People tend to take their health much more seriously these days than ever before, and on a wider scale than ever before. Remember when, decades ago, only "health nuts" would take the time to decide on their meticulously-crafted diets, earning some ridicule for even knowing about obscure ingredients and their effect on the body's similarly-obscure functions. Things have certainly changed, because these days, a far broader section of society has knowledge and understanding of various factors relating to human health needs and the best things for them, including what to consume and what to do to take care of one's body. It's seen as far more commonplace and far more "normal" than it used to, and people who want to learn about it certainly can, through scouring the Internet for articles like this one and sharing them with others -- both things that are much easier to do these days than in the days of tracking down and clipping from magazines.
One trend that has gained ground in recent years is that of juicing, or making specifically-designed juices for specific health needs. A greater public understanding of what nutrients certain foods have to offer, and how the human digestive system takes these from different foods, has allowed people to figure out specific combinations and recipes to take care of different health problems. It may be surprising to some, but two of those health problems that can be helped along with juice? Stress and arthritis.
Arthritis has been around forever and is by now fairly well recognized. This is a condition that affects the joints, and has become so widespread that the term is an umbrella label now for over 1,000 more specific maladies affecting joints. Swelling, pain, reduced range of motion, and stiffness are all familiar hallmarks of these conditions. However, stress has always been a trickier phenomenon to nail down, since it largely stems from lifestyle difficulties that are fairly far-ranging in nature. What we do know, though, is that the hormone cortisol in our bodies reacts to anxiety, which raises our cortisol levels and creates feelings of depression, irritability, and other related reactions. Other more physical issues can result from this, including digestive issues, sleep problems, inflammation, and the like.
Sounds like a lot to rely on juice to manage, doesn't it? However, there are natural ways to get your cortisol levels under control, and yes, a lot of these natural sources can be parlayed into a refreshing glass of juice. The same is true for arthritis, which can be combated with natural means as well.
Here are some recipes for simple juices for stress and arthritis.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY GREEN JUICE
This recipe from Lee brings to bear the power of a lot of vegetables to help you stem the effects of arthritis by reducing inflammation. Stevia and lemon give it some bright sweetness to keep it from being too leafy in flavor.
Ingredients:
2 cups/3 ounces fresh spinach, lightly packed
2 large organic cucumbers, peeled
2 large apples, cored
1 tsp fresh ginger root
½ lemon, including peel (skip the peel if you're sensitive to bitter flavor)
½ bunch/2 ounces flat-leaf parsley
liquid stevia (to taste)
All the vegetables should be washed and roughly chopped. Switch on the juicer (a masticating juicer is best for retaining and maximizing the nutrient content) and drop in greens and juicier vegetables alternately. If you don't like stevia, perhaps some honey would be an appropriate replacement (that has health benefits of its own!). You can chill this for a couple of hours, or serve it straight to make the most of the nutrients that are present.
KCC ANTI-INFLAMMATORY JUICE
This recipe from Kelly Stillwell calls for four bunches of kale, 2 to 3 large cucumbers, and 1 head of celery. Wash and spin-dry the vegetables and juice each ingredient one at a time, starting with the kale. If you've got some powdered collagen, you can add a scoop of it at the end to boost joint flexibility. You can store what you don't finish in 4 ounce increments.
"GREEN WITH ENVY" STRESS RELIEVING JUICE
Ordinaryvegan.net shares juice recipes that leverage the powr of adaptogenic herbs and vitamin C to help combat rising cortisol levels. This juice is best consumed within 24 hours, but it's so easy to make you can put it together in minutes as long as you have your juicer handy and a good batch of ingredients. Just wash everything and remove any damaged or less-than-fresh bits, and juice the ingredients in batches starting with the apples (quartered with core and seeds removed) and ending with the celery slices.
Ingredients:
3 Granny Smith Apples
4 cups chopped kale leaves
2 lemons, peeled
1 cup parsley sprigs
1 celery rib
1 x ¼ inch ginseng slice
BEET AND BERRY JUICE
This ordinaryvegan.net recipe helps combat stress using the tartness of blueberries. You can lower your cortisol levels and thus your stress levels; keep ingredients handy so you can make this as needed, because you also have to consume this within 24 hours. Start by washing and trimming the ingredients to remove non-fresh parts. Juice the kale to start, and then add the rest of the ingredients one by one, ending with the rosemary leaves and lemon. This is good for 16 ounces of juice.
Ingredients:
Large handful of kale or spinach
1 red beet, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup blueberries
1 celery rib
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into chunks
½ tablespoon of rosemary leaves
1 lemon, peeled
Try some of these recipes and feel the difference.