Articles in the Spiritual Experience Category
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein
Hi, y’all! Oh, how I’ve missed you…
I assure you, I will get back in to posting regularly. I’m on my way! 
But for now, I’ve been pretty quiet online and have been doing some soul searching, finding peace, and growing and changing.
Like the trees in this photo (which are just a few feet away from me), I’m standing stronger than I ever have in my life. Life can be a treacherous journey, but it can be a peaceful one at the same time.
Don’t you agree?
So… how ARE my fantabulous readers and precious online friends?
Do you love nature? Does it bring you peace and serenity? Are you a gardener? Check out my first post at Main Line Gardening: Gearing Up for Gardening with Black Grass.
Yes, I’m the fresh face on that beautiful gardening site! Take some time to browse the other gardening articles as well. 
Quote Source: http://www.quotegarden.com/nature.html
Hi, y’all!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed my last post, on emotional eating, food labels, and judgments. It’s nice to know that you can relate, and that you appreciate my (raw) honesty – and it’s soooooooooooooo nice to have it off my chest once and for all!
Remember, we need to be KIND to ourselves so we can achieve ultimate health. Take my hand and let’s skip along together.
Good News!
I wanted to share with you that Zeenat Syal has allowed me the fantabulous opportunity to share a bit about my story of healing (including tips for you!) – thank you, Z!
Here’s my guest post, in case you want to read it:
Healing Your Heart, Holistically
Zeenat (and I!) would love it if you share your thoughts and suggestions about my story on my guest post over there (if you have time, of course)!
And… here’s a sneak peek at Zeenat’s beautiful blog…
Zeenat is a beautiful lady. She shares her heart so openly and honestly, and is one of my favorite bloggers – and people! You can see by this glimpse of her blog, that she emanates peace, inspiration, hope, serenity, love, and healing…
You might even remember Zeenat wrote a beautiful, informative guest post for us a while back: Onions–A Pungent Surprise of Natural Healing
Do check that out, too. Zeenat is a Practicing Counseling Psychologist & Naturopath with degrees in Motivational and Counseling Psychology. She also holds degrees in various fields of Holistic and Naturopathic Medicine. <— Full of wisdom, she is!
Thanks for letting me share! Big hugs to everyone, and I hope your day is fantabulous!!!
Hi, y’all!
I hope you enjoyed my reflections on the 30-day juice fast.
I started my day out with yoga again this morning. I love it! 
I took Cindy‘s advice and stuck with the Yoga for Newbies video.
I’m learning about different poses and how (majorly) important breathing is!
This new yoga journey is sooooooooooooooo exciting!
Okay, now for raw eats throughout today:
- handful of heirloom, organic banana peppers (from my garden)
- a green apple
- a not-so-delicious plum
- a handful of organic dark cherries (Yum!)
- a handful of raw, unsalted nuts/seeds
- small handful of grapes
- half of a (big) carrot
(I know that doesn’t really seem like a lot of food, but when I’ve been juice fasting I’m not that hungry once I start eating again.)
I also drank lots of herbal tea with lemon. (I forgot my warm lemon water this morning, though!)
My blender died on me, so no green monsters for a while. 
And (shame on me!) I didn’t have a raw juice, either! I’m making time tomorrow to juice some raw goodness and absorb all those living enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients my body absolutely loves.
Do you enjoy yoga as part of your exercise routine? What’s your favorite part about yoga: the stretching, the relaxing, the benefits? Do you combine the raw food diet, raw juices, or raw juice fasting with yoga? Who is your favorite yoga instructor? What’s your favorite type of yoga to practice? Tell us all about it!
Coming next: various foods I’ve eaten when breaking other juice fasts I’ve been on, and also why I don’t incorporate vegetable broth into my juice fasting regimen like some juice fasters do.
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
Photo Credit:
Do the best you can and can the rest! (Words of wisdom from my grandma
Someone asked me if I’d summarize what my goals were for the 30-day juice fast and reflect on my journey. So, here it is…
I’ve thought about it, and my goals for this 30-day juice fast were to:
- Cleanse and detox my body from when I fell off the 100% raw wagon.
- Enter a calmer, more peaceful state of being.
- Do some old-fashioned soul searching.
- Break my coffee habit.
And I accomplished all of those things–even though I had to break the fast a tad early due to being attacked by those nasty red wasps and getting sick from that.
While I was on this juicing journey, I also made a decision (well, I made several but this one is about my relationship with food): I’ve decided to stop being so hard on myself.
During my 100% raw “spurts”, here’s the foods I miss the most:
- organic Greek yogurt (Oikos is my favorite!)
- omelets (stuffed with veggies)
- steel cut oats (with cinnamon, raw honey, and nuts)
- steamed brussel sprouts (with coconut oil and herbs)
- steamed asparagus (drizzled with coconut oil)
- mock mashed potatoes (made from cauliflower)
- stir fry
- baked sweet potatoes
As I pondered the above foods, I realized something (an epiphany?)–all of the foods I’ve listed here are on the extreme end of what’s considered “healthy”.
