Even Natural Alternatives, Is Not Healthy

added sweetenersIf You Think Artificial Sweeteners Are the Answer, I Have Bad News for You!

In the juicing world added sweeteners are rare because most recipes are naturally delicious without adding sugar.

Smoothies are different. In the smoothie world, added sweeteners are the norm because using the entire veggie or fruit – skin, seeds, and all – while adding nutrition and fiber, also adds tartness to the taste. Added sweeteners make smoothies taste good.

We try to add only ‘healthy’ sweeteners such as agave nectar, raw (turbinado) sugar, honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. We also use ‘natural’ low calorie sweeteners such as stevia, xylitol, and yakon syrup. This is because they are much healthier choices than any artificial sweetener. More and more research indicates that artificial sweeteners are linked to obesity and diabetes.

The Hard Truth

Sugar, whether it’s white or one of the healthier alternatives, is still sugar. And those of us who live in the US have a real sugar problem. We eat too much of it. On average each American eats 19 teaspoons or more of added sugar every day for an additional 285 calories.

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Health experts say that’s just too much. According to the American Heart Association a healthy amount is 6 teaspoons daily for women – 100 calories – and 9 for men which is 150 calories. For comparison, a can of Pepsi or Coke is a bit over 9 grams of sugar.

Read the Labels

These common sweeteners are all sugar even if the label doesn’t call them sugar:

  • Agave nectar
  • Brown rice syrup
  • High-fructose corn syrup
  • Dextrose
  • Evaporated cane juice
  • Glucose
  • Lactose
  • Malt syrup
  • Molasses
  • Sucrose

If the label lists a sweetener in the first few ingredients it’s probably too much! Same goes if the label says more than 4 total grams of sugar.

Cut Out Added Sweeteners

Fresh juices and smoothies can be absolutely delicious without added sweeteners. So many of our natural foods are packed with healthy sweetness. A carrot is sweet but only about 25 calories. A beet is about 60. An apple 90, banana 100, orange 45. So let’s go natural with no added sweeteners.

Juice and Smoothie Recipes

This is why I do not offer any recipes with added sugar, even my smoothie recipes. I keep tweeking a recipe until it tastes delicious without added sweeteners. My recipes have absolutely no added anything but the fruit, veggie, green, herb, and spice. Nothing else.

Personally, I’m so concerned about the ill effects of too much sugar, I encourage you to consider taking a further step beyond no added sweeteners in your juices or smoothies. Try using less fruit, the sweetest of our foods, in juices and smoothies to reduce your overall sugar intake!

What Do Added Sweeteners Do To Your Body

Take a look at this excellent brief video for what exactly sugar does to your body and why too much is so harmful.

 

 

Filed Under: About, Recipes, Sugar Tagged With: added sweeteners, sugar

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