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.