MPNforum Magazine

MPN LIFE: THE POWER OF JUICE AND NUTRIENTS

by Jeremy Smith

Type the word Juice in to your favorite search engine and you will find enough information to make Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick read like a short story. Try and find a study on the benefits juice can provide MPN patients and you would have better luck finding a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the North Pole. Yet juice can play an essential role in helping MPN Patients get the daily nutritional quotient we need. Especially in the case of patients who, like traditional Cancer patients, often lose their appetites. When this happens it often leads to the loss of the vital daily caloric and nutrient intake we humans need to survive. Juice when used properly, always watch the sugar intake, can be an important delivery method to supply desperately needed fiber, protein and antioxidants.

I am not talking about your typical off the shelf Welch’s or Mott’s Apple Juice, which in many cases can be loaded with added sugar and in the worst of cases, high fructose corn syrup. These type of juices are not as healthy as those made directly from the fruits and are unfiltered and unprocessed. However consuming even a Welch’s type juice can he helpful if you do not have access to a juicer or local Jamba Juice retailer. Remember, as with all juice beverages you do not want to consume beverages that add chemicals or sugars to their beverages. Sugar, unless naturally contained in the product you will be consuming is an enemy of our bodies. And like salt, it’s use should be discontinued whenever possible. Sugar usage is a topic I will be taking up later in 2012.

If you are having trouble digesting food a smoothie is an excellent way to make sure you keep up with your important daily requirements. It can also help with weight loss or in some cases weight gain. If you have a juicer or high-end blender you can add just about anything to your smoothie. Including supplements and vitamins for your body. With juice you can create your own multitude of antioxidant variances as well. If you so not have a juicer or blender and will not be purchasing one then local retail stores like Jamba Juice offer a good alternative.

We don’t often hear about the cardiovascular issues that are common effects from long-term PV exposure but they are real and need to be addressed. Which is why information from a recent study from the Researchers at the Universite Montpellier in France is interesting. They recently discovered grapes and apples might prevent plaque from coating arterial walls.

According www.jonbarron.com “the study followed several groups of hamsters — one fed a normal diet, while the others enjoyed high-fat diets plus either fruit, water, or juice. The amount of fruit consumed by the little rodents was the human equivalent of three apples or bunches of grapes a day; the amount of juice was the equivalent of about four glasses. The hamsters in the purple grape juice group fared the best, with the lowest level of atherosclerosis, followed by those eating purple grapes. The apple-juice and apple-eating hamsters scored third and fourth, respectively. All the fruit and juice-eating hamsters had lower cholesterol, less oxidative stress, and less fat accumulation in their aortas than the hamsters that consumed no fruit or juice. Earlier studies have found significant differences in phenol content from one fruit juice to another, with blueberry juice the leader of the pack, and apple, grape, pomegranate juices containing far more than the ever-popular orange, pineapple, and grapefruit juices. The results, they write, “provide encouragement that fruit and fruit juices may have a significant clinical and public health relevance.“

 What they missed, according to Jon Barron is a primary reason juices outperform fresh fruits in delivering antioxidants has to do with the way juice concentrates the nutrients. You get more bioactive punch for the mouthful from juice because you don’t have to eat all of that fiber. Also, the body can utilize the nutrients more readily since it doesn’t have to separate nutrients from the fiber, minimizing the amount of energy consumed in digestion and freeing up that energy for healing. Thirdly, not all phenols are the same. Some, such as EGCG in green tea, resveratrol in grapes, and curcumin in the spice turmeric stand out. And then, of course, in addition to phenols, fruit juices contain other antioxidants such as Vitamin C, as well as minerals, living enzymes, and an assortment of phytochemicals. By the time bottled juice gets to your mouth, particularly if it’s been processed, it’s a mere shadow of its original self.”

From bone mass to basic nutritional needs, as we age our bodies need more of what previously came to us naturally in our youth. And added negative factor is some of the medicines we use while fighting one battle do damage to another part of our body. Juices or Smoothies are the perfect delivery mechanism to add more power to our fight.

My cardiovascular exercise program has jump started my once stagnant metabolism and ended my battle with fatigue. One of the side effects of this change is I am hungry and in need of refueling multiple times throughout the day. And as my dietary changes have taken told, I need more protein. I like to use protein additives like Whey or Vegetable Protein supplement powders ( I prefer vegetable proteins over Whey because vegetable protein supplements do not cause bloating, cramping, constipation or gas.) And unlike Whey protein vegetable proteins does not contribute to Aminoacidemia, a condition that can contribute to diabetes due to excessive amounts of amino acids present in the blood. Greek Yogurt is another great source for protein and fiber and the thickness of the greek yogurt makes it a great base for smoothies. Greek yogurt is an excellent choice as a base for dips and is much healthier than mayonnaise.

The human body, no matter our current or future stage of health begin a natural process of shutting down. Death comes to us all and our bodies are designed to naturally accept this even when the voices in our heads tell us otherwise.For those of us with DNA genes gone astray we need to do everything possible to rebuild and protect our immune systems. Exercise and diet are our greatest tools in attempting slow down the process while improving our quality of life. If you are not juicing, exercising regularly, both cardiovascular and lifting weights, along with diet modifications, you’re not using all the tools available to you.

All of these options will reduce fatigue and depression. Allowing all of us to live a happier and higher quality of life.

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© Jeremy Smith and MPNforum.com, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremy Smith and MPNforum.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.