Jay Kordich
American author and advocate of juicing and juice fasting (1923–2017)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Kordich (August 26, 1923 – May 27, 2017) was an American author who advocated juicing and juice fasting. He also marketed a line of "Juiceman" juicers and was a frequent fixture in television infomercials beginning in the 1990s.
August 26, 1923
Jay Kordich | |
|---|---|
Kordich in 1992 | |
| Born | John Kordich August 26, 1923 California, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 2017 (aged 93) |
| Occupation | Author |
| Years active | 1990s–2010s |
Early life
Kordich was born near San Diego, California,[1] and grew up in San Pedro, Los Angeles, where he was a football star at San Pedro High School.[2] He served in the United States Navy for three years during World War II.[3] After leaving the military, Kordich played college football for the University of Southern California in 1948 as a reserve running back.[4] He was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1949 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers,[5] but claimed that before signing a pro contract, he was diagnosed with inoperable bladder cancer.[note 1][6][7] Kordich stated that, inspired by the Gerson diet, he was cured of cancer by consuming 13 glasses of apple and carrot juice each day.[8][9]
Career
Kordich authored The New York Times best seller The Juiceman's Power of Juicing, first published in 1992.[10][11] He was involved in advertising a series of juicers, including the Juiceman Juicer. He lectured on the subject and appeared in television infomercials for the Juiceman Juicer.[10] The product was sold through infomercials at the peak of the juicing craze in the summer of 1992.[12]
The juicer was marketed by Rick Cesari's Trillium HealthProducts, which had more than $100 million in sales attributed in part to the direct marketing of the Juiceman Juicer.[13] In 1992, Consumer Reports tested Kordich's Juiceman II extractor and concluded that other competitive models were easier to clean, cheaper, and worked better.[14] In 2011, Kordich developed the Jay Kordich PowerGrind Pro juicer.[11]
Health claims
Kordich had no medical training or qualifications.[3] He made health claims regarding juicing that have been disputed by medical experts.[8][9] Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch noted that Kordich made far-fetched, nonsensical, and unproven health claims about juicing,[8] including the belief that uncooked foods flush the body of toxins (detoxification), and that juicing can treat many illnesses such as anemia, anxiety, arthritis, gallstones, impotence, and heart disease.[8] Barrett also highlighted Kordich's fundamental misunderstanding of how plant enzymes affect the human body, and his unsubstantiated demonization of cooked food.[7]
Personal life and death
Selected publications
- The Juice Advantage (1992)
- The Juiceman's Power of Juicing (1992)