My First Convert

Recently I was at a friend's place and we watched "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead." I had told my friend about juicing previously, but he never seemed interested one bit. But after watching the movie juicing was all he wanted to talk about. He was loaded with questions and wanted to start juicing right away. So for this podcast I decided to sit down with him and ask him a few basic questions about the movie, and his newfound interest in juicing. Check it out below.



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Juicing Slideshow

Below are a few pictures that I've taken while juicing throughout the last few months.

Juice Stop

I don't think I've made any fresh fruit or vegetable juice for over a couple weeks. I've been busy getting caught up in my classes and juicing just hasn't been a top priority for me as of late. Fortunately, just because I haven't made my own fresh fruit or vegetable juice doesn't mean I'm not getting any fruit or veggies in my diet. I like to eat salads, big salads, every chance I get. I also like to go to Juice Stop when I'm on the run. There are two different locations here in town. One in the Fairlawn Shopping Plaza at 21st and Fairlawn, and there's also the Juice Stop Cafe in the Brookwood Shopping Center at 29th and Randolph. Anyways, I'll stop in, grab a smoothie (Hawaiian Hula is my favorite), and sometimes a pretzel. Whenever I'm at the 21st and Fairlawn location I also like to get a shot of wheatgrass juice (the other location used to offer it also, but I heard their juicer broke). There's a sign at Juice Stop which claims that one, one ounce shot of wheatgrass juice is equal to consuming two pounds of raw vegetables. I have no idea if that's true or not but a claim like that leads me to believe that a shot of the stuff probably won't hurt any. So if you're pressed for time and on that side of town then stop in and try it for yourself.



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Juicing Remedies For Stomach Ulcers

I recently posted about a book that came with my juicer called "Juice Alive: The Ultimate Guide to Juicing Remedies." The book has many remedies for many different health disorders. My last post focused on colitis, so I wanted to follow that post up with some information and remedies for stomach ulcers. In this post I'm going to give the information and juicing remedies that the book lists for stomach ulcers on page 231. 

Stomach Ulcers

Stomach ulcers are characterized by inflammation in the stomach, which can cause stomach pain (especially after eating and when lying down) and burning sensations in the stomach. In some cases, stomach ulcers can also result in stomach bleeding. Once thought to be primarily due to stress, since the 1990s it has been recognized that over 90 percent of all cases of stomach ulcer are caused by an overabundance of a type of bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which some researchers now speculate can also cause stomach cancer. (However, recent research indicates that H. pylori can be a normal flora without causing ulcerations. Some researchers are now suggesting that H. pylori  appears to thrive on ulcerated tissues and may not be causative.) Food allergies and the overuse of pharmaceutical drugs, especially aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's), as well as steroids and other types of pain relievers, can also cause stomach ulcers. 

A related type of ulcer is duodenal ulcer, which affects the duodenum, the upper region of the small intestine, which is connected to the stomach by an organ known as the pylorus. Duodenal ulcers are caused by the same factors that cause stomach ulcers, including H. pylori infection.

The following juices can both relieve ulcer symptoms and help the body eliminate H. pylori infection

Juicing Recipies

• Combine 1-2 ounces wheatgrass juice in 8-16 ounces green juices (any combination of green vegetables).
• Juice 3 medium carrots, 1/4 head cabbage, 1/2 medium cucumber, and 1 garlic clove. Makes 14 ounces. Consume once daily.
• Raw potato juice can be added to carrot and celery. Consume 6 ounces twice daily.
• For duodenal ulcers. Drink raw cabbage juice throughout the day (can be mixed with carrot or celery). Consume 6 ounces three times daily. 

Juicing Remedies For Colitis

I recently posted about a book that came with my juicer called "Juice Alive: The Ultimate Guide to Juicing Remedies." The book has many remedies for many different health disorders. In this post I'm going to give some information and juicing recipes that are listed in the book as remedies for colitis.

Note: The following is taken directly from the 2nd edition printing of the book, as it appears on page 173.

