It's world vegan month. I took the 30 day pledge 2 months ago and decided to stay longer.

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Juicing every day

People have asked me if I juice every day. I'm not detoxing everyday but I do try to juice every morning just as I do when I'm detoxing. I think it's a great way to start your day. Instead of coffee I drink fruit and vegetable juice. My body is quickly infused with great micronutrients to give me energy for the day. I used to be a religious coffee drinker, didn't think I could give up my morning coffee. But now, I won't even think of it. I challenge every one to try it. The detox helps rid you of bad cravings. I don't even crave sugar like I used to. Last night I ate 4 oreo cookies, and that was it. Before thatwould open the flood gate of more sugar craving. But that was all I needed. I'm very impressed with how juicing has changed my life.

Todays juice recipe:
2 cups of kale
1 cup of spinach (for iron, still haven't gotten my supplement)
2 celery stalk
1 gala apple
1 cup of grapes
Ginger to taste
Lemon juice to taste
3.5 cups of coconut water
3tsp of spirulina
Blended in the Vitamix blender

Late great, and good for the body.
Stay healthy.

Kale and beets

2 cups of kale, half a large beets, 2 gala apples, 2 handful of grapes, 3 tbs of lemon juice, and some ginger.

It tasted good. A little sweet and the kale was not outstanding.

I was still light headed and realised it was because I'm anemic and have not had iron in two months. I keep thinking I can eat healthy and the anemia won't be a problem, but I see that's not the case. So I will be buying some iron supplement tomorrow.

I'm back

Hello all, I haven't made a juice mix in 4 days. I have been having dizzy spells off and on for the past couple of days. Not sure if the two are related, but i havent had a dizzy/light headed spell since I started juicing. I  just haven't had time to go to the grocery.

This morning I used my missed vitamix and made some juice.

2.5 cups of kale
1/2 of a beet
A handful of grapes
A handful of cranberries
A piece of ginger
1 tbs of lemon juice

It's a little bitter, but I missed it.

Stay healthy and wise.

Day 4

Day 4 and this detox has gone to hell in a hand basket.

Yesterday I was having headaches, the kind of headaches I get when I don't eat enough. I think the difference with this detox is that I was trying to consume all alkaline produce. So the sugar content was very low and I think that's why I was having headaches.

So anyway, I had an apple in the middle of the day, spelt bread toasted with almond butter when I got home. Then after I worked out I had muselix cereal with hemp milk. And I'll most likely have the same combo today.

Sorry this third detox attempt was a wash. I told you its not easy. But I'm still drinking the juice mix every day, so I'm still staying healthy and wise, because at the end of the day you have to listen to your body.

Day 3

Two things about yesterday. So I told you day 2 is the hardest. Last night I cheated, I had 7 rice crackers and some avocado. Not in the guidelines, but I did it. Moving forward with day 3 back on the horse.

There is a nasty flu bug going around my building, both children and adults are getting sick. I started to feel sick Monday night. So I doubled up on my vitamin c and did a little Vick vapor rub. And I felt better by the morning. Last night same sick feeling but this time I have a slight headache, the feeling of a head cold. So I had to add some extra cold fighting immune fighting elements to todays juice. I doubled up on ginger and added a handful of garlic, garlic is good for fighting infection. So hopefully I'll feel better by the end of today.

I have another 10K on Sunday that I'd like to be successful at it.

Staying healthy and wise.

Day 2

Day two is some times the worst day. Cause your body is like, what no food again today. Normally I tell people not to do fad starvation diets but...since I'm drinking nutrient filled juice my body is still getting what it needs.

I promise you my energy level is the same. Last night I went out for a 30 minute jog and felt awesome. I'm still amazed at the energy I have since I started this diet without any coffee. Totally amazed.

After my run last night I drank a cup and a half of coconut water and 2tsb of spirulina. I've read that the combination is like having a natural blood transfusion. Because coconut water has properties in it similar to our blood plasma. Interesting right.

As always, stay healthy and wise.

Day 1, again

OMG if I could tell you how surprised at how good todays juice taste. I think its the coconut water, it has to be. I may be hooked. Ok the ingredients:

4 cups of coconut water
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of kale
1 small beet
A piece of ginger
Half a grapefruit
Half an avocado
3 tbd of lemon juice
1 Tbs of cinnamon (helps balance the sugar level)

Yum, just yum.

