Today's Juices:
-- 2 quarts apple/celery (2 heads celery, 12 apples)
-- lots of tea with honey
-- 1 quart water w/MSM & lemon
Wow. Definitely not the best day ever. So Thursdays are ROUGH. I just started my grad school classes this evening. This means I leave my house in the morning at 7:30 to go to school, go directly from school to class, and classes at 8:40 night. I don't have time to stop at home to make an additional quart of juice, and carrying more than two quarts with me at a time isn't feasible (I already have a laptop bag + bag full of juices/papers/teacher stuff). I suppose next week I could have two quarts waiting for me at home, so that I could swing by and pick them up...other than that I don't know what to do. I could also find a juice bar in Queens near school.
What I do know is that I drank enough tea with honey today to sustain me energy/calorie/blood sugar wise, but I am really feeling it now. I am really out of whack and...feeling ugh. I'm too exhausted to make juices/deal with the VitaMix at this point, so I'm just going to have some water w/MSM and hit the sack.
I was thinking about it, and I'm going to just drink bottled water at Starbuck's from now on. I don't need their lame tea. Most of its not even organic! Besides, I absolutely don't like drinking it without honey anyway. I'm also going to bring a quart of delicious apple/blueberry juice to drink while I'm taking care of business. :) I'm over the honey.
I am also considering making all four quarts of juices in the morning to better facilitate the feast. When I get home from school in the afternoon, I'm not very motivated to squeeze out a quart of juice before heading out to Manhattan. If I get it all done in the morning, I can just grab it and go.
Merh. I'm in a bit of a poopy mood. I'm sure it will lift once I get some serious kale into my system tomorrow morning! :)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Day 31...ramblings of a cooked food addict.
Juices:
-- 2.25 qts kale/apple (1.5 lb kale, 12 apples)
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple (2 heads celery, 12 apples)
-- 2 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- tea with honey
Exercise:
-- 20 minute jog (2 miles)
Haha, thats a lot of apples! They were a lot smaller than usual, so the juices still tasted basically the same...
Woah. Woke up a bit late today (but still with plenty of time for juicin'), so I didn't get to squeeze my morning update in. Merh. I've been running around the house like a madwoman, sweeping, scrubbing juice remains off of the stove, sinks, blender...I also did laundry and slated even MORE clothing for recycling.
I'm getting rid of stuff faster than it can be replaced! Awesome? I'll be hitting some thrift stores this weekend for sure. I am a little sad about the $300 Banana Republic suit that no longer fits me, though. Haha. I'll get over it! I can safely say that none of my work pants fit any more. The couple of pairs I am holding on to is just for the sake of having something to wear to work, lol. I am also down to three dress shirts, I think I tossed out five already. Luckily I just wear sweaters/knitted shirts most of the time or I'd be in trouble.
Hm, so I'm really productive/not sleeping, can't complain. I feel great right now! All day I was really craving solid food...mostly raw, and a good deal of whole cooked foods. For about an hour or so after I got home today, I kept debating as to whether I could continue with my feast or end it after thirty days. I stayed with the feast again this time out of laziness. Things are going really well and I don't want to screw anything up. I look great and feel amazing.
I should also mention that I'm slightly terrified of how my eating habits will turn out when I return to solids. I haven't made a decision as to what I want to do. I feel like I'll definitely be eating intuitively, but I also don't want to get back into solids without a concrete idea of what I want for myself. Right now, I really want raw food. I love the way it makes me feel, and the past 1.5 years has been predominantly 100% raw.
The problem is, when I eat cooked food, I EAT COOKED FOOD. We're not talking brown rice & steamed veggies here. I eat really really god awful, terrible (but pescetarian at worst & mostly dairy-free) things when I eat cooked food. This can last for days.
One time, I ate shitty cooked food for nearly a month before I absolutely had to stop because I'd become so sick and my clothes stopped fitting me. Its not even eating -- its nonstop binging. I blame these patterns 100% on the raw/cooked dichotomy that I'd instilled in my thinking. It really brought out these awful, compulsive behaviors full force. Its unlike anything I've experienced while eating raw foods, or ever in my life before I began a raw vegan lifestyle.
What I want most from this feast is for that type of compulsive thinking to stop. While 100% is amazing and I feel best there, part of me feels like "allowing" myself 2-3 whole food, cooked meals per week. This would be much better for me than eating 100% for three months then causing serious damage to my health by binging on all kinds of imaginable junk food (read: fast food veggie burgers & fries).
Today I was craving rice. Badly. The more I thought about it, I've been craving rice for the past 31 days. I don't know if this is because I work in a public school where I can smell lunch cooking all day. I don't know if its because I smell starch cooking all around me everywhere I walk in Bushwick. I might just like rice! A lot. At what point do I determine the difference between, "You want rice because you are addicted to it," and "You want rice because there is something in the rice that your body really needs."
Victoria Boutenko argues that you can never really get rid of the addiction, you've got to stop cold turkey, you can't be 95% raw foodist, etc etc. I mean, I can't promise that the 2-3 vegan cooked meals per week won't turn into vegetarian, then to pescetarian, then to fried crap, then to whatever the hell else. I can't promise my plan isn't going to backfire, and thats why it makes me really nervous.
I do know that whatever happens, keeping myself on a consistent exercise program, as well as 1-2 quarts of fresh green juices in addition to whatever else I'm eating is going to help immensely. Feeling like I'm being healthy and doing okay is really what makes or breaks it for me.
This where I get really confused. When I finish the 92 day juice feast...the physical addiction to cooked food should be, for the most part, gone. Dormant. Right? So, at what point do I decide to reintroduce these addictive substances? While I'd rather reintroduce them in a controlled manner that is acceptable to my mental and physical health, instead of returning to my former habits, why reintroduce them at all?
Why the hell would I choose to eat cooked food? I almost feel like eating cooked 2-3 meals per week is like giving up on myself ahead of time. Kind of like, "well, I know you're going to eat it eventually Alison, this is just preventative damage control." I know I shouldn't feel that way. Negative thinking got me here in the first place.
To me, reintroducing cooked food after a 92 day juice feast feels a lot like a recovered heroin addict showing up at a methadone clinic three times a week.
-- 2.25 qts kale/apple (1.5 lb kale, 12 apples)
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple (2 heads celery, 12 apples)
-- 2 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- tea with honey
Exercise:
-- 20 minute jog (2 miles)
Haha, thats a lot of apples! They were a lot smaller than usual, so the juices still tasted basically the same...
Woah. Woke up a bit late today (but still with plenty of time for juicin'), so I didn't get to squeeze my morning update in. Merh. I've been running around the house like a madwoman, sweeping, scrubbing juice remains off of the stove, sinks, blender...I also did laundry and slated even MORE clothing for recycling.
I'm getting rid of stuff faster than it can be replaced! Awesome? I'll be hitting some thrift stores this weekend for sure. I am a little sad about the $300 Banana Republic suit that no longer fits me, though. Haha. I'll get over it! I can safely say that none of my work pants fit any more. The couple of pairs I am holding on to is just for the sake of having something to wear to work, lol. I am also down to three dress shirts, I think I tossed out five already. Luckily I just wear sweaters/knitted shirts most of the time or I'd be in trouble.
Hm, so I'm really productive/not sleeping, can't complain. I feel great right now! All day I was really craving solid food...mostly raw, and a good deal of whole cooked foods. For about an hour or so after I got home today, I kept debating as to whether I could continue with my feast or end it after thirty days. I stayed with the feast again this time out of laziness. Things are going really well and I don't want to screw anything up. I look great and feel amazing.
I should also mention that I'm slightly terrified of how my eating habits will turn out when I return to solids. I haven't made a decision as to what I want to do. I feel like I'll definitely be eating intuitively, but I also don't want to get back into solids without a concrete idea of what I want for myself. Right now, I really want raw food. I love the way it makes me feel, and the past 1.5 years has been predominantly 100% raw.
The problem is, when I eat cooked food, I EAT COOKED FOOD. We're not talking brown rice & steamed veggies here. I eat really really god awful, terrible (but pescetarian at worst & mostly dairy-free) things when I eat cooked food. This can last for days.
One time, I ate shitty cooked food for nearly a month before I absolutely had to stop because I'd become so sick and my clothes stopped fitting me. Its not even eating -- its nonstop binging. I blame these patterns 100% on the raw/cooked dichotomy that I'd instilled in my thinking. It really brought out these awful, compulsive behaviors full force. Its unlike anything I've experienced while eating raw foods, or ever in my life before I began a raw vegan lifestyle.
What I want most from this feast is for that type of compulsive thinking to stop. While 100% is amazing and I feel best there, part of me feels like "allowing" myself 2-3 whole food, cooked meals per week. This would be much better for me than eating 100% for three months then causing serious damage to my health by binging on all kinds of imaginable junk food (read: fast food veggie burgers & fries).
Today I was craving rice. Badly. The more I thought about it, I've been craving rice for the past 31 days. I don't know if this is because I work in a public school where I can smell lunch cooking all day. I don't know if its because I smell starch cooking all around me everywhere I walk in Bushwick. I might just like rice! A lot. At what point do I determine the difference between, "You want rice because you are addicted to it," and "You want rice because there is something in the rice that your body really needs."
Victoria Boutenko argues that you can never really get rid of the addiction, you've got to stop cold turkey, you can't be 95% raw foodist, etc etc. I mean, I can't promise that the 2-3 vegan cooked meals per week won't turn into vegetarian, then to pescetarian, then to fried crap, then to whatever the hell else. I can't promise my plan isn't going to backfire, and thats why it makes me really nervous.
I do know that whatever happens, keeping myself on a consistent exercise program, as well as 1-2 quarts of fresh green juices in addition to whatever else I'm eating is going to help immensely. Feeling like I'm being healthy and doing okay is really what makes or breaks it for me.
This where I get really confused. When I finish the 92 day juice feast...the physical addiction to cooked food should be, for the most part, gone. Dormant. Right? So, at what point do I decide to reintroduce these addictive substances? While I'd rather reintroduce them in a controlled manner that is acceptable to my mental and physical health, instead of returning to my former habits, why reintroduce them at all?
Why the hell would I choose to eat cooked food? I almost feel like eating cooked 2-3 meals per week is like giving up on myself ahead of time. Kind of like, "well, I know you're going to eat it eventually Alison, this is just preventative damage control." I know I shouldn't feel that way. Negative thinking got me here in the first place.
To me, reintroducing cooked food after a 92 day juice feast feels a lot like a recovered heroin addict showing up at a methadone clinic three times a week.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Day 30
[7:10 AM]
Thirty!? When the hell did that happen?