Colitis

Colitis is a condition of the colon that is characterized by inflammation, as well as abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence and, in some cases fever. It is primarily caused by lack of fiber in the diet, poor eating habits, poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, and food allergies. The following juices can be helpful for reversing and preventing colitis. 

Juicing Recipes

• Juice 3 medium carrots, 1/4 head cabbage, 1-2 garlic cloves, and 2 celery stalks. Makes 16 ounces. Consume once daily
• Juice 1/4 head cabbage, 1 medium papaya, 2-3 medium carrots, and add 2 ounces wheatgrass juice. Makes 20 ounces. Consume once daily.
• Juice 1/2 small head cabbage, 8 ounces broccoli, and 1/2 medium beet. Makes 8 ounces. Consume one to three times daily.
• Juice 8 ounces blueberries, 1/2 medium papaya, and 1 medium apple. Makes 10 ounces. Consume once to twice daily. 

Healthy Twist

• Drink juice of 1/2 medium lemon with warm water each morning, followed by carrot and apple or carrot, beet, and cucumber juice (8 ounces).
• Aloe vera added to the above juices, or to 8 ounces of filtered water, can also be helpful.

Consideration

• Avoid citrus juices. 

Juicing Remedy For Headaches

I recently posted about a book that came with my juicer called "Juice Alive: The Ultimate Guide to Juicing Remedies." The book has many remedies for many different health disorders. In this post I'm going to give a few  recipes that are listed in the book as remedies for headaches/migraines as well as the information about headaches and migraines that the book provides. 

Note: The following is taken directly from the 2nd edition printing of the book, as it appears on page 192. 

Headaches

Headaches rank among the most common of all health conditions, affecting nearly everyone at least once in their lives. In most cases, headaches are temporary, but in others, they can prove debilitating, depending on their type. Migraine headache is an example of this latter type of headache, as are headaches that continually recur or persist for long periods of time. Such headaches should be attended to by a physician, as should all cases of headaches that are accompanied by blurring vision, convulsions, dizziness, fever, and head trauma. 

There are many potential causes of headaches. These include physical factors, such as spinal misalignments, muscle spasms and muscle tension, and physical trauma or injury. Other potential causes of headache include allergies, constipation, poor diet, poor digestion, hormonal imbalances, infections and nutritional deficiencies. Juicing can often prove beneficial for headaches caused by this second class of factors due to the abundant supply of nutrients juices contain. 

Juicing Recipes

• Juice 4 medium carrots and 4 celery stalks. Makes 14 ounces. Consume once to twice daily.
• Juice 3 medium carrots, 1/2 medium beet, 1 medium cucumber, and 1/4 bunch parsley. Makes 14 ounces. Consume once to twice daily.
• Juice 3 medium carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1/4 bunch spinach, 1/4 bunch parsley, and 1/4 head lettuce. Makes 16 ounces. Consume once daily.
• Juice 1/2 medium papaya, 6 ounces cantaloupe, and add 1 tablespoon noni juice. Makes 8 ounces. Consume once to twice daily.

Juicing Remedy For Better Sleep

I recently posted about a book that came with my juicer called "Juice Alive: The Ultimate Guide to Juicing Remedies." The book has many remedies for many different health disorders. In this post I'm going to give a few different recipes that are stated in the book to help people who have insomnia (I'm one of these people,) I'll also share the information on insomnia that the book provides.

Note: The following is taken directly from the 2nd edition printing of the book, as it appears on pages 202 and 203.

Insomnia
Of all sleep disorders that affect Americans, the most common is insomnia. According to sleep experts, nearly 60 percent of all adults in the United States suffer from some form of insomnia at least once a week. There are three types of insomnia. The most common form is characterized by a difficulty sleeping upon going to bed. This type is known as sleep-onset insomnia. Another type of insomnia, known as sleep-maintenance insomnia, is characterized by frequent awakenings during the night, with difficulty falling back to sleep each time. The third type of insomnia, known as early-wakening insomnia, occurs when people wake after only a few hours of sleep and are unable to return to sleep. All three forms of insomnia leave people feeling tired and exhausted throughout the day.

