Veggie Girl

Even Oakley has caught on to the veggie craze, except she doesn't feel the need to juice. She'll inhale hers raw, thank you very much (and in only 2 minutes)!

Our Lovely Juicer

Julie and I just love our new juicer!

It's a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer and is surprisingly affordable. We got ours at Costco for $89, but you can get it on Amazon for $60 (if you don't mind waiting for it to to be shipped) or also at Bed, Bath and Beyond (with the 20% off coupon). Target also has it, but it's about $130.

Day 3

I'm excited to say that I've lost another 2 lbs! Wow...amazing how quickly this works!

Julie had to go back to the story today to stock up on more fruits and veggies, so once again, the fridge looks just so lovely and colorful. :) When I came home, she reported that she had shopped, planned, and juice for the better part of the day. I was so thankful and knew that I'd be taking my turn next.

Adding bonus: The house is smelling so wonderful. It's the FRESHEST aroma I think I've ever smelled. Mmmm. Our favorite juice to date is the pineapple/orange. Big surprise there, right? :) It's just heavenly. Our worst juice to date is the "Gazpacho" juice, which contained juiced onions, tomatoes, celery, red peppers, and a few other things. The bottom line is that some things just should NOT be juiced and red pepper is one of them. Ugh. We will NOT be having that one again any time soon.

So, why juice?

There are plenty of reasons. Here are three short ones:

1. The juice requires hardly any digestion, so all its nutritional goodness gets rapidly into your system.
2. When you juice, you use more fruits and vegetables than you could actually eat. As a result, you are drinking a densely packed amount of vitamins, minerals and other plant-based nutrients.
   

3. Liver detoxification

*More Info. on the benefits

And, here are some health benefits:

Improving the cardiovascular system and heart health

• Both antioxidant vitamins C and E prevent the damaging effect of free radicals on artery walls. They prevent blood from sticking, clotting, becoming toxic as well as helping to lower triglycerides levels (Here is more info about how to lower triglycerides). Good to great levels of vitamin C can be found in most vegetables and fruits. For the health benefits of juicing vitamin E you can use blackberries, kiwi, asparagus and spinach in your juicer recipes.
  
• Potassium and magnesium are essential for proper heart function and a regular heart beat. Blackberries are a good source for both these minerals.
  
• Additionally, as we know, being overweight plays a fundamental role in developing heart disease, so its good to take some common sense and a realistic approach on how to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

• Detoxifying the liver – this is fundamental for good health:
  

  • The liver has 100′s of important functions. One of its main functions is to clean the blood and remove toxins and metabolic waste. With the amount of toxins we are dealing with everyday in modern life we need to be real diligent in helping to keep it “clean” so it can keep us clean!
    Certain nutrients are needed to provide the juicing benefits of liver cleansing. Antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and N-acetyl cysteine are potent liver cleansers. In addition, B-vitamins riboflavin and niacin also aid liver cleansing. Cabbage, brussel sprouts and cauliflower have been found to be great for the liver.
  • You can also add milk thistle supplements to your diet to help the liver detoxify.
    

• Alkalizing your system (vegetable juicer recipes only):

  • All vegetables are alkalizing. Fruits on the other hand are not; they are mostly acidic in nature.
    
  • The benefits of making your body PH level less acidic is a subject of its own, so here are just a few juicing benefits;
    
    • Improved brain function
    • Improved heart function
    • Slowing down the aging process
    • Improved joint function – helping with arthritis
    • Less disease-prone body environment. Acidic environments breed diseases.
    • Better digestion

• Helping with healthy skin, hair, nails and eyes:
  
  • The antioxidants vitamins C and E help to prevent skin damage from sun exposure, due to their free radical neutralizing abilities. The health benefits of juicing blackberries and blueberries together will provide you with a good source of vitamins C and E.
  • A deficiency in riboflavin (vitamin B2) can cause cracked lips, hair loss, dermatitis, greasy looking skin and other skin problems. Putting kale, spinach, and asparagus in your juicer recipes will provide you with vitamin B2.
  • The most potent nutrient for healthy eyes is vitamin A, which is not found in plants. Its precursor, beta-carotene, is found in abundance in orange colored fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene is turned into vitamin A by the body. This vitamin is essential for the retina to function properly and prevent night blindness. Both vitamins A and C reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Carrot juice is a very good source for both of these vitamins.
    
