Juicing, Day 2

Kale sucks.

This is overpriced organic kale. It was terrible yesterday, its terrible today, and will be terrible forever. 

I don't like to eat kale. I don't like to drink kale. I hate kale. And in juice, kale is everywhere.

Kale has been and should always be a garnish, only. 

I may need to backtrack for a moment. My husband and I are currently doing a dextox where the only thing we consume is fruit and vegetable juice. We are doing a mix, making our own and purchasing some from a juice bar. (Could that sound any more pompous....juice bar). 

Today, Tuesday, marks the end of day 2 of the challenge. 

Today's menu

Breakfast: Orange, carrot, and celery juice, 8 oz. Homemade 

Snack: Orange, carrot, and celery juice, 8oz. Homemade

Lunch: Beet, kale, carrot, and parsley juice, 8oz. Juice Bar

Snack: None

Dinner: Orange, pineapple, and pear juice, 8oz. Homemade. 

Day 2 of the detox has been better than I thought, yet still difficult. This morning, it was extremely hard to wake up, I was just exhausted. Most mornings, I wake up quickly, and head straight to the gym. This morning, I could not even fathom getting out of bed, so I slept an extra hour and half. I also noticed that I was stiff, sore, and my joints were aching. I took a hot bath, and did some stretching, and felt a bit better. I called a friend on the way to work, and she thinks I am detoxing from sugar, because those are some tale tale detoxing signs. 

Around lunch, I found that I was really hungry. I broke into the beet juice, and that drink was rough. I ended up having to hold my breath and chug it as quickly as possible. It tasted terrible, but, it kept me full for the rest of the afternoon. 

Finally, around dinner time, my husband and I were both hungry, and craving something sweet, so we made our own pure fruit juice. It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! By far, the best tasting juice of the day!

Over all, today was much easier than I expected it to be. I am finding that if I drink juice every two hours, I don't get hungry. I've had very few headache's like I thought I would. Plus, my cravings for processed foods has been waining. 2 days of no eating, and while I am not hungry, I have found that I miss the act of eating. I just want to chew something. 

If anything, thus far, this challenge has taught me how often I mindlessly snack, and give into my cravings. 

As far as my husband, yesterday he was having some pretty severe caffeine withdrawals. He was fighting some nausea and a terrible headache. Today, it has subsided just a bit, but he has been really strong and pushed through the pain. 

Overall, we are doing well. Day 3 is going to be tough because we have some pretty terrible juices waiting for us, so we will have to be pretty disciplined to get through it. I will report back tomorrow!

The Great Juicing Detox of 2014

That title sounds pretty epic, doesn't it?

This past weekend, over the Thanksgiving holiday, my husband, mother in law, and I watched the documentary, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

The documentary follows the story of a man named Joe Cross, who goes on a juice fast for 90 days in order to improve his health and lose weight. Prior to the fast, he was on a lot of medicine, he was over weight, and had an autoimmune skin disease. His goal was to juice for 90 days, and get off all his meds, all while taking a road trip across the USA. The documentary was really good, and brought up a great deal of points regarding the benefits of juicing.

Later that day, my husband, out of the blue, mentioned that he would like to try juicing. He suggested a 10 day challenge, of nothing but juice. My first response, was a nervous giggle, because I've done detoxes before, and they are hard. Secondly, I know that I am weak, and feared that I would break. After some discussion, some research, and taking to juicers, we decided that we would do a 3 day detox, then reassess.

We have decided to make our own juice in the morning and evenings and then purchase some juices to drink during the work day. Currently, our fridge is packed with kale, cucumbers, celery,apples, pears, lettuce, carrots, and ginger.

I plan on documenting my findings, feelings, and thoughts about the process here, along with the juices I have been consuming.

So here we are, day 1.

Day 1: Monday.
Breakfast: 8 ounces hot water, with lemon. 16 ounces of celery, carrot, and apple juice. Taste good, not great!
Morning Snack: 16 more ounces of celery carrot, and apple juice. Taste good, not great.
Lunch: 8 Kale, Cucumber, Apple, and mint juice. Taste like crap. Would have been easier to just go outside and snack on the lawn.
Afternoon Snack: 8 ounces Orange, carrot, apple juice from Whole Foods. Tasty, but would really like something to eat.
Dinner: Nothing. Still full from afternoon juice.

Most of the day, I felt really full. I never felt hungry and never felt the desire to eat. I felt full, and had a ton of energy.

Currently, it is around 8:00PM on Monday night, and I am starting to get really hungry. I wish I would have had some juice at dinner time. I don't want to drink any now, because I don't want to be up all night using the restroom, so I am dealing with the hunger pains. I am also dealing with a headache right now, and I will probably go to bed early in order to avoid the temptation of swallowing an entire loaf of bread.