I’m not craving greasy fast food here, people. I’m not wanting
donuts or cake every day. Ice cream isn’t my weakness.
Life is short, you know? So, if I wake up one morning and crave an omelet (made from free-range, farm fresh, organic eggs–from my own farm–and overflowing with yummy veggies, I’m going to eat it!
I have been high-raw for the past several years. The high-raw lifestyle has improved my health, helped me lose over 100 pounds, and is the foundation of my diet life.
Gena, over at Choosing Raw, recently answered a reader’s question about how “perfect” her eating habits are. Her post truly resonated with me.
The message I took away from her post is that while eating an omelet once in a while, or having some cooked steel cut oats is something I feel is healthy and make me feel good, it may make you cringe (whether you’re on the 100% raw side of the fence or the processed, cooked food side).
So, if what I eat seems totally unattainable to you, don’t try to eat just like me. If I can inspire you to clean up your diet (even a little!), that’s fantabulous!
Example:
Maybe, at least part of the time, you could have a big salad with fish on the side instead of your normal fish sandwich with greasy fries. So, if you feel like you can’t live without your fish sandwich and fries, just choose the healthier option I’ve listed (or one similar) at least part of the time. Sound good?
Oh, and I forgot to mention what I ate yesterday:
- small banana for breakfast
- I fasted through lunch
- For dinner, I had a yummy salad:
Yum-O!
(Note: All of the following ingredients are heirloom + organic from my own garden, except for the hemp seeds, spinach, and blueberries!!)
handful baby spinach leaves
handful heirloom lettuce
Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds
raw heirloom okra (it’s delicious, y’all!)
handful blueberries
few heirloom baby carrots
Enjoy the journey; make the better choice most of the time; and treat yourself for your dedication–you deserve it!
Don’t forget about the other contests I’ve mentioned recently! And catch up on the juicy details of my 30-day juice fast.
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Last night I slept so good. It was fantabulous!!
Of course, warm lemon water was first on my list when I woke up on day 17 of this 30-day juice fast.
Breakfast
About an hour after I drank that, I had my breakfast juice. I was extremely happy I had leftover pineapple juice from yesterday morning because I’m getting things ready for company that’s coming from out of town and it was such a relief to be able to grab my E3 Live cup with pineapple juice just waiting for me to drink it.
I actually forgot to take my daily shot of E3 Live today! I got really busy cleaning and just forgot.
I did get my tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar in, though.
Keepin’ Cool!
I am absolutely LOVING this shaker cup! It has a super COOL ice wand that you can keep in the freezer and when you’re ready for it, just pop it down in its slot and it’ll keep your juice or smoothie extra cold. This is fantabulous for days when I need to run out the door with juice in hand and I can enjoy a cold drink longer. The E3 Live folks are just awesome for including the ice wand with this shaker cup!
Anyway, I had GREEN PINEAPPLE JUICE this morning because I added a scoop of Amazing GrassGreen SuperFood powder. It was actually really good! Seriously.
Lunch + Dinner
Since I was expecting company from out of town this afternoon, I decided it’d probably make it easier if I juiced lunch and dinner at once. So, I grabbed the following…
Yum!
2 heaping handfuls of heirloom, organic lettuce (from my garden)
2 apples
2 – 1 inch pieces ginger
handful parsley
3 small beets (from Amish produce stand)
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
Pretty Colors!
All Stirred Up
I diluted this one about 60/40 and had enough juice to fill up my E3 Live shaker cup, my Amazing Grass shaker cup, and also had a dab left in the juice machine cup and I drank it straight from that cup!
Actually, after I made this double batch of juice, I got busy cleaning again and preparing for my company and I never drank my dinner juice!! That’s okay, though. I wasn’t craving it and I breezed right on through the day with plenty of energy and never even missed it. I had plenty of regular water and herbal tea as well, so I’m good. And I’ll be loving it in the morning when I can just grab my cup of juice and leave to go run some errands. Makes it SO convenient!
And there you have it… day 17 was a success and I can’t believe tomorrow is day 18!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Day 15 + Living Tree Community Contest Winner!
Day 16 + Books by Dr. Bruce Fife
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing
by Dr. Bruce Fife
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
I slept really well again last night. I woke up this morning feeling very refreshed and thinking about everything on my to-do list. I hopped up and put the tea kettle on for my warm lemon water, which I had about an hour before my breakfast juice.
Breakfast
For day 16 of this 30-day juice fast, I had a pineapple needing to be used up so that’s what I juiced for breakfast.
Pineapple, Chopped
100% Pineapple Juice
Diluted Pineapple Juice
(About 60% juice, 40% water)
Pineapple Popsicles!