There are many factors that can cause insomnia, including psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, unresolved emotional upsets, and chronic stress. Other factors include poor sleeping habits, unhealthy diets, habitually eating late in the evening, poor nutrition, and hormonal imbalances, especially a lack of hormone melatonin. Juicing can help to correct dietary and nutritional factors that contribute to insomnia. Because juicing can also enhance the overall health of the endocrine system, which is responsible for hormone production and regulation, regularly drinking juices can help alleviate hormonal imbalances, which may contribute to insomnia. Such juices include the following.

Juicing Recipes

• Juice 3 medium carrots, 1-2 celery stalks, and 1/2 head lettuce.

Makes 12 ounces. Consume one hour before bed.

• Coconut milk with passionflower fruit (equal parts).

Consume 8 ounces before bed.

• Juice 6 ounces cantaloupe, 4 ounces blueberries, and add 1 tablespoon noni juice.

Makes 4 ounces. Consume before bed.

(Note: I made the first recipe stated. It didn't taste very good, and it's hard to say whether or not it helped my insomnia any because I only tried it once. If I were to try another recipe for insomnia next then it'll probably be the last one, because it actually sounds tasty.)

Cleaning Your Juicer

This post probably could've been combined with my most recent one, but I decided to give the topic of cleaning juicers its own section because it's something that has been inquired about. Also, I'm sure that if many people were to say what the most frustrating thing about juicing is for them, then I'm guessing a pretty common response would be "cleaning the juicer." This is understandable. We've already been through the process of acquiring, prepping, and juicing our fruits and vegetables. Now we have a delicious, healthy, big glass of nutrients to drink, and there's nothing we'd rather do than sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of our labor, literally. There's just one thing, that big, dirty, juicer sitting in the kitchen staring back at us.

Much like the title of my last post, cleaning a juicer, takes some effort. The good thing is that a few tips can save a little time and make the cleaning process a little bit easier. All juicers are different, so the specific cleaning steps might vary some, depending on the juicer, but the basics are the same. I decided to do a little searching on the subject before writing the post, just to make sure there weren't any gems that I didn't already know about. I came across a video on cleaning a juicer, and was surprised to see that the juicer in the video appears to be the same juicer that I own. So, I figured instead of telling you my step by step guide to cleaning a juicer, I could just show you the video instead.

One thing I saw in the video that I haven't been doing was using a small pipe-cleaning brush to clean the pour spout on my juicer. I'll definitely start doing this because this is one area that I've noticed a bit of a build-up occurring.

I have just a couple of tips that the video doesn't mention: It's best to clean the juicer shortly after using it. I've made the mistake several times of waiting too long after making my juices to clean my juicer, and it's something I've always regretted, because it doesn't clean up near as easily. Another thing I usually do is put a plastic bag in the area that catches the pulp. That area is easy to clean, but it's even easier to simply take out the bag full of pulp and discard it without washing a thing (other than the rest of the machine.)

Here's the link to the video about cleaning a juicer. Unfortunately there's a 30 second ad that you're subjected to watching beforehand (man, I hate those things.)

Juicing Takes Effort

Like other household appliances, juicers can oftentimes be tucked away in cabinets and other hidden places, rarely seeing the light of day, forgotten, eventually put back in its box and into an attic or other storage place, waiting for the next garage sale or swap meet.

There's some good reason for this. Juicing can be a bit of work. You have to buy fruits and veggies (which are more expensive than many processed convenience foods,) clean them (some people go to great lengths to ensure their veggies are cleaned,) prep the fruits and veggies (cut off bad parts, peel some of them, take cores out of some, dice into manageable pieces depending on your juicer, etc.,) juice them (finally,) and then you have to clean the friggin' thing. That seems like an awful lot of work just to get some healthy fluids in your life. 

