Charles A. Wingard | Friday, February 25, 2005
I have a couple of problems with this book. First of all, I can not stand books relating to health that push a vegetarian agenda. Now I know that the conventional meat packing industry is detrimental to the earth and cruel to the animals, but the conventional vegetable industry is just as detrimental to the earth and as cruel to plants. Plus, Michael Murray emphasizes using organic vegetables. Organic vegetables are 100% dependent on animals, because organic farms can not use synthetic fertilizers, thus they rely on tons and tons of animal manure. And if you own a working farm, which Michael does not, it is impossible to keep animals just for their manure. If you want to stay in business they better be making money for you in the form of animal products such as meat, yogurt, eggs, milk, butter, etc. If everyone became a vegetarian, like michael promotes, he would have a hard time finding his organic vegetables. Plus, many animal products that are raised correctly in accordance with the laws of nature, can be very beneficial to one's health, so why not have the best of both worlds. And I've heard the argument that if we used all that land that animals use to grow plant food, we could feed the world. We already have enough food in the world for 8 billion people. It's a matter of poverty, not needing space to grow food. And less meat farms mean less farms in general, which translate to housing developments and strip malls. Just as bad for the land and you. Also, some of Michael's other health claims are completely unfounded. He says one should cut back or eliminate salt from one's diet. This is absolutely untrue. There are certainly degrees of quality in salt, and celtic sea salt is the best, but salt plays a very important rule in a healthy diet. Why? Because it aids and promotes digestion, therefore helping your body use more vitamins and minerals from the food you eat.
So folks, research your juicers and buy the one that looks right to you. Buy fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to juice, and drink 8-24 ounces a day. Use as many different fruits and vegetables as you can, and apples and carrots mix well with everything. There you have it. Now put the money you would have spent on this book toward your brand new juicer.