I had enough pineapple juice to fill up my Amazing Grass cup, my E3 Live cup (love both of ‘em!) and also make pineapple pops for snacks. Oh, and there was still a little dab in the juicing machine cup and I drank it straight up!
About mid-morning, I also had a glass of water with organic apple cider vinegar.
E3 Live
(My morning shot of E3 Live green goodness!)
Lunch & Dinner
As the day progressed, I really felt just blah and exhausted. I have been expecting a day like this, honestly. I’ve had several fantabulous, high-energy days and I knew one of these “off days” would hit soon. I could really feel my body go into a deeper level of healing/cleansing today. Whew! What a day!
Since I wasn’t feeling all that great, I decided to juice my dinner at lunch time so I wouldn’t have to drag out the juicer and clean it all up again later this evening. So that’s what I did. I compiled the following ingredients, doubling them so I’d end up with enough juice…
Juicy Concoction
1 whole cucumber, peeled (because it wasn’t organic)
2 apples, whole
3 small beets
3 ounces alfalfa sprouts
2 – 1-inch ginger pieces (peel and all)
whole lemon (peel and all)
14 (heirloom, organic) Rainbow Chard leaves (from my garden)
15 (heirloom, organic) beet leaves (from my garden)
Psychedelic Swirls
Raw Beauty
This juice was SO DELICIOUS! I love my beet juice!! And the ginger came through in each taste so nicely. LOVED it!!!
This afternoon, I enjoyed one of the pineapple popsicles I made. I enjoyed the fresh air while I was at it.
Snack: Pineapple Pop
New Books for Review/Contest!
And guess what came in the mail the other day: books by Dr. Bruce Fife!!! I’m really excited about this. Dr. Fife was impressed by my interest in natural medicine, particularly oil pulling and he also wanted me to review his coconut water book. And that means an upcoming contests because he sent one of each for me and one of each to give away!!! Yay!!! Thanks so much, Dr. Fife!! We appreciate it!!
As soon as I’ve had time to thoroughly read each book, I’ll post an honest, complete review of each and host a contest for each book (probably as a combo gift set).
And, of course, I had a glass of my lunch juice for dinner and loved every single sip. Beets have superpowers, in my opinion!
Today was still a good day, even though I didn’t feel all that great. I know this because I have to take the bad with the good and realize that my body is doing what it needs to do to cleanse, heal, and rejuvenate.
Tomorrow is day 17! Totally crazy! See you tomorrow evening for a recap of tomorrow’s juicy events!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Day 15 + Living Tree Community Contest Winner!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I had a little trouble going to sleep last night, but once I drifted off I slept blissfully and woke up rested and rarin’ to go!!
And I totally forgot to mention yesterday that I got to meet 2 young ladies from Wales! They had the cutest, most awesome, Welsh accent. It was just the coolest thing ever. I have never had the opportunity to meet anyone who was from Wales so it was such a special treat! Here’s one of them playing the guitar (she gave me permission to take her photo):
Friend from Wales
How awesome is that??!! So fun!!
Breakfast
This morning began with warm lemon water (1/2 a lemon in a cup of hot water). I normally have a raw juice between 30 minutes to an hour later but this morning, I was in the mood for a juice. I just wasn’t craving it. So, instead, I drank a tall glass of water with a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar .
Lunch
Lunch was hilarious. My Mom was making plates of salad for everyone who was here today and she made a plate for me–to juice! LOL So, I did.
Salad
(a little of each of the following)
chopped tomato (from a friend’s garden)
cauliflower
sliced cucumber
heirloom lettuce leaves (from my garden)
heirloom onion, chopped (from my garden)
sliced yellow bell pepper
sliced celery
Salad in a Glass
(Filled up a little more than half of my Amazing Grass cup)
After I took this photo, I added a scoop of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood powder. This juice was actually very delicious and satisfying!
(Just click on the photo below to find out how AMAZING this powder is!! )
Pickling Cucumbers
These are actually pickling cucumbers that weren’t picked soon enough and grew too big to pickle.
These are still good for eating/juicing, though. Sometimes they have a bitter taste; sometimes they don’t.
Cucumber Juice
I ended up with more than this amount because the juice turned out bitter. So to try to remedy the not-so-pleasant taste, I added 3 apples. That gave me 3 cups of cucumber-apple juic + a tall glass for me to drink right away. Weird combo, I know, but it worked out!
Cucumber-Apple Juice
Yum-O!
And that was it for day 14. I made sure to drink plenty of water and also had herbal tea with lemon. Tomorrow means this 30-day juice fast is already half over! Sheesh. Has it been 2 weeks already?
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you: I won a contest!! Eeeeek!! Kristin over at Iowa Girl Eats recently had a contest and I won the Grand Prize!!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Contest Alert!
- The Living Tree Community contest ends tomorrow at 9 p.m. (Central Time)! You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!! Hurry and enter. You have SIX CHANCES to win!!!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Hello, it’s day TWELVE!! Can you believe it?? I can’t! Time is just whizzing by like crazy!