Last night I had lots of tea at Starbuck's. I feel okay about it. I wasn't dumping honey in like mad as usual, and at no point did I actually put a spoon into any type of honey container and begin eating it directly...haha. I actually had to get a LOT of work done, since I have a meeting with my boss today and as of yesterday was frighteningly unprepared. I was there for over three hours, working nonstop (this says a lot), and wound up getting around 3 hours of sleep as a result.
Despite the lack of sleep, my energy feels GREAT! I'm really excited about juice right now! Haha.
I discussed it with my roommates...and this is the first time in a really long time my procrastination has hit the fan. I made a plan to go out for tea EVERY DAY after school for two hours, to get all of my work (planning/grading) done. The few tablespoons of honey I consume will pale in comparison the benefits this will have on my mental health. Right now I'm putting EVERYTHING off until the very last last minute, and spend the majority of my day dreading work. If I can get everything done immediately after school, in a place I want to be (ie, Starbuck's), then I'll be able to genuinely enjoy the rest of my day! I CAN'T work at school or at home. School is really draining and there are way too many distractions at my house. I'm really excited for this new plan and I hope it works...it will also free up lots of time for me to pursue yoga/ballet/running...awesome. My productivity is going to quintuple! :)
I also went for a run yesterday with a coworker, and felt AMAZING afterwards! I was surprised at how well I did, considering I hadn't run in quite some time. I'm not sore yet today, so I might go again this evening.
Menu so far for today:
-- 1 qt water w/lemon & MSM
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 1 cuke, 8 apples, LOTS of ginger)
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple (2 heads celery, 8 apples)
-- 1 qt water w/lemon & MSM
-- tea w/honey
[7:23 PM]
Just woke up from a well deserved (and SERIOUSLY needed) nap. It was much shorter than I'd expected (less than 3 hours!). Behold, the power of the juice feast. I'm off to Starbuck's to put in a serious 2 hours of work. I find that while I'm juice feasting, I want to get things done! I have a very strong drive to be productive right now.
I really feel that procrastination, and the act of numbing one's emotions with foods, go hand in hand. I feel a little more...wired? edgy? type-A? now that I'm on just juices as I'm not being placated with food anymore. Consciously & subconsciously, I don't want to suffer the consequences of procrastinating ever again. Its almost as if my mind is pre-emptively opting me out of putting things off, altogether. I feel like I just can't do it! Even writing this entry is...painful. I have to go get something done! Aaaaaah!
Thirty!? When the hell did that happen?
Last night I had lots of tea at Starbuck's. I feel okay about it. I wasn't dumping honey in like mad as usual, and at no point did I actually put a spoon into any type of honey container and begin eating it directly...haha. I actually had to get a LOT of work done, since I have a meeting with my boss today and as of yesterday was frighteningly unprepared. I was there for over three hours, working nonstop (this says a lot), and wound up getting around 3 hours of sleep as a result.
Despite the lack of sleep, my energy feels GREAT! I'm really excited about juice right now! Haha.
I discussed it with my roommates...and this is the first time in a really long time my procrastination has hit the fan. I made a plan to go out for tea EVERY DAY after school for two hours, to get all of my work (planning/grading) done. The few tablespoons of honey I consume will pale in comparison the benefits this will have on my mental health. Right now I'm putting EVERYTHING off until the very last last minute, and spend the majority of my day dreading work. If I can get everything done immediately after school, in a place I want to be (ie, Starbuck's), then I'll be able to genuinely enjoy the rest of my day! I CAN'T work at school or at home. School is really draining and there are way too many distractions at my house. I'm really excited for this new plan and I hope it works...it will also free up lots of time for me to pursue yoga/ballet/running...awesome. My productivity is going to quintuple! :)
I also went for a run yesterday with a coworker, and felt AMAZING afterwards! I was surprised at how well I did, considering I hadn't run in quite some time. I'm not sore yet today, so I might go again this evening.
Menu so far for today:
-- 1 qt water w/lemon & MSM
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 1 cuke, 8 apples, LOTS of ginger)
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple (2 heads celery, 8 apples)
-- 1 qt water w/lemon & MSM
-- tea w/honey
[7:23 PM]
Just woke up from a well deserved (and SERIOUSLY needed) nap. It was much shorter than I'd expected (less than 3 hours!). Behold, the power of the juice feast. I'm off to Starbuck's to put in a serious 2 hours of work. I find that while I'm juice feasting, I want to get things done! I have a very strong drive to be productive right now.
I really feel that procrastination, and the act of numbing one's emotions with foods, go hand in hand. I feel a little more...wired? edgy? type-A? now that I'm on just juices as I'm not being placated with food anymore. Consciously & subconsciously, I don't want to suffer the consequences of procrastinating ever again. Its almost as if my mind is pre-emptively opting me out of putting things off, altogether. I feel like I just can't do it! Even writing this entry is...painful. I have to go get something done! Aaaaaah!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Day 29
Uh, woke up this morning at 7:15. Absolutely no time to juice, so I ended up grabbing a liter of Tropicana "Mixed Berry" (100% juice) and a 16 oz bottle of Welch's Grape juice. Eh. I felt really sick after drinking them, so.....that can't happen again. I must say, though, that the grape juice was quite enjoyable. More later, I'm off for a run with a co-worker.
Juices:
-- 1 qt water w/ MSM
-- 2 qts apple/cuke/kale (8 apples, 1.5 lb kale, 1 pretty big cucumber)
-- 1 L Tropicana Mixed Berry (pasteurized)
-- 16 oz 100% Welch's grape juice (pasteurized)
-- 3 venti teas w/honey
Exercise:
-- 45 minutes running @ Prospect Park
Juices:
-- 1 qt water w/ MSM
-- 2 qts apple/cuke/kale (8 apples, 1.5 lb kale, 1 pretty big cucumber)
-- 1 L Tropicana Mixed Berry (pasteurized)
-- 16 oz 100% Welch's grape juice (pasteurized)
-- 3 venti teas w/honey
Exercise:
-- 45 minutes running @ Prospect Park
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Day 28 -- End of Week 4 :)
Woah, I can't believe I've feasted this long so far! I'm feeling great. I haven't had any honey yet today, and instead made a huge batch of green green juice. I like making my juices ahead of time on weekends, its nice to be able to just grab a juice when I want it rather than having to break out the blender/nut milk bags/etc whenever I want something.
I had a super busy weekend (four hours of professional development on Saturday morning, painting my room last night, etc) and never got around to going to the co-op...gaah. I have to work a couple of shifts before getting off their shit-list, so I think I'll do so on Tuesday and Wednesday...
In the mean time, I'm going to go buy a hat then go for a run since the weather is fairly agreeable today.
Getting Juicy:
-- 3 qts turnip green/kale/apple/cucumber/ginger (.5 lb turnip greens, 1.5 lb kale, 4 kirby cucumbers, 12 apples, 4 inch cubes ginger, 2 tablespoons hemp oil)
-- 2 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- 1 qt apple/cuke juice (7 apples, 1 kirby cucumber)
[10:01]
Hm...I felt AMAZING today. I think it was because the majority of my juices were green, I upped the water intake, and I didn't have any honey! It was really hard earlier today...I was at Herald Square with my roommate and I was SO cold. I was looking all over for a Starbuck's and probably would have bought a tea had I been able to find one. I'm glad I didn't though. :)
I think the reason I've felt so cold lately is that I've been going outside too soon after drinking my juices. I'm going to buy a few more sweatshirts and keep layering up.
Oh! My roommate and I went out shopping, and I fit into a size Large (pants) at Forever 21! Pretty impressive considering their clothing is designed for 8th graders, haha. I don't think I've ever fit into pants there. Fun! I wound up spending more time than I'd planned in Manhattan and never went running earlier. Poo. I'm going for sure tomorrow. My goal is to run at least 4 times this week, and to get some yoga/pilates in. I feel that now that I'm getting into my fifth week of the feast, I'm ready to start rebuilding.
I'm really excited that juicing is feeling so second nature. Four weeks feels like an accomplishment. :)
I had a super busy weekend (four hours of professional development on Saturday morning, painting my room last night, etc) and never got around to going to the co-op...gaah. I have to work a couple of shifts before getting off their shit-list, so I think I'll do so on Tuesday and Wednesday...
In the mean time, I'm going to go buy a hat then go for a run since the weather is fairly agreeable today.
Getting Juicy:
-- 3 qts turnip green/kale/apple/cucumber/ginger (.5 lb turnip greens, 1.5 lb kale, 4 kirby cucumbers, 12 apples, 4 inch cubes ginger, 2 tablespoons hemp oil)
-- 2 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- 1 qt apple/cuke juice (7 apples, 1 kirby cucumber)
[10:01]
Hm...I felt AMAZING today. I think it was because the majority of my juices were green, I upped the water intake, and I didn't have any honey! It was really hard earlier today...I was at Herald Square with my roommate and I was SO cold. I was looking all over for a Starbuck's and probably would have bought a tea had I been able to find one. I'm glad I didn't though. :)
I think the reason I've felt so cold lately is that I've been going outside too soon after drinking my juices. I'm going to buy a few more sweatshirts and keep layering up.
Oh! My roommate and I went out shopping, and I fit into a size Large (pants) at Forever 21! Pretty impressive considering their clothing is designed for 8th graders, haha. I don't think I've ever fit into pants there. Fun! I wound up spending more time than I'd planned in Manhattan and never went running earlier. Poo. I'm going for sure tomorrow. My goal is to run at least 4 times this week, and to get some yoga/pilates in. I feel that now that I'm getting into my fifth week of the feast, I'm ready to start rebuilding.
I'm really excited that juicing is feeling so second nature. Four weeks feels like an accomplishment. :)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Day 27
I feel addicted to tea with honey. Its official. I've been drinking it a lot over the past couple of days, as I absolutely, positively have not been able to get/stay warm, regardless of how much I'm wearing while I'm ouside. Perhaps I'll up my ginger intake? I really don't want to be consuming this much honey. Its not raw, and I feel bloated/like I'm getting sick. I'm also starting to crave crap food. I'm going to stop it cold turkey (for at least the next 7 days) and see what happens.
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple/cucumber (2 heads celery, 3 kirby cucumbers, 8 apples)
-- tea w/honey
-- 1 qt blueberry/apple/cucumber (1 cup blueberries, 3 gala apples, 4 kirby cucumbers)
-- 1 pint blueberry/apple (2 gala apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- 2.5 qts celery/apple/cucumber (2 heads celery, 3 kirby cucumbers, 8 apples)
-- tea w/honey
-- 1 qt blueberry/apple/cucumber (1 cup blueberries, 3 gala apples, 4 kirby cucumbers)
-- 1 pint blueberry/apple (2 gala apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
Day 26
I think I've stumbled upon my favorite juice combination...I made it all day today. Kale, cucumber, apple, with ginger is simply divine! I found out the other day that kale is a warming food (along with ginger), which makes so much sense...the more of it I consume, the warmer and more balanced I feel.