These are some of the reasons that I've gone days, weeks, even months on end without juicing. It's funny how much a person's opinion on the ease, or difficulty, of juicing can vary from one individual to another. I either hear some juice enthusiast talk about how easy it is and how it only takes a couple of minutes out of a persons day, or I hear someone who's new to juicing talk about it like it's the most difficult, frustrating part of their day. Really? My thoughts about it tend to be right in the middle. Juicing isn't really easy, and it isn't really hard, it's just, a process. A process that takes a little time, thought, and effort, much like many other activities in our lives. 

Excuse me here for getting a little deep and turning something like juicing into some sort of life lesson, but my best advice is to think positively about the whole situation and experience. If there's one thing I notice about myself it's that a certain mindset or way of thinking can make a big difference as to how I perceive something. The difference between a pleasing juicing experience and a stressful one is often something as small as our current frame of mind. Listen to your favorite music (for some reason I really like Bob Marley when I juice,) do it when nobody else is around, think about the positive effects it will have on your health, just do whatever you have to do to and think however you need to think to make the experience as positive as possible. 

Juicing Remedies

Today I wanted to briefly talk about a book that I own about Juicing. This book is called, "Juice Alive: The Ultimate Guide to Juicing Remedies," and it was written by Steven Bailey, ND, and Larry Trivieri, Jr. I received this book as a bonus when I bought my juicer online.

This book has two different parts. Part one has lots of useful information about many juicing related topics, including the benefits of juicing, the history of juicing, how to juice, nutrition, juicing and beauty, different kinds of juicers, it even has a chapter that talks about smoothies and tonics.

Part two is dedicated to juice recipes for health disorders AKA juicing remedies. The different health disorders include everything from AIDS and alcoholism, to varicose veins and yeast infections, and everything in between. For each disorder there is a recipe listed, as well as information about these health disorders. It's actually quite interesting. If there's a health disorder that you or a family member suffer from, then chances are there's a remedy in this book. Please feel free to comment with any health disorder you might be curious about finding a juicing remedy for, even if it's only out of curiosity. Then I'll be able to include the recipe and information given on one of my future blog posts.

Fresh Juice vs. The Store Bought Stuff

Every now and then I talk to people about the juices that I make and consume. Most people have heard about making fresh fruit and vegetable juices themselves, but there are many others who haven't. If I mention that I just consumed a fresh vegetable juice a pretty common response is, "you mean like a V8 juice?"

Even the ones who are familiar with juicers and the practice of juicing oftentimes have misconstrued ideas about these juices. Many wonder why someone would go through all the trouble of preparing a juice themselves, when they could grab a bottled juice out of any cooler in a gas station or supermarket and consume it without having to clean up or prepare a thing. 

Some people might see a movie like "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead," and then decide that juicing, or a juice fast is something they'd like to do. Many of them don't realize that juicing requires a little effort, and once they find out that cleaning a juicer can be a pain in the ass, they often wonder what other, easier options they have. A common question that often arises is, "what store bought juices can I consume instead of making my own juice with a juicer to achieve the same outcome?" Anytime someone asks a question like that they are surely going to be disappointed with the response, because there is no substitution for juice that is extracted out of fresh fruits and vegetables. 

I'm definitely not an expert on the subject, so I decided to share a blog entry that I read awhile back on the topic that can explain some of the (major) differences between fresh juice made with a juicer and the stuff bottled up on store shelves. Just click on the link below to read the brief article on the subject. 

Fresh Juice vs. The Store Bought Stuff

Storing Your Juice

Hello all. Sorry I haven't been more active with this blog. Life has been hectic on many fronts and I'm just now getting back into a groove. Expect a lot more activity out of this blog in the near future.

Anyways, let's get back to business. In my last post I mentioned that I'd talk about storing fresh made juice to consume later. Typically, it's best to consume the juice right away, most experts agree that within the first twenty minutes is ideal. After that time period the juices begin to lose many of their vital nutrients that make these fresh juices so healthy.

That's fine and all, but juicing can be a little time consuming, and many people can't drop everything to make every batch of juice right before they want to consume it. So, what I and many others do is make our juices in big batches two or three times a week instead of every single day. Doing this allows us to consume our juice whenever we want to, and most people would never make it through something like a juice fast without doing this. Granted, we know that these juices aren't optimal in terms of nutrients, but I'm going to mention a few ways to ensure that these stored juices can be as good for us as possible.

