Health Tips - Juice

 
Juice

When I ask patients about their intake of vegetables and fruit, they sometimes tell me that they drink juice.  I need to find out what the source is, as juice that is bottled or in cartons is not fresh vegetables and fruit.

Juice sold in containers is almost always "flash pasteurized" which means heated anywhere from 160 F. to over 250 F. for about 15 seconds.  One of the purposes of this process is to destroy the digestive enzymes in the product in order to increase shelf life.  Digestive enzymes make food break down and help to make the minerals and vitamins in the juice useable in your body.

Heat, light, moisture and oxygen degrade vitamins.  Juice sold in containers that is pasteurized has a lower available nutrient content than freshly made juice. 

If health and smaller medical bills are what you are after, buy a good juicer and have at it.  There are juicers that are fast and easy to clean, and very quiet to use.  Make an investment in your health!

Read all my nutrition tips to find out how easy it is to keep yourself healthy, and how to get healthier faster.

Happy juicing,

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Dr. Pepi

July 8, 2008