Yesterday's Juices:
-- Tea w/honey
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 3 kirby cucumbers, 6 apples, 2 inch cubes ginger)
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 3 kirby cucumbers, 6 apples, 2 inch cubes ginger)
Juice on, lovely feasters!
Yesterday's Juices:
-- Tea w/honey
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 3 kirby cucumbers, 6 apples, 2 inch cubes ginger)
-- 2 qts kale/cuke/apple/ginger (1.5 lb kale, 3 kirby cucumbers, 6 apples, 2 inch cubes ginger)
Juice on, lovely feasters!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Day 25
Juices!
-- chamomile tea w/ honey
-- 2 qts celery/pineapple/cucumber (1 cucumber, 1 head celery, 1 pineapple)
-- 1 qt apple/cucumber/spinach (5 apples, 1 cucumber, 1 handful spinach)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry/spinach/ginger (2 inch cubes ginger, remainder of 9 oz bag spinach, 4 apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry/cucumber (2 gala apples, 2 kirby cucumbers, 2 cups blueberries)
[10:59]
This morning...I meant to put an entire 9 ounce bag of spinach into my green juice. It didn't all fit at first, so I threw in a handful with the intention of smooshing the apples & cucumber in, then adding the rest of the spinach. I totally forgot until I took a sip of the juice and realized it didn't really even taste like a green juice. At that point it was way too late to start the rest of the spinach/strain/deal with additional cleanup. Annoying, but I'm over it. I just kept thinking about my Omega Juicer. :)
So, today I'm sitting in the teacher's lounge and my co-workers were talking about teeth whitening...I'm just sitting there listening, not saying much. One of them is like, "Haha, Alison there's probably a juice for that, right?" and I (half-jokingly) say, "Yep, there's a juice for everything!" Then one of them was like, "MERH, there isn't a juice for everything." I just looked at her.
It never fails to astound me when people absolutely can't even acknowledge the connection between diet and health! Its so frustrating, especially when these same people (and their poor children) are drugged out, miserable, broke, and in pain because they're still subscribing to the SAD & Big Pharma mentalities!
At the same time, I'm so blissed out on green juice that I can't really get too mad about it. Good times.
[10:19]
I just stopped at my local grocery store because I don't have time/money for "real" groceries (aka organic food, haha) until tomorrow...so I dropped a total of $6 on a 3lb bag of gala apples, 1.5 pounds of (unwaxed) kirby cucumbers, and 3 pounds of kale. If you don't consider the carcinogenic, planet destroying chemicals they've been doused in, its not a bad deal! *grins* I made my last juice of the night, apple/cuke/blueberry with conventional (though unwaxed) apples and cucumbers, and organic blueberries I had stashed in the freezer. I was fairly surprised that I could tell a SERIOUS difference! Interesting.
Oh, and I'm ditching the tea with honey habit I've fallen into the past week. I'm drinking WAY too much of it, and as a result am consuming entirely too much freaking honey. Its sending me on a blood sugar roller coaster! Also, I'm anxiously welcoming back my AM water w/lemon & MSM.
T-minus 2 days until I get my Omeeeeeega! Wooo!
-- chamomile tea w/ honey
-- 2 qts celery/pineapple/cucumber (1 cucumber, 1 head celery, 1 pineapple)
-- 1 qt apple/cucumber/spinach (5 apples, 1 cucumber, 1 handful spinach)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry/spinach/ginger (2 inch cubes ginger, remainder of 9 oz bag spinach, 4 apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry/cucumber (2 gala apples, 2 kirby cucumbers, 2 cups blueberries)
[10:59]
This morning...I meant to put an entire 9 ounce bag of spinach into my green juice. It didn't all fit at first, so I threw in a handful with the intention of smooshing the apples & cucumber in, then adding the rest of the spinach. I totally forgot until I took a sip of the juice and realized it didn't really even taste like a green juice. At that point it was way too late to start the rest of the spinach/strain/deal with additional cleanup. Annoying, but I'm over it. I just kept thinking about my Omega Juicer. :)
So, today I'm sitting in the teacher's lounge and my co-workers were talking about teeth whitening...I'm just sitting there listening, not saying much. One of them is like, "Haha, Alison there's probably a juice for that, right?" and I (half-jokingly) say, "Yep, there's a juice for everything!" Then one of them was like, "MERH, there isn't a juice for everything." I just looked at her.
It never fails to astound me when people absolutely can't even acknowledge the connection between diet and health! Its so frustrating, especially when these same people (and their poor children) are drugged out, miserable, broke, and in pain because they're still subscribing to the SAD & Big Pharma mentalities!
At the same time, I'm so blissed out on green juice that I can't really get too mad about it. Good times.
[10:19]
I just stopped at my local grocery store because I don't have time/money for "real" groceries (aka organic food, haha) until tomorrow...so I dropped a total of $6 on a 3lb bag of gala apples, 1.5 pounds of (unwaxed) kirby cucumbers, and 3 pounds of kale. If you don't consider the carcinogenic, planet destroying chemicals they've been doused in, its not a bad deal! *grins* I made my last juice of the night, apple/cuke/blueberry with conventional (though unwaxed) apples and cucumbers, and organic blueberries I had stashed in the freezer. I was fairly surprised that I could tell a SERIOUS difference! Interesting.
Oh, and I'm ditching the tea with honey habit I've fallen into the past week. I'm drinking WAY too much of it, and as a result am consuming entirely too much freaking honey. Its sending me on a blood sugar roller coaster! Also, I'm anxiously welcoming back my AM water w/lemon & MSM.
T-minus 2 days until I get my Omeeeeeega! Wooo!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Juicy Haiku :)
chop, dice, spiral slice!
food food food food food food food
solids would be great.
Haha. No more recipes for me.
food food food food food food food
solids would be great.
Haha. No more recipes for me.
Day 24
Hm...I'm sneaking up on Day 30 pretty fast, and thats really exciting! I know I say it all the time, but the juice feast has really been flying by.
today's juices, so far:
-- 2 quarts kale/spinach/apple/cuke (1 bunch kale, 5 oz spinach, 6 gala apples, 2 cucumbers)
-- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
-- 8 oz chamomile tea w/ honey
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry (5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries)
-- mint tea w/ honey
today's juices, so far:
-- 2 quarts kale/spinach/apple/cuke (1 bunch kale, 5 oz spinach, 6 gala apples, 2 cucumbers)
-- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
-- 8 oz chamomile tea w/ honey
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry (5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries)
-- mint tea w/ honey
Day 23
It was so great to be greeted by all of your inspirational comments this morning! I am truly ecstatic to be juice feasting with (and encouraged by) such an astounding group of bloggers. I can't believe yesterday was already Day 23! My internet was out last night, so here's yesterday's update before I head out into the war zone. :)
The Juices:
-- 1 qt celery apple (2 celery hearts, 5 gala apples)
-- 2 qts kale/spinach/cuke/apple/ginger (1 bunch kale, 5 oz bag spinach, 1 cucumber, 4 apples, ginger)
-- 2 qts kale/celery/apple/cucumber/ginger (1 bunch kale, 1 head celery, 6 apples, ginger, 1 cucumber)
-- Moroccan tea with honey
-- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
So, I had an incredible amount of energy yesterday! I think I'm ditching plain fruit juices for the most part from now on...particularly orange juice. The past 2 days have been mostly green based juices and I'm feeling amazing!
I actually had so much energy that I didn't even sleep through the night. I went to bed at 10 PM, woke up a little after midnight, and ran around my apartment trying on clothes/getting rid of stuff that was too big. My closet is almost empty now. Oops. :)
I ended up going back to sleep around 4:00 AM and was awake again at 6:30 to start my juices.
Reasons I hate VitaMixin' it up:
1. The enzymes in the juices are seriously chapping/killing my hands (and of course the weather played a role in this as well).
2. I can't can't for the life of me squeeze all of the juice out of the pulp.
3. I manage get the pre-juice pulp EVERYWHERE.
4. My VitaMix has overheated/crapped out on me TWICE so far during my morning juicemaking (really, really really bad) and a couple of times in the evening (at least then I can afford to sit around while it cools down)
5. It takes forever.
6. Hypothetically, if I wanted 4 different juice flavors, I'd have to blend, pour, and squeeze 4 separate batches of juice.
7. If I make a green juice that ends up not being quite sweet enough....its really annoying to chop up an apple, add water, blend, and THEN squeeze out the juice. I like that with a masticating juicer you can taste things as you go. I've wound up making juices that are far too sweet as well, and it would be great to have the power to fine-tune the flavors. :)
Even thought lots of the masticating juicers take a while to clean up, I've heard the Omega isn't that bad. In my opinion it would be far more efficient to run 4 quarts of juice through the juicer then clean it up, than try to do 4 quarts in the VitaMix. I could see the VitaMix being VERY convenient if you only wanted to make 1 quart of juice (which I often do in the evenings), but as far as my morning industrial strength juice production fiascos, I think I'll invest in the Omega.
And, she's off!
The Juices:
-- 1 qt celery apple (2 celery hearts, 5 gala apples)
-- 2 qts kale/spinach/cuke/apple/ginger (1 bunch kale, 5 oz bag spinach, 1 cucumber, 4 apples, ginger)
-- 2 qts kale/celery/apple/cucumber/ginger (1 bunch kale, 1 head celery, 6 apples, ginger, 1 cucumber)
-- Moroccan tea with honey
-- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
So, I had an incredible amount of energy yesterday! I think I'm ditching plain fruit juices for the most part from now on...particularly orange juice. The past 2 days have been mostly green based juices and I'm feeling amazing!
I actually had so much energy that I didn't even sleep through the night. I went to bed at 10 PM, woke up a little after midnight, and ran around my apartment trying on clothes/getting rid of stuff that was too big. My closet is almost empty now. Oops. :)
I ended up going back to sleep around 4:00 AM and was awake again at 6:30 to start my juices.
Reasons I hate VitaMixin' it up:
1. The enzymes in the juices are seriously chapping/killing my hands (and of course the weather played a role in this as well).
2. I can't can't for the life of me squeeze all of the juice out of the pulp.
3. I manage get the pre-juice pulp EVERYWHERE.
4. My VitaMix has overheated/crapped out on me TWICE so far during my morning juicemaking (really, really really bad) and a couple of times in the evening (at least then I can afford to sit around while it cools down)
5. It takes forever.
6. Hypothetically, if I wanted 4 different juice flavors, I'd have to blend, pour, and squeeze 4 separate batches of juice.