The two main things that deteriorate juices are light and air, so to store our juices we want to eliminate both as much as possible. If you plan on storing your juices then the first thing you need to do is purchase some air-tight containers. Mason jars work great, and I prefer the wide-mouth kind because they're easier to wash. Since air is something we want to eliminate as much as possible it's best to fill these mason jars all the way to the top. I also own various sizes of mason jars so that i can put smaller juice batches in smaller jars, still filling them to the top. If you wanted to take this one step further then you could even vacuum seal your juices. I put the juices in the refrigerator as soon as possible, and they stay there until I'm ready to consume them. This way the juices aren't exposed to much light (only when the fridge is opened.)

Juicers vary in terms of how long the juice made by them can last for. Low RPM juicers usually tend to make juice that can be stored longer than higher RPM juicers. As a general rule, I don't let juices sit longer than 48 hours before consuming them, and as always, the sooner the better. Another helpful tip is to add an extra lemon to your juices. The citric acid from the lemon juice helps preserve everything else. One other option that I don't necessarily recommend is freezing your juices. It can be done, but that doesn't mean it really should be. However, if you made a lot of fruit juice, then it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pour some of it in some ice-cube trays. This can be a sweet treat that many kids will love, and still much better for them than the processed, store-bought popsicles. Anyways, I hope this helps those with hectic schedules. Juice on.

Become a Mad Scientist

Halloween just passed and that gave me an idea for this post. I didn't partake in any Halloween costume contests, or anything fun at all, I had the pleasure of working instead, but I did become a mad scientist tonight after work. I decided I needed to make a lot of juice, because produce has been sitting in the fridge and I needed to use it all before it went bad. So tonight I made a several batches of juice and used all of my produce. Then I stored it so that I can consume it all in the next day or two (storing juices will be the focus of my next post.)

Recently a lot of my posts have focused on juicing recipes, which are great, but tonight I wanted to use what I had and not worry about following a recipe. I was the mad scientist and the guinea pig, all at the same time. I just juiced what I had, and then I crossed my fingers and hoped it didn't taste awful. Well, it was actually pretty good. So now I have a couple extra batches of juice to drink whenever I want in the next day or two and I don't have to worry about all that produce I bought going to waste. It's a win win. 

So, don't be afraid to change up a recipe a bit or completely wing-it. Did you think the Mean Green was ok, but had a strong celery taste? If so, then try making it next time with less celery, or ginger, or whatever you think it is that you aren't a fan of. There isn't really a right or wrong way to go about making your own juice concoction, just use knowledge of what has worked in the past and don't be afraid to add your own little twist. I will advise you to not get too crazy with the fruit, there was one time I was being a mad scientist and was throwing in just about every kind of fruit I could think of. That backfired, the juice was waaaaay too sweet and it upset my stomach pretty badly. 

The whole point of this post is to encourage others to have fun with juicing, don't be afraid to try something new, you never know, you might end up with your favorite juice yet by doing a little experimenting. 

Lou Corona's Lemon Ginger Blast

In my most recent post I talked about a few of the YouTube channels that I often turn to whether I have questions about juicing, or just want a new recipe. I have one of these channels to thank for my latest (and most courageous) juice recipe that I recently made. This recipe comes courtesy of Dan The Man McDonald's Liferegenerator YouTube account. Actually, this recipe is something Lou Corona introduced to DTM. I don't know a whole lot about this Lou Corona fellow, but I do know that he's someone that DTM highly regards, and he's served as somewhat of a mentor to DTM. I also know that he's been eating a clean, living, raw food diet for almost forty years, and, although he is 60 years old, he looks like he's in his thirties, and from other videos I've seen, he looks to be in better shape than most 21 year olds. Anyways, I'll go ahead and introduce the recipe for Lou Corona's Lemon Ginger Blast, as well as the video of it that I came across (this is one of DTM's most popular videos and it has over 100,000 views on YouTube.)

