It seems like every few months a new miracle juice is promoted in the press as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-this and anti-that, with a panel of scientists and research to back up the lofty claims.
I read about pomegranate juice on the Huffington Post website and how just a single 8 oz. serving per day of the wonder liquid can lower bad cholesterol, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure and reduce the thickening of arteries. Sounds darn good right?
For one, juice is sugar. Period. Yes it’s natural, yes it’s less refined, but it’s still sugar. For all of you out there thinking that a huge glass of OJ or apple juice is great for you, I disagree. As I always say, “if you want fruit – eat it”. You’ll always consume far more calories drinking your favorite fruit then eating it. But I’ll even put that issue aside for the bigger picture – the point that I think most people just completely miss…
The very reason we are a nation of health-plagued individuals that suffer from obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes, etc. is clearly directly related to our diet, or specifically how poorly we eat. Most people have TERRIBLE diets. Plus 90% of the population are slugs that don’t exercise and aren’t even remotely active. So in essence we are own worst enemies; we knowingly cause our health issues with what we eat and what we DON’T do.
But as soon as a news story runs in the press we all run out and buy the latest health promoting juice to lower our cholesterol? Once again it’s all about the quick fix.
This isn’t a rant about whether pomegranate, goji berry, beetroot juice, or any other juices on the market have health promoting properties. They do. It’s about why we need them.
If all of us stopped eating fast and fried food and ate only a diet consisting of what the Earth provides, do you know how many fewer sick individuals we’d have? Billions. The incidence of high cholesterol, blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and obesity would radically drop. Many of the properties found in these "wonder" juices – like their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, cancer and cholesterol fighting qualities – are found in whole foods as well. We just don’t eat them! Instead we eat foods that promote inflammation, cancer, cardio vascular disease and premature death.
Of course pomegranate is good for you, it’s natural. Just like every other natural, whole food Mother Nature has provided. But all of you out there that eat McDonalds, fried chicken, too much chocolate and ice cream – don’t go run out and buy a lifetime supply of pomegranate juice to fix your health issues. Go to the source, eat a healthy diet, be active and enjoy an occasional indulgence and you won’t be worried about whether or not you missed your serving of pomegranate. You’ll be getting everything you need, in the right quantities, from the food you eat. I mean come on, are you really going to drink any juice every day for the rest of your life?
The answer is and always has been right in front of us. It’s time to stop looking to juices, berries and potions to cover up our mistakes and start making better choices about what goes in our mouths. There is no "wonder" juice out there – so we can all stop looking!
