Fully Juiced!

Fully Juiced!

Friday, April 13, 2012

My Husband Asked, "So are we officially Hippies now?"

It's been nine months since my husband and I started juicing after watching the inspiring documentary, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (watch it here in the US for FREE, by the way: www.jointhereboot.com    :D ), but it seems like we have always juiced and embraced the lifestyle we have now.  It's hard to believe that a year ago we were eating NOTHING organic, drinking diet sodas daily, imbibing in a meat-focused diet, and shopping for the cheapest deals at the supermarket rather than the most healthful choices.

We thought we were doing well by most American standards (and we probably were, sadly, since the typical American eating standard is so low), but we were not.  With cancer rates rising (statistically every 1 in 8 Americans will get it these days, I just read online), autism and ADD sky-rocketing in our children, Diabetes out of control in the US, you MUST see now that the chemicals/genetic modifications and treatment of commercial foods and meats in America HAS to be the cause of all of this madness.

So, nine months ago we started juicing thinking that it couldn't hurt to drink our vegetables once a day and do a juice fast "reboot" every few months.  We underestimated the truth that knowledge is power, and didn't realize that once we knew better we would be compelled to DO BETTER in every area of our lives not just our eating habits.

Basically, the way it's gone down is that juicing eventually led to shopping 100% organically and locally-as much as possible, shunning commercial products, reading all food labels like an inspector, raising our own organically-fed chickens for healthful eggs, purchasing local organic long-horn beef and limiting our meat consumption to maybe 2 times a week!  We have also expanded our 20' x 30' in-ground vegetable garden to include "gutter gardens" on our deck, sprouts/wheat grass/ celery growing on our window sills and more in our greenhouse...just recently my husband has been looking into hydroponics to raise tilapia in our old hot tub !!   We are considering solar energy conversion, and use electricity and gas "consciously" now.  Our ultimate goal is to get off the grid so to speak, and be totally self-sustainable one day.  And to think, only a year ago we were...well, the exact opposite.  I'm embarrassed to say that there were times we dismissed people like we are now, as radical, or just someone trying to be "trendy". Wow, how wrong we were.  Humility is the beginning of wisdom, and humbled were we!

Survivalists? Nope :)  Hippies? I'm not sure about that; but what I do know is that eating/living as close to how God created us to- by being good stewards of our bodies and the earth at the same time- just feels right.  But not only does it "feel" right, the proof that it IS right is that our bodies have healed themselves through healthful food choices of all the maladies we had a year ago.  If making good choices makes us hippies, then bring it on!!

My Jack LaLanne juicer is used every single day, and has been for 9 months.  It is still plugging along, and for under $100 it is definitely sufficient.  We are saving our pennies for a masticating juicer when this one dies, however.  They say that masticating juicers last forever and are a lot more efficient in extracting all available juice and micronutrients from produce.  Apparently, even livestock will not eat the pulp left after it has gone through a masticating juicer because there are relatively no nutrients left...just the fiber remains. Hmmm...no wonder they cost so much !!


My "hippie" breakfast this morning consisted of a slice of Julian Bakery's organic lo-carb/protein-rich toast with FAGE nonfat Greek yogurt on top (sweetened just a little with stevia and sprinkled with cinnamon), organic decaf coffee with a splash of organic milk, and of course my GREEN JUICE :) Yum.  Protein= 22 gms (I'm guessing since the kale and collards in my juice have at least 2 gms, probably more!)...the bread has 12 gms, and the 1/2 c. yogurt has 8 gms.
                                                  Hippie Breakfast of Champions

That's wheat grass on the side there.  Sometimes I put it in my juice, other times I just cut off a handful and chew it up to get the juice out.  Note: don't swallow the fiber left after chewing, just spit it out when you are done.
In my Green Juice today:
3 Kale leaves
4 Stalks of celery
3 Carrots
1  Handful of cilantro
5 Small leaves of Collard Greens
1 Lemon
1 Thumbnail size piece of ginger
2 Apples
1/2 c. Chilled herb tea (run through the juicer at the end to "gather up" any trace nutrients left behind and to add fluid/volume)
* this makes 48 ounces that my husband and I share throughout the day

Some last thoughts:

I love my husband's sense of humor.  He uses it to quell the naysayers at work who look at his quinoa salad, organic peanut butter sandwich and apple in his lunch and say, "You know that organic crap will bankrupt you!"   He retorts, "Well, maybe so, but colon cancer is just a bit more expensive (*wink)."  Usually later, in secret back by the water cooler, one of his co-workers nudges him and asks what he puts in "that salad" anyway?  He loves that he is inspiring others, even if it is a bit clandestine.


There is a sweeping culture-shift starting to swell in America...finally!  It's gaining momentum as many in their late teens and 20's are shunning the eating patterns they were raised with in favor of healthy choices, whole foods, and clean living.  Those of us older than that are choosing better options because we see how they make a difference in our health and stamina. Whatever the reason, it's time...time to choose health over marketing, well-being over commercialism, and clean foods over chemically-sprayed genetically modified versions that are designed for shelf life, not human life.


If you haven't already, join us : jump on the bandwagon and begin today!  To read about my juice fast, and resulting blood and medical tests that revealed a total-health-transformation...click on the archive links at the right, or use this link and scroll to "Day 1" in August:     My Juice Fast/ Reboot

Here are some great movie suggestions for you if you are serious about understanding and becoming inspired to be healthy : starting now :)  Most, if not all, are on Netflix:
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
The Vanishing Bees
Forks Over Knives
Food Matters
Food, Inc.
King Corn

As Joe Cross says, "Juice on!"

4 comments:

  1. Hi Karen, I found your blog through the Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead FB page. Love it! Waiting for my order of veggies to come in (got to plan ahead in Alaska) to start my juicing. Thanks for the blog. I've watched most of the movies on your list...will have to check out the Vanishing Bees for sure. Cheers and Juice on!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Holli!! Best of all good wishes to your for you juicing journey :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,

    I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could e-mail me?

    Jillian

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sure,Jillian, send me your question via the contact form on my website: AllThatJazzDanceStudio.com. I am the only one who reads our contact mail and would be happy to answer whatever I can :)
    Karen

    ReplyDelete