Operation: Eat With Your Straw...Say Whatttt?!

A Feast on Fasting...

I'm Hungry! Kendie Want NOM! NOM! NOM!

The Diva Half-Marathon is this upcoming weekend! YAYYY!! And I thought, perfect time to bust out my new seasonal tradition, the ol' Juice Fast! Taaa Daaaa!! Juice fasting cleanses, heals, and repairs our body. It leaves behind a surplus of energy that'll have you kicking your next workout in the face...Go Team!

It's important to give your body a seasonal reboot in order to rid toxins, rejuvenate, and heal any impurities or problematic areas.When we juice, a megadose of micronutrients enter our bloodstream quickly due to the lack of digestion needed. Our body becomes saturated with trace minerals and vitamins...and basically, you turn into The Incredible Hulk! By maintaining healthy micronutrient levels, you will keep your body strong, control blood sugar levels, fight aging (yes!), and become less prone to illness and disease. Check out the Facts!

Now what am I supposed to do??

Haven't tried juicing or juice fasting before?! Spring is a perfect time to begin your fast as it symbolizes rebirth and renewal. On another note, the large amount of fruits and veggies required to fast are readily available and a whole lot cheaper. NO excuses! I am still pretty new to the whole juicing concept and fasting, but I love it! I tend to fast anywhere from 2-6 days depending on the amount of willpower, time, and need. For instance, I suggest 2-3 days when you're in need of a quick body reboot, energy-level increase, or upcoming fitness event. I recommend 3-7 days for a massive body cleanse. 

Juice Fasting produced a surprising amount of energy. I run without any problems and feel great! Keep in mind, your body is working at maximum efficiency, because the breakdown and storage of food is not stealing your energy. By consuming only fruits and vegetable juices, with no solid foods, our body is able to focus its energy solely on cleansing and healing. The energy usually required for our digestive system to breakdown food, process, store nutrients, and produce waste is no longer needed. Our body's natural defense system uses the surplus of energy and powerful micronutrients to free our body of toxins and impurities that weigh us down, allowing us to maintain health and restore our health.

Just in Case...

If your body is storing a lot of toxins, you may experience headaches or waves of nausea which will pass as the toxins leave your body. If you are taking any medication, you may need to contact a Holistic Doctor or take your medications with a solid fruit or vegetable. I suggest eating bananas to maintain sugar levels during intense workouts and long fasts. And remember, you MUST drink a lot of distilled water during your fast to aid in flushing out toxins. Listen to your body! You know yourself better than anybody else. If you feel very ill, eat and try again...don't give up, there's always next time!

The Spring Fast...

My brand new roomie decided to join me, this being her very first fast. It's nice to have a buddy to keep your head on straight and motivate. We decided on a quick 2 day fast, and I gotta' say, it went really well for us both! This time, I didn't have any headaches or sickness which was awesome. I felt great, energized, and ran both days. My roomie did a great job and absolutely loved it, having just a little bit of a nausea but nothing too bad. Newbies can do this too, mind over matter! Our fast was a success, giving us a nice body reboot and courage to kick-off bathing suit season! It's comin' ladies and gents, whether we like it or not!

Gimme Yo Recipes...

During the fast, you will consume a massive amount of organic fruits and veggies. I have provided some recipes to help gain an idea of how much juice I drink. For breakfast, I consume a full small Mason jar of juice. For lunch and dinner, I consume 2 small Mason jars or one large jar of juice. I will have a small Mason jar of juice for a snack.

This is an example of a lunch or dinner portion. If you look closely, you can see that I have divided the fruits and veggies. I made 2 separate small Mason jars of juice from the photo below. So, half of the produce would be enough for one breakfast jar.

A Lunch or Dinner Recipe #1
Cut in half for a Breakfast or Snack Portion

• 2 Lemons
• 1/2-3/4 Bundle of Kale
• 3/4 Container of Strawberries with tops
• 2 Apples- Red or Green
• 1 Cucumber or 2 Baby Cucumbers
• One Bundle of Carrots or Rainbow Carrots with the greens
• 3 Radishes

And Voila...

Tip: To avoid breaking down the micronutrients, eliminate oxygen exposure by filling your juice to the brim of your Mason Jar. If you do not have enough juice, fill up your jar to the top with distilled water to avoid exposure.

A Lunch or Dinner Recipe #2
Cut in half for a Breakfast or Snack Portion

• 2 Green Apples
• One Bundle of Kale
• One Bunch of Carrots or Rainbow Carrots with greens
• 3/4-1 Container of Strawberries
• 3 Oranges
• One Cucumber or 2 Baby Cucumbers
• One Lemon
• 3 Radishes

And Voila...

A Lunch or Dinner Recipe #3
Super Tasty, love this one!

• 2 Large Cucumbers or 4 Baby Cucumbers
• 1 Bundle of Carrots or Rainbow Carrots with greens
• 2 Green Apples
• 3/4 Container of Strawberries with tops
• 1/4 Bundle of Kale

Breakfast and Snack Recipe #1

• Half of a Bundle of Carrots or Rainbow Carrots
• One Cucumber or 2 Baby Cucumbers
• One Container of Blueberries or Strawberries
• Half of a Bundle of Kale 
• One Apple

Breakfast and Snack Recipe #2

• Half of a Bundle of Kale
• 1 Apple
• 1 Kiwi
• One Cucumber

Breakfast and Snack Recipe #3

• Half of a Cantaloupe 
• Half of a container of Berries
• Half of a bundle of Carrots 
• One Cucumber

That should do the trick, Ladies and Gentlemen! 

