Day 7! Still feeling great physically and still successfully combating cravings for my favorite foods. Yesterday was tough because I spent most of the day with Luc (my boyfriend) and I had to be present while he ate some of my favorite foods. For lunch he had broccoli cheddar soup from Panera and for a late night snack he had nachos with blue corn chips. Oh how I miss cheese! I am contemplating whether or not to renter solid food back into my diet tomorrow or not. 7 days was my initial goal and I have successfully completed it. I have greatly improved my quality of life and feel confident that I can maintain a healthy diet now. After today, I will have to restock my fridge if I decide to continue. Being that this is the first time I have ever fasted, I am not overweight, and I have achieved the benefits I was looking to obtain, it may be an appropriate time to stop.
Yesterday's 90 ounces consisted of:
6 scallions
2 yellow squash
2 green squash
2 cucumbers
9 celery ribs
10 grapes
10 grape tomatoes
10 baby carrots
7 blackberries
7 raspberries
1 handful of kale
1 orange
2 lemons
1 lime
4 asparagus stalks
7 beets
2 apples
1 pear
1 kiwi
2 pineapple chunks
1 peach
It tasted great to me! I will make a decision on whether or not to continue juice fasting later tonight or early tomorrow morning.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Upgrade
Upgraded my juicer from the Breville compact to the Beeville juice fountain plus with a pulp catcher! I am so excited to try it out, the compact was not able to handle the amount of juicing I was conducting, but I think the plus is up for the job!
The Weekend is Here!
My weekend has begun and I will now be off of work until Tuesday due to the holiday. I have been doing exceptionally well I think in part because I have been following a routine but now I have a whole four days open to plan activities for leisure and entertainment. I do not want to have to plan my days around juicing, I'd rather juice around my days. I think I am going to continue to make the bulk of my juice for the day in advance so I can just take it with me wherever I go. My weekends lately have revolved around going out to eat, going out for drinks with friends, and splurging on deserts. Obviously, this weekend will have to be different and I am looking forward to new experiences.
Yesterday (Day 5) I added some new plants to my juices and I found that I enjoyed them. The recipe consisted of:
4 scallions
1/3 leek
1 handful of bok choy
1 handful of kale
2 cucumber
6 celery ribs
10 grapes
10 blueberries
8 raspberries
8 blackberries
15 grape tomatoes
1 broccoli stalks
1 kiwi
2 apples
1 pear
2 pineapple chunks
10 cherries
6 beets
1 yellow squash
1 green squash
1 red pepper
6 asparagus pieces
1/2 cabbage
The scallions overpowered the entire taste of the drinks. At first, I did not like it but as the night went on I actually developed an appreciation for it. It sort of reminded me of drinking some sort of zesty soup. I researched scallions and learned that they contain allicin the active nutrient in garlic that has been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities. Allicin also decreases blood vessel stiffness which can reduce blood pressure, protect the body against developing blood clots, and prevent coronary artery disease and stroke. (http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/scallions.html)
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
1) How much have you been spending?
Since Sunday, I have spent $180.00 which should last me until Saturday (7 days/1week). This figure may appear high but I usually spend $100.00/1week on groceries, $100/weekend on drinks and restaurant food, and anywhere between 20-40/1week on fast food and coffee. This totals to $200-240/1week on food. So, overall, I am saving a lot more money than I am spending.
2) Do you purchase organic or non-organic vegetables and fruit?
I have been shopping at Stop n Shop and a local natural food store located in my town. They both only offer a certain amount of organic fruit and vegetables and whatever I can find, I get. Otherwise, I have no choice but to purchase conventional (non-organic) plants. It ends up being about 50/50. It is important to choose organic whenever possible due to the amount of toxic pesticides and chemicals that are used on conventional produce, however it is also important to consume an adequate variety of plants to guarantee proper nutrition. Unfortunately their are not enough varieties of organic plants to limit myself just to them.
3) Are you tired all of the time without carbs and meat?
