Jason Vale, also known as the ‘Juice Master’ has been on a mission to “juice the world” for the past 20 years. He has sold over 6 million books worldwide, made a movie about juicing and has a number of health retreats in Portugal and Turkey. During our fascinating and energetic Chai Time on 22nd May 2020, we spoke about how he transformed his life through juicing and the juicing basics. We also delved into lots more- donuts, McDs and the NHS, organic fruit and veg, calories and cold- pressed juices. Watch our live here.
How does someone start juicing?
You simply take the jump and just begin. Just make sure it is full of macro and micronutrients.
Why juice? Why can’t you just eat it?
There is nothing wrong with eating at all, but we simply don’t eat it, or at least not enough of it. The digestive system is designed to break down natural foods, but it was not designed to break down fast food or processed foods. Also, the older we get, our digestive systems weaken, so we are now seeing hospitals use juices to help get nutrients into older people. Juicing is a catalyst. If you can’t eat it, ask yourself if you can drink it?
How many juices should I pick out of the juice box daily?
I tend to have 1-2 juices per day. The most important juice is the first one in the morning. I start my day with a glass of warm water and lemon. I then exercise on an empty stomach as I have enough fuel in my body from the night before. You can then have your green smoothie or juice. Make sure you include the stables, for example, celery, cucumber, ginger, beetroot, kale or spinach, avocado or banana. Drink it slowly and you will be good to go.
What is the link between juicing, anti-aging and immunity?
Nothing can really stop aging, we will all get old, but some things can definitely speed it up. Eating junk food and drinking alcohol will speed up the aging process, so taking junk foods out of your diet will stop speeding the aging process up. This is the same with immunity. Eating a junk food diet will exhaust and suppress the capacity of the immune system. By putting good foods in your body, you are putting less strain on your system. We speak about the NHS getting overwhelmed, but we aren’t talking about our own system getting overwhelmed. We need to take personal responsibility of our health.
How important are organic foods?
During a pandemic, organic foods aren’t important. Any fruit and vegetables will do, they a full of nutrients. It’s important to remember that there was a time when they weren’t called organic foods, they simply were foods.
Is it a bad idea to mix fruit and veg when juicing?
There is no reason not to mix fruit and veg. They do digest at slightly different rates, but if you are drinking it on an empty stomach it doesn’t matter. However, I do say drink more veg and eat more fruits, because people tend to reach for a piece of fruit anyway.
You spoke about the provision of donuts and McDs to NHS workers- can you tell us a bit more about this?
These companies appear to be altruistic and almost heroic, but in reality, they are not. Suppling the NHS with free junk-food and donuts is more for their own marketing and benefits.
