“You lost 70 pounds?! Vincent, you joking right?”
“No Doc. I WATCHED it all happen: the swelling on my left ankle completely disappears – in a matter of days!”
His greying hair turned back black?! What I hearing there, ner? (Well, that was then. Today he is appropriately follicularly-challenged, as befitting his age). Extraordinary health claims, this patient sitting on my examining table was making. As I am known to do, I grabbed my cell phone recorder to document the medical encounter. I wanted you to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Vincent Younis is arguably the longest-serving taxi driver in Dominica. Taxi drivers nowadays are well-schooled and regulated. They serve as the portals to the Nature Isle, giving visitors and returnees a lasting first impression with that memorable ride from Melville Hall Airport. Mr. Younis has long provided kind, attentive service to our family and countless others. So to me, this man was not lacking in credibility.
Honesty and humility
That’s what I love about him. Along with his wife Veronica, he strives to live a life of devotion and service. Vincent does not hold out himself to be a superstar of fitness by any measures. In fact, he is very much a regular guy. He admits he struggles to stay consistent, to keep the weight off. He backslides from time to time – like the rest of us.
But he simply glowed as he recounted his experiences. To quote President Abraham Lincoln, “I heard it in such a way as to believe it.” What Vincent was testifying to is that it works. Dramatically! Not magic pills or fad diets, but exercise and common sense, home-grown nutrition.
Coming right at you is a very brief overview on juicing and a link to free movie. This may well change your life. Call it a death wish, but many will not even give it a second look. In such a case, read no further. If, however, you choose to check it out, please do this for me: Like Vincent, just let me know your results so that together we can impact others.
I have long known the medical effects of juicing to be spectacular, but I had never met someone to personally vouch for it in quite the way as on Vincent Younis’s radio interview. (Click here to listen to his experience).
And should I mention this? You will agree the interview builds up to a climax. On this Happy Mother’s Day weekend, it just happens to end with such a glowing tribute to the Better Half.
Definition
What we commonly call juice is in fact sweetened water with fruit-extract. Be it passion fruit, grapefruit, guava, tamarind juice, whether made at home or bought in a restaurant or store, it is still ten times better than soft drinks.
Juicing involves TOTAL JUICE of one or more fruits and vegetables blended to give a punch impossible to get from munching pounds of the original. Some juicers get rid of the fibre. I mean, why would you want to do that? Nevertheless, even that is ten times better than regular fruit juice. To restate the obvious: In nutritive value, whole juice surpasses fruit juice, which by far, surpasses soft drinks.
Detoxify is quite the buzzword in the wellness industry these days. For many, it means laxatives and enemas often times with herbs or medicines. That kind of cleansing has little to do with the beneficial effects of whole juice on all body systems.
Prove it. Get personalized medical monitoring where sound nutrition is celebrated, not just tolerated. Check your cholesterol, HgbA1C (average blood sugar burden), hip/waist measurements, blood pressure, body mass index – before and after a period of juicing. Oh, don’t forget your cancer screenings while you’re at it. Then let the results speak for themselves.
A matter of taste
No question, juicing is a taste worth acquiring. It may take a day or two to get used to it, but when you start seeing results, you fall in love with it. With time you learn how to use different fruits and coconut water to balance and counter some of the stronger flavours.
From the very beginning, the Greek physician Hippocrates, was bang on. Also known as the Father Medicine, he is famously quoted as saying, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.” It is indeed troubling to see how far we have departed from this ancient wisdom. Ingesting natural, living fruits and vegetables loaded with enzymes gives the body a rush of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Listen, there is so much excellent material out there, let’s get going. Granted, the book / movie, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” featuring Australian Joe Cross, may not come close to describing you, but may capture how you feel at times. Either way, it will help transform you from someone knows to someone who does. Then there is this Canadian who moved to Dominica a few years ago. He told me he lost 58 pounds just from being in the presence of the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables on island. Sadly, the majority of our population is taking off in the other direction: fatty / fast food.
The good news is the growing number of restaurants and vendors providing the option of fresh, whole juice. This is what I see: Dominica as total wellness destination (click here for brief video) where visitors cannot help but tap into the bounty of garden fresh fruits and vegetables for detoxification and rejuvenation. After roaming our invigorating, lush nature trails, they soak in our waters and relax in our low carbon footprint eco-inns. With more and more local folks like Mr. Younis getting conscious about juicing, we take another intentional step closer to truly fulfilling our national goal of a ‘people strong and healthy.”
Dr. Sam Christian runs the Urgent Care on 137 Bath Road. He is Medical Officer of the Dominica Cadet Corps, Medical Adviser to the Dominica Cancer Society and author of the faith and fitness nutrition book, ‘Mannafast Miracle.’ Dr. Christian can be reached anytime at 440-9133, 615-8345 or by writing to [email protected].
I did not want to contribute to this one, but after reading Elizabeth I just could not let it alone. And so I must say, if this man lost plenty of weight by simply drinking juice, I say more power to him; I will not contradict him, for he who feels it knows it!
However, what works for him may not work for everybody; there are lots of obese people all over the world, and if it was as simple as drinking juice there would be no obese people in the world.
First of all we have to be careful when we concentrate on drinking juices. One may think because it is extracted from fruits it is safe to indulge in consuming an unlimited amount of fruit juice; the problem is that fruit juices are filled with sugar, and although we consider such sugar as natural, over indulgence in fruit sugar can be as harmful as indulging in sugar cane sugar.
