Juicing plays a major role in ensuring a healthy diet by making it easier to consume the recommended five to eight daily servings of fruits and vegetables.  One large glass of pure, raw, fresh juice per day will help to improve the immune system, increase energy, strengthen the bones, clear the skin and lower the risk of disease.  For maximum benefit, it is wise to consume a wide variety of juices from different types of organic herbs, fruits and vegetables.
    Be sure to incorporate juices into a well-balanced, high-fiber, whole food diet.  Extracted juices should not completely replace whole fruits and vegetables since their fiber is important for eliminating toxins and preventing some forms of cancer.

Juicing requires that fruit or vegetables be squeezed or shredded and spun using a machine to separate the liquid from the solids.  Usually the solids are discarded or recycled into soups and stews.

Easy Assimilation - In whole fruits and vegetables (or even in drinks that contain pulp), some enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins A, C and E - along with minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine and magnesium - are trapped in the indigestible fiber and cannot be assimilated by the body.  But once "liberated" from the cellulose in the pulp, those nutrients can be taken into the cells of the body within 15 minutes (as compared to the hour or more it takes for nutrients to be assimilated from food or drinks with the pulp intact).  This saves the energy required for digestion and allows the body to rest while detoxifying or cleansing, before or after physical activity, or while recovering from an illness.


Water Supply - Our cells consist mostly of water, which is essential to their proper function.  That is why we require at least 8 glasses of water a day.  Raw juice - unlike coffee, soft drinks and alcohol (which take water from the body in order to metabolize) - supplies the water you need to replenish lost fluid, while providing all the necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals.  In addition, juices promote the alkalinity of body fluids, which is vital for proper immune and metabolic function.


Cleansing Action - Because the fiber is removed by extraction, raw juice has a laxative effect which helps to rid the body of toxins.  Detoxifying the system and cleansing the digestive tract and colon helps clear the mind and balance your moods.  Cleansing also causes your metabolism to become more efficient and, if a whole-food diet is followed, the body will revert to its natural weight.


The Spark of Life - The living  "green power" that is present in all living plants is available to the body when raw fresh juices are consumed.  This "life force" is a natural, vital quality that is lost in processing and when fruit and vegetables are stored. 


Antioxidants - Herbs, fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, which counteract the free radicals that can cause cellular damage, aging and susceptibility to cancers.


Natural Sugars - The sugars in fruits and vegetables come bundled with the goodness of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other phytochemicals that aren't found in refined sugar.  They deliver the same energy as pastries, candy and soft drinks, but without the chemicals and fat.


Chlorophyll - Found only in plants, chlorophyll has a unique structure that allows it to enhance the body's ability to produce hemoglobin, which in turn enhances the delivery of oxygen to cells.

(Source:  The Juicing Bible 2nd ed. Pat Cocker. Toronto, ON: Robert Rose Inc, 2008.)