No! In fact, I have gone from sleeping 10-13 hours a night without feeling rested to 7 hours per night and waking up feeling completely rejuvenated. I also feel sustained energy throughout the day and only yawn when it gets late into the night. I use to be one of those people who yawned all day long, I had people constantly telling me I needed more rest.
4) Do you feel hungry all of the time?
No! I feel comfortably satisfied throughout the day. I do not experience hunger pangs or feel dizzy from lack of solid food. I have noticed however, that my body sometimes has a physical reaction to a food I like. For example, my co-worker last night was eating beans and rice, it looked and smelled phenomenal. Even though, I had been consuming my normal amount of juice my mouth began to water and my stomach began to growl. I have learned that drinking an adequate amount of water will cease any beginning signs of hunger during a juice fast.
5) How often are you drinking juice throughout the day?
I consume about 90 ounces of juice in total each day. I sip the drinks slowly throughout the day. If I am busy I will go no longer than 3 hours without having some juice. I also have been drinking about 70 ounces of water in between and about 24 ounces of tea in between as well.
I would be happy to answer any other questions!
That is all for now folks, time to get on with day 6!
Yesterday (Day 5) I added some new plants to my juices and I found that I enjoyed them. The recipe consisted of:
4 scallions
1/3 leek
1 handful of bok choy
1 handful of kale
2 cucumber
6 celery ribs
10 grapes
10 blueberries
8 raspberries
8 blackberries
15 grape tomatoes
1 broccoli stalks
1 kiwi
2 apples
1 pear
2 pineapple chunks
10 cherries
6 beets
1 yellow squash
1 green squash
1 red pepper
6 asparagus pieces
1/2 cabbage
The scallions overpowered the entire taste of the drinks. At first, I did not like it but as the night went on I actually developed an appreciation for it. It sort of reminded me of drinking some sort of zesty soup. I researched scallions and learned that they contain allicin the active nutrient in garlic that has been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities. Allicin also decreases blood vessel stiffness which can reduce blood pressure, protect the body against developing blood clots, and prevent coronary artery disease and stroke. (http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/scallions.html)
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
1) How much have you been spending?
Since Sunday, I have spent $180.00 which should last me until Saturday (7 days/1week). This figure may appear high but I usually spend $100.00/1week on groceries, $100/weekend on drinks and restaurant food, and anywhere between 20-40/1week on fast food and coffee. This totals to $200-240/1week on food. So, overall, I am saving a lot more money than I am spending.
2) Do you purchase organic or non-organic vegetables and fruit?
I have been shopping at Stop n Shop and a local natural food store located in my town. They both only offer a certain amount of organic fruit and vegetables and whatever I can find, I get. Otherwise, I have no choice but to purchase conventional (non-organic) plants. It ends up being about 50/50. It is important to choose organic whenever possible due to the amount of toxic pesticides and chemicals that are used on conventional produce, however it is also important to consume an adequate variety of plants to guarantee proper nutrition. Unfortunately their are not enough varieties of organic plants to limit myself just to them.
3) Are you tired all of the time without carbs and meat?
No! In fact, I have gone from sleeping 10-13 hours a night without feeling rested to 7 hours per night and waking up feeling completely rejuvenated. I also feel sustained energy throughout the day and only yawn when it gets late into the night. I use to be one of those people who yawned all day long, I had people constantly telling me I needed more rest.
4) Do you feel hungry all of the time?
No! I feel comfortably satisfied throughout the day. I do not experience hunger pangs or feel dizzy from lack of solid food. I have noticed however, that my body sometimes has a physical reaction to a food I like. For example, my co-worker last night was eating beans and rice, it looked and smelled phenomenal. Even though, I had been consuming my normal amount of juice my mouth began to water and my stomach began to growl. I have learned that drinking an adequate amount of water will cease any beginning signs of hunger during a juice fast.
5) How often are you drinking juice throughout the day?
I consume about 90 ounces of juice in total each day. I sip the drinks slowly throughout the day. If I am busy I will go no longer than 3 hours without having some juice. I also have been drinking about 70 ounces of water in between and about 24 ounces of tea in between as well.