Details
I didn’t sleep all that great last night. I honestly think it was because I wrote a LOT yesterday to meet deadlines and I just overworked my brain. I couldn’t shut it off last night!! That’s a good thing and a bad thing all wrapped in one when you’re a writer/blogger.
I’m feeling okay today, though!
Breakfast
As soon as I got up this morning, I headed straight for my tea kettle. I heated some water and poured it over my half of a lemon to make my usual lemon water. Half an hour after that, I had my breakfast juice…
Since I didn’t sleep all that great, I was feeling just a little lazy so instead of being creative and making a fresh juice, I drank a cup of my defrosted pineapple-strawberry juice.
Pineapple-Strawberry Juice
(In my Amazing Grass shaker cup–LOVE this thing!!!!)
Snack
E3 Live (I’m LOVING this stuff!!!) and water with organic apple cider vinegar.
Lunch + Dinner
My plan for making my lunch juice was to double the ingredients so I’d end up with enough juice for lunch and dinner later. I’m going to an early July 4th celebration tonight so I didn’t want to be messing with produce, the juicer, and cleaning up later this afternoon.
Creative Chaos!
I ALMOST forgot to take a photo of my ingredients! Some of them had already gone into the juicer. LOL There was a big pile of sprouts on top and I grabbed a handful of stuff to juice, messing that up. Also, one beet is missing from the photo and some spinach. What? I wanted my lunch!
All piled onto a plate (so you can’t see it all):
4 carrots
3 small beets
2 stalks celery
big handful parsley
2 big handfuls spinach leaves
4 kale leaves
nob ginger (about an inch)
2 small-ish apples
chunk of Amish-grown cabbage (shown here)
+ about 2 ounces of Alfalfa sprouts on top!
Raw Colors are Beautiful!!
Prepared!
A lot of folks who juice fast either freeze their juices or make up a little ahead of time (especially if you’re working outside the home) and fill jars up to the very top with the juice and then put the lids on tight. You may lose a little of the nutrients, but it’s waaaaaaaaaaayyy better than storebought juices that are filled with preservatives.
I didn’t dilute the juice that went into my Amazing Grass shaker cup but I did dilute the juice that went into those two glass jars: 50% juice/50% water.
Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder
(Going in)
(Just click the photo below to check out this AMAZING superfood!! )
Ready to Shake!
Amazing Grass All Shook Up!
This juice was so sweet and tasty I didn’t even taste the green Amazing Grass powder!! I sure felt the energy it gave me, though. These Amazing Grass powders are rockin’ my world–especially the wheat grass!! Since it was juice, though, once I got near the bottom of the cup, there was some grainy action goin’ on. That was because I didn’t shake it well enough. It doesn’t bother me. I love to taste health!! I haven’t had the chance to try this powder in a smoothie yet (’cause I’m juice fasting) but I don’t think you’d notice the powder at all in a smoothie.
I’ll probably drink both of those extra juices before the end of the day. I also always, always drink plenty of water and herbal tea.
I just can’t believe tomorrow is day 13 already! It’s craziness. Today was another great day… Yay!!!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I didn’t sleep that well last night but, surprisingly, I wasn’t that tired or feeling that bad this morning. It’s crazy how a juice fast keeps my energy level up–even when I don’t sleep that well. I just kept waking up for some reason!!
Breakfast
My day began (like always) with a hot cup of lemon water (more about this below in a reader’s Q & A !! )
I was craving pineapple juice, so that’s what I made! I am loving being so in tune to my body! These longer juice fasts are so serene and holistic for me.
On to the morning juice concoction…
Pineapple, Chopped
(The whole thing except the leaves)
Yummy Pineapple Juice!
Added 6 Strawberries
+ a Scoop of Amazing Grass!
Amazing Grass Green SuperFood
(Berry flavored: Acai + Goji)
(Learn more about this amazing superfood by clicking on the picture below.)
My Breakfast!
(Don’t let the green fool you–it was berry-licious!!)
Besides my Amazing Grass shaker cup, I had enough pineapple-strawberry juice to share 3 small-ish glasses with family and store the container below (which holds 3 cups) in the freezer. I also made a few popsicles for later. Yes, you can have your juices frozen as popsicles while juice fasting!! How fun is that–especially in the summer time??!!
For Later
(I hear pineapple-strawberry juice is so yummy frozen and thawed–like a slushy!!)
After my juice, I had a glass of water with organic apple cider vinegar.
Snack
I had my daily shot (a tablespoon) of E3 Live and a tall glass of iced, herbal tea with lemon. Yum!
Lunch
For lunch, I finally decided to try the juice concoction Jenna keeps raving about. Jenna, over at Eat, Live, Run keeps talking about the following juice. And I keep forgetting to pick up ginger root at the grocery store so I haven’t been able to make it until today! I searched Jenna’s site and discovered she also plays around with her recipe. She sometimes adds cucumber or half a lemon to the recipe but I went with her original version today…
New Concoction!
