Spring Cleaning Your Body with Juicing
As Spring turns into Summer and seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables start to appear in grocery stores and farmers’ markets, this is a wonderful time of year to think about doing a detox. In order to accomplish this, many people enjoy doing a periodic juice fast.
For a detox to be effective the foods consumed must be high quality and easy to digest and assimilate. In this case, a variety of colorful, organic fruits and vegetables are your best bet because they contain calories that are high in nutritional value. These can be raw or cooked and eaten whole, juiced, or prepared as a broth for easy digestion. Food allergies and sensitivities must be avoided, as these only increase the toxic load and lead to increased inflammation. A short-term juice fast is a very popular way to do a detox. However, many people supplement their regular diet with juicing instead of processed snacks.
Fruits and vegetables also contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which is really good for the digestive tract. It is recommended that we consume at least 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily. The average American only consumes 15 to 18 grams of fiber daily. (https://fiberfacts.org/consumer-recommended-daily-intake/)
Fiber is one of the most commonly under-consumed dietary nutrients listed in the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020 report and is associated with other chronic health conditions. Those can include chronic constipation, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, to name a few.
Another option when undertaking a fruit and vegetable fast is to make Bieler Broth. This is a soothing, nutrient dense, restorative vegetable broth that is beneficial for the body’s natural healing process. The broth is named after Dr. Henry Bieler, a mid-20th century medical doctor, who wrote a book titled “Food Is Your Best Medicine.” Ahead of his time on the topic of nutrition, Dr, Bieler attracted a celebrity following during the course of his career.
BIELER BROTH
- 1 Quart (4 cups) of filtered water
- 2 to 4 organic celery stalks, chopped
- 3 to 4 organic medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 to 2 bunches of organic parsley, stems removed
- 1 pound or 3 cups of fresh organic, green beans, ends removed
Optional:
- Sea Salt to taste
- ¼ cup of organic dandelion greens or nettles
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic (I prefer a bit more)
- Ghee
Preparation:
- Place the water, zucchini, strong beans, celery, dandelion or nettle, and garlic in a stock pot and boil for about 10 minutes.
- Reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Vegetables should be bright and tender. Add the parsley and remove from heat.
- Use a food processor or immersion blender to blend the mixture until it is smooth. You can add ghee during the blending process to thicken the broth, if desired.
Be sure to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest during a fast. The combination of nutritious, easily digested, and simply prepared fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate hydration, and rest allow the body to engage in a natural process of detoxification and healing.