The reality is that sugar, causes people to gain weight, it is like consuming plenty of carbohydrates, which breaks down into glucose, the little difference is carbohydrates has a long chain of sugars to be broken down whereas fruit sugar spikes in the body, and by the time insulin is released by the pancreas, it neutralizes the spikes.; bringing one’s glucose level back to a normal, somewhere between 80 to 120 mg plus or minus 5mg
I do not have the time to detail that in medical and scientific terms.
However if one is diabetic, it is not a wise thing to indulge into the consumption of too much fruits, and fruit juice. If someone is hyperglycemic, or hypoglycemic (diabetic) drinking a cup of orange juice can rise the persons glucose to a point where they can go into a coma and die! Hence, for someone who is suffering from diabetes, if they are going to eat banana, it should be safe to eat half of a banana per day, half of a small apple, and half of a small bit of orange. I am not suggesting a combination of all three, because it will add up into mg of glucose, and can be harmful to the person.
If I was ask what I believe would be a better way of loosing weight, I would recommend a green, yellow, and red diet: I am talking about vegetables, and an occasional amount of carbohydrate, a simply bit of bread, since the body constantly need fuel which must come from some carbohydrate, it is true that anything we eat will eventually break down into carbohydrate, and eventually glucose, vegetables takes a bit longer to break down into sugar in the system that is why a spoonful of rice, pasta, or potato is good.
And one should always do some physical exercise, even slow walking, for at least half an hour three or four times per week.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
They charge me about $400 to clear a juicer on the port.
I support juicing but more vegetable juicing rather than fruit. Sweet fruits like guava,oranges,apples, etc are better eaten than juiced, this is because the sugar content is extremely high plus it is absorbed too quickly putting u at risk of getting diabetes from prolonged use.
I would rather have a glass of sugarcane juice than any other sweet fruits because it contains less sugar than orange, mango, and many others plus the sugar absorption rate is slow and controlled.
Fruit juices which helps loose weight- grapefruit, lemon with no added sugar plus they alkalinize your body.
I have been juicing for over 5 years now .I went from a size 16 to a size 8. I feel good.
Veggie soups are quiet healthy too. I usually eat butternut squash and red yams.
Well done Daddy Vincent (Uncle Nounis as my daughter used to call him when she could not speak properly yet). May God continue to bless you and the family.
Mr Younis, your credibility is unquestioned, but how did you deal with any lingering hunger after the juice drink?
Thank you Dr. Christian for this one. Fortunately you have just confirmed a habit which I began to practice some years ago–pertaining to drinks.
That habit is simple cutting up fruits like strawberries, apples, peaches, and nectarines–even grapes as well–I Live in Toronto Canada.
After cutting up the fruits, let them boil together for a few minutes and then I put the whole thing in the refrigerator, until it is chilled. I have a glass or two everyday until it is finished; and I do the same again. By doing that I drink very little soft drink–three or four glasses of water itself is very satisfying.
I also do the same with lemon and ginger. I love to drink cucumber water–I cut the cucumber and I simply put it in water into the fridge. Through this practice I feel less hungry that means that a eat a lot less of the heavy meals.
And yes, I have lost a lot of weight; since 2008 I am down from 215 pounds to 175. I take medication for high blood pressure and diabetes–but they are both under control.
However I am a very faithful believer in God’s Love. And I understand the power in Love–the Supernatural Essence that works to do all things in both soul and body. The apostle tells us that Love has a “Sweet Smelling Aroma”–well isn’t the same with essence for cakes and drinks?
When Jesus said: Eat My flesh and drink My blood so that you will have Life in you. I believe Him, because I know that His flesh and blood is the “Essence Love” The Word of God transformed into that Supernatural Essence by the faith of one who believes.
Essence is another word for “Spirit”–and God is Love in Spirit and Truth; Jesus has told us: “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me”. Hence by the Stripes of Jesus Christ and through my faith healing takes place in me–however God is guiding that healing process –even by the physical formats (food and drinks) which He puts in my mind.
Thank you for your humility and obedience to God, for I know that He is using you as an instrument to save lives–both physically and Spiritually. Blessings!
Yes! I recall Vincent very well. I often ran with sometimes in opposite directions with him as far back in the mid 70’s to palm Groove and beyond.
Good to see you have kept up Vincent. I migrated many yrs ago and have taken this to the next level(smile) as the johnnie-come-latelies say today. Like Vince am there over40 yrs and it feels good. Folks out here give me 10-15 yrs younger when they guess my age. I recommend this way of life.
I’ll follow you one day uncle
Congrats Vincent this is the best way to indulge in a selfish interest !Take 70 pounds off Your feet and You will add years to Your life.Think of it that way Why carry a 70 pound back pack around for no reason? Not considering the extra pounds are made up of artery clogging fats etc.
I can identify with Vincent. Not only did I begin with juicing, I mostly transformed my diet to an plant based. My doctor was in absolute shock when he saw me from my previous visit.
Reduce the meat and fat intake, and use more green based plant diet, and please reduce the salt intake and drink a lot or water. In a short time, you will see the difference.
very interesting article
Great article, people take heed. It healthy and live well!
Good stuff.
That is true.
This is very fascinated. I have been juicing for the past two years and lose about 30 pounds. Great testimony mr. Younis. Wish all d/cans would follow this pattern. Continue juicing as a healthy lifestyle.
yes Younis, very good of you keep it up Bless!
Juicing is good. Keep it up. The people were strong and healthy drinking and eating the natural stuff, with hardly any preservatives involved.