2 small beets
1 green apple
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 nob ginger (about an inch thick)
Note: I absolutely adore how there was just a hint of ginger in each sip. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely there, tickling my tongue and throat! I didn’t dilute this one. Yum!
She’s a Beauty!!
(And yummy to the tummy–just like Jenna said!! Thanks, Jenna!!!)
Snack
For an afternoon snack today, I had a homemade pineapple-strawberry popsicle (from my breakfast juice). It was sooooooooo delicious! I enjoyed this yummy treat outside.
Sweet Treat!
Dinner
Tonight’s dinner was inspired by yesterday’s lunch–but I tweaked the recipe a little to come up with…
Kale Kreations!
2 apples
2 carrots
1 small beet
2 kale leaves
handful of spinach
nob and half of ginger
few sprigs of parsley
(The recipe shows 2 carrots and 2 apples because I threw another of each in the juice after the photo just to make a little more juice.)
Rainbow Swirls!
Yummy Goodness!!
(Made 16 ounces… I didn’t dilute this one.)
Reader’s Question
Why do you drink warm/hot lemon water first thing every morning?
Answer
Lemons are loaded with goodies your bodies need such as Vitamin C and heart- and cancer-fighting compounds like limonin and limolene. I love them. I have been drinking warm lemon water each morning before breakfast for a long time now. My Mom is a HUGE advocate of lemons and we have been having them in our iced tea for oodles of years. The warm lemon water (drank on an empty stomach) helps alkalize the body, jumpstarts your liver and bowel and flushes your kidneys and bladder. It’s very cleansing to your body. Lemons boost your immune system, lower histamine levels, and help give your skin an overall healthy glow. I definitely feel less energetic and have less “umph” on days I don’t get my lemon!
Hope that helps you understand my obsession with warm lemon water.
That’s it for day 10. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this 30-day juice fast has in store for me!!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
References:
McKeith, Gillian. Gillian McKeith’s Boot Camp Diet: Fourteen Days to a New You! 
Yeager, Selene. Doctor’s Book of Food Remedies
Last night, I slept really, really well. That’s one of the awesome things about juice fasts–the restful nights are superb! And I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. I LOVE that feeling!!
Breakfast
Of course, I had my lemon water first. Then I listened to my body–it was craving apple juice! So, I got out 3 big apples and juiced ‘em up. They made 20 ounces of juice and I diluted it 50% (you don’t have to) and shared 3 glasses with family and had one myself (in my Amazing Grass shaker cup!!)
Juicing Apples for Breakfast!
Raw Apple Juice
Turkeys are Pigs!
(I gave the apple pulp to some of the critters–they LOVE it!! They’re thrilled that I’m juice fasting! )
Snack
For a “snack”, I had a big glass of water with a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar while I rode to town with my Mom. We ran some errands and decided to make time to follow a “Fresh Produce” sign we’ve been seeing. (We do have a huge garden but some of our stuff had to be re-planted because of all the rain we’ve had here.) So, anyway, we followed the sign and discovered it was Amish farmers selling the produce. Eeeek! Here’s what I got to juice….
Amish Cabbage & Beets!
(Dirt and all! LOL)
Mom also got Dad some apple butter and some little new potatoes (no pic, sorry!)
Also, the Amish don’t believe in photos. It’s against their religion to “capture images”. They believe it captures their soul. So, I can’t disrespect them and take photos. The produce stand was so neat, though. It was inside one of their buildings and there was long wooden tables with the produce on it. There was also big baskets sitting on the floor. And, my goodness, there was soooooooooooooo many potatoes in bins!!!
Lunch
I’m trying to mix things up. (One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that when you’re juice fasting, it’s important to not drink the same juice day in and day out. Our bodies need a variety of nutrients and by switching up the fruits and veggies I’m juicing and also the combos, I have a better chance of supplying my body’s nutritional needs.)
So for lunch, I listened to my body again and this is what it told me:
Lotsa Lunch!
1 green apple
heaping handful of baby spinach leaves
4 strawberries
1 carrot
1 (Amish) beet
few sprigs of parsley
The Lunch Juice
(Isn’t that juice gorgeous???!!!)
Yum-O!
(Oh my goodness!! This juice was soooooooooo DEEEEEEEELICIOUS!!!)
My lunch juice made 16 ounces and I decided not to dilute it this time–and it was all for ME!! It tasted soooooooo refreshing and sweet and just made me feel ALIVE!!!
Snack
Today’s afternoon snack was my daily shot of E3 Live and a tall glass of herbal tea with a slice of lemon!
I also had more water with organic apple cider vinegar .
Dinner
I had another glass of iced herbal tea with lemon and about 6 ounces of green juice (from one of my frozen batches). That was the last of that green juice, I believe.
