Category: Recipes

Ilene S. Ruhoy, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer

Our heart beats 60 to 80 times per minute. It may go higher when we exercise or lower when we sleep. Each beat pumps blood out of a large vessel called the aorta and sends it on its way to all the arteries and arterioles that feed every piece of every organ of our body. These pieces of tissue extract oxygen and nutrients from the blood, both important for functioning. Nutrients play critical roles as substrates and co-factors for all the enzymes and their reactions that work to maintain homeostasis of our organ systems. And oxygen is necessary for these cells to function at all. Oxygen itself is carried by proteins that require an appropriate nutritional state of our body.

Ilene S. Ruhoy, MD, Ph.D.

CAVEAT: If you are experiencing feelings of wanting to hurt yourself or others, please seek professional medical guidance. This blog does not constitute medical advice in any way.

In this blog, we will explore the role mitochondria have in our body and ways we can support the mitochondria with delicious and simple juice recipes.

The mitochondria are organelles in our cells that are responsible for creating energy for our bodies. They are like the engine that powers a car. They are fueled by what we eat and the health of our system. When the mitochondria don’t have enough of the right quality fuel, we can feel tired all day long. If we do not have quality fuel for long periods of time, we can develop more serious chronic issues.

When we hear ‘keto diet’ we think of heavy protein and dairy foods. But did you know that many greens are keto-approved too? 

Although fruit in high quantities is not advised when following the keto diet because of the sugar content, keto does see value in low-carbohydrate vegetables. Greens like cucumber, celery, spinach, and kale, are all keto-friendly vegetables that allow those following keto to incorporate more plant-based habits into their diet. 

By Ilene Ruhoy, MD, PhD & Jennifer Reichel, MD

When people start juicing for health, one of the first things they notice is an improvement in their skin. Their skin is clearer, brighter, and more hydrated. And, their hair has never grown faster.

In this new blog, we dive into my favorite topic, brain health. As a board-certified neurologist for adults and children, I have seen thousands of patients struggling with symptoms that affect the quality of life, including headaches, fatigue, pain, cognitive difficulties, insomnia, anxiety, and more. After my residency, I earned my Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology (focused on pharmaceutical residues in our drinking water), and then I completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine. These two degrees, along with my medical degree, taught me that many suffer from daily exposures to toxic substances over decades of life.

Five years after my fellowship, I opened my own practice to combine the best of Western and integrative medicine, something for which I hold a great passion. It has been a rewarding experience to see patients thrive and improve brain health when focusing on lifestyle changes. This integrative approach, plus a broader acceptance of food as medicine and plant-based diets, make me optimistic about lifestyle changes and brain health.

Centuries ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Our juicing and plant-based communities intuitively know what this means and have personally experienced the impact fruits and vegetables have on our bodies. But there is also a disconnect between the benefits of food and the medicine prescribed for wellness (and illness).

Including fresh juice as part of a well-balanced diet is an important way to achieve a healthier, more energetic, and disease-free lifestyle. Fresh and raw foods are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals, the most essential building blocks for our body. My hope is to explain the cold press juicing process and to educate you about why true cold-pressed juice is so much better than juice made by any other process.

Cold press juicing is a two-stage process that involves the grinding and pressing of fruits and vegetables. This process is the same one that has been used for centuries and to this day for apple cider and extra-virgin olive oil production. It is the tried and true method to extract delicate flavor esters, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients from produce.