7. If I make a green juice that ends up not being quite sweet enough....its really annoying to chop up an apple, add water, blend, and THEN squeeze out the juice. I like that with a masticating juicer you can taste things as you go. I've wound up making juices that are far too sweet as well, and it would be great to have the power to fine-tune the flavors. :)
Even thought lots of the masticating juicers take a while to clean up, I've heard the Omega isn't that bad. In my opinion it would be far more efficient to run 4 quarts of juice through the juicer then clean it up, than try to do 4 quarts in the VitaMix. I could see the VitaMix being VERY convenient if you only wanted to make 1 quart of juice (which I often do in the evenings), but as far as my morning industrial strength juice production fiascos, I think I'll invest in the Omega.
And, she's off!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Juice Feast, Day 22
[2:21 PM]
Well, well! I'm still here. :) I did some thinking last night and staying on the feast is definitely the best thing for me. Its also, in my opinion, probably a lot easier than coordinating a feast breaking right now. I still have a lot of juicing and healing ahead of me, and I'm looking forward to it.
Since the VitaMix is causing me lots of frustration right now & my nut milk bags are completely destroyed (and the main reasons I want to stop the feast), I promised myself an Omega Juicer on Wednesday of this week. Ideally I'd get a GreenStar, but its a bit too expensive for me right now. I think getting the Omega is really important whether I continue my feast through Day 92 or not. I can say with confidence that after my juice feast, I will NEVER make fresh juices in the VitaMix ever again. I hate, hate, hate it so much. All I can think about is how wasteful it is! The pulp is never dry, I can never all off the pre-juice pulp out of the container, and its just a mess, on top of all that. I want to continue drinking huge green juices every day after my feast ends, and it honestly won't be happening if there's no juicer to do it with.
I think when it comes right down to it, the final reason I didn't break my feast was because I knew I'd have to make juices for the feast breaking period anyway, so I may as well continue juicing anyway.
Today's Juices:
-- 1.5 qts apple/cuke/celery (4 apples, 1 cuke, 1 head celery)
-- earl grey with honey :)
-- 1 qt water
-- 1 qt apple/spinach/ginger (4 gala apples, 10 oz spinach, 2 inch cubes ginger)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry (5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries -- still my favorite!)
[10:54 PM]
I'm also going to start shopping primarily at the co-op again, it is so much cheaper (and more convenient in the long run) to make the trek to the co-op three times per week than to end up at Whole Foods every day. I need to come up with some type of plan....I think I'll make out a sample shopping list (*cough*, produce order lol) that will last me 2-3 days then base my trips off of that. :)
PS! I had cough syrup taste (robitusson style) in my mouth for about five mintues today. How weird & exciting is that!!?
Well, well! I'm still here. :) I did some thinking last night and staying on the feast is definitely the best thing for me. Its also, in my opinion, probably a lot easier than coordinating a feast breaking right now. I still have a lot of juicing and healing ahead of me, and I'm looking forward to it.
Since the VitaMix is causing me lots of frustration right now & my nut milk bags are completely destroyed (and the main reasons I want to stop the feast), I promised myself an Omega Juicer on Wednesday of this week. Ideally I'd get a GreenStar, but its a bit too expensive for me right now. I think getting the Omega is really important whether I continue my feast through Day 92 or not. I can say with confidence that after my juice feast, I will NEVER make fresh juices in the VitaMix ever again. I hate, hate, hate it so much. All I can think about is how wasteful it is! The pulp is never dry, I can never all off the pre-juice pulp out of the container, and its just a mess, on top of all that. I want to continue drinking huge green juices every day after my feast ends, and it honestly won't be happening if there's no juicer to do it with.
I think when it comes right down to it, the final reason I didn't break my feast was because I knew I'd have to make juices for the feast breaking period anyway, so I may as well continue juicing anyway.
Today's Juices:
-- 1.5 qts apple/cuke/celery (4 apples, 1 cuke, 1 head celery)
-- earl grey with honey :)
-- 1 qt water
-- 1 qt apple/spinach/ginger (4 gala apples, 10 oz spinach, 2 inch cubes ginger)
-- 1 qt apple/blueberry (5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries -- still my favorite!)
[10:54 PM]
I'm also going to start shopping primarily at the co-op again, it is so much cheaper (and more convenient in the long run) to make the trek to the co-op three times per week than to end up at Whole Foods every day. I need to come up with some type of plan....I think I'll make out a sample shopping list (*cough*, produce order lol) that will last me 2-3 days then base my trips off of that. :)
PS! I had cough syrup taste (robitusson style) in my mouth for about five mintues today. How weird & exciting is that!!?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Juice Feasting, Day 21
Hm....Day 21 of my juice feast. Today really feels like the end...I am unsure of whether I am going to continue. On one hand, my skin is great, I've lost lots of weight (with a lot more to go...), I'm feeling really good, I love not being hungry, and I'm enjoying the feast overall. On the other hand, I'm sick of carrying around mason jars and waking up at 6:00 AM (I could throw my VitaMix out the window). I want to eat something solid. I miss putting time and creative energy into the dishes I create.
I'd like to look into a modified juice feast...the past 3 weeks have made me re-think greens entirely. I want to consume at least a quart of fresh green juice every day...the benefits are incredible.
As of right now I feel really, really unbalanced. My energy levels have been low at times, and I feel like I'm taking in way too much sugar...I'm not sure that 100% juicing is the best thing for me. At the same time, I feel like if I started eating solid food tomorrow, I'd probably be eating cooked food again. I still crave it. Would that be so bad? I'm trying to avoid the raw/cooked dichotomy that has caused me quite a bit of misery over the past year and a half...if I could just get over it, I'd be able to eat brown rice and unprocessed, vegan cooked foods every now and then. Would I feel my best? I don't know. Would it be the best thing possible for me? I have no idea!
Am I afraid of being successful? Of course. The thought of being 100% happy with myself and my body is a fairly daunting thought. If I actually finished the 92 days...where would I be?
The Juices:
-- 1 qt water w/lemon
-- 1 qt chard/pineapple/cucumber (2 bunches rainbow chard, 6 cups chopped pineapple, 1 cucumber)
-- 20 oz orange juice
-- 2 quarts orange juice
-- black tea with honey
-- 1 qt kale/apple/cuke (1 bunch kale, 4 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 tablespoon hemp oil
I'd like to look into a modified juice feast...the past 3 weeks have made me re-think greens entirely. I want to consume at least a quart of fresh green juice every day...the benefits are incredible.
As of right now I feel really, really unbalanced. My energy levels have been low at times, and I feel like I'm taking in way too much sugar...I'm not sure that 100% juicing is the best thing for me. At the same time, I feel like if I started eating solid food tomorrow, I'd probably be eating cooked food again. I still crave it. Would that be so bad? I'm trying to avoid the raw/cooked dichotomy that has caused me quite a bit of misery over the past year and a half...if I could just get over it, I'd be able to eat brown rice and unprocessed, vegan cooked foods every now and then. Would I feel my best? I don't know. Would it be the best thing possible for me? I have no idea!
Am I afraid of being successful? Of course. The thought of being 100% happy with myself and my body is a fairly daunting thought. If I actually finished the 92 days...where would I be?
The Juices:
-- 1 qt water w/lemon
-- 1 qt chard/pineapple/cucumber (2 bunches rainbow chard, 6 cups chopped pineapple, 1 cucumber)
-- 20 oz orange juice
-- 2 quarts orange juice
-- black tea with honey
-- 1 qt kale/apple/cuke (1 bunch kale, 4 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 tablespoon hemp oil
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Day 19 & 20 of Juice Feasting
Friday morning I woke up LATE...slept in again due to all of the healing that was taking place. I suppose I should start going to bed at 6:00 PM on a regular basis, haha.. with all the lateness I only had time to make 1 batch of juice. There was no way I was going to do the whole OJ thing again. No way. So I made a jar of delicious chard/apple/cucumber. I sipped on that the whole day, and my energy felt consistent and good.
Oh, and PS. The kids yesterday? ANGELS. I can safely say it was the best day, behavior-wise, I've had, all year. They learned something! They were quiet! They were well behaved! All I had to do was give them cut out shapes of the types of figures we were measuring, etc and they were completely, 100% placated. As I was teaching I looked around the room and they were all just sitting there, holding/looking at their shapes quietly. It was adorable. Then, I told them if they didn't finish their classwork that they'd have to do it at home. It was almost...too easy. *shifty eyes*
Yesterday's Juice:
-- 1.5 quarts chard/apple/cucumber (2 bunches chard, 6 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 16 oz fresh strawberry juice
-- 32 oz fresh OJ
-- more peppermint tea w/honey than I can accurately account for :)
Saturday:
The inside of my throat was still slightly swollen yesterday, but today I'm feeling 100%.
Also, the swelling over my thyroid glands has gone down and the golf balls are almost gone. I attribute this to the 98238923 heads of celery I've been pounding, and the fact that I've been getting more sleep at night...last week I heard someone mentioning that your thyroid recharges while you're asleep at night. Good to know!
The Juices!: [so far, anyway]
-- 2.5 quarts celery/apple (8 apples, 2 bunches celery)
-- 1 quart orange juice
-- peppermint tea w/ honey
-- 1 quart spinach/apple (10 oz bag spinach, 4 apples)
Oh, and PS. The kids yesterday? ANGELS. I can safely say it was the best day, behavior-wise, I've had, all year. They learned something! They were quiet! They were well behaved! All I had to do was give them cut out shapes of the types of figures we were measuring, etc and they were completely, 100% placated. As I was teaching I looked around the room and they were all just sitting there, holding/looking at their shapes quietly. It was adorable. Then, I told them if they didn't finish their classwork that they'd have to do it at home. It was almost...too easy. *shifty eyes*
Yesterday's Juice:
-- 1.5 quarts chard/apple/cucumber (2 bunches chard, 6 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 16 oz fresh strawberry juice
-- 32 oz fresh OJ
-- more peppermint tea w/honey than I can accurately account for :)
Saturday:
The inside of my throat was still slightly swollen yesterday, but today I'm feeling 100%.
Also, the swelling over my thyroid glands has gone down and the golf balls are almost gone. I attribute this to the 98238923 heads of celery I've been pounding, and the fact that I've been getting more sleep at night...last week I heard someone mentioning that your thyroid recharges while you're asleep at night. Good to know!
The Juices!: [so far, anyway]
-- 2.5 quarts celery/apple (8 apples, 2 bunches celery)
-- 1 quart orange juice
-- peppermint tea w/ honey
-- 1 quart spinach/apple (10 oz bag spinach, 4 apples)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A slightly more centered Day 18...haha
So, I was feeling much better today. Actually, so much better, that I realized how truly drained and awful the days prior really had been! Exhaustion! Fatigue! No energy! The list goes on. I was dragging myself around the school like I weighed a million pounds.