The past few days have been gardening days. Lots going on! We’re having to re-plant some stuff that didn’t make it through all the rain and storms we’ve had and we’re also trying to keep what is growing alive and weed-free–without chemicals! That is no easy task, let me tell you! Organic gardening is exhausting!!!
I paced myself, took breaks whenever I needed them–both to cool off and also to keep hydrated and drink raw juice and herbal iced tea, and lotsa water. I managed to maintain my energy and the only thing that really slowed me down was back pain (which I have suffered from for years due to domestic violence injuries).
That’s it for day 9. It was another great day!!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Note about yesterday evening: I was hit with tiredness out of the blue!! I was having a great day, feeling energetic, alert, etc., and then it just hit. That happens to me sometimes during these longer juice fasts. That’s my body telling me it’s just needing me to slow down a little and allow it to rest. I even took a 10 minute power nap! I ended up going to sleep earlier than usual but I didn’t sleep that well. That happens sometimes too but it’s the first really restless night I’ve had on this 30-day juice fast. Also, I ended up having TWO brown juices for my dinner juice(s) last night–they’re truly pick-me-ups (and I needed that)!
Today’s Details
I was surprised after not sleeping well that I’ve felt okay today–not fantabulous, not super energetic, but an “okay” I can be happy with. I haven’t taken photos of my juices today because I’ve had errands to run and have been gone for part of the day. But I do have photos for you!!
Oh, and I haven’t felt hungry today either. The digestive system is getting some Zs!
Breakfast
My day started out the same as always: With a cup of hot lemon water. After that, I had a glass of cucumber juice. It’s so refreshing, I knew that’s what I wanted for breakfast today!
I put some more cucumber juice in my E3 Live cup to take with me and also grabbed a container of water with one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar so I wouldn’t be thirsty or get tired while I was running errands.
Lunch
For lunch, I had about 16 ounces of my brown juice (if you’re just tuning in, it’s only brown because of the beets mixing with the greens).
Snack
For a snack, I had my tablespoon of E3 Live and also a glass of herbal tea with lemon. Yum-O!
Dinner
For dinner, I’ll probably have a green juice.
As always, rest assured I’ll have had plenty of good old water and herbal tea before day 8 ends!
Reader’s Question
I receive this question from readers a lot: Will juice fasting help me lose weight? I addressed this question with an article at Raw People: Juice Fasting for Weight Loss. But I’ll discuss it here, too. I have lost weight during various juice fasts I’ve done–anywhere from 20 pounds up to 30-ish. I’m not following my weight on this juice fast because it isn’t about weight loss for me, it’s about cleaning my body and getting back on track after falling off the 100% raw food wagon. I confessed to the cooked foods I ate: Confessions of My Not-So-Raw Moments. The foods I ate weren’t all that bad and it was during an extremely high-stress situation (losing 3 young family members and almost losing my Dad). So, I have forgiven myself and moved on. I am 100% raw right now because of the juice fast, but before I started this juice fast, I was only 90%+ raw and although that is still excellent and I should be proud of myself (and I am), it isn’t the 100% raw status I was striving to maintain.
So, this juice fasting journey isn’t about losing weight for me (although I won’t be upset if it happens!), it’s about enjoying the serenity of the fast and being in tune to myself spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.
The answer to the question: Yes, many people do lose weight while juice fasting. Like I stressed in my article for Raw People, though, losing weight isn’t at all what juice fasting is about. If you’re heavier (200 lbs and up) you may lose 30 pounds or more during a 30-day juice fast. That’s from my own research. You may even lose around that much if you’re a little under 200. And some people have lost 50 or more pounds during a 30-day juice fast. It all depends on your body, that you’re not limiting your juice intake, that it’s 100% raw juices you’re drinking–and not storebought, etc.
But if you lose weight on a juice fast and don’t transition from the fasting mode correctly and just go back to eating junk, then you’ll gain all of that weight back!! Sorry, but it’s true. You have to target the root of why you’ve gained weight before you can successfully keep it off.
As you’ll see in the photos before, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight. I didn’t start juice fasting until I’d already lost around 50 pounds or so, but raw juices and juice fasting have been a huge part of not only my weight loss, but my maintenance.
Before & After
More before and after photos are available on my Before & After page.
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Happy Father’s Day!
First, I want to say I’m so thankful for a great Dad!! And I’d like to wish all those great dad’s out there a very blessed, safe, and HAPPY Father’s Day!! Also, if you’re a single Mom, today’s your day too–kudos to you for being both parents!!!
And… for those of you who don’t have a Dad today, my heart aches for you, you’re in my heart and prayers!!
Details
Day 6 of this 30-day juice fast has been another fantabulous day! I’m sooooooooo excited. I love days like this when everything seems so “right”, mind, body, and soul: I’ve felt energetic, am not hungry at all, and I’ve felt so much mental clarity/sharpness today!!