Oh and I added a serving of Chia seeds to my breakfast cup, for fullness and endurance.

This is all I'll be consuming for the day and for the next 4 days, along with tea and water. Wish me luck.

Stay healthy and wise.

I'm ready

I have my items ready to toss in the Vitamix blender in the morning.

I had to make a slight change to my recipe. I couldn't get broccoli, bell peppers or cucumber at the coop. So I got some kale and grapefruit which is also alkaline but not the top 10 that I was trying to go with. I might go to trader joes tomorrow if I have time, to make this right.

Good night.

Why juicing is important, please read

The Miracle of Juice Fasting for Crohn’s Disease, Colitis, Celiac and IBS

My alkaline juice detox recipe. Lets do it together.

Juice Detox

You can drink water and decaffeinated tea between mixed juices

This recipe is based on an 8 cup blender

2 cups spinach

1 cucumber

1 cup broccoli

½ avocado

2 celery stalk

½ red bell pepper

2 tbs lemon juice

2 inch ginger

½ small beet

4 cups of coconut water or plain water

Detox salad

For those that can’t go without eating something

All veggies should be processed or chopped fine. The recipe is 5 servings. Eat once a day as lunch between juice mixes.

4-5 large carrots

1 cauliflower

3 broccoli heads

1 cup raisins

2 tbs lemon juice

Good luck. The first two days are the toughest.

Check and follow my blog http://juicingandwise.blogspot.com/ keep me updated how you are doing, get more tips, and recipes.

Next week starts Juice Detox #3

Starting next Monday I will be juice detoxing again for 5 days. That's consuming nothing but vegetable juice for 5 days. I plan on only consuming high alkaline produce and see how that makes me feel. That mean the juice may not take that good, but it will be good for my body. I'm gonna try using coconut water instead of regular water hopefully that will help with the taste.

Who's with me? The holidays is coming up lets get going.

Breakfast for champs, modified

So this morning I modified my breakfast for champs drink, to make it more green/alkaline and nutritious.

2 cups of hemp milk (great tasting, has the same vitamins as regular milk)
3 kale stalk
1 /4 avocado
Piece of ginger
1/2 a banana
1 serving of Chia seeds
1 serving of protein powder (vegetable protein)
1 tps of Spirulina

It taste real well, and it's very filling.

My veggie juice this morning is similar to yesterdays.

Beets
Cranberries
Apple celery
Ginger
Lemon juice

A wonderful shade of magenta.

Stay healthy and wise.

Its been awhile

Its been awhile since my last post and I apologize for that. I'm back at work and I needed to get used to that. But I've still been juicing every day. I ran a 10K yesterday and I feel great. I had no muscle cramping and to day not much soreness. Its awesome.

I bought some cranberries from the coop this weekend. I like to buy new produce and see how I can juice them.
Now keep in mind that I use a 8 cup Vitamix blender. So here are my ingredients.

3 cups of water
1 red apple
2 cup of green grapes
1 cup of cranberries
1 Tbs of lemon juice
1 inch of ginger
1 beet

Cranberries have a lot of vitamin C and beets are a good detox for the kidneys and liver.

You can make this in a regular blender, it may not be a smooth as the Vitamix so you may have to add more water so you get a consistency you can comfortably drink.

This morning I had my usual breakfast for champs protein shake (look at my post titled breakfast for champs). For lunch I made my version of the detox salad because I didn't have all the ingredients.

4 carrots
1 had of cauliflower
1.5 cup of raisins
3 Tbs of lemon juice
1 Tbs of sea weed and sesame seeds

The carrots and cauliflower I put through the processor (my Vitamix does it all) and mixed it all up.

I think I've surpassed my minimum fruits and veggies requirement, how about you?

As always, stay healthy and wise.

Please read this link

This explains what I mean when I talk about high alkaline food and why they are important. I think for next months detox I will try having only these 7 alkaline foods and see how I feel. Let me know what you think.

The 7 Most Alkaline Foods

Loving the nutty flavor

So let me start by saying yesterdays juice was not tasty...at all. But it's not about that right, it's about getting healthy, so it was good for that reason.

So, the soup that I made the other day I got from a vegan cookbook but you know me, I had to add my variations. It was a Silky lentil soup with lentils, tomatoes, green squash, carrots, and I added butternut squash. Then blended it up so it's smooth. OMG, believe me when I tell you this soup was yummy.