Anyway, today was totally a different scenario. I wasn't...bouncing around, by far, but still had a fairly decent amount of energy. My throat is feeling MUCH better, due to more sleep + not screaming at children. I've pretty much given up on it, screaming is way too stressful and terrible for my health, and really counter productive anyway.
Also, the juices I drank today had more greens in them and weren't a sweet as usual...I think this had more of a balancing effect...I didn't feel a "sugar crash" at all like I usually do mid-afternoon at school.
Thanks so much to Jack & Jill, and Doug your kind words. :)
I actually felt 2398234 better (emotionally, at least) right after writing last night's post..but decided to leave it up anyway. The ups and downs are certainly...interesting, and looking back on yesterday's misery is pretty amusing. Good times.
Today's Juices...
-- 1.5 qts apple/celery/cucumber (4 apples, 1 bunch celery, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 tablespoon hemp oil
-- 1.5 qts apple/kale/cucumber (2 heads kale, 6 apples, 1 cuke)
-- 2 qts blueberry/collard/cucumber/apple (2 giant collard bunches, 4 cups blueberries, 4 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 2 cups peppermint tea w/ honey
I actually really liked the apple/kale/cuke blend from this morning...since there was a lower apple-to-kale ratio than usual, the juice tasted much fresher and lighter...you could really taste the kale! Its hard to describe. However, I'm not so pleased with the blueberry/collard concoction that I'm currently slurping on. I didn't add enough apples to the mix since I ran out...and the blueberries just don't do enough to mask the collard-y flavor. Its not awful tasting, but the blueberries and collards just don't complement each other well. I don't care that much, I'm just excited to be getting 4 bunches of greens in (5 if you count celery) in one day! I'm going to shoot for 4 again tomorrow...I'm feeling pretty good.
Anyway, today was totally a different scenario. I wasn't...bouncing around, by far, but still had a fairly decent amount of energy. My throat is feeling MUCH better, due to more sleep + not screaming at children. I've pretty much given up on it, screaming is way too stressful and terrible for my health, and really counter productive anyway.
Also, the juices I drank today had more greens in them and weren't a sweet as usual...I think this had more of a balancing effect...I didn't feel a "sugar crash" at all like I usually do mid-afternoon at school.
Thanks so much to Jack & Jill, and Doug your kind words. :)
I actually felt 2398234 better (emotionally, at least) right after writing last night's post..but decided to leave it up anyway. The ups and downs are certainly...interesting, and looking back on yesterday's misery is pretty amusing. Good times.
Today's Juices...
-- 1.5 qts apple/celery/cucumber (4 apples, 1 bunch celery, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 tablespoon hemp oil
-- 1.5 qts apple/kale/cucumber (2 heads kale, 6 apples, 1 cuke)
-- 2 qts blueberry/collard/cucumber/apple (2 giant collard bunches, 4 cups blueberries, 4 apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 2 cups peppermint tea w/ honey
I actually really liked the apple/kale/cuke blend from this morning...since there was a lower apple-to-kale ratio than usual, the juice tasted much fresher and lighter...you could really taste the kale! Its hard to describe. However, I'm not so pleased with the blueberry/collard concoction that I'm currently slurping on. I didn't add enough apples to the mix since I ran out...and the blueberries just don't do enough to mask the collard-y flavor. Its not awful tasting, but the blueberries and collards just don't complement each other well. I don't care that much, I'm just excited to be getting 4 bunches of greens in (5 if you count celery) in one day! I'm going to shoot for 4 again tomorrow...I'm feeling pretty good.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Day 17: Mega-Crap Detox, Part III
Ugh. Today has been an awful day physically and emotionally. I'm sick, feverish, exhausted, and can barely speak. This isn't a good match for a room full of middle school students...So I was feeling better last night, but then felt really off again this morning. I think I really needed more sleep than I got yesterday (even though, taking the nap into consideration, was a decent amount).
I'm really, REALLY feeling the, "I hate the world" emotional detox. For sure. I'm so sick of bubbly happy people that I want to scream. The last thing that I want crossing my path after a frustrating, rage-inducing, can't-be-placated-with-solid-food day of working with what might be the most ill-managed group of children on the planet is someone's perky, smiley, world outlook. Come to Bushwick, asshole! Try being optimistic for five minutes after you take a look at the future of America!
Forcing politeness while I'm in line at Whole Foods for what was probably my first live juice of the day, and making small talk with the freaking bank teller are NOT my cup of tea.
Today's Juice:
-- 2 qts orange juice of questionable origin
-- 1 qt freshly squeezed OJ
-- 16 oz cucumber/apple/ginger
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
This morning I wound up over sleeping until 8:00 AM (ha! school starts at 8:02), so I had NO time to make my juices. I ran to school and drank orange juice from the corner coffee shop which I highly, highly doubt was raw. On my way into Manhattan I grabbed another quart of OJ, and then afterwards had an apple/cucumber/ginger concoction from a really cool juice spot in Harlem. So, I didn't even come close to hitting my greens/celery quota today, but this was due to entirely crazy circumstances. It was also nice not to have to make any of my own juices today, even though it set me back $20. :)
I'm going to bed early tonight...this detox business is serious.
I'm really, REALLY feeling the, "I hate the world" emotional detox. For sure. I'm so sick of bubbly happy people that I want to scream. The last thing that I want crossing my path after a frustrating, rage-inducing, can't-be-placated-with-solid-food day of working with what might be the most ill-managed group of children on the planet is someone's perky, smiley, world outlook. Come to Bushwick, asshole! Try being optimistic for five minutes after you take a look at the future of America!
Forcing politeness while I'm in line at Whole Foods for what was probably my first live juice of the day, and making small talk with the freaking bank teller are NOT my cup of tea.
Today's Juice:
-- 2 qts orange juice of questionable origin
-- 1 qt freshly squeezed OJ
-- 16 oz cucumber/apple/ginger
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
This morning I wound up over sleeping until 8:00 AM (ha! school starts at 8:02), so I had NO time to make my juices. I ran to school and drank orange juice from the corner coffee shop which I highly, highly doubt was raw. On my way into Manhattan I grabbed another quart of OJ, and then afterwards had an apple/cucumber/ginger concoction from a really cool juice spot in Harlem. So, I didn't even come close to hitting my greens/celery quota today, but this was due to entirely crazy circumstances. It was also nice not to have to make any of my own juices today, even though it set me back $20. :)
I'm going to bed early tonight...this detox business is serious.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Day 16 :)
The Juiciness:
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- 3 qts celery/cucumber/apple (2 bunches celery, 2 cukes, 8 apples, 1 tablespoon hemp oil)
-- ~0.75 qts apple (4-5 gala apples)
-- ~1.5 qts celery/watermelon/mint (1 oz mint, 1 bunch celery, remainder of VitaMix filled with watermelon)
So, I missed the Gabriel Cousins event this evening. I'm pretty disappointed because I was really looking forward to it, BUT Philip is bringing me the copy of his book I ordered so its all good. :)
I got home from school exhausted today, fell asleep at 4:00 and set the alarm for 6:00 PM. When I woke up at 6:00, I didn't feel better at all so I went back to sleep and woke up around 8:30...my throat still really hurts, but I feel much better & rested. Even though I slept for 9 hours last night I was exhausted when I woke up this morning. Sunday night I only slept for 3 hours, which really set me back. I'm going to go bang out a lesson plan for tomorrow then go back to bed ASAP.
Over in Juice Feasting Land...this morning I pulled on a pair of jeans straight from a hot hot dryer and they slid on perfectly, no "jump--jump, squat--squat, shake--shake" stretching out dance required! I also squeezed into a couple of pairs of pants that haven't fit me in years. I'm not sure why I'd been holding on to them for this long, but its certainly a good thing as I won't have to buy pants for about a month. :)
Really really upped my celery intake today (3 bunches!) and I'm going to continue to do so for the rest of the week. The inside of my throat is still really, really swollen and it hurts to swallow or talk loudly...it feels about the same as yesterday, but the pain is not nearly as intense. I think the golf balls on my neck have shrunk significantly, and if they're not vastly improved/completely gone in about a week or to, I will be hitting up a naturopath. I'll probably do another three bunches of celery tomorrow, since I'm already feeling much better today.
I'd been giving some thought to how long I will continue the feast. As of right now, I see no reason not to finish the 92 days other than the fact that thinking about the length of time is extremely daunting! The thought of going another 15 days is no problem, and I don't even feel weird thinking about 60 days...For some reason, when I think forward to Day 60, and deciding whether or not to continue to Day 92, the following 32 days seem really long.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm taking it one day at a time so I don't give myself an anyeurism (is that even possible on raw foods? lol), but I still have my goal set for 92.
-- 1 qt water w/MSM & lemon
-- 3 qts celery/cucumber/apple (2 bunches celery, 2 cukes, 8 apples, 1 tablespoon hemp oil)
-- ~0.75 qts apple (4-5 gala apples)
-- ~1.5 qts celery/watermelon/mint (1 oz mint, 1 bunch celery, remainder of VitaMix filled with watermelon)
So, I missed the Gabriel Cousins event this evening. I'm pretty disappointed because I was really looking forward to it, BUT Philip is bringing me the copy of his book I ordered so its all good. :)
I got home from school exhausted today, fell asleep at 4:00 and set the alarm for 6:00 PM. When I woke up at 6:00, I didn't feel better at all so I went back to sleep and woke up around 8:30...my throat still really hurts, but I feel much better & rested. Even though I slept for 9 hours last night I was exhausted when I woke up this morning. Sunday night I only slept for 3 hours, which really set me back. I'm going to go bang out a lesson plan for tomorrow then go back to bed ASAP.
Over in Juice Feasting Land...this morning I pulled on a pair of jeans straight from a hot hot dryer and they slid on perfectly, no "jump--jump, squat--squat, shake--shake" stretching out dance required! I also squeezed into a couple of pairs of pants that haven't fit me in years. I'm not sure why I'd been holding on to them for this long, but its certainly a good thing as I won't have to buy pants for about a month. :)
Really really upped my celery intake today (3 bunches!) and I'm going to continue to do so for the rest of the week. The inside of my throat is still really, really swollen and it hurts to swallow or talk loudly...it feels about the same as yesterday, but the pain is not nearly as intense. I think the golf balls on my neck have shrunk significantly, and if they're not vastly improved/completely gone in about a week or to, I will be hitting up a naturopath. I'll probably do another three bunches of celery tomorrow, since I'm already feeling much better today.