Breakfast/Snack
Again, I started my day off with lemon water (recipe here) and then reached for a carrot-spinach-sprout juice. I was still craving more juice (and feeling just a tad bit tired) so I had some of the “brown” juice–which is only brown due to the beets mixing with the greens.
I then had water with organic apple cider vinegar. A little later, I had a glass of herbal tea with lemon.
Almost forgot! I had my daily tablespoon of E3 Live (straight up).
Juice Fasting on a Holiday
This is where sacrifice comes in. It isn’t always easy to fast or juice fast right on through holidays or special occasions. July 4th is also coming up–I know I’ll be juice fasting through that event as well. So, while my family enjoyed this…
Father’s Day Meal
(Salmon cake, cooked (mixed) greens, corn on the cob with sea salt)
(The greens: turnip greens, heirloom rainbow chard, heirloom beet greens)
Dessert
(Mandarin orange cake with crushed pineapple frosting)
My Lunch
(Of course, I’ve had the above meal–and dessert– before, so I know how delicious it is. I kept to my juice fasting regimen and enjoyed a green juice with Amazing Grass Wheat Grass.)
Yum-O!
Amazing Grass
Let me just say, I know why the company named themselves: Amazing Grass–this Wheat Grass of theirs is truly AMAZING! I loooooooooooove how it makes me feel. I definitely (highly!) recommend it. I love the packets because you could carry them in your purse (or pocket for those who don’t carry purses, and for the guys) and pop it in water, a smoothie, or juice wherever you are.
Snack
No snack juice today–the Wheat Grass packet in my green juice is really keeping me happy. I’ve had more herbal tea and water (of course).
Dinner
For dinner, I’m planning either a brown or a green juice. Haven’t decided yet. I love them both! Decisions, decisions. I’ll update when I decide.
Is it the Juice Fast???
So far today, TWO people have told me I look SIXTEEN! Is it the juice fast?
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Is this your first time visiting? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed or via e-mail (sign up here). You’ll be notified to new contests and receive juice fasting tips and recipes, inspiration, and more!
Raw Reality
More and more as I reflect on my raw reality , I realize that for a while now my body has been crying out for a juice fast. Life can be so loud sometimes that we don’t hear the faint calls our body makes. Often, we don’t hear those calls until they’re so loud that our health is in jeopardy. Thankfully, I’ve learned to listen to my body and am willing to jump on the juicing wagon when my body needs me to.
Seeking Serenity
Some of you may think that a juice fast (especially a longer one) would be torturous. In ways, I suppose that could be true. I mean, it isn’t like you can gobble up chocolate cake if you’re at a party like everyone else. Instead, you’d either have to sip water or wag along your raw juice. It isn’t as bad as it sounds–I’ve been there.
Juice fasting definitely has it’s pros and cons. I tend to lean toward the positive aspect of a juicing journey. One thing that always astounds me is the sense of serenity I achieve on longer juice fasts. It’s such a blessing to zone into yourself spiritually and reach that still place that lays dormant inside, just waiting to be resurrected and enjoyed.
Signs and Signals
It seems like so many articles and blog posts–and even conversations–I’ve come across lately have been about green juices and smoothies. Lo and behold, I happened to stop by Choosing Raw today and Gena had answered one of her readers’ questions: Question of the Week: To Blend or To Juice?
There are times that your body–and the universe–screams at you to do something. I know this is one of those times. I’ve been craving a long juice fast for a while now. I’m listening. And, I’m starting that long juice fast. I know I need it–body, mind, and soul.
Stay tuned….
What about you? Do you hear the call? Would you answer it if you did? Have you ever juice fasted? How long was your longest juice fast? Would you do it again? Why or why not? Jump right on in the comments and tell us all about it!
Contest Alert!
Contest Alert 1: June, over at An Apple A Day, is hosting a contest for Once Again omega-3 peanut butter. June says: “12 winners will be selected on June 21st, 2009!”
Contest Alert 2: Don’t forget to enter the Navitas Naturals contest! You have until Monday, June 15th, at 9 p.m. (Central Time) to get your SIX entries in!
Coming Soon
- more contests and reviews
- photos and details about a pioneer festival I recently attended (including getting to meet an Editor and an Editor-In-Chief) Eeek!
- and updates from the Amish farm
Photo Credit: Grantsviews
Raw Success, By Matt Monarch
“I often dream about what it would be like to meet those Raw Pioneers who have passed on, for whom I have great admiration.”–Matt Monarch
The above quote is the first sentence Matt writes on the dedication page of Raw Success. When I first read that sentence, I immediately thought: what an honor to be able to glean from Matt’s Raw wisdom–while he’s still young and alive! (Matt dedicated Raw Success to Dr. Fred Bisci.)
