Juicilicious Recipes

It is well-accepted by an increasing number of health professionals that many plant foods have detoxifying, immune boosting and repairing properties that the body can use to optimise health. Along with whole grains, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables are recognised as key foods in a cancer prevention, fighting and recovery diet. For a variety of reasons many people undergoing treatment want to increase their intake of plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables. But just when you may want to start making some positive dietary changes your body may tell you, in no uncertain terms, to ‘hold fire’. 

Due to chemotherapy’s effects on the digestive tract fibre-containing foods, such as whole fruits and vegetables, can cause discomfort and pain when being digested. This pain and discomfort is also a sign that you may not be absorbing as much of the nutrients from your food as would be hoped.

But even if your digestion is affected by your treatment you can still help yourself to most anything in the produce aisle – by juicing. For those on treatment, or who have compromised gut function, juicing is a fantastic way of keeping in the fruits and vegetables that might otherwise have to be avoided during this time.  With juicing you get all of the nutrients without the bulk. 

Additionally, for those with a poor appetite, or who are losing weight, emphasis needs to be on higher-calorie, higher fat foods. Fruits and vegetables, although obviously very nutritious, are not always appropriate in quantity as they can leave you full without taking in enough calories, protein or fat. Juicing can help provide nutrients during this time.

Even when you are able to eat a varied diet juicing can provide additional nutritional ‘insurance’ during treatment when overall nutrient needs are greater, but absorption of nutrients is lessened. I like to think of juicing as a natural liquid supplement, but totally safe and hopefully delicious.

So, why not drink supermarket-bought juices, you may ask? Well, they are perfectly adequate as a nice refreshing drink and one can count as part of your ‘five-a-day’ (the latter of which is woefully low), but are not hugely nutritious; at least not as much as the average person thinks. The shelf-life extending double pasteurization they are usually required to undergo zaps the life out of many of them. Most nutrients will survive but will inevitably be compromised. Some nutritionists think bought juices are no better than soft drinks. I don’t agree, but freshly juiced fruits and vegetables (and the variety you introduce) are without doubt vastly superior.

Many of the recipes in this article are termed ‘green’ juices, even though some of them are definitely not green in colour. These are quite different to juices you get in the supermarket. Pure green juices are very powerful and usually need to be tempered with sweeter or milder vegetables and fruits, typically apples, cucumber or carrots. If you wish to experiment make sure that not more than one-quarter of your juice is green: this especially applies to spinach, kale and beetroot (Romaine lettuce is okay in quantity though). Novice juicers should start with a breakfast glass size, diluting with water if desired (soda water is nice!). Share the remaining juice with other family members or save in a thermos or bottle and keep in the fridge. Juice loses its potency very quickly but will still be very good for you if drunk within 24 hours. Throw away, freeze or add to soup any leftovers within 24 hours.

Vary the type of juices that you have for a better spread of nutrients and to ensure that you don’t have too much of a good thing (e.g. too much spinach can inhibit the absorption of calcium). Resist the temptation to undergo a ‘juice fast’ or drink more than half a litre per day: juice fasts can be dangerous and are not proven to affect cancer in any way. During treatment use juices as a ‘supplement’ to whatever else you are managing to eat. If you are unable to eat, or are losing weight, see your doctor for help and advice. Juicing cannot replace food during treatment or recovery.

All of the juices below have immune enhancing nutrients and some have nutrients that specifically support particular organs in the body and may have ‘anti-cancer’ properties.  Although there are no rules really when it comes to juicing these recipes give guidance as to amounts and combinations. Drink first thing in the morning before breakfast to get the full benefit, but any time is great. And just to be clear: juicing is NOT more nutritious than eating whole vegetables and fruits, but it can help with nutrient intake when digestion, appetite or desire  - for whatever reason – are compromised.

Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Preparation: 

Which juicer? You can find a range of juicers – from the cheap and serviceable to the expensive and covetable – on sale at department stores, ‘catalogue’ stores (like Argos), or online. Check supermarkets, too. The most popular and cheapest options are the centrifugal juicers. These come in hand-powered and electric versions, with the electric ones being more easily available. These juicers have a high speed, spinning fine-toothed ‘basket’ blade that minutely shreds the produce, separating the juice from the fibre. When choosing a centrifugal juicer try and get one with the highest wattage as this will ensure that you get more delicious juice and less wet pulp  (i.e. the waste – good for the compost heap). 