I'd been giving some thought to how long I will continue the feast. As of right now, I see no reason not to finish the 92 days other than the fact that thinking about the length of time is extremely daunting! The thought of going another 15 days is no problem, and I don't even feel weird thinking about 60 days...For some reason, when I think forward to Day 60, and deciding whether or not to continue to Day 92, the following 32 days seem really long.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm taking it one day at a time so I don't give myself an anyeurism (is that even possible on raw foods? lol), but I still have my goal set for 92.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Day 15
Hm, unfortunately juice feasting won't fix my crappy job! My students are as unmotivated as ever, and their nasty behavior throughout the day escalated into a full-fledged "incident" in PM homeroom. Yaaay, violence and frustration! I swear the children would be in more control of their emotions if their diets weren't so freaking atrocious. I thought about it, and I think today was the WORST day since I started teaching this September.
I was actually so stressed out that when one of my classes left the room (this is before shit even started hitting the fan!), I started crying uncontrollably. That's never happened to me, even once. I can't imagine what the stress of working at that middle school is doing to my body. Honestly, I'd quit if I could afford to. I should start saving...Maybe I could start selling flax seed/juice pulp crackers to help my cause. :)
Anway, on an even more serious note...the "one head of celery per day" advice (I feel like I've been getting a decent amount of leafy greens and cukes in otherwise) is to be fucking heeded. I think I'm on the cusp of what could be a serious iodine deficiency, or some kind of weird detox.
After never going back to the kelp flakes after day four (yuck), I'd only been using celery very, very sporadically as its not my favorite vegetable. At all. And by "sporadically," I mean basically never. I've now got these mountainous bumps near my thyroid glands, which is a clear indication of an iodine deficiency, and they've only been getting bigger the past few days. Yuck.
Since I can't really handle the celery + apple + leafy green combination, I will just add an entire head of celery to all of my apple juices...Making all of my juices for the day green! I find that pretty exciting, haha. Also, as mentioned in my previous post, I'm going to try to up the daily green intake overall.
So, I went to Whole Foods and bought 2 bunches of collards, 2 bunches of kale, and 3 heads of celery. Believe it or not, that put me back $20. Yep, $20. For seven bunches of greens! I'm sure the farmers didn't even see a third of that. Gaaaah. I hate Whole Foods...and at the same time the co-op seems so far away. Bleh. I'm going to look into ordering my greens in bulk, as it just seems to make more sense that way.
On the brighter side, Trader Joe's was fully stocked tonight! I grabbed 6 of the ever elusive organic cucumbers, 3 3-lb bags of apples, some frozen blueberries...and some mint. I'm going to try the watermelon & mint combination tomorrow, I believe. I also grabbed some cilantro and some ginger from the corner vegetable stand.
I LOVE cilantro. Smelling the freshly peeled garlic, cilantro, citrus, and ripe fruits and veggies really had me craving some fresh salsa & salad! I'm still amazed by the heightening of my senses...while blending up the celery for my juice this evening I could smell it from across the kitchen when I ran to the fridge for more ingredients!
I'm really starting to crave fresh, raw foods instead of whole cooked foods, which I wasn't entirely confident would happen. I think I"ll appreciate solid food SO much more than I did before! The first few days of the feast I was thinking about any and every possible type of crap junk food (haha, detox?) and last night I fell asleep thinking about raw pizza. I'm sure I could write a really, really great un-cookbook at this point, as my mind is swirling with recipes (and kale juice).
Onto the Juices!:
-- 2 qts water w/lemon & MSM
-- 1.2 L apple juice w/1 tablespoon hemp oil (9 red delicious apples)
-- 1 qt red chard/apple (5 gala apples, 1 bunch red chard)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 1 qt celery/apple/lemon/cucumber (1 cucumber, 4 gala apples, juice of 1 lemon, 1 cucumber)
I was actually so stressed out that when one of my classes left the room (this is before shit even started hitting the fan!), I started crying uncontrollably. That's never happened to me, even once. I can't imagine what the stress of working at that middle school is doing to my body. Honestly, I'd quit if I could afford to. I should start saving...Maybe I could start selling flax seed/juice pulp crackers to help my cause. :)
Anway, on an even more serious note...the "one head of celery per day" advice (I feel like I've been getting a decent amount of leafy greens and cukes in otherwise) is to be fucking heeded. I think I'm on the cusp of what could be a serious iodine deficiency, or some kind of weird detox.
After never going back to the kelp flakes after day four (yuck), I'd only been using celery very, very sporadically as its not my favorite vegetable. At all. And by "sporadically," I mean basically never. I've now got these mountainous bumps near my thyroid glands, which is a clear indication of an iodine deficiency, and they've only been getting bigger the past few days. Yuck.
Since I can't really handle the celery + apple + leafy green combination, I will just add an entire head of celery to all of my apple juices...Making all of my juices for the day green! I find that pretty exciting, haha. Also, as mentioned in my previous post, I'm going to try to up the daily green intake overall.
So, I went to Whole Foods and bought 2 bunches of collards, 2 bunches of kale, and 3 heads of celery. Believe it or not, that put me back $20. Yep, $20. For seven bunches of greens! I'm sure the farmers didn't even see a third of that. Gaaaah. I hate Whole Foods...and at the same time the co-op seems so far away. Bleh. I'm going to look into ordering my greens in bulk, as it just seems to make more sense that way.
On the brighter side, Trader Joe's was fully stocked tonight! I grabbed 6 of the ever elusive organic cucumbers, 3 3-lb bags of apples, some frozen blueberries...and some mint. I'm going to try the watermelon & mint combination tomorrow, I believe. I also grabbed some cilantro and some ginger from the corner vegetable stand.
I LOVE cilantro. Smelling the freshly peeled garlic, cilantro, citrus, and ripe fruits and veggies really had me craving some fresh salsa & salad! I'm still amazed by the heightening of my senses...while blending up the celery for my juice this evening I could smell it from across the kitchen when I ran to the fridge for more ingredients!
I'm really starting to crave fresh, raw foods instead of whole cooked foods, which I wasn't entirely confident would happen. I think I"ll appreciate solid food SO much more than I did before! The first few days of the feast I was thinking about any and every possible type of crap junk food (haha, detox?) and last night I fell asleep thinking about raw pizza. I'm sure I could write a really, really great un-cookbook at this point, as my mind is swirling with recipes (and kale juice).
Onto the Juices!:
-- 2 qts water w/lemon & MSM
-- 1.2 L apple juice w/1 tablespoon hemp oil (9 red delicious apples)
-- 1 qt red chard/apple (5 gala apples, 1 bunch red chard)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 1 qt celery/apple/lemon/cucumber (1 cucumber, 4 gala apples, juice of 1 lemon, 1 cucumber)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
2 weeks!!
Today's Intake:
-- 2 qts water w/ lemon & MSM
-- 1 qt apple/cuke/chard (1 cucumber, 1/2 bunch chard, 6 apples)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 3 cups crappy tea w/un-raw honey
-- 1 qt red delicious apples (~5 apples)
Another day of embarassingly low intake, haha. The thing I miss about weekdays is my routine...I usually get about 5 quarts of juices in, lots of water, and things start super early.
So...today was interesting. I still felt a lot of detox symptoms (really ache-y scratchy throat), and didn't drink nearly enough water to flush out whatever was bothering me. That was my own fault, I was in Manhattan spending time with my sister and some good friends. It was certainly worth it, though.
I sipped on a few cups of Lipton tea (lol, ew) while out at a cafe with some friends who don't even understand/know that I'm raw vegan, and would be flat out appalled if they knew that I was juice feasting, lol. They're from the middle east and eat a very meat centered, cooked carbohydrate based diet and think I'm crazy and deprived for being a vegetarian. :)
So, I lied to my friends and told them I had a huge lunch with my sister before meeting them...it was so much easier than spending the next 3 hours explaining that I hadn't eaten solid food in 2 weeks. The entire time we were out they kept looking at me wistfully as I sipped my tea, and continued to offer me french fries, fish cakes, and all the other junk they were eating. :)
I'm so super excited for the Gabriel Cousin's lecture on Tuesday! My goals for this week are:
+ go running 4 days (2 miles each day -- to and from my school)
+ consume 1 bunch celery & three bunches of greens each day
+ drink 2 quarts of water w/ lemon & MSM each day
[12:59 AM]
After taking my shower and doing my dry skin brushing last night (Day 13), I looked in the mirror and I couldn't believe it...I was glowing!! I felt so ecstatically happy, and could really, really see the difference in my face. Its so much thinner, and the entire constitution of my face & body are rapidly changing for the better. I really wanted to take a picture but realized I was out of AA batteries (bleh). I'm going to buy some for sure and post some pictures for Day 15 (tomorrow), because the transformation is undeniable at this point.
-- 2 qts water w/ lemon & MSM
-- 1 qt apple/cuke/chard (1 cucumber, 1/2 bunch chard, 6 apples)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 3 cups crappy tea w/un-raw honey
-- 1 qt red delicious apples (~5 apples)
Another day of embarassingly low intake, haha. The thing I miss about weekdays is my routine...I usually get about 5 quarts of juices in, lots of water, and things start super early.
So...today was interesting. I still felt a lot of detox symptoms (really ache-y scratchy throat), and didn't drink nearly enough water to flush out whatever was bothering me. That was my own fault, I was in Manhattan spending time with my sister and some good friends. It was certainly worth it, though.
I sipped on a few cups of Lipton tea (lol, ew) while out at a cafe with some friends who don't even understand/know that I'm raw vegan, and would be flat out appalled if they knew that I was juice feasting, lol. They're from the middle east and eat a very meat centered, cooked carbohydrate based diet and think I'm crazy and deprived for being a vegetarian. :)
So, I lied to my friends and told them I had a huge lunch with my sister before meeting them...it was so much easier than spending the next 3 hours explaining that I hadn't eaten solid food in 2 weeks. The entire time we were out they kept looking at me wistfully as I sipped my tea, and continued to offer me french fries, fish cakes, and all the other junk they were eating. :)
I'm so super excited for the Gabriel Cousin's lecture on Tuesday! My goals for this week are:
+ go running 4 days (2 miles each day -- to and from my school)
+ consume 1 bunch celery & three bunches of greens each day
+ drink 2 quarts of water w/ lemon & MSM each day
[12:59 AM]
After taking my shower and doing my dry skin brushing last night (Day 13), I looked in the mirror and I couldn't believe it...I was glowing!! I felt so ecstatically happy, and could really, really see the difference in my face. Its so much thinner, and the entire constitution of my face & body are rapidly changing for the better. I really wanted to take a picture but realized I was out of AA batteries (bleh). I'm going to buy some for sure and post some pictures for Day 15 (tomorrow), because the transformation is undeniable at this point.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Thirteen.