I would be happy to answer any other questions!
That is all for now folks, time to get on with day 6!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tea Time!
In between juicing I have been drinking these two teas and I love them! They taste great and its nice to sip something warm. Almost as nice as a warm burrito bowl from chipotle...ok not quite but still satisfying!
Day 5!
Woah! I cannot believe I have made it to day 5! I am so proud of myself and I cannot believe how easy it has been for my body. I have barely felt any physical discomfort! I figured out that I am probably drinking about 90 ounces of juice a day in case anyone was wondering which seems to be the proper amount for my size. In a few minutes I must venture out into the rain storm to buy some more vegetables to juice for my night. I feel like this challenge has made me into a warrior.
Day 4: Mother nature's gift to women arrived yesterday which is important to mention because it usually brings moderate-severe pain with it. Pain so intense, I usually am forced to overdose myself on Extra Strength Excedrin and lay in bed for half of the day. I have called out of work and missed classes due to the pain. Yesterday however, when I felt it coming on, I researched fruit and vegetables that might ease the pain when juiced. I found out beets, apples, carrots strawberries, pineapple, and broccoli to be helpful so I loaded my drinks with them. Guess what?! I experienced MILD pain for about 45 minutes and then nothing the rest of the day or night! I kept thinking it was too good to be true and that any minute I would delve over in pain, but it never happened! I have a new found appreciation for fruit, vegetables, and this juicing challenge. I was prepared to take some Excedrin should I needed to but I did not need to. Never, have I ever been this pain free during this time of month. For any male readers this may be TMI but for the women out there who may be able to relate to what I disclosed, your quality of life can greatly improve during your time of month if you add some juiced drinks into your week with the right ingredients! I am sure that the absence of excessive salt and sugar, processed foods, and caffeine are also contributing factors.
My 90 ounces of drinks yesterday consisted of:
20 blue berries
20 grapes
10 blackberries
9 strawberries
1 handful of kale
4 cups of spinach
10 raspberries
1 orange
1 grapefruit
1 line
1 lemon
2 broccoli stalks
8 beets
2 squash
1 green pepper
15 carrots
5 pineapple chunks
1 kiwi
2 apples
1 pear
1 avocado
1 handful of cabbage
1 apricot
It was yummy! I enjoyed it, the fruit seems to overpower the taste of the veggies. I am going to look for different plants to add today when I go to the store.
Day 4: Mother nature's gift to women arrived yesterday which is important to mention because it usually brings moderate-severe pain with it. Pain so intense, I usually am forced to overdose myself on Extra Strength Excedrin and lay in bed for half of the day. I have called out of work and missed classes due to the pain. Yesterday however, when I felt it coming on, I researched fruit and vegetables that might ease the pain when juiced. I found out beets, apples, carrots strawberries, pineapple, and broccoli to be helpful so I loaded my drinks with them. Guess what?! I experienced MILD pain for about 45 minutes and then nothing the rest of the day or night! I kept thinking it was too good to be true and that any minute I would delve over in pain, but it never happened! I have a new found appreciation for fruit, vegetables, and this juicing challenge. I was prepared to take some Excedrin should I needed to but I did not need to. Never, have I ever been this pain free during this time of month. For any male readers this may be TMI but for the women out there who may be able to relate to what I disclosed, your quality of life can greatly improve during your time of month if you add some juiced drinks into your week with the right ingredients! I am sure that the absence of excessive salt and sugar, processed foods, and caffeine are also contributing factors.
My 90 ounces of drinks yesterday consisted of:
20 blue berries
20 grapes
10 blackberries
9 strawberries
1 handful of kale
4 cups of spinach
10 raspberries
1 orange
1 grapefruit
1 line
1 lemon
2 broccoli stalks
8 beets
2 squash
1 green pepper
15 carrots
5 pineapple chunks
1 kiwi
2 apples
1 pear
1 avocado
1 handful of cabbage
1 apricot
It was yummy! I enjoyed it, the fruit seems to overpower the taste of the veggies. I am going to look for different plants to add today when I go to the store.