Some nutritionists advise purchasing a masticating juicer, as the lower speed may leave more nutrients undamaged by the heat that centrifugal machines create. These juicers are usually much more expensive and work by slowly chewing rather than tearing the produce. They also produce juice with more pulpy fibre. Depending on your needs, both are great ways of getting fresh, phytochemical-rich juice. Even newer is the ‘auger’  juicer which uses a screw system to extract juice. I have used one and the juice produced is really good. But personally I think that the centrifugal juicer is a good way to introduce yourself to juicing and may be best if you are finding fibre tricky for now. Click here for more about the merits and demerits of each type of juicer type.

What fruits and vegetables? Almost anything that you would eat whole can be juiced. During treatment perhaps concentrate on those ultra-nutritious things that you are finding difficult to chew or digest – broccoli, cabbage, celery, kale, beetroot – sweetening them with beta-carotene rich carrots, quercetin-containing apples and tropicals like pineapple. If you are getting enough calories in your day-to-day diet vegetables are a better choice as they have less sugar and generally more minerals than fruits. If you favour fruitier juices have a smaller amount and dilute with water. For all  juices add in some herbs too. But really, do your own thing!

Preparation: Regardless of whether or not you use organic, all fruit and veg should be thoroughly scrubbed, topped and tailed. Apples and fruits with hard seeds should ideally be quartered and seeds removed. Oranges should have immediate skin removed but keep the white pith; lemons and limes can keep their skin but you may remove these if you find it too bitter; fold up leaf vegetables and insert into the juicer with either a carrot or the ‘pusher’; ‘sandwich’ softer things like limes between hard produce such as carrot and apple. Cut up everything just before using to retain the optimum amount of nutrients. Blend in bananas and soft fruits, if using, with a hand blender (blender stick) after juicing the other produce. Sieve the seeds as necessary. Some people juice berries but I don’t find they do all that well, at least with a centrifugal juicer.

Juicing Ideas – these make 1-2 servings, as tolerated

Beetroot Blaster:  small or ½  medium beetroot, 2 large carrots, 2 apples, ½ lime, knob ginger (about 2 cm) – this is my favourite juice and is quite energising so don’t have this at bedtime! Divide this juice into two servings, or share.

Raspberry Soothie: 2 carrots, 1 pear, 1 apple, ½ lime, knob of fresh ginger, 100 g fresh/frozen raspberries (blend the raspberries into the juice with a hand blender). Absolutely delicious!

Best Green Juice: ½ bunch broccoli (florets and stalks), 2 carrots, 2 apples, 1 kiwi, ½ mango, ½ lime, 1 small banana (blended in with hand blender when everything juiced). You won’t taste the broccoli; a good one for children and broccoli-phobes.

Easy Broccoli Juice: ½ bunch broccoli (stalks and florets), 3 carrots, 2 apples

Mega Nutrient Juice: ½ beet, 2 handfuls spinach, 8 Romaine lettuce leaves, 2 kale leaves, 4 carrots, 1 apple

Kale Magic: 3 large kale leaves, 1 handful spinach, 8 Romaine leaves, 4 apples

Cleanser Juice: handful parsley, handful spinach, 1 stalk celery, 4 carrots, 1 apple, 2 cm ginger

Red Cabbage Wonder Juice (full of glucosinolate): 200 gm (ish) red cabbage, 3 carrots, 2 apples

Green Dream: 2 apples, 1 stalk celery, 2 handfuls spinach, handful parsley, 5 Romaine leaves

Tropical Papaya Juice: 1 papaya (deseeded), handful strawberries, ½ lime, banana (optional, blended in with hand blender)

Pineapple Digester Juice: ½ ripe pineapple (scrub skin very well), 2 cm ginger, ½ lime (optional)

Gut-tastic Pear Juice: 1 pear, 1 apple, handful black or purple grapes, small knob ginger (optional)

Kidney Flush Juice: 1 handful cranberries (if frozen, defrost for ½ hour; juice cranberries first), 2-3 apples

Tropical Russian: 1 apple, I carrot, ¼ sm red cabbage, ½ medium beetroot, small knob gingerroot, 1 orange, 1/8 pineapple

Tropical Storm – ¼ pineapple, ½ lime, 2 apples, ½ large mango (this blended in with hand blender)

There are plenty of websites and books with great ideas, so explore and experiment to your heart’s content. Additionally, livestrong.com website is full of juicing information.

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