subject: Day 8- Colitis Diet Symptoms Disease Ibs Crohns Treatment [print this page] Getting the Best Result from Juicing Your Food
For sufferers of Crohn's Disease, nothing is more important than diet and nutrition. Despite the fact that there are no indications that Crohn's is caused by nutritional factors, there is growing evidence that the food you eat will determine and affect the symptoms of the disease. Inflammatory bowel disease affects all parts of the digestive tract, not necessarily at the same time, however. For this reason, it will manifest itself differently from patient to patient. Therefore there is no one specific treatment for controlling and curing Crohn's. Juicing is just one answer and it may not work for everyone. Getting the best results from juicing your food will take a little experiment and adjustment to get it right.
When juicing for health, the best time to drink freshly made juice is on an empty stomach, at least half an hour before a meal, if you're not engaged in a complete juice fast. The juice and its nutrients are quickly absorbed with almost nothing wasted. Some doctors and researchers warn patients to forgo citrus in the morning because of the acidity involved. However, others suggest trying it to see how it affects you before just saying no. Once your body becomes accustomed to fruit and vegetable juices, you won't have any trouble with citrus, at any time of the day. Fresh juices should also be consumed about two to three hours before bedtime, depending on your metabolism.
Start out juicing fruits, those you already like. After a few days, try adding some vegetables to the mix such as carrots, which are naturally sweet, or cucumber. Vegetable juicing takes a little getting used to as some veggies are not as palatable as fruits. Remember, the greener the vegetable the more nutrient-rich and better for you. Leafy greens such as spinach, endive and cabbage pack a nutritional wallop, but may take some getting used to taste-wise.
In order to combat Crohn's and other GI tract diseases effectively, rotate the fruits and vegetable recipes that you consume every couple of days, to ensure you're getting adequate amounts of nutrients, minerals, vitamins enzymes and amino acids. Drinking plenty of water is also very important for good health. It is also good practice to use water to dilute some of the naturally sweeter fruit juices such as pineapple, grape juice or mango juice. Natural sugars in these fruits are easily digested and won't spike your blood sugar like table sugar.
Another concern when juicing are the pesticides and other chemicals sprayed on by farmers. One way to rid your fruits and veggies of pesticides is to soak the produce in a mixture of apple cider vinegar and sea salt to purge the toxins. Use a small capful of vinegar and only a little sea salt in the mixture, soaking for about 10 minutes or until you start to smell the water. This means the toxins have come off. Rinse the produce and you're ready to juice safely.
It is important at all times to listen to your body when juicing to cure Crohn's and other diseases. Your body and stomach should be calm after drinking fresh juices. However if you have pain or feel bloating then you have probably consumed a food that your body is not accustomed to. Don't stop juicing, just take this juice in smaller portion the next time around. In this way your body will become accustomed to the fruits or vegetable juice that was initially causing you trouble. Finally, drink your juices right away because they won't keep. Juicing prep, from start to finish should take no more than 15-20 minutes tops. Light and oxygen will destroy the enzymes and nutrients in the juice so only make as much as you intend to consume and no more.