More Plants
It is the end of day 4 and I am feeling good. I added some new plants to my drinks. I will disclose the entire ingredient list tomorrow along with how my day went. I have a lot to share but I am exhausted from a stressful night at work. Check back for a full entry tomorrow. Goodnight!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Day 2 & 3
Day 2 was not too bad, I made drinks that consisted of the same ingredients that I posted on day 1. My whole day and night went pretty smoothly. My co-worker was very supportive of me and even ate her dinner outside of the office we were sharing. My energy levels were good and no headaches, I felt pretty comfortable overall but I did continue to crave salty foods.
Day 3 has been MUCH more interesting!
I had forgotten that I had to work 1st shift today and did not have enough time to juice enough fruit and veggies for my 8 hour shift. I also was not able to juice when I returned home from work last night at 12:30 because it would have been too noisy. After only getting 5 hours of sleep before waking up at 6:00am I had no other choice but to supplement my day time drinks with store bought Bare Naked drinks. It was the purest juice I could find and it claimed to have no added sugar or preservatives in it but who really knows. I thought they tasted pretty good, and similar to the drinks I have been making myself which gave me some indication that they may have been as pure as they claimed. I expected to struggle through the day with relentless exhaustion as I usually do when I have to report to work for a 1st shift after completing a 2nd shift the night before. I even brought some green tea bags with me thinking it may be an acceptable desperate alternative to relapsing on sugary coffee. However, not only did I not need the green tea but my energy levels were completely adequate! I choose the word adequate because I didn't feel invigorated or super energetic, but I did have plenty of energy for the day, and did not yawn once! On days like today I am usually sucking down coffee, energy drinks, sugary snacks, and soda just to stay awake long enough to make it home at 4:30 where I then collapse into my bed for a long nap. I am still shocked that I have gotten through this day without any caffeine. I am truly beginning to understand the power of fruit and vegetables and how badly my body needed this detox.
So, my day went great but my night has been a little less smooth. I came home and made my last evening meal in my juicer which consisted of:
8 grapes
8 black berries
8 grape tomatoes
4 celery ribs
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow squash
and right when I went to add my 1 apircot...BOOM, I hear a loud awful noise, and immediately begin to smell something akin to burning rubber. I quickly turn off the juicer, wait until the blades stop spinning, and remove the top only to discover that a huge chunk of the plastic shoot had broken off and was starting to grind up in the blades! 3 days of hardcore juicing and the thing broke on me! I was still able to consume my drink....thank goodness. Afterward, I washed the machine, packed everything up, and went to Best Buy to return it. They gave me a hard time despite having purchased the product replacement plan, which supposedly does not include "accidental damage". After speaking with 3 different employees I was finally able to get them to replace it but was not allowed to just completely return it.
I will definitely not be recommending the juicer that I have now to anyone I know, clearly it is not capable of handling any juicing challenge, but I am stuck with it for the time being. You know who is capable of handling juicing challenge? ME! I am proud of myself for overcoming the obsticles I faced today and sticking with the challenge. When I realized I didn't have enough time to prepare drinks for my shift at work today I thought about stopping for an egg and cheese on an english muffin at dunkin donuts for breakfast, and ordering cheese pizza at lunch with my co-workers. When the machine first broke, I thought to myself..."F it, let me just go get some fries". Both times though, I stopped myself and told myself I had already come too far. I refuse to be somebody who stops when the going gets tough, I am the one who keeps going dammit! I am a resourceful and resilient women, who will stop at nothing to get to day 4!
Day 3 has been MUCH more interesting!
