Costco Connection - June 2013

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.