Juice Fasting

It cannot be denied that Nature has strewn the earth with fruits and vegetables to help us live longer and more enjoyable lives.  As modern science and tastes have caught up with folk wisdom, we are finding that many of the fruits that we simply enjoy are actually good for us.  The opening of the world also allows us to benefit from the products of plants that may be far from us geographically.  One example of this is nopal cactus juice.  Nopal cactus is also known as prickly pear, and it is native to Mexico.  Now grown worldwide where climate permits, the fruit of the nopal cactus provides one of the healthiest drinks possible, and one that tastes delicious, too.

Science now understands the value of antioxidants in keeping us healthy.  It is thought that free radicals are responsible not only for many of the diseases humanity is subject to, but that they also contribute to the aging process.  (Free radicals are incomplete atoms formed by pollution, smoking, stress, or metabolic processes.  They are actually an oxygen atom that is missing an electron in its outer ring.)  Nopal cactus juice contains one of the most powerful and effective antioxidants known – betalain.  Not many fruits or vegetables contain this vital substances, but nopal cactus juice delivers a high amount of betalain with every glass.  Drinking nopal cactus juice can help to repair damage done to cells and is thought to be important in preventing damaged cells from becoming cancerous.

Betalains are also valuable in heart health.  Many heart attacks occur because the veins and arteries become clogged with deposits of stick plaque.  The narrowing of these vessels means that it is not only harder for the blood to flow properly, but it also contributes to high blood pressure.  Chunks of plaque can also break off and cause heart attack or stroke.  The betalains in nopal cactus juice have the ability to keep the walls of the arteries and veins healthier and less likely to become impacted with cholesterol.  These same antioxidants also help to break down bad cholesterol before it is able to cause damage to your cardiovascular system.  Besides betalain, nopal cactus juice has plenty of pectin, which is also important in reducing LDL (bad cholesterol).

Arthritis is not only a disease of aging, it is also an auto-immune disease, which means that the body begins attacking itself.  The inflammation caused by arthritis in joints means that many people live with chronic pain.  Fortunately, nopal cactus juice is perfect for helping to control the inflammation caused by arthritis and the pain as well.  Many people who have started to include nopal cactus juice in their health regimen have been able to cut back on their pain medications or eliminate them entirely.  Cactus juice has also been found to be valuable in dealing with the pain caused by Crohn’s Disease and gout. It is traditionally use to stimulate bowel movements and to loosen the stool but most often taken to relieve constipation.

Type 2 diabetes affects over 17 million Americans and is one of the leading causes of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and blindness.  Not a very cheerful set of statistics at all.  While some Type 2 diabetes can be controlled with medication and diet, it can sometimes be difficult to return glucose blood levels to normal and keep them there.  It has been found that nopal cactus juice does have the ability to lower the glucose in the bloodstream.  The reason that this occurs is because of the pectin present in the juice.  Pectin will bind with sugars in the gastrointestinal system to prevent them from being absorbed into the blood.

Whether you are already suffering from health problems, or simply want to help prevent problems from developing in the first place, consider adding nopal cactus juice to your diet.  The naturally sweet and fruity flavor will appeal to everyone in the family.