I had forgotten that I had to work 1st shift today and did not have enough time to juice enough fruit and veggies for my 8 hour shift. I also was not able to juice when I returned home from work last night at 12:30 because it would have been too noisy. After only getting 5 hours of sleep before waking up at 6:00am I had no other choice but to supplement my day time drinks with store bought Bare Naked drinks. It was the purest juice I could find and it claimed to have no added sugar or preservatives in it but who really knows. I thought they tasted pretty good, and similar to the drinks I have been making myself which gave me some indication that they may have been as pure as they claimed. I expected to struggle through the day with relentless exhaustion as I usually do when I have to report to work for a 1st shift after completing a 2nd shift the night before. I even brought some green tea bags with me thinking it may be an acceptable desperate alternative to relapsing on sugary coffee. However, not only did I not need the green tea but my energy levels were completely adequate! I choose the word adequate because I didn't feel invigorated or super energetic, but I did have plenty of energy for the day, and did not yawn once! On days like today I am usually sucking down coffee, energy drinks, sugary snacks, and soda just to stay awake long enough to make it home at 4:30 where I then collapse into my bed for a long nap. I am still shocked that I have gotten through this day without any caffeine. I am truly beginning to understand the power of fruit and vegetables and how badly my body needed this detox.
So, my day went great but my night has been a little less smooth. I came home and made my last evening meal in my juicer which consisted of:
8 grapes
8 black berries
8 grape tomatoes
4 celery ribs
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow squash
and right when I went to add my 1 apircot...BOOM, I hear a loud awful noise, and immediately begin to smell something akin to burning rubber. I quickly turn off the juicer, wait until the blades stop spinning, and remove the top only to discover that a huge chunk of the plastic shoot had broken off and was starting to grind up in the blades! 3 days of hardcore juicing and the thing broke on me! I was still able to consume my drink....thank goodness. Afterward, I washed the machine, packed everything up, and went to Best Buy to return it. They gave me a hard time despite having purchased the product replacement plan, which supposedly does not include "accidental damage". After speaking with 3 different employees I was finally able to get them to replace it but was not allowed to just completely return it.
I will definitely not be recommending the juicer that I have now to anyone I know, clearly it is not capable of handling any juicing challenge, but I am stuck with it for the time being. You know who is capable of handling juicing challenge? ME! I am proud of myself for overcoming the obsticles I faced today and sticking with the challenge. When I realized I didn't have enough time to prepare drinks for my shift at work today I thought about stopping for an egg and cheese on an english muffin at dunkin donuts for breakfast, and ordering cheese pizza at lunch with my co-workers. When the machine first broke, I thought to myself..."F it, let me just go get some fries". Both times though, I stopped myself and told myself I had already come too far. I refuse to be somebody who stops when the going gets tough, I am the one who keeps going dammit! I am a resourceful and resilient women, who will stop at nothing to get to day 4!
Monday, January 9, 2012
End of Day 1
I just arrived home from work and had to overcome a moment of weakness which almost ruined the whole challenge. I looked in my cabinet, which I suppose I did out of habit, and saw a bag of blue corn chips and thought to myself: "I went all day long, maybe I can just reward myself with a few chips." I just about reached for the bag until I stopped myself. After juicing all day, a few chips would have easily become the whole bag, and then I could see myself writing a new "Day 1" blog entry tomorrow. No! I will be strong! No salty processed food items for me! FEW, that was close.
Other than that, my day went pretty smooth. I expected to feel like I was starving myself but I actually felt comfortably full all day long. I brought a 64oz jug of juiced veggies and fruit to work tonight which is what I drank, and I even brought a back up 16oz of juice in a separate bottle that I didn't end up needing. The 64oz consisted of:
4 broccoli stalks
10 celery ribs
20 grapes
20 blue berries
3 pineapple slices
7 beets
2/3 grapefruit
1 orange
2 lemon
1 lime
6 grape tomatoes
1 hand full of parsley
1 cup of spinach
4 asparagus stalks
1 apple
1/2 mango
2 kiwis
2 nectarines
10 baby carrots
The hardest part of the day was craving salty foods. I dealt with the cravings by:
*Distracting myself
*Reminding myself of the purpose of the challenge
*Posting and reading posts from community members on Reboot Your Life which is a website dedicated to people who decide to try juicing diets after seeing the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.
