for your health
extremes to see a change in your health, says
Katula. He hasn’t done a juice cleanse, but he
does juice at least once a day, every day.
When Katula started juicing in July 2012,
he was 3 pounds shy of being medically obese.
He has since lost 27 pounds. “I don’t know what
it did to my metabolism,” he says. “The stuff
gives you so much energy, it’s unbelievable.”
Pulp
nonfiction
The real benefits of homemade juice
By Rita Colorito
CHANCES ARE YOU’VE come across the
hottest health trend—juicing—on an info-mercial, in a magazine or even at a Costco
product demonstration. You may have
thought that making your own juice is something only for fitness fanatics or diet-crazed
celebrities. But some experts say juicing can be
an easy and tasty way to get the five daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It’s something most of us don’t achieve,
says Costco member Cherie Calbom, nutritionist and author of The Big Book of Juices &
Green Smoothies (Siloam, 2013). In fact, only
33 percent of American adults eat enough
fruit, and just 27 percent eat enough vegeta-
Tablet or smartphone?
Scan or click here to get
extra juicing tips from avid
juicer Cherie Calbom. (See
page 5 for scanning details.)
bles, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
“Eight ounces of juice may be four or five
servings of fruits and vegetables,” says
Marjorie Nolan Cohn, spokesperson for the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “And
you’re getting fluids, which can help you feel
better and less fatigued.”
Critics of juicing argue it’s better to eat
whole fruits or vegetables, which also con-
tain fiber, another daily requirement most
Americans don’t meet.
“So many people have digestive issues
today. The very fact the fiber is missing is the
key to this absorption,” counters Calbom.
“Juicing is like a vitamin-mineral cocktail.”
Like many new juicing devotees, 54-year-
old Robert Katula of Youngstown, Ohio, got
inspired after watching Fat, Sick & Nearly
Dead. In that 2010 documentary, Australian
businessman Joe Cross lost 100 pounds after
going on a 60-day juice fast, also known as a
juice cleanse. You don’t have to go to those
How juicing works
While many people might see improvements in their weight and health with juicing,
science doesn’t yet know why. The research
related to juicing has to do with eating more
fruits and vegetables, or with specific juices,
such as cranberry, says Calbom, but there
hasn’t been any research on juicing alone.
“If someone is juicing, chances are the
rest of their dietary intake is a little more on
the healthful side. I’ve never seen someone
who went through the trouble of juicing and
still ate fast food,” explains Cohn. “We have to
look at the big picture.”
“It’s not a magic elixir,” says Katula. “You
still have to develop a healthier lifestyle.” To
reach his weight goal, Katula also added mod-
erate exercise and changed bad eating habits.
Juicing does, however, cleanse the body
in a way. “You are flooding your digestive tract
with fluids,” says Cohn, who adds this caveat:
Juice in moderation. “While [juicing] may
be nutritious, [one] may overdo it and cause
diarrhea and can wipe out [good] bacteria,
which can affect overall digestion.”
Juicing often gets confused with juice
cleansing, says Cohn, a New York City–
based registered dietitian and author of
Belly Fat Fix (Rodale, 2013), who often gets
asked about both. Juice cleansing involves
going on a juice fast for several days to sev-
eral weeks. For otherwise healthy individu-
als, a juice cleanse of one to three days isn’t
going to be harmful, says Cohn, but the
resulting weight loss is usually temporary.
People with medical conditions should first
seek the advice of their doctor.
The do’s and don’ts
Katula learned the hard way the first rule
of juicing: Don’t overdo it. “You have to start
with small amounts of juice, like 3 to 4 ounces,
because it does cleanse you, no matter if you
intend to or not,” he says.
“Don’t overdo it on the fruit juice, because
The Costco Connection
Members will find fresh fruits and vegetables
at all Costco warehouses. The Juicing Bible
and The Smoothies Bible are available at
Costco, and blenders and juicers are available
at Costco.com and in most Costco warehouses. See page 96 or visit Costco.com
for schedule information on Vitamix special
events at your local Costco.