Matt Monarch is so passionate about Raw Food and health. His enthusiasm is beyond infectious. I’m so blessed that he sent me a complimentary copy of his latest book, Raw Success–and even more blessed that he’s offered to sponsor a contest here at Healing with (Raw) Juices, so you’ll have an opportunity to win your very own copy!! How exciting is that?!
But more about Matt and this “Rawesome” book first….
Although Matt advises against going 100% Raw overnight, he did. He says he went “from burgers to celery” literally overnight. That’s a huge transformation of diet and lifestyle! Can you even imagine the roller coaster of emotional and physical change that brought on?
In Raw Success, Matt walks you through the Raw Food transition, inspiring you every step of the way. It’s such an encouragement to read the words of someone who is where you aspire to be, who has lived EIGHT years eating 100% raw foods only. That’s an amazing accomplishment!
Matt emphasizes living a balanced Raw Lifestyle and not relying heavily on any one fruit, veggie, nut, or seed. Getting colonics is something Matt highly recommends in this book. He says if you’re going to be embarking on a Raw Journey, then you need to continually cleanse your colon because your body will be releasing so many toxins from all those years of cooked and processed foods.
Matt also advises drinking fresh, raw juices every single day so your body will absolutely be getting all the nutrition it possibly can. As I’m always telling you: fresh, raw juices pack a powerful punch! And, get this: Matt’s favorite raw juice is carrot-spinach. Eeek! Mine is, too. I have something in common with Matt Monarch!
I was going to “pester” Matt to do an interview with us, but he’s been so kind and gracious, I decided to direct you to a recent interview he shared at Raw People: In-Depth Interview with Matt Monarch. Enjoy!
Now, on to the contest…
I love how Lori, over at Green Gigs, has chosen to run her current contest. (Go enter her contest!) She’s a great gal offering a great prize!
You’re allowed FOUR entries for this contest:
- Leave a comment sharing why you’d benefit from owning a copy of Raw Success.
- Visit Matt’s website and leave a second comment about something you read on his site that resonated with your soul. (Make it original. Don’t copy someone else’s thoughts.)
- Share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. (The pingback will be counted as your third entry.) If you don’t see your pingback, just email me at healingwithjuices@gmail.com and let me know. It may have gone to spam for some reason.
- Add Healing with Juices to your favorites on Technoratori. Comment the fourth–and last–time to let me know, with a link to your technoratori profile to show you added us.
You have until Saturday, April 10th, at 12:00 Midnight (Central Time) to get all your entries in. I’ll be using Random.org once again to randomly select the winner. Nope, you don’t have to have a blog to enter. You can still enter three other ways. That’s it. Easy as pie–raw pie, that is! And… let the contest begin! Good luck!
Oh, and there’ll be LOTS more contests in the NEAR FUTURE!! Coming up next: awesome DVDs and healthy RAW FOODS (!!!)–so don’t miss out on upcoming posts! Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Published Sunday, December 28, 2008
By
The thought of juice fasting can be a scary one. It might seem like folks are always trying to talk you out of trying it. “Oh, you need to eat!” or “You can’t live on liquid alone.” are things you might here if you mention you’re thinking of going on a juice fast.
What they don’t understand, though, is how beneficial raw juice fasts actually are. In my experience, I have slept more soundly and woke up more rested, gained better vision, thought more clearly, and I simply love how “light” and healthy I feel while juice fasting.
One thing that did surprise me is that juice fasting really becomes a spiritual experience - whatever that means to you. It’s like you’re more in tune with yourself, your goals, your dreams, your visions. I love that feeling and personally take the opportunity to pray more, reflect on my spiritual walk and absorb all the peace I can, while in that quiet, still place juice fasting brings me to.
So, how do you start a juice fast? First, you need to do a little research. What types of fruits and vegetables do you like? What are the benefits of those particular fruits and/or vegetable juices? Do you have any health issues? If so, would certain juices interfere or cause problems? For instance, if you’re a diabetic (and, I’ll tell you that it isn’t recommended for diabetics to juice fast; however, I was on diabetic medication when I started juice fasting.)
If you’re trying to control your blood sugar, and you do decide to try a short juice fast, (or even if you’re just juicing for health), focus on the dark greens: spinach, turnip, beet, etc.
I learned to listen to my body, I stayed away from too much fruit (because the fruit/fruit juice turns to sugar in your bloodstream), and I had to accept that I wasn’t physically able to do a 30- or 40-day juice fast at the beginning.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a freelance writer. Two articles I’ve written recently that will be of great benefit to you before you begin your juice fast is:
How to Prepare Your Mind for a Juice Fast
and
How to Prepare Your Body for a Juice Fast
With a new year fast approaching us, it’s a great time to focus on improving your health by juice fasting. It’s not necessarily a great idea to write a long list of new years’ resolutions because, let’s face it, most of us never keep them and it only makes us feel worse about ourselves. No need for negativity when 2009 can be the best year of your life!
Here’s to health!