*Physically moving myself...getting up from my seat and taking a walk
All of the above seemed to work!
The scary thing is I think after tomorrow I may already run out of all my fruit and vegetables. I may have severely underestimated the cost of this challenge. I suppose the money I am saving on no longer buying fast food, going out to eat to restaurants, and purchasing fancy lattes will balance it out. On the up side, I am already looking forward to adding different types of plants to my juices!
Other than that, my day went pretty smooth. I expected to feel like I was starving myself but I actually felt comfortably full all day long. I brought a 64oz jug of juiced veggies and fruit to work tonight which is what I drank, and I even brought a back up 16oz of juice in a separate bottle that I didn't end up needing. The 64oz consisted of:
4 broccoli stalks
10 celery ribs
20 grapes
20 blue berries
3 pineapple slices
7 beets
2/3 grapefruit
1 orange
2 lemon
1 lime
6 grape tomatoes
1 hand full of parsley
1 cup of spinach
4 asparagus stalks
1 apple
1/2 mango
2 kiwis
2 nectarines
10 baby carrots
The hardest part of the day was craving salty foods. I dealt with the cravings by:
*Distracting myself
*Reminding myself of the purpose of the challenge
*Posting and reading posts from community members on Reboot Your Life which is a website dedicated to people who decide to try juicing diets after seeing the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.
*Physically moving myself...getting up from my seat and taking a walk
All of the above seemed to work!
The scary thing is I think after tomorrow I may already run out of all my fruit and vegetables. I may have severely underestimated the cost of this challenge. I suppose the money I am saving on no longer buying fast food, going out to eat to restaurants, and purchasing fancy lattes will balance it out. On the up side, I am already looking forward to adding different types of plants to my juices!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Day 1...for real
Despite what my previous post says, today is actually my first day for the juicing challenge. Due to poor planning I was unable to safely make yesterday my first juicing day. It is important for me to make sure that I am able to juice or at least drink a previously prepared juice every 3-4 hours in order to stay healthy and sane. Going longer than that time without drinking a juice would cause me to become overly hungry, crave fatty and salty foods, become irritable, dizzy, fatigued, and maybe even nauseous. These are no good, and yesterday I found myself out of the house and unable to get home to prepare a juice for hours, so I decided to eat and try again today.
I now understand that it is going to be important that I communicate this need to people in my life over the next 7 days, or make sure I have pre-made enough drinks to last throughout the day if I decide to leave my home for an undetermined amount of time. Lesson learned! As far as pre-made drinks are concerned, I am going to have no choice but to make a few everyday for work but while I am home I think it is important to drink as many freshly made drinks as possible. Some of the fruits and vegetables I am using loose a lot of their vital nutrients after being exposed to oxygen if they are not consumed right away.
Today's morning drink consisted of:
4 grape tomatoes
1 cup spinach
2 celery ribs
3 beets
4 strawberries
8 blueberries
1 kiwi
1/2 Cucumber
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
5 grapes
1 pineapple slice
5 baby carrots
Taste: I can mostly taste the orange and the lemon in this one, I find it refreshing. I have noticed with some of my other drinks that if I use more beets it adds a spicy kick to the drink.
Fun Facts:
*Beets are great for detoxing the liver
*Pineapple acts as a natural muscle relaxant and is especially helpful for women who suffer from severe menstrual cramps
*Celery is a good source of vegetable protein
I will post again tonight or early tomorrow morning to reveal how my first day went!
I now understand that it is going to be important that I communicate this need to people in my life over the next 7 days, or make sure I have pre-made enough drinks to last throughout the day if I decide to leave my home for an undetermined amount of time. Lesson learned! As far as pre-made drinks are concerned, I am going to have no choice but to make a few everyday for work but while I am home I think it is important to drink as many freshly made drinks as possible. Some of the fruits and vegetables I am using loose a lot of their vital nutrients after being exposed to oxygen if they are not consumed right away.
