PROMISE OF HEALTH: Three favourite juice drinks made in downtown Los Angeles at Sustain Juicery for $7, clockwise from left: Volcanoe, with orange, carrot and ginger juices, with cayenne; a Classic Green, with kale, cucumber, celery, apple, mint and parsley juices; and an ABCG, with apple, beet, carrot and ginger juices.

By Mary Macvean


A year ago, trendistas were snuggling up to juice bars all over Los Angeles (LA) to cleanse, reset, detox and glow a little. Today, things are only busier in the world of juice — and I don’t mean Minute Maid. Juicing just won’t go away.
“The concept has settled into being just part of a healthy life, rather than a thing,” says Andrew Freeman of the AF&Co. restaurant consulting firm in San Francisco.
But a “thing” it remains. Juice bars have opened in such LA hot spots as the Ace Hotel downtown and in Highland Park, adding to the dozens of places where people are paying in the double digits (yes, you can pay $12 for a juice drink) for a bottle of juice, albeit cold-pressed and organic in a range of pretty colours. Cold-pressed juice is even for sale in airports and at Trader Joe’s.
“It’s amazing, it’s amazing,” Dave Otto says one morning outside his pristine, tiny shop on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. His business began in 1975 as the Beverly Hills Juice Club, an extension of his “quest for a perfect diet.” These days, he does 10 to 15 times the business he did then, he says.
The cold-pressed juice market is estimated at $100 million a year. What gives?
In a way, it’s the moral equivalent of an Egg McMuffin — fast and convenient — although the juice client would never venture into a fast-food shop.
Today’s juice — cold-pressed between plates, meaning no heat is used — is a great answer for busy people, says Alexis Schulze, co-founder and chief visionary officer of the Costa Mesa-based Nekter Juice Bar chain of 49 shops. “It’s accessible for people who try to get their fruits and vegetables in but who say, ‘I just don’t have time to sit down and eat a salad,’” she said over a glass of Toxin Flush, made with apple, ginger, lemon, parsley and spinach.
Are we really that busy? Apparently so.
Busy but also yearning, Otto says: “People are sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Amanda Chantal Bacon, founder of Moon Juice, which has shops in Venice and Silver Lake, California, says people are taking their health into their own hands because they feel disappointed by conventional food and medicine.
“People have invested so much time and energy and hope in fat-free foods like SnackWells and $200 eye creams and pills to make you happy in your marriage. We gave it a really good effort,” she says, explaining that she became a juicer to guard her own health.
With names for concoctions like Glow, Purity or Goodness Greens, who wouldn’t want to drink up? There are seasonal flavours, such as pumpkin spice and cranberry-cinnamon, and more exotic ones. Juice Served Here, which has a handful of stores in the LA area, offers charcoal lemonade; Moon Juice sells Silver Strawberry with Mezotrace silver.
And with the possibility of greater energy, glowing skin, a clearer mind, a detoxified gut and more, who could refuse? Most people eat so little plant food, says Joe Cross, author of The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet, is it any wonder that when they add these supercharged flood of nutrients that they feel better?
But it’s hard to prove that glowing skin, clearer thinking or resetting is the result of juicing. And there’s plenty of disagreement about the value of a 16-ounce juice, even one made from up to 2 pounds of produce, compared with the food itself.
Lisa Sussman writes in her book Cold Press Juice Bible that the “jury is still out on whether your body can absorb the nutrients more easily in liquid form or if there’s any advantage in giving your digestive system a break from working on fibre.”
Dana Hunnes, a senior dietician at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, says she’s asked often about juicing. “I think it’s healthier to eat the food and get the fibre and other things,” though she says there’s likely no harm in jump-starting an effort to eat healthfully with a one-a-day juice regimen.
While many juices contain kale or spinach and other vegetables and herbs, they often also contain apples and other sweeter produce. And that can mean a fair amount of sugar.
To counter that, Sussman suggests juicing four servings of leafy or cruciferous vegetables for every one of fruit. (Of course, juicing at home takes a commitment ranging from $100 to $2,500 for the juicer.)
“Successful long-term juicers learn to liquefy greens and vegetables on a daily basis and to juice sweet-tasting fruits and the sweetest root vegetables ... in moderation,” Eric Helms writes in The Juice Generation, which is also the name of his New York company.
Whether organic cold-pressed juices are healthful depends in part on the context, says Tricia Psota, a nutritionist at the US Department of Agriculture.
If juice is an addition to your diet, the calories can add up (a 16-ounce bottle typically has about 200 calories). So can the dollars. On the other hand, if a juice replaces your usual midmorning doughnut, it’s hard to argue against it.
Juice fans are not flinching, Freeman says. “They’re willing to pay for quality, to be in the know. We’ve come a long way from Tang.”       — Los Angeles Times/TNS

Lifestyle modifications that may reduce risk of cancer

By Michele Munz


Cancer can be seen as striking haphazardly, but research over the past 40 years shows that lifestyle factors play a huge role in cancer incidence and mortality.
Dr Graham Colditz, an internationally recognised disease-prevention expert at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, has put together a list of behaviours that greatly reduce overall cancer risk. And they’re not as complicated as you might think. For a healthy 2015, Colditz suggests starting with one or two from the list. Once you’ve got those down, move on to the others.