Lemon Ginger Blast

• 2 apples
• 1-3 inch piece of ginger
• 1 lemon (peel it if it isn't organic)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 bunch arugula
• 3 habaneros
• 1 cucumber

Although this is the recipe stated underneath the video, I decided to make a few minor changes of my own. First, thanks to previous juicing experience I know that parsley and cilantro can be very strong so I decided to cut it back to about half a bunch of each. Arugula is something I've never juiced but I know that it has a strong, peppery taste, and the only arugula I could find was the packaged stuff so I used one large handful of baby arugula. I kept everything else the same, except for the habaneros. The recipe states that three should be used, but luckily I read some of the comments first and decided it would be best to start with just one. I'm sure glad I did because that juice was spicy! And I like spicy foods. I think I had the same reaction that Lou had after his first gulp around the 8:15 mark.

My guess is that it would probably be spicy even without the habanero. If you don't tolerate the heat very well then I'd start off with a milder pepper (jalapeno for example,) or maybe only a piece of one and build your way up. If it isn't hot enough then you can always add more, but you can't take any out. I also think that there's normally celery in the juice as well, because I heard Lou mention that in the video, but the recipe doesn't say anything about it (I think DTM forgot and left it out,) so next time I make this I'll throw some celery in as well.

YouTube and Juicing

If you're anything like me then you love YouTube. Although I consider it to be one of my biggest time-sucks, I also consider YouTube to be a useful tool. It's a place that I'll often turn to when I have questions on something, regardless of the subject. I prefer to watch how something is done, rather than just read about it. So, it should come as no surprise that I turned to YouTube when I started juicing to try and answer some of the questions that I had. I'm glad that I did because I came across a ton of useful videos on the subject. So for this post I figured I'd share a few of my favorite YouTube channels when it comes to juicing. Below I list the channels (in no particular order,) along with my brief overview of each one, as well as a link to each channel (on the title of the channel.) If any of them interest you, then check them out for yourself.



Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Surprise, surprise, it's back again. Only this time it's their YouTube channel, and it's probably the first YouTube channel that I came across when it came to juicing. Most of the videos feature the "star" in FS&ND, Joe Cross. A lot of them are videos answering the most common frequently asked questions that people have, even though many of these deal with questions that people have about doing a Reboot (only eating/drinking fruits and veggies for a period of time, as well as cutting out things like caffeine, cigarettes, etc.) You won't find a ton of juice recipes, but the site does have some helpful videos.


Fitlife.TV
The host of this channel is "transformation specialist" Drew Canole. He has tons of videos devoted to helping people live healthier lives. At first I couldn't stand him. He seems like the kind of guy that would probably hit on your girlfriend the moment you left the room, and, to make matters worse, your girlfriend would probably fall for him. Once I put my first impressions aside I realized he's very knowledgable and has tons of good info to offer newbs like me. Check the channel out for tons of information on juicing and juicing recipes, or for his workouts and life lessons.


Liferegenerator
The Liferegenerator is Dan McDonald, commonly known as Dan The Man, or DTM for short. From what I've seen he is by far the most popular juicer on YouTube, with over 17 million views and tons of videos. Actually, describing DTM as a juicer doesn't do him justice. There's simply no way I can describe this guy or his videos in a few sentences, or even paragraphs. He's an interesting individual with tons of knowledge on the raw food vegan diet, and juicing is a very large part of his lifestyle. He recently stated that this channel will become more like his personal video diary, but people are going to tune in anyways. Check out his past videos where he offers tons of recipes. One disclaimer about DTM: he's out there, far out there.  He kind of looks like Jesus with his long hair, has a tendency to ramble, and if you watch enough of his videos then he'll probably offend you at some point (without intending to.) Some of his videos can be quite long (due to his ramblings) and he likes to label some of them about one thing, even though he never talks about the labeled subject (I once watched a video of his titled something like "WHY DAN HAS FOUR GIRLFRIENDS" and not once in the 10-20 minute video does he make any mention of girlfriends whatsoever.) Decide for yourself what you think of him.