Happy Juicing!

Missed my first Juice Blog?? Don't ever do that again! 

Juicin'...Ya, I said it!!

Juice Fasting...
What's This Tom Foolery??

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead is a documentary discussing juice fasting and consumption. It focuses on its ability to maintain personal health and energy levels while curing and detoxifying the human body from a variety of illnesses, cancers, auto-immune deficiencies, skin disorders, obesity, diabetes, blood regulating, and the list goes on...if you haven't seen this documentary, it's a must!! You can find it on Netflix under the documentary section!

Gettin' My Fast On...

I recently completed my very first almost week juice fast...I say almost, because I made it to Day 6 of the juice fast a little shy of my initial goal. During my fast, I was able to run a 4-6M a day, woke-up 2 hours earlier than my alarm with crazy amounts of energy, did NOT experience any hunger pains or problems...it was mind-blowing, and I felt great!

My parents are both overweight and also participated in the fast completing all 7 days without any problems. They worked out every day via running and water aerobics and continue to juice, in hopes of regulating weight, lowering blood pressure, and asthma...check back for progress!! I usually juice at least once a day, because I love the instant and noticeable affects it has on my body. I am definitely incorporating juicing into my health regiment and am so glad I found this lil gem!

An Example of a Breakfast Juice...it's Nuts!

• 3/4s Half of a Watermelon
• One Cucumber
• One Peach or an Orange
• 1-2 Beets
• Half a Pint of Raspberries
• 2-3 Carrots or 2 Oranges

The "Green Machine"

• 1/2-3/4s Bunch of Kale
• 2 Cups of Spinach
• 2-3 Green Apples
• 1-2 Kiwis
• 2 Cups of Green Grapes
• 1.5-2 Cucumbers
• One Lemon
• Little piece of Ginger (optional)

Marcie, my little sis, juicing at The Healthy Home Market...Green Apples, Ginger, and Lemons

An Example of My Dinner

 

The Ingredients: 

One Green Apple, One Cucumber, 4 Carrots, 2 Cups of Mixed Greens, Half of a Cantaloupe

And Voila...look at all of the frothy goodness...tastes delicious!!!!!

Soooo, uhhh...what is juicing?!

You may be asking yourself, what's this crazy mumbo jumbo you speak of?! Juicing is a way to consume megadoses of micronutrients absorbed directly through your bloodstream causing a massive opportunity to detoxify, cleanse, cure, and maintain a healthy weight, energy-levels, and general wellness through freshly made, unprocessed, and unrefined fruit and vegetable juices. I recommend this Juicer which has been purchased for myself, younger sister, older brother, and mom! 

Juicing Tips:

1. Reduce Juicing Costs: Purchase Fruits and Vegetables from your local farmer's markets, farm exchange programs, and by choosing produce in season and full of water (watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, carrots, apples, and honeydew).

Charlotte Local Markets: Atherton Mills, The Healthy Home Market, Kings Drive Farmer's Market, Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market, and I haven't checked Absolute Organics yet, but they provide a Charlotte delivery service free of charge consisting of organic local seasonal produce baskets, and I will register next week.

2. Prepare: In order to retain freshness and save time, cut, and prepare all of your produce and proceed to juice. Do NOT overload your machine to ensure pulp is minimal.

3. Cut Down Oxidization: when fruits and vegetables are cut or juiced, the process exposes your produce to Oxygen causing the micronutrients to begin breaking down which loses its quality. You may store your juice in a Mason Jar to ensure freshness for ONLY up to 24 Hours; however, it is recommended to consume immediately. The process of oxidation breaks down the nutrients and wastes all of the precious nutrients you are trying to absorb. When storing your juice, fill it to the brim of your jar to reduce oxygen exposure, and refrigerate.

4. Organic: You must use organic produce to reduce pesticides, GMOs, and harsh chemicals which will instantly reach your bloodstream and may make you sick. Keep in mind, the process of juicing bypasses your digestive system (minimally uses it) and in order to keep toxins from entering our body, it is important to purchase produce without harmful chemicals, because it will not be able to filter them.

 Tip: if you can't purchase organic produce, rinse your fruits and vegetables with a brush and/or soak (bowl of distilled water with 2-4 drops of 35% Food Grade H2O2 for 3-5mins). Food Grade 35% H2O2 has NO Stabilizers and will breakdown chemicals and cleanse.

5. Can't Do a Week?? Try a 3-day Quick Fast or switch out meals!

Don't forget, you are what you eat!  and read this article and maybe even the study?!

And, why not another while you're at it?? 

My Red Juice Recipe

Red Juice Recipe:
2-3 Small Beets
5 Large Carrots
A bundle of Kale
2 Red Apples
1/2-1 Container of Strawberries or Raspberries
1-2 Oranges
1 Lemon (optional if only one orange is used)
1 Peach (optional)

Fruits and Veggies Come to Mama!