Maintain a healthy weight
It’s easier said than done, but a few simple tips can help. If you’re overweight, focus first on not gaining any more weight. That can give your health a boost. When you’re ready, try to take off some extra pounds. Tips:
• Integrate physical activity and movement into your life.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Choose smaller portions and eat more slowly.
For parents and grandparents:
• Limit children’s TV and computer time.
• Encourage healthy snacking on fruits and vegetables.
• Encourage activity during free time.

Get screening tests
A number of important screening tests can help protect against cancer. Some tests find cancers early when they are most treatable, while others can actually help keep cancer from developing in the first place. For colorectal cancer alone, regular screening could save more than 30,000 lives each year. Talk to a healthcare professional about which tests you should have and when.
Cancers that should be tested for regularly:
• Colon and rectal cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Lung cancer (in current or past heavy smokers)

Protect yourself from the sun
While the warm sun feels great, too much exposure can lead to skin cancer, including serious melanoma. Skin damage starts early in childhood, so it’s especially important to protect children. Tips:
• Steer clear of direct sunlight between 10am and 4pm (peak burning hours). It’s the best way to protect yourself.
• Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen with SPF15 or higher.
• Don’t use sun lamps or tanning booths. Try self-tanning creams instead.
For parents and grandparents:
• Buy coloured sunscreen so you can see if you’ve missed any spots on a fidgety child.
• Set a good example for children by protecting yourself with clothing, shade and sunscreen.

Exercise regularly
While it can be hard to find the time, it’s important to fit in at least 30 minutes of activity every day. More is even better, but any amount is better than none. Tips:
• Choose activities you enjoy. Many things count as exercise, including walking, gardening and dancing.
• Make exercise a habit by setting aside the same time for it each day. Try going to the gym at lunchtime or taking a walk after dinner.
• Stay motivated by exercising with someone.
For parents and grandparents:
• Play active games with your kids, and go on family walks and bike rides.
• Encourage children to play outside and take part in organised activities, such as soccer, gymnastics and dancing.
• Walk with your kids to school in the morning.

Don’t smoke
Quitting smoking is absolutely the best thing you can do for your health. Yes, it’s hard, but it’s also far from impossible. More than 1,000 Americans stop for good every day. Tips:
• Keep trying. It often takes six or seven tries before you quit for good.
• Talk to a healthcare provider for help.
• Join a quit-smoking programme. Your workplace or health plan may offer one.
For parents and grandparents:
• If you smoke, your children will be more likely to smoke, so try to quit as soon as possible.
• Don’t smoke in the house or car. If kids breathe in your smoke, they may have a higher risk of breathing problems and lung cancer.
• Talk to your kids about the dangers of smoking and chewing tobacco. A healthcare professional or school counsellor can help.

Eat a Healthy Diet
Despite mounds of information that can be confusing, the basics of healthy eating are quite straightforward. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and keep red meat to a minimum. Cut back on bad fats (saturated and trans fats) and choose healthy fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats). Taking a multivitamin with folate every day is a great insurance. Tips:
• Make fruits and vegetables a part of every meal. Put fruit on your cereal. Eat vegetables as a snack.
• Choose chicken, fish or beans instead of red meat.
• Choose whole-grain cereal, brown rice and whole-wheat bread.
• Choose dishes made with olive or canola oil, which are high in healthy fats.
• Cut back on fast food and packaged snacks (like cookies), which are high in bad fats.

Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all
Even moderate drinking can also increase the risk of cancer. If you don’t drink, don’t feel the need to start. If you drink moderately (less than one drink a day for women, less than two drinks a day for men), there’s probably no reason to stop. People who drink more, though, should cut back. Tips:
• Choose non-alcoholic beverages at meals and parties.
• Avoid occasions centred around alcohol.
• Talk to a healthcare professional if you feel you have a problem with alcohol.
For parents and grandparents:
• Avoid making alcohol an essential part of family gatherings.
• Discuss the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse with children when appropriate. A healthcare professional or school counsellor can help.

Protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections
Among other problems, sexually transmitted infections — like human papillomavirus (HPV) — are linked to a number of different cancers. Protect yourself from these infections. Besides not having sex, the best protection is to be in a monogamous relationship with someone who does not have a sexually transmitted infection.
For parents and grandparents:
• When appropriate, discuss with children the importance of abstinence and safe sex. A healthcare professional or school counsellor can help.
• Vaccinate girls and young women as well as boys and young men against HPV. Talk to a health professional for more information.    — St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS