Fresh vegetables are perhaps the most important component of a healthy diet. They contain natural vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential to our health and vitality. They also contain living enzymes that are required for the digestive, metabolic and assimilation processes within the digestive tract.(8) Enzymes are sensitive to heat. At temperatures above 118° F, they start to become sluggish, just as the human body becomes lethargic in a hot bath. At temperatures above 130° F, enzymes die. A dead enzyme cannot perform its crucial role in the digestive processes of the body. In Chapter 7, the pros and cons of cooked food versus raw foods are discussed. Raw solid food requires many hours of digestive activity before its nourishment is available to the cells and tissues of the body. Cooked foods are more easily digested. But since cooking foods kills the enzymes, we are faced with a dilemma. Converting some of our raw vegetables into juices is a good way to accommodate this situation. In contrast to the long period of time needed to digest raw vegetables, the nutrients of vegetable juices can be absorbed into the bloodstream in a matter of minutes, rather than hours. And the process of juicing, using any of a wide variety of kitchen juicers currently on the market, does not damage or compromise the enzymes or other nutrients in the vegetables.(22) There is another advantage that raw vegetable juices have over solid vegetables. Residuals of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are assimilated into the vegetables reside primarily in the fiber of the vegetables. Since the fiber of the vegetables becomes a waste product in the juicing process, raw vegetable juices provide a way to derive the nutritious benefit of vegetables without ingesting harmful residual chemicals. A certain amount of fiber is important to the digestive process, since it acts as a “broom” to help keep the intestinal tract clean. Consequently it is important to continue to include solid vegetables, cooked and uncooked, as a staple in our daily diet. Vegetable juices tend to consist of highly concentrated nutrients, so they should be introduced into our daily diet with appropriate caution. There is yet another virtue of raw vegetable juices. Chapter 6 discusses the importance of maintaining an appropriate acid/alkaline balance in the body. Most foods and beverages tend toward being acidic. However, most vegetables are alkaline. By drinking raw vegetable juices, we not only help bring about the necessary hydration of the body, but we also help to alkalize the body. If there is a downside to raw vegetable juices, it is probably the fact that the nutrients in the juice begin to break down fairly soon after the juicing process – in a matter of hours, rather than days. Consequently, it is important to drink vegetable juices reasonably soon after the juicing process. In busy households, in which time and convenience are at a premium, this can present a challenge. (This is a selection from the book ‘SIMPLE STEPS TO TOTAL HEALTH from ANDREAS MORITZ’) ener-chi/books/simple-steps-to-total-health/
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:00:00 +0000
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