• Increased energy levels:
  
  • This one is pretty simple. Lots of juicing means lots more vitamins and minerals which are responsible for all sorts of necessary chemical reactions promoting health and vitality and therefore lots more energy. Enjoy juicer recipes every day!!
• Rebuild blood cells:
  
  • Yes that’s right!
    This is made possible by the incredibly healthy chlorophyll, which would need an article of its own to give justice to its health benefits!
    On a molecular level chlorophyll looks almost exactly like a component of the red blood cell hemin. More amazingly scientists have found that when you assimilate chlorophyll into the body, it makes the chemical shift and actually becomes hemin. Essentially, taking chlorophyll is almost like getting a blood transfusion!
    Chlorophyll is also a pigment that gives plants their green color. So put the green stuff in your juicer recipes! The darker the green, the more chlorophyll it contains.
  • • Improved immune system:
      • Drinking juicer recipes regularly is going to give you a wide variety and more than adequate amount of antioxidants which are essential for a healthy immune system. The antioxidants from fruits and vegetables include vitamins A, C, E, plus a wide range of plant chemicals called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals have amazing and varied health benefits, most notably anti-cancer properties.

    Brought to you by Juicer Recipes Now

Day 2

Tuesday morning, I curiously and gingerly stepped onto the scale. Two pounds lost!! Amazing. I just love to see those numbers moving in the right direction for a change!

My morning routine was easier than ever. I normally make coffee, make my lunch (which consists of chopping many veggies for a pretty large salad), then I make a smoothie for both Julie and me. I have it down pat, but even with speed and practice, it takes about 20 minutes.

So, how lovely was it to only pull four bottles from the fridge and freezer, make some tea, and then the smoothie? I loved looking into my lunchbox and seeing this site:

Day 1

Well, to prepare for Day 1, Julie and I juiced on Sunday night and made the "Mean Green" juice. It actually wasn't *that* bad. Hmmm. This might just work.

We prepared several juices for our first days and I had to laugh at how lovely the green juice looked in my fridge on display in a Starbuck's jar. I wonder if I could go into business juicing?

An expensive day of shopping $$$

After sitting down to look at all of Joe Cross's great juicing recipes, Julie and I choose our favorites. We wanted a balance of both fruits and veggies, even though we'd much prefer the sweet, delicious fruits exclusively. :) The greens had to get in there, too.

Next, we ventured off to Costco, Whole Foods and Publix to gather all the goods. It took several hours, planning and energy, but we know it will be well worth it. (Never mind that Diet Coke on the door. Julie is actually trying to get off that "juice" but it's a weaning process, so she says.)

Here's a list of some of the food (all organic):

• kale
• collard greens
• beets
• mint
• parsley
• lemons
• limes
• apples
• strawberries
• peppers
• onions
• cabbage
• honeydew melon
• cantaloupe
• carrots
• cucumbers
• Asian pears
• ginger
• Swiss chard

And, we're back...

Well, it's been just a few months (oops) since my last post, but I'm happy to say that since November, Julie and I have made permanent changes to our diets, which is exciting. I was curious to see if all this good knowledge about excellent nutrition would actually yield some lasting results and changes and it did.

So, we would now consider ourselves to be Lite Vegans, or Vegan-ish. :) Dairy (milk, eggs, cheese, etc) is no longer part of our diet, nor is red meat or chicken. Fish is still a favorite. (A few other favorites remain, but I'll get to that...)

Here's a typical day's menu for me:

Breakfast: Kale/Berry smoothie (I'm frankly a little surprised I haven't tired of this.)

Snack: Nonni's biscotti (Ok, I need a little sugar, right? Plus it's only 100 calories)

Lunch: Dr. Furhman's Quick and Creamy Vegetable Bean Soup + large spinach salad

Snack: organic Fugi apple, baby carrots, sugar snack peas

Dinner: Some type of fish + green veggie (peas, green beans, zucchini)

I feel great and would say I'm very healthy, except for just one thing: my addiction to sweets! Yes, sadly, that is the one area that still hinders me and slips me up. Julie and I love to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and brownies on a biweekly basis, which is just ridiculous. Something must be done.

This brings me to the most recent exciting news: Julie and I are going to embark on a 3 week juice fast. Yep. We were super inspired by a DVD we watched last weekend called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," which is documentary made Joe Cross, an Aussie who was sick and tired of being sick and tired. He took charge of his life by embarking on a 3,000 journey across America with his juicer in tow each step of the way. After 60 days of doing a juice fast, he lost over 80 pounds and was able to go off his multiple medications. His rare auto-immune disease disappeared and he is still healthy 2 years later and inspiring millions with his remarkable story and transformation. We want to join in the change!

So, for the next 3 weeks, we will do a juice fast and look forward to all the positive changes that lie ahead! May the Lord give is strength, grace, and self-control to stick with it until the end!