Did you know that juicing high-glycemic vegetables can affect the intricate physiology of the body? Doctor Ginger Southall’s new book The Rainbow Juice Cleanse(Running Press, 2015) showcases how juicing with all colors of the rainbow can ensure the best possible nutrition profile. This excerpt explains the benefits of the rainbow juice cleanse.
Although Sir Isaac Newton was the first to understand the rainbow from a scientific perspective, for centuries, in many cultures, there have been countless myths and legends surrounding their power. The rainbow has historically been a symbol of hope, faith and the promise of a brighter future ahead. I even have memories of childhood elders saying, “Eat the colors of the rainbow, and you will allow the sunlight to shine through you,” or “Eat the colors of the rainbow and watch your life explode with beauty and color.”
As an adult and a physician who has extensively studied food, nutrition, disease, and the human body, I can say that both the symbolism and the childhood sayings ring true. Eating the foods of the colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet—indeed can lead to the promise of a brighter future for both our weight and our overall health.
Rainbow Juice Cleanse Recipes
• Red Pepper-Mint Juice Recipe
• Hippocrates’ Famous Green Juice Recipe
• Purple Lemonade Recipe
Why Color?
One word: phytonutrients.
Nature’s naturally colored plant foods—with their vibrant red, orange, yellow, green, and other bright colors—contain phytonutrients (also known as phytochemicals). What are phytonutrients? These are classes of active plant chemicals that offer above and beyond the basic vitamins and minerals, fats, proteins, and carbs, and supercharge our health. There are tens of thousands of phytonutrients in nature’s foods, and each is known to have a different and very potent biological effect. Phytonutrients are said to protect the body from a wide array of illnesses and modern diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and other serious health challenges. In addition, some enhance immunity; some are anti-inflammatory; some work as potent antioxidants and even repair DNA; and some are fat-burning and anti-aging powerhouses.
You may already be familiar with phytonutrients and not realize it. One of the best-known families of phytonutrients are the carotenoids, of which there are over six hundred. Beta-carotene, found in carrots and recognized for being good for the eyes, is the most familiar. But nature abounds in phytonutrients, many of which have yet to be discovered. Scientists are continuing to unmask more and more benefits of these amazing health boosters and their transformative effects on the body.
Count Colors, Not Calories
Nature’s foods of the same color do not necessarily contain the exact same vitamins, minerals or phytonutrients, but many do share predominant phytonutrients. Oftentimes, the phytonutrient gives the produce its vibrant color. So clustering colors together, as the Rainbow Juice Cleanse does, not only loads the body with essential vitamins and minerals, but also supercharges it with the dominant phytonutrients (and there are lots of them) of that color. Keep in mind that it’s not about eating just two or three superfoods; it’s about consuming a diet comprising a wide array of colorful plant foods on a daily basis because they are all super for health, vitality, cleansing, and weight loss. Most of us don’t consume enough fruits and veggies on a daily basis, which means most of us don’t consume enough phytonutrients. In fact, 76 percent of us are not getting enough of them in our diet; that’s eight out of ten Americans shortchanging themselves of these vital nutrients. Clustering colors creates a fun way to remind us that colors equal health. By consuming a different color each day, you will be sure to get all the colors of the rainbow in just seven days.
Reprinted with permission from The Rainbow Juice Cleanse© 2015 by Dr. Ginger Southall, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
