What You Need to Know about Juicing, Polyphenols and Preventing Alzheimer’s

A friend of mine recently reopened my eyes to the wonderful world of juicing.  Juicing is one of the most efficient ways to get your brain going before heading into those long days of work.  The feeling that I get after drinking a glass of vegetable juice is like no other that I can compare.  It’s like a strong clean breeze whisking away all the debris and dust that has settled on your mind.  The clarity that one experiences after a nice glass of kale, ginger, carrot, beet and apple juice surpasses that of coffee.  The perfect health cocktail to kickstart your brain and give it that super boost of energy.  The concept behind juicing is rather simple.  Essentially, through juicing you extract all of the phytonutrients and digestive enzymes without your digestive system having to sift through all of the fiber that holds this revitalizing juice.  Phytonutrients are not essential for life but, they do promote human health.  These life enhancing phytonutrients can be broken down into different class categories.  One such category are the polyphenols which have been touted as being responsible for decreasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.  The statistical data is staggering.  As reported in the 2006 September issue of the American Journal of Medicine, those who consumed 1 glass of vegetable or fruit juice daily were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s in contrast to those who consumed less than 1 glass of vegetable or fruit juice per week.  Polyphenols are the key to maintaining healthy brain function and are certainly powerful in combating the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.  It is believed that the skin of these fruits and vegetables are where the polyphenols are concentrated.

Vegetables and fruits that are rich in polyphenols include but are not limited to:

• apples
• pomegranates
• red grapes
• pears
• strawberries
• raspberries
• blueberries
• cranberries
• onions (yes, onions)

When juicing, there is one peculiar caveat - it is highly recommended and generally accepted (within the juicing community) that the only fruit juice that you blend in with vegetable juice be apple juice.  Let’s remember that one of the main purposes of juicing is to give your digestive system a rest.  The digestive system requires different enzymes to break down vegetable juices than it does for fruit juices.  By taking in only vegetable juices and apple juice as the only fruit juice, your digestive system will not have to work as hard thereby giving you more nutrients per caloric expenditure by your digestive system.  Simply put, efficient “eating” to the max.  So, while you may enjoy orange juice in your vegetable juice or other various sweet fruit juices, it’s a good idea to view fruit juices as more of a treat than the substance of juicing.

Juicing has always made me feel vibrant and energized.  I view it as the fuel my brain needs to perform intellectual tasks and computations.  Not only is juicing great for preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, it’s good for your overall well being.  The complexion of my skin is more youthful, smooth and clear.  My energy levels have allowed me to play basketball competitively again.  Juice! Juice! Juice!

If you’ve never juiced before, fret not, I will be sharing some of my favorite juice blends in my next post and recommend a juicer that many of my friends own and love.

Important note for Diabetics:

For those of you who are diabetic and are thinking of starting a juicing regimen, please allow me to point out a few important tips that will help you maintain a healthy blood sugar level.  Juiced fruits and vegetables are already broken down to a basic form that is readily accepted into the body.  This means that sugars will be released upon ingestion unlike solid foods in which sugars are released as the solids are digested over a period of time.  Sugars found in juice can spike blood sugar levels if the diabetic is not vigilant in following a few tips.  First and foremost is that fruit juices should be avoided or extremely limited.  There is a reason that fruit juice tastes so good, it’s called sugar.  Root vegetables (believe it or not) tend to contain more sugar than the parts of the plant that make it above ground.  If it’s a root vegetable, juice with caution.  Examples of these root vegetables would be carrots, beets, yams… (you get the idea)  If it’s above ground, you’re in the clear for the most part.

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