Today's feast (so far):
-- 80z saltwater flush [ew]
-- 1qt blueberry/apple (1 cup blueberries, 2 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious apples)
-- 1qt apple/pear with spirulina (3 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious, 3 bosc pears, 1 tsp spirulina)
-- 1qt apple/chard (1/2 bunch chard, 1 red delicious apple, 5 small green delicious apples, 1 tablespoon hemp oil)
-- 1 qt water w/ lemon & msm
I woke up with a scratchy throat feeling. Not quite scratchy, but the feeling that would normally indicate that I was getting sick. I'm guessing this means my body spent the 9 hours I was asleep detoxing? I'm not entirely sure, but I took it easy today regardless. I'm going to make it a point to sleep more during the week next week.
I tried a salt water flush this morning, and was rather unimpressed with the results. I think I'm going to take the senna tea a little more consistently than I have been (lol, once). I don't like the idea of taking it nightly, but maybe every other night would be a good choice.
Hm..I've been cranky all day, but I really shouldn't be. Things always fall into place for me, so the way I've been seeing it, I'm causing myself unnecessary stress by worrying about things that are essentially irrelevant.
I headed up to the Union Square farmer's market to pick up a billion of bags of the McIntosh apples to juice by themselves...but they were out! They're not organic, but they're local & minimally treated, and a sweet $1 for a 3lb bag. I ended up buying a bunch of red delicious apples for 75¢/lb. Not bad. They're very fragrant and...delicious. :)
We finally got our DVD player hooked up to the television. Yoga time!
-- 80z saltwater flush [ew]
-- 1qt blueberry/apple (1 cup blueberries, 2 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious apples)
-- 1qt apple/pear with spirulina (3 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious, 3 bosc pears, 1 tsp spirulina)
-- 1qt apple/chard (1/2 bunch chard, 1 red delicious apple, 5 small green delicious apples, 1 tablespoon hemp oil)
-- 1 qt water w/ lemon & msm
I woke up with a scratchy throat feeling. Not quite scratchy, but the feeling that would normally indicate that I was getting sick. I'm guessing this means my body spent the 9 hours I was asleep detoxing? I'm not entirely sure, but I took it easy today regardless. I'm going to make it a point to sleep more during the week next week.
I tried a salt water flush this morning, and was rather unimpressed with the results. I think I'm going to take the senna tea a little more consistently than I have been (lol, once). I don't like the idea of taking it nightly, but maybe every other night would be a good choice.
Hm..I've been cranky all day, but I really shouldn't be. Things always fall into place for me, so the way I've been seeing it, I'm causing myself unnecessary stress by worrying about things that are essentially irrelevant.
I headed up to the Union Square farmer's market to pick up a billion of bags of the McIntosh apples to juice by themselves...but they were out! They're not organic, but they're local & minimally treated, and a sweet $1 for a 3lb bag. I ended up buying a bunch of red delicious apples for 75¢/lb. Not bad. They're very fragrant and...delicious. :)
We finally got our DVD player hooked up to the television. Yoga time!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Day 12
Today's Feast:
-- 2 qts water w/ lemon & MSM
-- 2 qts apple/chard/kale/cucumber (my new favorite: 2 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious apples, 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch kale)
-- 1 qt apple/carrot/ginger (10 small golden delicious apples, 4 carrots, 1" cube ginger)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 16 oz apple/ginger juice
-- 1 qt chard/cucumber/apple (1 bunch chard, 4 gala apples, 1 cucumber, 2 teaspoons hemp oil)
Yummo!
-- 2 qts water w/ lemon & MSM
-- 2 qts apple/chard/kale/cucumber (my new favorite: 2 gala apples, 4 small golden delicious apples, 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch kale)
-- 1 qt apple/carrot/ginger (10 small golden delicious apples, 4 carrots, 1" cube ginger)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 16 oz apple/ginger juice
-- 1 qt chard/cucumber/apple (1 bunch chard, 4 gala apples, 1 cucumber, 2 teaspoons hemp oil)
Yummo!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Day 11
Woo! Things are trucking right along here in Juice Feast Land. Finally found organic cucumbers at Trader Joe's the other night, and totally grabbed the last three packages (and totally felt like a jackass doing so, haha). They're sooo good, and my body is so so so happy to finally be consuming fresh cuke juice.
I missed out on my water w/ MSM again today, because I woke up later than ever before. 10 minutes more and I wouldn't have had time to make my juices. Eeek. I really, really need to start getting to sleep earlier. I always overbook myself, and its so bad when it cuts into sleep...even if I'm doing things I love (ie, shopping for 29304 lbs produce, chillaxing, etc etc). So, I need to make sure I'm getting the full 9+ hours, because a Juice Feast is no time to slack on the shut eye...my body is going crazy detoxifying from years of accumulated crud (1,320 days so far, to be exact!). That being said, I'm out.
Day 11's Feast of Freshness:
-- 1 qt apple/carrot (4 carrots, 4 small golden delicious apples)
-- 2 qts kale/apple/cucumber/chard (1 bunch kale, 1 bunch chard, 10 small golden delicious apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 1 qt spinach/apple/pear/cucumber (5 0z bag spinach, 2 gala apples, 4 bosc pears, cucumbers)
-- 1 qt water w/lemon
I missed out on my water w/ MSM again today, because I woke up later than ever before. 10 minutes more and I wouldn't have had time to make my juices. Eeek. I really, really need to start getting to sleep earlier. I always overbook myself, and its so bad when it cuts into sleep...even if I'm doing things I love (ie, shopping for 29304 lbs produce, chillaxing, etc etc). So, I need to make sure I'm getting the full 9+ hours, because a Juice Feast is no time to slack on the shut eye...my body is going crazy detoxifying from years of accumulated crud (1,320 days so far, to be exact!). That being said, I'm out.
Day 11's Feast of Freshness:
-- 1 qt apple/carrot (4 carrots, 4 small golden delicious apples)
-- 2 qts kale/apple/cucumber/chard (1 bunch kale, 1 bunch chard, 10 small golden delicious apples, 1 cucumber)
-- 1 qt orange juice
-- 1 qt spinach/apple/pear/cucumber (5 0z bag spinach, 2 gala apples, 4 bosc pears, cucumbers)
-- 1 qt water w/lemon
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Detachment
Today I added hemp seed oil to my juices (the apple/spinach) for the first time. I have to say I was pretty thrilled! It added an incredible dimension of..nuttiness, and the way the oil separated on the top of the juice created a different degree of the flavor with each sip. It was really enjoyable.
I find that, over all, I'm savoring my juices longer, drinking them more slowly, and being more in the present moment both while nourishing my body and from day to day. I feel like I'm stopping to enjoy the moment all of the time...sitting on the subway, walking through the supermarket, or standing -- jaw agape -- in absolute disbelief of 25 students who never cease to amaze. Yoga has really helped with this...pausing to notice, reflect, and breathe, on the good and bad.
This overall shift to what feels like an enjoyably slower pace (its incredible these 1-2 minute long pauses will also do for your stress levels), is really important for emotional eating issues. I've noticed so far that I no longer experiences urges to eat when I'm stressed out (even as a raw foodist I never thought I'd be able to say this -- ever). The weird food dreams have stopped as well, and I'm thinking about food a lot less over all, 10 days into the feast.
I so look forward to the continuation of this detachment from food. I'm not craving solids any more, I've shifted away from even thinking about food when I'm stressed, and my day feels so much more relaxed and laid back now that I'm taking time for these little reflective pauses. I'm hoping this relaxed feeling will flow over into my transition back to solid food. Eating more slowly, savoring my food, recognizing true hunger, and staying hydrated are things I'm sure I'll have an easier time with as a result of my feast...I feel as if I'm re-setting the biological food clock that has been spinning out of control for the past two decades. :)
I find that, over all, I'm savoring my juices longer, drinking them more slowly, and being more in the present moment both while nourishing my body and from day to day. I feel like I'm stopping to enjoy the moment all of the time...sitting on the subway, walking through the supermarket, or standing -- jaw agape -- in absolute disbelief of 25 students who never cease to amaze. Yoga has really helped with this...pausing to notice, reflect, and breathe, on the good and bad.
This overall shift to what feels like an enjoyably slower pace (its incredible these 1-2 minute long pauses will also do for your stress levels), is really important for emotional eating issues. I've noticed so far that I no longer experiences urges to eat when I'm stressed out (even as a raw foodist I never thought I'd be able to say this -- ever). The weird food dreams have stopped as well, and I'm thinking about food a lot less over all, 10 days into the feast.
I so look forward to the continuation of this detachment from food. I'm not craving solids any more, I've shifted away from even thinking about food when I'm stressed, and my day feels so much more relaxed and laid back now that I'm taking time for these little reflective pauses. I'm hoping this relaxed feeling will flow over into my transition back to solid food. Eating more slowly, savoring my food, recognizing true hunger, and staying hydrated are things I'm sure I'll have an easier time with as a result of my feast...I feel as if I'm re-setting the biological food clock that has been spinning out of control for the past two decades. :)
Juice Feast, Day 10
...Ah. I brought an extra quart of juice to school with me to day and it made a huge difference in how I felt at the end of the day. I'm there for roughly 7 hours (if I leave immediately after school), and I'd been bringing a quart for breakfast (which I'll drink between 8:00 and 8:40) and a quart for lunch. Then, by the time 3:00 rolls around, I'm crabby, exhausted, dehydrated, and my body is crying out for vitamins and minerals. Not a very pretty picture. Today I had a quart for breakfast, a quart for lunch, and a quart during my afternoon planning period, and I felt amazing.
On the other hand, I out on missed the water w/ MSM this morning (I woke up way too late to be drinking an extra quart of water before school, haha), and really felt the difference in the morning.
Today's Juice Fest (yes, fest!):
-- 1 qt apple/red chard (4 gala apples, 1 bunch red chard)
-- 2 qts pineapple/apple/celery (1 head celery, 1 pineapple, 4 apples)
-- 1 qt apple/spinach (1 5oz bag spinach, 8 small golden delicious apples, 1tsp hemp seed oil)
-- 750 mL apple/blueberry (7 small golden delicious apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 2 qts water
-- 500 mL apple/ginger (5 gala apples, ginger)
On the other hand, I out on missed the water w/ MSM this morning (I woke up way too late to be drinking an extra quart of water before school, haha), and really felt the difference in the morning.
Today's Juice Fest (yes, fest!):
-- 1 qt apple/red chard (4 gala apples, 1 bunch red chard)
-- 2 qts pineapple/apple/celery (1 head celery, 1 pineapple, 4 apples)
-- 1 qt apple/spinach (1 5oz bag spinach, 8 small golden delicious apples, 1tsp hemp seed oil)
-- 750 mL apple/blueberry (7 small golden delicious apples, 1 cup blueberries)
-- 2 qts water
-- 500 mL apple/ginger (5 gala apples, ginger)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Day 9 :)
-- 2 qts water with lemon & 1/2 teaspoon MSM
-- 1 qt collard/apple (1 bunch collard greens, 5 gala apples)
-- 1 qt apple juice (2387234 apples)
-- 24 oz orange juice
-- water of 1 young thai coconut
-- 2 qts watermelon juice
The lack of sleep the past few days (6 hours Sunday night, 6 hours last night) is really catching up withe me. My fatigue is leaving me unable to function, or work out, which is really important to me right now. I'm jumping into bed ASAP tonight.
