Juicers with Caution  

Juicers as Champions

“We don’t detox the liver; the liver detoxes us.”

Other options for detoxing – “switch to whole food, plant-based diet for a few days.” 

OR try “Intermittent Fasting, which has lots of literature and good science behind it.”

(Note: Intermittent Fasting is often part of AgingWithPizzazz blogs.)

“Everything in moderation”

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Re: possible dangers of fad diets and fad nutrition trends - “Certainly, anytime anyone wants to take part in any unique diet or nutrition program, they should always consult with their licensed nutritionist and with their physician in order to do that safely.”

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Juicing could cause “oxalate kidney injury and the kidneys take a LONG time to recover,”

“oxalate kidney injury is not something that’s likely to affect the average person who is juicing as part of their breakfast, but… it’s important not to overdo it.”

“oxalate nephropathy, can be related to an inherited disorder of metabolism or intestinal malabsorption. “

[Note from drb: Oxalate Nephropathy can be defined as a syndrome of decreased renal function, with various associated effects.]

Re: a kidney oxalate problem - “… it can also be ingestion-related if a person eats excessive amounts of oxalate-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, rhubarb, starfruit, nuts and soy products… particularly in the context of juicing diets,”

This ingested-related condition “is uncommon, says Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, chief medical officer of the National Kidney Foundation.”

Warning about those who “go headlong” into unhealthy oxalate-rich diets, no matter if they are healthy people or not, Dr. Biganll adds: “Do I think that people are putting themselves at undue risk by consuming one or two juiced vegetable or fruit drinks per day? No, the average person can consume a reasonable number of a couple juiced drinks per day.”

“Part of what makes us human is how we “process” our food through grinding, fermenting, and cooking to increase the availability of nutrients, for preservation, or for flavor…”

“It behooves all of us to attend to our metabolic waste baskets to ensure we’re continually eliminating what we might be eating, drinking or inhaling (like microplastics…)”. 

“juicing is not right for everybody, at every time, at any dose – this is true.”

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“there are people who treat juicing like a fad, but the truth is that squeezing liquid out of fruits and vegetables is a practice as old as our species and these foods themselves.
…Nourishment from fresh fruits and vegetables can never be “a fad.”  It’s how we evolved to live on the planet.

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“It is absolutely true that many fresh fruits and veggies contain oxalates, and short of stopping all fruits and vegetables in your diet, you’re never going to rid yourself of oxalates.”

Re: Kidney stones related to oxalates -

“…some kidney stones form more in acidic urinary environments; many fresh fruits and vegetables are more alkaline and might actually counteract this total acidity in the body.… For prevention of calcium oxalate, cystine, and uric acid stones, urine should be alkalinized.”

Author points to a review from American Family Physician in which she explains it’s noted that “oxalate restriction is minimally effective and applies primarily to those with genetic mutations in the oxalate transporters.“

“Juice can allow for a higher gradient of micronutrients to be absorbed which can be elemental with GI issues associated with malabsorption”

Explaining situations of people taking in large quantities of water, Dr. Ehrlich adds:

“too much water can damage your kidneys, electrolyte balance, brain–and ultimately can be fatal. 
… no one would ever tell you to stop drinking water”