Green Juicing and Blending
Kris Carr. New York Times bestselling author and wellness leader, who’s been thriving with stage IV cancer for more than 20 years. I began incorporating both juices and smoothies into my diet over 16 years ago when my cancer diagnosis had me searching for ways to give my body the support and nutrition it needed. Juicing and blending became—and have remained—staples in my feel-great plan ever since.
Juicing and Blending for cancer patients
Source: Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center
Juicing is a process where the liquid part of the fruit or vegetable is separated from the pulp, or fiber. You get a thin and concentrated liquid product that contains vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients, which are bioactive plant-derived compounds associated with positive health effects. You specifically need a juicer to do this.
With blending, the whole fruit or vegetable is used: what you put in the blender is what you consume. The volume of the drink, which is often called a smoothie, will be much greater than that of a juice made from the same amount of fruits or vegetables. You can use anything from a standard blender to higher-end products like a Vitamix.
Juicing vs Blending
Source KrisCarr.com
Green Juices:
- Flood your cells with nutrition almost instantly—that’s why I call it liquid sunshine!
- Contain minimal fiber, making it easy on sensitive tummies.
- Give your digestive system a break by doing the chewing for you, making juicing a super efficient way for your body to take advantage of all of those fab plant-powered nutrients.
- Pack lots of raw produce (far more than you could realistically eat if you were consuming it another way) into a single delicious drink!
Green Smoothies:
- Can serve as complete meals filled with protein, calcium and lots of green goodness.
- Allow you to mix in superfood powders, seeds and other nutritious foods that juices can’t.
- Keep the fiber in, which helps you stay regular and other great stuff!
- Blenders are usually easier to clean than juicers, which can make this habit more sustainable for busy peeps like you!
How can I juice in a healthy way?
Source: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Meet your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables first.
- Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily in addition to your juice supplement.
- Choose more vegetables than fruit for your juice.
- Vegetables are lower in calories. They will provide you with the healthiest juice.
- Try using just one fruit to sweeten your juice.
- Don’t forget the protein.
- If you are planning to juice for breakfast, add a source of protein for a complete, balanced meal.
- For example, try having a boiled egg or a cup of Greek yogurt with your juice.
- Choose a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
- Different vegetables have different nutrients and vitamins.
- The more types of vegetables and fruits you use in your juicing, the greater the nutritional benefit.
- If you limit yourself to only a few types, you are limiting the amount of nutrients your body can absorb.
Green juicing to help restore your health
is incredibly effective.
Source: anoasisofhealing.com
Our green juicing recipe helps restore your health and stop the further production of cancer cells.
This is our easy delicious green juice formula which requires
- 5 stalks of celery
- a cucumber
- one bunch of kale
- one bunch of spinach
- half of a granny smith apple
- half of a lemon peeled,
- a 1/4″ piece of fresh ginger root and
- 5 stalks of fresh parsley.
Juicing is a vital part of the recovery process as well as stopping cancer production in your body. At our healing center, it’s an everyday part of exactly what we do.
Possible side effects
If you have a chronic health condition or if you’re taking prescription medication you should consult your doctor before you start juicing. Here are some possible side effects of heavy green juice consumption.
Juicing can hurt your kidneys
Juices can lead to kidney malfunction due to the high oxalate content.
Juicing can affect medication
Large amounts of vitamin K from kale and spinach can prevent blood thinners like Warfarin from working properly.
Juicing can be harmful for people with diabetes
Juice that’s full of fruits can make your blood sugar spike, causing problems for people who have diabetes
Juice goes bad very quickly
Bacteria can get into juice in a short space of time. This can lead to food poisoning.
Studies
This 2021 study says support exists for a rank order of anticancer greens (kale > dandelion > lettuce > spinach) based on degrees of bioavailability of different phytochemicals. Lab studies found kale was quickest (three days) to inhibit neuroblastoma growth. By five days, dandelion and kale were equally robust. Lettuce showed small anti-proliferative effects at five days and spinach remained toxic to cancer cells .
In this 2022 study Forty-nine patients with Head and Neck cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy were enrolled.
25 patients received 600 mL/day vegetable and fruit juice 5 days/week for two weeks and the control group (24 patients) did not.
The incidence of ulcerative oral mucositis was significantly lower in vegetable and fruit juice patients (64.0%) than in control group (95.8%) subjects at week 6 of concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
The study concluded consumption of vegetable and fruit juice rich in phytochemicals including total polyphenols and carotenoids effectively alleviates the severity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy-induced oral mucositis among patients with locally advanced Head and Neck cancer.
Updated September 2024