Juicing provides a simple and effective way to get maximum nutrients into the body. Starting your day with a juice made from kale or spinach may well revolutionise your diet. The chlorophyll in the leaves is a powerful anti-oxidant that prevents DNA destruction.

B vitamins provide building blocks for growing cells, which are constantly being renewed, and play an important role in many physiological processes. B vitamins also supply some of the chemicals necessary for protecting our genes, so that our DNA doesn’t accumulate damage from the wear and tear in the daily lives of our cells. These vitamins – including folate, vitamins B6 and B12 – help make new DNA for cells that are constantly growing and renewing themselves. Folate is also involved in turning many genes on and off, and also helps repair DNA.

The process of DNA repair is called methylation. Although B vitamins are only required in small amounts, they are crucial for methylation and in producing new DNA. Spinach and Kale are excellent sources of folate and betain (both of which play a vital role in methylation).

At Edge Dietary Consulting I do DNA testing to test an individual’s risk for diseases. Many patients on which I have performed DNA tests show a genetic tendency to not methylate optimally.

Methylation issues are behind many of the following:

• ADD/ADHD,
• addiction,
• allergies,
• Alzheimer’s Disease,
• anxiety,
• asthma,
• atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease ( low homocysteine levels) autism spectrum disorder,
• behavioural changes,
• bipolar disorder,
• cancers,
• chemical sensitivity,
• chronic fatigue,
• cleft palate,
• diabetes,
• dementia,
• depression,
• Downs syndrome,
• essential hypertension,
• fertility issues,
• fibromyalgia,
• insomnia,
• multiple sclerosis,
• neural tube defects,
• neuropathy,
• ocular disease,
• Parkinson’s Disease,
• schizophrenia,
• and thyroid disease.

Food-sourced folate has a protective effect on an individual’s breast cancer risk.
Spinach and Beets are Methylation superfoods!! Beetroot contains betaine, magnesium and betacyanin (an antioxidant that helps lower blood pressure).

I personally prefer the Nutribullet above juices, because you maintain all the fibre in the Nutribullet.

Make your own:

Ready-made:

If you don’t own a Nutribullet or don’t have time to make your own smoothie, Woolworths currently sells a frozen red smoothie mix ( a mix of strawberries, blackberries, banana, raspberries and beetroot). For a delicious smoothie simply blend with equal parts of water and coconut water or apple juice and ice.