There’s a trend right now in the juicing and wellness world, where one or two ingredients are combined to specifically address certain ailments and ward off disease. Think preventative, preemptive strikes against everything from cancer to diabetes, inflammation to weight gain. There’s a juice for all of that and then some. You don’t lollygag with these powerful concoctions, you shoot ’em down fast and get about your day!
That’s why I adore wellness shots – freshly pressed short list ingredients for shot glass sized slammers. Shots are quick hits of concentrated nutrition. A fantastic shot to make is of spicy fresh Ginger, Lemon, and Turmeric root. You can vary the ratio but trust me, this powerful juice will keep you feeling great. It does burn a bit going down initially.
Power shots like Wheatgrass or Turmeric deliver a fast burst of energy almost immediately, and boosts the immune system. You can make these shots in many different combinations to address different ailments. Wheatgrass shots require a special juicer. Don’t try using your centrifugal juicer at home. You need the (USA made solid metal constructed) Champion Juicerwhich is a masticating juicer, the best!
The weird looking (think ginger root marries a baby carrot) Turmeric packs curcumin which is fat soluble, so have this shot with something that has fat like avocado toast or eggs or something similar. Absorption is increased too if you dust those eggs with some old fashioned black pepper. Black pepper is reported to boost curcumin’s bioavailability by 1,000 times, “due to black pepper’s hot property called piperine,” says says nutritionist Stacy Kennedy of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Turmeric juice is a vivid yellow-orange, and delivers natural energy with an earthy flavor tinged with a bit of a ginger note, though not as palatable to me as pure ginger. Curcumin is reportedly a powerful fighter in the war on premature aging, reducing depression, managing arthritis, perking up alertness and controlling blood sugar, and act as a painkiller, among other things.
Lemon is an immune system booster and provides a concentrated dose of vitamin C to the body. They are natural detoxifiers and have a diuretic effect. Lemons are alkaline in the body(crazy, as they seem so acidic in taste) which makes them great for balancing the pH of the body. Hot lemon water first thing in the AM is a great way to start the day.
My favorite for all juicing, Ginger root, is anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, anti-viral, anti-histamine, it lessens body aches and pains, and calms down an upset stomach.
Juicing is an addendum to healthy eating and isn’t a meal replacement. Juicing is nature’s vitamin pill and should be consumed like a supplement within 20 minutes before a complete meal. A good rule of thumb to follow is to wait at least 2 hours after a meal to drink a green juice and wait 20 minutes after drinking a green juice to consume a meal.
According to the Food Babe, Vani, “Juice (and smoothies) are all food and should be chewed. It’s important to swish around the juice in your mouth or move your jaw up and down for a couple of seconds before swallowing it to release saliva that contains important digestive enzymes. The digestive enzymes are crucial in delivering key nutrients to your cells.”
Also please remember to rotate your juicing greens (kale, chard, spinach, mustard greens, collards, dandelion, arugula, etc.) in your juice each week to prevent build up of oxalic acid, which can affect your thyroid gland and worsen (or cause for some people) kidney stones. This rotation of greens provides a better balanced amount of different vitamins and minerals for your body.
Pure raw organic carrot juice by itself is rich in cancer fighting nutrients: vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and carotenoids including Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lignans (enterolactone). It also is a good natural source of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, silicone and chlorine.
The carotenoids and vitamin A have shown a strong ability to inhibit cancer induction not only by viruses, but also by chemicals and radiation as well. At least part of the effect is from these nutrients acting directly on the genes, according to cancer researchers Silvio De Flora, Maria Bagnasco and Harri Vainio.
Now I do not want to alarm you, but getting back to Vani, the American Food Babe who singlehandedly made Subway get the azodicarbonamide out of their bread, writes: “Did you know that Campbell’s V8 Juice has possible dead animal parts inside?”
She writes:
“I thought the “V” stood for ‘Vegetables’ – but I guess I was wrong. ‘Natural Flavor’ is one of the most deceptive ingredients on a label of any product – it could mean anything found in nature, including ingredients you weren’t expecting like meat! Campbell’s confirmed their “flavoring” may include “meat/seafood/poultry/dairy” this week on Twitter and within their question chat box on their website with us. They also confirmed they don’t offer any vegan products – this means the “100% Vegetable Juice” claim on the label of V8 is just plain FALSE!”
Here is her version of Homemade V8 Juice
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 small beet
- 1 large tomato
- 1 cup spinach (rotate your green weekly)
- ½ cucumber
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
Wash all fruits and vegetables and place into a large bowl.
Place all ingredients through a Champion juicer, except the lemon juice.
Stir in lemon juice before serving and clean juicer immediately.
Green Machine: Get in the Wheatgrass swing of things now that it’s March!
Okay it does taste like grass and is pretty powerful, remember these are not sippers, but slammers! This little shot provides a concentrated amount of nutrients like vitamins C and E, and beta carotene plus other antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s thought to have antibiotic aspects and may help individuals with Ulcerative Colitis. If you have allergies to certain grasses please avoid drinking this!
Turmeric Root Shots! Go Yellow And Prosper:
Get that Champion Juicer at the ready, you’re going to juice:
Ingredients:
- 1 – 2 inch root of Turmeric
- 1 – 2 inch piece(s) of ginger
- 1/2 – 1 whole lemon
- pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Wash ginger, turmeric and lemon.
2. Peel lemon (or leave on rind for more zesty nutrients and bitter flavor).
3. Juice ginger, turmeric then lemon in your Champion juicer.
4. Pour juice shot into small glass and sprinkle cayenne pepper on top. (Cayenne pepper contains a high concentration of beta carotene, which helps rid the body of free radicals that cause cell damage and protects against infection)
5. Drink fast!
Turmeric + Cherry
As a shot, turmeric + cherry is loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds, especially those that may help to Ease Your Joints. Choose tart, fresh cherries for maximum benefits.
Ingredients:
- 4 inches of turmeric root
- 1/2 – 1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted
Directions:
1. Wash and cut turmeric.
2. Wash and pit cherries.
3. Juice turmeric and cherries.
4. Drink fast!
Basic Green Cancer Fighting Machine Juice:
Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, oxygenates your blood, creating increased brain function and physical energy and gets your digestive track happy, happy, happy! Use a Champion Juicer to prepare large batches if you are making for a family:
Ingredients:
- 1 large cucumber
- 8 stalks celery
- 2 handfuls kale, or spinach, or chard (rotate greens weekly)
- 1 handful parsley
- 1/4 lemon (with rind if organic)
- 1-inch piece ginger
- 1/2 medium beet
Nurse Ginger Shot: When You Think You Might Be Getting Sick:
Ingredients to juice in Champion Juicer:
- 1 2-3 inch piece of organic ginger
- 1/2 lemon
- Add- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