On to this mornings juice recipe. This one turned out better than I thought.
One handful of chopped bok Choy, 3 carrots, one red apple, half a avocado, some ginger, 2 celery stalk, a handful of walnuts and a big spoonful of coconut oil. This has a nice nutty taste due to the walnuts and coconut oil. Its good. And again high alkaline juice.

I have been hearing great things about coconut oil, and have read about adding it to the juice, so I picked some up at the coop this weekend.

I started my morning with my breakfast for champs with a little extra kale, I got my soup and this juice to get me through my day at work.

A always, stay healthy and wise.

Breakfast for champs

This morning I made a protein shake for breakfast. I use Sun Warrior raw vegetable protein powder, hemp milk (more calcium than milk, plant base, less calories) with a banana, kale, and Chia seeds. The banana made it sweet and delicious. Packed with portion, carbs and veggies.

I also juiced some veggies. Now this combination is of only alkaline vegetables, to help jump start the week.
It had 2 carrots, 2 broccoli stalks, 2 celery stalk, a quarter of a avocado, a quarter of a red bell pepper, half a lemon, a piece a ginger, and some bok Choy. I haven't drank it and I'm sure it didn't taste good, but it's healthy and I well drink it just the same.

At least my morning shake was tasty. Check back later and I'll let you know how it taste and give you the ingredients to the silky lentil soup I made last night.

Always staying healthy and wise.

Day 6th and on...

So I weighed myself on day 6th and I lost 5.5lbs with the juice detox and I did no work out all week. My sister in law and my brother were also doing the detox as well, and I was checking in with them via txt on a daily basis. She also lost 5.2lbs and my brother lost 7lbs and he did work out. My brother is serious about his morning coffee so this was a challenge for him but he stuck with it and away from the coffee. And on day 6 when I checked in with him he had not picked up a cup of coffee. I'm so proud of them.

Side note: I would not suggest doing any strenuous workouts while doing the detox because you are not consuming that many calories.

Day 6 I went to my kickboxing class and was able to perform like a champ. On day 7 I went for a 3.5 mile jog and did ok.

I'm back to my regular vegan diet and still incorporating the juicing into my daily routine.

I bought some bok choy that I plan on adding to tomorrows juice, so check back tomorrow. Dr. Oz said it is one of the important greens we don't get enough of.

Hope your staying healthy and wise.

Day 5

Day 5, yes. Since today is the last day I treated my self to a sweeter juice.

3 macintosh apples, 3 celery stalk, 4 small radish, and half of a cauliflower bunch. Also added some spirulina. This is a great mix and you should try it.

Last night I had half a grapefruit, and apple and a large carrot. This was also a good combo. I had some left over for this morning so I mixed in some Chia seeds and had it for breakfast.

Have a healthy and wise day.

Day 4 one more day to go

So today is day 4, thank goodness. This is an awesome thing I'm doing for my body but I do miss eating warm food, lol. Doing this is not easy but if you keep your mind on how good this is for your body you can get through it.

My juice today: one hand full of Romain lettuce, half of a butternut squash, a green apple and about 4 radish.

This drink is thinner than most drinks. But it taste better than yesterdays juice. I did add some Chia seeds to my breakfast drink. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but, you can't add Chia sees to your drink and have it sit for a long time because they will swell and you would have to spoon it out. I know that would make me gag not sure about you. This is why I only add a small amount to my morning cup. But because it swells it keeps you full longer, and increases endurance (who doesn't need that).

Another thing I'm not sure if I have mentioned before, is I also add spirulina to every ingredient. One of the best super foods out there. Check out the link below for more info on this awesome super food.
http://www.australianspirulina.com.au/spirulina/spirulina.html

Have a healthy and wise day.

Day 3 of 5 day detox

Todays juice is not the best tasting juice but it's really good for you.

Ingredients: 2 cups of romaine lettuce, half of a cauliflower, 3 radish, 1 green apple and some ginger.

So again, these recipes are trial by error and I am new to this, but I'm trying to get in as much veggies as possible and less fruits. My reason for this is, fruits are more acidic, and a high acidic body is more susceptible to various ailments and diseases. But I have noticed with the following foods, kale, broccoli and cauliflower, they are best to be combined with grapes for a better taste.

