Here is what I’ve been really passionate about for the last 4 months…
Juicing!

I have noticed a major increase in my energy levels, but unfortunately, I am still waiting for pain relief. My body is definitely not complaining about all of the goodness these juices contain! Ginger is pretty much good for everything: headaches, arthritis, anti-inflammatory, circulatory stimulant, antinausea, antioxidant, and so much more! Did you know that cabbage and carrots are antioxidants too? And along with celery and cucumbers, cabbage and carrots are diuretics! Need a cleanse? There ya go!

I’ve never really liked ginger that much but I have insisted on putting it in every juice I make as well as Tumeric! And if you don’t know about Tumeric yet…. well, it’s currently the hot little root that everyone is talking about! It is actually in the ginger family and a native to southeast Asia (where I used to live)! Tumeric is also an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, lowers blood cholesterol, heals wounds, protects liver cells, and so much more! So once again, it is in every juice I make.

My gut actually hasn’t had any digestive issues with my juices either! No stomach pains at all! I’ve often had trouble digesting smoothies and I think my gut gets overwhelmed by too many different items to digest at once. But next time you have a smoothie, imagine yourself eating all of those items separately. You probably would fill up after half of the ingredients! I know I would! Maybe that’s just me! Haha, but someone once told me to evaluate just how much sugar is going into my smoothies and I found this article on MotherJones by Tom Philpott really interesting! Here are some quotes that stood out: “For one thing, “blenderizing takes away chewing, which reduces the time spent eating” and may inspire you to take in more. Also, “fluids are less filling than solids.” Finally, he added, turning foods into liquids markedly raises their glycemic load, which is a measure of how much a particular amount of food affects blood sugar and insulin levels. Indeed, a whole apple has a glycemic load of 6, while a serving of apple juice clocks in at 30—higher even than Coca-Cola, at 16.” and “Maintaining a regular smoothie habit is “not nearly as good” as eating the same amount of fruit in its native state.”

Needless to say, it’s been a long time since I had a smoothie! And the last one I had did not sit well…

Back to juicing! I definitely feel that these juices often speed up my metabolism! Generally an hour or so after drinking a juice I get super hungry! And when I am eating balanced meals (every month minus December), I feel good and energized. I believe that the Plexus supplements have helped shrink my stomach and decrease cravings as well. I am a teacher and I feel as though my body functions a lot like the kids’. They are always hungry! I generally feel hungry around 9:30 and now I’ve replaced snacks with juice and that often ties me over until my lunch at 11:15. Eating that early means I’m always ready for dinner by the time school is over at 3:30! This is super lame when you actually want to have a social life!

The image below comes from SoLetsHangOut.com which is an excellent site for healthy recipes! Her colorful blog helped inspire me to start juicing!

The fun thing about juicing is that you can play around with so many options! I learned quickly which vegetables have a harsh taste and need a sweet fruit to balance them out. And I’ve only made a few “tough to swallow” juices, but I added more pineapple and they were generally ok! I know that beets are so good for you, but I tried a few times to juice them and just had the toughest time… they really do taste like dirt! And they ruin a perfectly good juice! Haha. That’s just my opinion! I’ll roast them in the oven instead 🙂

A great resource that I found helpful was The Juicing Bible! It’s a wealth of information in one place if you are tired of looking everything up separately on the internet.

Happy Juicing!