There are many other YouTube channels that have juicing videos, but these are the ones that I've gone to the most. I hope they can help you if juicing is truly something that interests you.

Just Beet It

In my last post I introduced my go-to juice recipe for the Mean Green. I stated that it's the recipe that I juice most frequently, which is true, but variety is the spice of life and it's important to mix things up and try something new every now and then.

One of the advantages of juicing fruits and vegetables as opposed to eating them is that it's a easy way to take in foods (and their nutrients) that we might not normally eat. Not long ago I was at the grocery store looking for something new to juice. I try to buy organic as much as possible and when I was in the organic produce section I came across some beetroot. I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever had beets in my life, but I figured the worst thing that could happen is that I'd hate them and that'd be the end of it. So I purchased some beets along with other produce and headed home to do some investigating.

I came across this WebMD article that discusses the health benefits of juicing beets. I read about how beet juice promoted heart health and blood flow, both of which are especially important to me because I've been dealing with hypertension (high blood pressure) for the last several years. (I used to smoke a pack a day, binge drink heavily, and live a sedentary/unhealthy lifestyle. I've been cig free for two years, only drink occasionally, and exercise fairly frequently, but hypertension is something I'm still battling.)

The next thing I had to do was find some tasty juice recipes that contain beets. I stumbled across this site, and this is where I've found the first two recipes that I listed below.

'Beeten Apple' Juice (recommended for people new to beets and juicing them)

• 3 apples
• half a beet

'Basic Beet' Juice

• 2 beets
• 2 carrots
• 1 orange
• 1 stalk (stick/rib) of celery
• small piece of ginger root

ABC Juice   (recipe found here)

• 3-5 carrots (depending on size)
• 2 medium beets
• 2 medium-large apples
• 1 lemon
• 1 small piece of ginger (optional)

Review: I really liked all of the recipes that I listed above. The beets have a really sweet taste and I'll definitely continue to juice these in the future. If you decide you want to try juicing beets I'd definitely start with the 'Beeten Apple' as a way to ease into juicing them. When you prepare the beets for juicing you'll want to remove the top and bottom of the beets (you can juice the leaves, but only if they're fresh and still firm.) I also heard that it's best to peel the beets because it's practically impossible to remove all the dirt from the outside of them otherwise.

One last disclaimer: don't panic if you see some red while you go to the bathroom (#1 or #2,) it's perfectly normal.

What to Juice?

After I decided I wanted to start juicing I did a little research on different juicers, purchased one, and was all set to go. There was just one thing, what do I juice?

I knew that I could juice most fruits and vegetables, but I was a total newb and didn't want to come up with my own concoction without any previous experience. So, I decided I'd start off with something tried and true. I knew that in the documentary Joe talked about drinking just green juice. I did a little investigating, and found out Joe had a website with a bunch of information on juicing fruits and vegetables, as well as various recipes. On the site I found out that the juice he drank in the movie was called Mean Green juice. I looked up the recipe, purchased the ingredients, and was ready to go. 

When I was preparing it for the first time I started thinking I probably should've started off with a plain orange or apple juice. The kale (leafy greens packed full of nutrients) had me worried, but I had made it this far and I wasn't turning back now. I went ahead and made the juice, poured it over ice, and had my first drink. I was relieved. It certainly wasn't the best drink I'd ever had, but it wasn't the worst, either. It was better than I was expecting and I knew that I'd get used to it over time. 

Here I am months later and I still drink the Mean Green on a regular basis. I've experimented with a lot of other juice combinations, but the Mean Green is still one that I go back to regularly. And, just as I expected, I've developed a taste for it as well. I find it to be refreshing and energizing. Here's the recipe, along with before and after pics as well.

Mean Green Juice Recipe

• 6-8 leaves of kale
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1/2 lemon (peeled)
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 cucumber (peel if it isn't organic)
• 1 THUMB size of ginger

      


            As Joe Cross says...


        Juice On!

