Juicing for Health: Juiceman Jay Kordich’s Tips for a Long, Happy Life

Jay Kordich is known for his juicers, but we extracted more than just pulp from the 89-year-old Juicefather when we talked to him about his philosophy to living a long, healthy, happy life.

Courtesy of Live Foods, Live Bodies

As Seen on TV!

Jay Kordich and his wife Linda have a passion for juicingโ€”that is, drinking their fruits and vegetables. You may have caught Kordich on television selling his PowerGrind Pro juicers; he claims his branded machines deliver more juice and nutrients than others. Born in 1923, Kordich developed bladder cancer at the age of 25. Under the supervision of Dr. Max Gerson, he began a diet that included juiced carrots and apples, which he believes helped him beat his illness. From then on, Kordich has dedicated his life to eating raw foods, living an active life, and giving to the next generation. “Every day is a gift,” Kordich says. Here are a few of the couple’s tips for a long, healthy, happy life.

Courtesy of Live Foods, Live Bodies

Their secrets to eating raw, or “live,” foods

The Kordiches eat about 75 percent of their foods “live,” meaning raw or not cooked above 116 degrees. “When you heat food above 116 degrees, it kills the element of life,” Kordich claims. “Food’s life force aids in your digestion, so you’ll start to feel better [with raw food] because its energy will move through your body faster.”

Many of the raw foods in their diet get juiced. “We juice one quart of vegetable juice daily,” Kordich says, including dark, leafy greens naturally rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, and many essential vitamins. “We drink our juice, and chew our fiber.” So flax seeds, millet, and other whole grains are a part of their diet too. They avoid bread (“we abide by a no-bread policy about 95 percent of the time”) and alcohol. But they do indulge in treats like Trader Joe’s Chocolate Coconut Milk Non-Dairy Ice Cream.

Linda Kordich explains how they see the benefits of eating this way: “With juicing, you get concentrated nutrition that can be absorbed instantly,” she says, “since it’s separated from the fiber, freeing your body from extra digestion steps to process the nutrients. It’s like this: When you drink coffee, you leave behind the grounds, right? If you blended coffee with the grounds, it would take about 30 minutes to absorb the coffee, and it wouldn’t be as powerful as just the liquid part of the coffee.”

Courtesy of Live Foods, Live Bodies

Their secrets to staying active

“Every single day, we take an hour-long walk together outside,” Linda Kordich says. “It gives us a chance to connect, vital sunshine, and keeps us active. We believe
this is a key to our longevity. If you don’t have access
to beach-y, sunny weather, drink vitamin D in liquid form” like in supplements, she suggests. Deficiencies in vitamin D have been linked in numerous studies to cognitive issues, sleep problems, heart attacks, and problems.

Also, the Kordiches make time for yoga and other spiritual forms of exercise, racquetball (Kordich at nearly age 90 can still beat the twenty-somethings on the court), and the elliptical or exercise bike. The two aren’t concerned with weight loss: “We don’t want to be skinny, we want to be healthy!” Linda Kordich says. “If your goal is just fixating on a number, you’re missing the bigger
picture: your health.”

Courtesy of Live Foods, Live Bodies

Their secrets to inner happiness

Both believe that meaningful relationships nourish the soul in the same way live food nourishes the body. They also have a “let it evolve” outlook on life, which means doing things at your own speed. More tips? Try to feel thankful, be grateful, forgive mistakes, and lead by positive example. Act that way and “you’re empowering younger folks to continue to change the world for the better,” Linda Kordich says. “We take solace in leaving some things to the next generation.”

Courtesy of Live Foods, Live Bodies

More secrets from Jay Kordich

For more advice, tips, and recipes pick up the Kordiches’ newly updated book Live Foods, Live Bodies. For more information on their patented PowerGrind Pro juicers, visit your local Kohl’s or their online store here

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest

Perri O. Blumberg
A former food editor at Reader's Digest, Perri Blumberg is a writer and editor based in New York City. After attending Columbia University, where she received a BA in psychology, she went on to study food at a health-supportive culinary school. Her work has appeared in O Magazine, Men's Journal, Country Living, and on Mind, Body, Green, among others.