My allergies have been bothering me this week, so I'm juicing vegetable with lots of vitamin C like cauliflower, to aid my immune system, it's also aids with digestion, and good for the Cardiovascular system. Radish also good for vitamin C, and weight loss (due to the fact that it's satisfies hunger, also good for clearing up congestion (which is perfect right now because of my allergies).

Again hope this was helpful, and let me know if you try this, but swap the apple for green grapes.

Have a healthy day.

Tonights dinner juice

A green apple, a quarter red pepper (Huge in vitamin C) and half a small cucumber.

Getting through the day of detox

So I had a headache today but not sure if it was my sinuses or the detoxing, but I still stayed on course to finish the 5 days.

This detox is not the easiest thing to do, but we all have it in us to complete it. I think it's mind over matter, meaning you can talk yourself  off the ledge of a craving. Just know that it's a temporary phase. But your body well thank you for it in the end.

Day 2 of juice detox

Todays juice contains a handful of spinach, half a avocado, 1 green apple, 2 big carrots, and half a butternut squash. I've never eaten butternut squash or juiced it, but it was a good addition to the juice, it had a nutty taste. This drink was not sweet but tasty. If you suffer with sugar craving  as I do, I would suggest not adding many sweet fruits. They say the detox stops cravings and I could attest to that.

Another addition to my juice this morning was Chia seeds. It's high in fiber and a great pure source of Omega3. It's said to keep you full longer, slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and binds to toxins in the digestive system and increases endurance.

I hope this was helpful. Have a great and healthy day.

Start of my 5 day detox

Today starts the first day of my five-day juice detox. I will once again consume only various vegetable and fruit juices. Although, I can also drink water and non-caffeinated teas.

As today is a holiday (Happy Labor Day), I was not at home but was able to still make my juice with a blender. It was not as awesome as the one I have at home, the Vitamix, but I still made it happen.

The juice combo today was carrots, cauliflower, a green apple, avacado and some celery. Not the nicest tasting drink and a little thick, but I drank it down.

Tomorrow's combo will have a new item I bought last week at the farmers market, butternut squash.

You all may know by now that I create my juices by trial and error; please feel free to leave some advice or juice combinations you may have tried that you thought came out tasty.

Why I turned to juicing

In April 2012, I became a little obsessed with a couple of netflix documentaries on the American food chain and how the the American diet is making us sick. With no plans for my weekends, I watched at least 4-5 of these food and nutrition videos (I know some may think, I should get a life). The films gave new light to my concerned about my diet, which started 6 years ago. At age 28 I was apparently damn near death’s door; well, at least that’s how I felt.

I was about 20 lbs overweight, always stressed and tired, so I decided start having regular visits to my nutritionist. I was diagnosed as being malnourished and pre-diabetic, and my thyroid and liver were not functioning 100% of its potential. Add to that a random rash on my body and I was basically falling apart. So, I started watching everything I ate, taking supplements, and exercising more. Within the two years I lost the extra 25lbs, got rid of the stressful relationship and the job--life was good.

Then my doctor discovered a benign tumor in my knee, and I had to have surgery. A year later a polyp was discovered and removed from my cervix, but the next year it grew back and that time I had to have it surgically removed. Two surgeries in four years due to non-cancerous tissue growths was not ok with me. I kept thinking, “what if next time it’s positive for cancer?” I couldn’t understand: I’m healthy, I eat well, I exercise; why is my body producing these growths?

Since one of my biggest fears is having cancer, I started researching how our diet affects the onset of cancer and the types of changes I could make to stop or lessen my chances of having cancer. (I don’t know if you ever looked into this, but the list is endless.) The one thing that stood out the most was the affects of dairy on the body. And, yes, I know everyones body reacts differently to different things, but for some reason that is what stood out to me.

June 2012, I decided to stop eating dairy and all, well most, animal products daily. I would cheat with pizza every once in awhile (I love pizza), but over the two months of the dietary change I noticed a difference in my energy level, less joint pain and better mood in the morning. It was awesome! Finally, I gave up coffee and all caffeinated teas and I had more energy throughout the day.

Then one day I read about vegetable/fruit juicing, the green juice, and I knew I had to try it. I’m hooked. I juice every day and now I’m following a vegan diet, so no more pizza, but I feel awesome.