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Thread: To Juice or Not to Juice--that is the question

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    To Juice or Not to Juice--that is the question

    I did an interview today with a pancreatic cancer patient who completely changed his eating habits, and he's striving to be one of the 5% who survive p.c. at 5 years. He was diagnosed in December 2014. He is at a healthy weight and he's keeping his fingers crossed. He has about 18 months to go.

    One of the things that he feels is contributing to his health is the fact that he and his wife started juicing after his diagnosis. He drinks 24 oz a day of a juiced blend of kale, celery, cucumber and apple. Plus he eats no dairy, greasy foods, or red meat. He also takes vitamin supplements.

    Obviously with cancer there is no magic bullet, and he said as much. He's also had an extremely aggressive regimen of radiation and chemotherapy following surgical removal of a good part of his pancreas, colon, and other organs.

    But it got me thinking about juicing. I've resisted getting a juicer myself because it's another gadget. I expect it would sit in the kitchen mausoleum with my spirilizer, sausage-making attachment, and coffee grinder.

    Then, if I did decide to buy a juicer, I'd have to consider whether I want the kind that keeps the fiber in or extracts it out. Then, if I keep the fiber in, why not just eat the darned fruits and vegetables raw?

    Does anyone have a juicer? Do you use it? Is there any advantage to using one over just making yourself a nice big salad every day?
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    I personally dont enjoy juice. I can drink and drink and never feel that I have had a "meal". I need the chewing and enjoyment of the raw veggies/fruits. We love lightly sauted veggies with little or no meat. We even put the veggie leftovers on a pizza shell with a little cheese. Weird I know.

    I would leave in the fiber because most of us do not get enough and it is great for your overall health. I am in the no camp on a juicer. I would change this if I needed soft or pureed foods due to a health condition.

    ps: raw stuff helps slow down eating and quantity eaten.

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    I gave my juicer away, granted it never was a 100 plus dollar juicer or anything (maybe a $35 juicer). It was a real pain to clean though.

    If I had cancer I have no idea what lengths I would go to, but juicing is a pretty an unnatural way to eat as far as enjoying foods goes, uh it's not even eating.

    A nice big salad is good, a problem there might be that most salads are lettuce and that's not the most nutritious green (even assuming it's romaine or red leaf lettuce or etc. and not iceberg), not super nutritious (yes salad is still healthy and no salad isn't the cause of anyone's health problems). But maybe better to also be like those cultures (like Greek - lots of asian greens out there too) that eat a lot of greens of a more serious sort than just lettuce (in the Greek case horta (boiled greens of all sorts), spanokopita, hortakopita, spanokoriza etc.). Yes I sometimes make salads out of arugula etc.. Make sauteed chard as a side as well.
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    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Juicing obsession is stupid. Our bodies can process only X amount of each nutrient, so consuming 3X does no good. Otherwise, Sweetana made all my other points.

    Also keep in mind that physicians are seeing tiny children who have underdeveloped jaws, tongues, and mouth muscles due to idiot parents pushng “juice” on them. We have teeth for a reason. I realize this is outside of your real question, but it is related.

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    We used to juice 2-3 years ago. Greens and maybe 1/2 cup frozen fruit to make it palatable. DH gained weight and we got tired of cleaning up the mess. With pancreatic cancer, I always wonder if alcohol might be more of a factor than diet? My father was an alcoholic and died of pancreatic c. eventually.

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    No juicer here but I do use a vitamix ŕegularly. Blending at least keeps the fibre in your product.

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinkytoe View Post
    We used to juice 2-3 years ago. Greens and maybe 1/2 cup frozen fruit to make it palatable. DH gained weight and we got tired of cleaning up the mess. With pancreatic cancer, I always wonder if alcohol might be more of a factor than diet? My father was an alcoholic and died of pancreatic c. eventually.
    Certainly alcoholism can be a big risk factor for many cancers, but I think this patient was just trying to get adequate nutrition during a very arduous treatment regimen. I don't know what his specific risk factors were, or if it was just genetic.

    I'm sorry about your father.
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    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    No. If you're going to eat fruit, consume the whole thing. But you get too much sugar that way anyway, and cancer loves sugar. Eat vegetables--if you like--but don't juice them unless you have digestive issues that preclude fiber.

    If I were going to pursue a therapeutic diet, it would be pretty much the opposite of what he's doing. Bring on the fatty meats!

    However, the mind is a powerful organ, and his belief in juicing might very well carry the day.

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    No. If you're going to eat fruit, consume the whole thing. But you get too much sugar that way anyway, and cancer loves sugar. Eat vegetables--if you like--but don't juice them unless you have digestive issues that preclude fiber.

    If I were going to pursue a therapeutic diet, it would be pretty much the opposite of what he's doing. Bring on the fatty meats!

    However, the mind is a powerful organ, and his belief in juicing might very well carry the day.
    Given he only has 18 months to join the 5% Club, I wouldn't mess with success. I always have a hard time believing that fruits and vegetables are bad for you.

    But I know that you know that you and I disagree on this.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    Disclaimer: not a doctor, etc...

    1. It sounds like he said juicing, but he may really mean something more along the lines of a green smoothie...all the fiber is retained.

    2. Part of the reason I think that is he also avoids dairy, fat and meat...this to me means he's following a protocol from The China Study, made internet famous in the Forks Over Knives documentary. There is scientific evidence of reduced cancer growth when a whole food, plant based diet is consumed.

    So, I don't think it's just the "juicing", but the entire lifestyle change that's helping his longevity.

    As far as buying a juicer - why? Would you use it? Do you have a strong blender that you can try first? Friend / relative from whom you could borrow? Just food for thought.

    Personally, I use a blender and drink a green smoothie about three times a week. One reason is just plain variety...I use my smoothie for breakfast, and switch it up with oatmeal or whole grain toast. I don't think I'd want to drink one daily, but I don't have the same motivators as your interviewee.

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