As for my husband, he has done great today, but he has had some adverse side effects that I have not had to deal with. He is a coffee drinker, and in addition to the hunger, he is also dealing with a pretty bad caffeine headache. When I came home from work today, we was laying on the bed in the dark suffering pretty badly. But, he is staying strong, and not giving in. He has chugged more juice, and water, and is hoping that the pain subsides tomorrow.

Here we are, at the end of day 1, hungry, headache ridden, tired, and irritable. I keep telling myself this is for my own good, for my health. This will make me healthier, better, and stronger.

Tell Me: Have you done a juice cleanse or detox? Any tips for surviving this?

How I get into Beast Mode

About a month ago, I was at Jamba Juice getting my Saturday morning smoothie after a killer Pure Barre class (one medium Berry Upbeat, holy yum), when the juicer asked if I wanted a wheat grass shot. I declined the "enticing" offer. I paid for my drink, and went merrily on my way. When I got home, I started researching wheat grass, was impressed by what I read, so I decided to pick some up when I went to the store.

Drinking wheat grass is probably the most hard core healthy thing I do. Full disclosure, this stuff is just nasty, and if I think about it too long before I drink it, I can actually make myself gag. Its green, its gritty, and it stinks. Not the most appetizing drink in the world.

Some people make green smoothies, but I have neither the time, nor the desire to clean all the tools it takes to make a smoothie each morning. My cocktail is 1/4 of a cup of juice, 1 scoop wheat grass, then a 1/4 cup of water. Stir it around, then slam it down.

I do like to drink my grass out of a nice glass, just because it makes me feel fancy. After I drink it, I immediately shove a piece of an orange in my mouth to get rid of the taste, which helps immensely.

The best part, P decided to go along with it, and now chugs grass right beside me each morning.

Given that it stinks, tastes like grass that was chewed up and spit out by a cow, has the texture of sand, and is green, why the hell do this to myself?

For the health benefits. Here is what that green "goodness" does.

-Has vitamins A, C, E, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, and Amino Acids
- Increases production of hemoglobin (I don't know what that means, but it sounds important)
-Improves diabetes, prevents tooth decay, improves wound healing, and prevents bacterial infections
-Removes cancer causing agents front he body and removes toxins from the liver and blood
-Reduced blood pressure, improves indigestion, and lowers cholesterol
-Energizes the body and mind
-1 scoop is equivalent to eating 5 servings of veggies
-Aids metabolism and is a good tool for weight control
-Boots the immune system
-And so much more!!!

In the end, I figure that drinking this nasty concoction takes about 10 seconds of my day, but it provides so many health benefits, that to me, its pretty much worth it. After I drink it, I imagine all the greens making their way through my body, doing all sorts of good things for me.

I don't know if it is mental, but the mornings that I drink my grass, I feel more energized, alert, and sunny. I feel healthier and more alert immediately. (What, I said it may be mental).

Yes, I will burp up a bit of it throughout the morning drive to work, and it is quite unpleasant. Yes, I have walked into the office with green bits in my teeth and in the corners of my mouth. Yes, just thinking about the taste and texture right now sends shivers up my spine.

But, in the end, I feel good about what I am doing, and I don't see a down side to it.

Ever tried wheat grass? What did you think? Whats the craziest thing you have done for your health?

Holistic Healing

Remember my whore foot?

Yes, I know, its an attractive name for something so unattractive.

Basically, I have a huge wart on the ball of my right foot and it hurts like heck, all the time. Every time I step on my my right foot, it sent pain shooting through my foot.

I have had it cut out twice, but it keeps coming back.

Around 2 weeks ago, I called my friend who is  holistic, seeking help because what I had done in the past was not working. She suggesting using castor oil packs on my foot. I was a little skeptical at first, and even told her I did not believe her voodoo would work,but I would give it a try.

Dare I say, its working?

On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain has dropped from a 7, down to around a 3. It is crazy that this oil that cost 4.00 at Whole Foods is pulling this virus out of my foot. I spent hundreds of dollars at the doctor, and weeks on crutches each time I had it cut out. It took time, costs me and my insurance company money, and put me in a ton of pain. But for a few bucks, my foot is feeling better than it has in months.

I have been doing some research and I am more and more amazed by what castor oil can do. This stuff is awesome!!!

It can be used as an antiviral (which is how I am using it), relieves arthritis symptoms, can be used as antibacterial, and used to fight tumors, among many other things.

I can see each day how it is pulling the virus out of my body, and the pain continues to subside. Prior to using castor oil, I had been using Compound W, and it was tearing up the skin on my foot. The castor oil has also been healing the skin that surrounds the wart.

Overall, I am starting to find more uses for this oil, and I am starting to become more and more curious about holistic healing.