Today's morning drink consisted of:
4 grape tomatoes
1 cup spinach
2 celery ribs
3 beets
4 strawberries
8 blueberries
1 kiwi
1/2 Cucumber
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
5 grapes
1 pineapple slice
5 baby carrots
Taste: I can mostly taste the orange and the lemon in this one, I find it refreshing. I have noticed with some of my other drinks that if I use more beets it adds a spicy kick to the drink.
Fun Facts:
*Beets are great for detoxing the liver
*Pineapple acts as a natural muscle relaxant and is especially helpful for women who suffer from severe menstrual cramps
*Celery is a good source of vegetable protein
I will post again tonight or early tomorrow morning to reveal how my first day went!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
And The Juicing Begins!
Slept in late as always, woke up at 11:00am and made my first juice of the day which consisted of:
3 beets
9 blueberries
1/2 mango
3 celery ribs
3 blackberries
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
2 cups of spinach
5 strawberries
6 baby carrots
I am already out of most of my fruit and vegetables from the breakfast drinks I have been making all week, so my guess is I am going to be visiting the grocery store quite often throughout this juicing challenge. I was pretty unsuccessful at cutting down my cheese and sugar consumption, but managed to cut down significantly on my caffeine intake. Now, I am off of these things cold turkey and we'll see how it goes!
The 7 day juicing challenge begins now!
I am feeling excited and strong!
I will post more later!
3 beets
9 blueberries
1/2 mango
3 celery ribs
3 blackberries
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
2 cups of spinach
5 strawberries
6 baby carrots
I am already out of most of my fruit and vegetables from the breakfast drinks I have been making all week, so my guess is I am going to be visiting the grocery store quite often throughout this juicing challenge. I was pretty unsuccessful at cutting down my cheese and sugar consumption, but managed to cut down significantly on my caffeine intake. Now, I am off of these things cold turkey and we'll see how it goes!
The 7 day juicing challenge begins now!
I am feeling excited and strong!
I will post more later!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Preperation
So for the past 7 days I have been starting off my mornings with a juiced drink. I do not use any type of recipe, I have just been throwing every fruit and vegetable in my fridge into the juicer. For example, this morning I made a drink that consisted of:
1/2 cup of spinach
3 beets
1 kiwi
1/2 orange
4 cherries
1/3 pear
6 baby carrots
3 celery stalks
10 blueberries
4 blackberries
4 grape tomatoes
4 strawberries
3 pineapple slices
I find that no matter what I throw into the juicer, the flavor of the orange and the celery seem to overpower the rest of the ingredients. I am happy about this because I find the two flavors to be very refreshing. I also want to add that I have been letting my juiced creations chill in the freezer for 10 minutes before I drink them.
After skimming over the many juicing recipes I found online and in some books, I have decided that they are insufficient for a juice-only diet. Not all vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are found in just one or two plants, it takes consuming a combination of many different fruits and vegetables to achieve adequate nutrition. Knowing this, I do not believe it would be wise or healthy to limit my drinks to ingredients that only consisted of three or four plants which is what I came across when I searched for juicing recipes. That being said, I will post all of my custom made recipes on this blog daily when I begin my juicing diet but understand that they will be much more complex then what is commonly found.
So far, I have noticed a surge of energy after consuming my morning drinks, something comparable to a morning caffeine buzz. It has completely replaced my morning cup of coffee but I have been drinking half-1 cup of coffee later in the day. I am betting that when I am drinking juice all day long I won't even miss it. I have drastically cut down my soda consumption and have only had about 4 glasses over the past 7 days.
As for sugar, I have cut down significantly as long as you do not count this past weekend where I kind of went chocolate happy on Monday night while watching a movie. As for cheese? I have been completely unsuccessful at cutting down and may have even increased my cheese consumption over the past 7 days if that is possible! I still have a few more days to go until I begin the juice-only challenge so lets hope I can cut down or else I may be at risk for going into shock over absence of cheese when I begin.
That's it for now folks,
Questions or comments are always welcomed!
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