Getting Back On Track

Hey all, sorry it's been so long since my last post. I got a little sidetracked, so I'm here today to get back on track with this blog, as well as juicing in general.

When I started this blog I was juicing almost every day, sometimes even more than once a day. I was looking and feeling better, and I knew that the juice was playing a large part. Then, a few weeks ago I went to NYC over the weekend. Not only did I not consume any fresh juice while I was there, but I was stuffing my face with unhealthy foods like pizza, hot dogs, a pastrami sandwich the size of my head, you name it (see, I told you I wasn't a health freak.) When I returned from the brief getaway I vowed to pick up my juicing right where I left off. One day went by, then a few more, and before I knew it I hadn't made or consumed any fresh juice in two weeks! Something like this was bound to happen at one point or another, and that's actually one of the main reasons I wanted to make this blog about juicing. I knew that this blog would give me a little extra incentive to continue juicing and keep me accountable. Kinda reminds me of that saying, "practice what you preach." Nobody wants to read a blog about juicing if it's written by someone who doesn't juice. That wouldn't make any sense.

Last night I decided that enough was enough and that it was time to make some juice. I bought some produce, then immediately returned home and made some juice. Normally I like to consume the juice right away, (an explanation of why might be a topic of a future post) but this time I decided to put it in a mason jar and keep it in the fridge over night so that when I woke today I'd have my juice ready to go, and I wouldn't be able to make any excuses. I'm happy to announce that I'm drinking my juice while writing this post, and it's just as good as I remember. This particular juice makes me feel more awake and alert than a couple of cups of coffee in the morning, it also keeps me filling full for a few hours. I plan on having a juice tomorrow, the next day, and so on. I also plan on updating this blog more frequently.

One last thing, I know that this is an unfamiliar subject for many of you, just as it was for me, and that there will probably be some questions. I've probably asked these same questions myself. Feel free to ask any you might have and I'll do my best to answer.

How My Journey Began: Part II

...I honestly didn't know if my friend that I only kinda knew was batshit crazy (definitely possible,) or if this movie really was interesting enough to convince someone that only drinking fruit and vegetable juice for awhile is actually a good idea. One way or another I found out the documentary he watched was "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead." It's about an Aussie named Joe Cross who is overweight, on medications for a disease called urticaria (really bad hives,) and fed up and determined to make a change. The movie is thought-provoking, inspiring, with a feel good vibe, and I recommend it to anyone that likes documentaries, or anybody that's interested in improving their health. It's available on Netflix, and it's also free on Hulu here with limited commercial interruption. Check out the extended trailer below.

How My Journey Began: Part I

How did my juicing journey begin? I'm glad you asked. I've been juicing fruits and vegetables for about three or four months, but I first learned about juicing a little over a year ago. It all started one evening when I was browsing Facebook. One of my friends posted a status stating he had begun a juice fast (only drinking juice and water, no eating.) To me this sounded absurd, and I quickly disregarded it as a yo-yo diet that probably did more harm than good. Each day that he fasted he posted his weight loss and how he was feeling. By day five he had lost 20 lbs., without any exercise whatsoever. The weight was falling off and he claimed that he was feeling better than ever before. He started to get quite a bit of attention from his fellow Facebook friends and many of them wanted to try what he was doing and wanted to know where he heard about such a thing. It turns out he had watched a documentary and that's what started it all. I was intrigued, I didn't need or want to lose a lot of weight, but I wanted to check it out for myself. I had to know more about this documentary...

Introduction

Hello all, and welcome to Mike's Juicing Journey. As you might guess, my name is Mike, and this blog is all about my personal experiences with juicing. When I talk about juicing I'm not referring to steroids or PED's (Performance Enhancing Drugs.) I'm referring to the process of making fresh fruit and vegetable juice using a juicer that extracts only the juice from fruits and veggies while excluding the pulp. I'm not a health-freak like you might imagine, just a guy who's looking for a fun, easy, and tasty way to add fruits, veggies, and all the wonderful nutrients they contain into my diet. I'm relatively new to the world of juicing, but please follow along on my journey where I'll share what I learn and love about juicing.