Ew. Way too much sweet juice today. Like, entirely too much. I feel gross and foggy.
I've also done some reading about young thai coconuts lately, and I think I'm going to try to phase them out. Not necessarily entirely...but I really should stop sucking them down like there's no tomorrow. They're soaked/dipped/fumigated with all kinds of scary scary carcinogens (including bleach and formaldehyde, if I'm not mistaken), which undoubtedly make their way into the coconuts. No thanks.
-- 1 qt collard/apple (1 bunch collard greens, 5 gala apples)
-- 1 qt apple juice (2387234 apples)
-- 24 oz orange juice
-- water of 1 young thai coconut
-- 2 qts watermelon juice
The lack of sleep the past few days (6 hours Sunday night, 6 hours last night) is really catching up withe me. My fatigue is leaving me unable to function, or work out, which is really important to me right now. I'm jumping into bed ASAP tonight.
Ew. Way too much sweet juice today. Like, entirely too much. I feel gross and foggy.
I've also done some reading about young thai coconuts lately, and I think I'm going to try to phase them out. Not necessarily entirely...but I really should stop sucking them down like there's no tomorrow. They're soaked/dipped/fumigated with all kinds of scary scary carcinogens (including bleach and formaldehyde, if I'm not mistaken), which undoubtedly make their way into the coconuts. No thanks.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Day Eight.
[4:41]
I've reached a point where everything I own is now covered (or has been at some time in the last week) in juice. Shirts, backpacks, bills, wallets, pants, SHOES, the walls in my kitchen, my students' tests/homework...no matter how hard I try I can't seem to keep up with it. It just keeps splashing all over the place out of nowhere.
I'm almost 10% of the way there! It seems substantial, but at the same time I realize how much juicing I still have ahead of me. I could never (..hopefully) get tired of young coconuts or freshly squeezed fruit juices, so I'm not too daunted by the number.
This afternoon I had my first thai coconut cracking casualty! Luckily it wasn't too serious, I just nicked the inside of my hand. At least I didn't lose any digits. This feasting business is getting dangerous.
[10:36]
Want to hear something creepy, fellow foodies? I can barely find the spot on my hand where I cut myself this afternoon. And it was definitely bleeding at 4:00. WTF!! Behold, the power of MSM & raw, freshly pressed, enzyme--mineral--vitamin rich juices!!11!
Today's Nutritious Deliciousness:
-- 2 qts water (w/lemon & 1/2 teaspoon MSM)
-- 1 qt apple/collard (1 huge candycrisp apple, 2-3 gala apples)
-- 1 qt blueberry/apple (1.5 cups blueberries, 3 huge candycrisp apples)
-- the water of 4 thai coconuts
-- 1 qt kale/romaine/apple/blueberry (2 bunches lacinato, 2 hearts of romaine, 5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries)
-- 1 teaspoon-ish raw coconut oil
I've reached a point where everything I own is now covered (or has been at some time in the last week) in juice. Shirts, backpacks, bills, wallets, pants, SHOES, the walls in my kitchen, my students' tests/homework...no matter how hard I try I can't seem to keep up with it. It just keeps splashing all over the place out of nowhere.
I'm almost 10% of the way there! It seems substantial, but at the same time I realize how much juicing I still have ahead of me. I could never (..hopefully) get tired of young coconuts or freshly squeezed fruit juices, so I'm not too daunted by the number.
This afternoon I had my first thai coconut cracking casualty! Luckily it wasn't too serious, I just nicked the inside of my hand. At least I didn't lose any digits. This feasting business is getting dangerous.
[10:36]
Want to hear something creepy, fellow foodies? I can barely find the spot on my hand where I cut myself this afternoon. And it was definitely bleeding at 4:00. WTF!! Behold, the power of MSM & raw, freshly pressed, enzyme--mineral--vitamin rich juices!!11!
Today's Nutritious Deliciousness:
-- 2 qts water (w/lemon & 1/2 teaspoon MSM)
-- 1 qt apple/collard (1 huge candycrisp apple, 2-3 gala apples)
-- 1 qt blueberry/apple (1.5 cups blueberries, 3 huge candycrisp apples)
-- the water of 4 thai coconuts
-- 1 qt kale/romaine/apple/blueberry (2 bunches lacinato, 2 hearts of romaine, 5 gala apples, 1.5 cups blueberries)
-- 1 teaspoon-ish raw coconut oil
Sunday, January 6, 2008
One Week of Juiciness!
Day 7 of my feast, woo!
[1:49 PM]
I dragged myself back from the co-op carrying 40lb or so (haha I actually have no idea but it certainly felt that way) of organic matter. 5 young thai coconuts (i almost bought 8), 3 pounds of gala apples, 4 pounds of candycrisp apples, 5 bunches of greens, a couple of pounds of pears, some lemons, a bottle of spirulina, and a bottle of MSM. Woah. I'm glad I finally got the supplements. All I need now is the E3Live and I think I'll be set.
I ended up buying the "NOW" brand of MSM & Spirulina. I was also eying the Omega Juicers at the co-op, as I've quickly become annoyed with the Vitamix/nut-milk bag juicing method...even though from what I've heard, its much simpler than actually using a juicer.
I feel like I need to get one of those silly little grocery carts, at least for my coconut expeditions. I don't feel like I go through so much produce when I'm not feasting. Also, I felt the need to really stock up this afternoon, I guess, since I don't get to go to the co-op often. Its also tricky to get my hands on coconuts and cheap organic apples. I also didn't feel like spending too much time this week at the grocery store (even though I'll probably be back on Monday or Tuesday. Ha!)
Right now I'm heading over to Manhattan to check out a few gyms with my roommate...I need to get some more aerobic exercise in, more consistently. Its so detoxifying!
[7:46 PM]
When I got back from the food co-op, I mixed up a huge green juice, and threw in a teaspoon of spirulina. I really, REALLY like the idea of taking spirulina and other goodness, but I think adding it to an already green juice was just too much. It smelled (and, if memory serves me correctly, tasted) like Play-Doh. I think I'll just be adding it to fruit juices from now on, and I'll see if I can work my way up gradually from a quarter of a teaspoon per glass, starting in a few days. Right now I don't even want to look at the stuff. I'm not all about choking down things that are healthy for me.
The MSM was really great though! It actually made my water taste...fresher, if that makes any sense. I threw half a teaspoon and a few good squeezes of lemon into a quart of water. I'm also going to mix it in with some coconut oil to use topically.
I went to a fantastic yoga class this afternoon at a studio in Park Slope...I will certainly be returning, perhaps for a little Vinyasa yoga next time. I also picked up my bike from my old housemate, but was too tired to ride it home, and took the subway instead.
At Broadway Junction (big multilevel connecting subway hub), I went to take it up a 2 flight escalator....and at about step 8 or 10 lost my balance (I was carrying a giant bag w/ my yoga mat, etc), and proceeded to fall over my bike and a nice passerby. She fortunately caught the bike, while I did two or three tumbles over myself (escalators don't stop when people fall off!) before I finally caught my bearings. At least it woke me up. And -- It was cool to see that even that didn't piss me off. Yay for juicy mellowness.
Also, this will be my testament to the sturdiness of superhero mason jars -- it didn't break despite the escalator debacle (which included my bag flying and lots of flailing on my part, lol)
I have been really happy that my only cravings for solids have been for raw foods (salads, lettuce, hummus, etc.) and WHOLE cooked foods (hello, brown rice!). I'm not even sure that I'd describe them as "cravings," its more of "Hm, if I were going to eat something, it would be..."
My dreams have been completely bizarre lately! (and I'm usually eating in them, haha) They actually remind me a lot of the dreams I used to have back during the days of the Bed-Stuy ginger shot :). We had this amazing juice bar on our corner that served up 1 oz shots of freshly squeezed ginger juice. Drinking them was an incredibly detoxifying experience! Even as a raw vegan, one of these babies would leave me with the most wild, unbelievable dreams for about a week. Woah. This clearly shows the effects that these nutritious, live juices have on the body and the mind.
Today's Juicy Feast:
-- 3 qts water w/lemon & 1/2 teaspoon MSM powder (each)
-- 1 qt apple/chard juice (4 apples, 1 head chard)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 1.25 quarts apple/kale juice (3 HUGE candycrisp apples, 1 bunch kale, 1 tsp spirulina)
-- .5 qts carrot/apple juice (8 oz baby carrots and 2 gala apples)
-- 1.5 hours yoga
[1:49 PM]
I dragged myself back from the co-op carrying 40lb or so (haha I actually have no idea but it certainly felt that way) of organic matter. 5 young thai coconuts (i almost bought 8), 3 pounds of gala apples, 4 pounds of candycrisp apples, 5 bunches of greens, a couple of pounds of pears, some lemons, a bottle of spirulina, and a bottle of MSM. Woah. I'm glad I finally got the supplements. All I need now is the E3Live and I think I'll be set.
I ended up buying the "NOW" brand of MSM & Spirulina. I was also eying the Omega Juicers at the co-op, as I've quickly become annoyed with the Vitamix/nut-milk bag juicing method...even though from what I've heard, its much simpler than actually using a juicer.
I feel like I need to get one of those silly little grocery carts, at least for my coconut expeditions. I don't feel like I go through so much produce when I'm not feasting. Also, I felt the need to really stock up this afternoon, I guess, since I don't get to go to the co-op often. Its also tricky to get my hands on coconuts and cheap organic apples. I also didn't feel like spending too much time this week at the grocery store (even though I'll probably be back on Monday or Tuesday. Ha!)
Right now I'm heading over to Manhattan to check out a few gyms with my roommate...I need to get some more aerobic exercise in, more consistently. Its so detoxifying!
[7:46 PM]
When I got back from the food co-op, I mixed up a huge green juice, and threw in a teaspoon of spirulina. I really, REALLY like the idea of taking spirulina and other goodness, but I think adding it to an already green juice was just too much. It smelled (and, if memory serves me correctly, tasted) like Play-Doh. I think I'll just be adding it to fruit juices from now on, and I'll see if I can work my way up gradually from a quarter of a teaspoon per glass, starting in a few days. Right now I don't even want to look at the stuff. I'm not all about choking down things that are healthy for me.
The MSM was really great though! It actually made my water taste...fresher, if that makes any sense. I threw half a teaspoon and a few good squeezes of lemon into a quart of water. I'm also going to mix it in with some coconut oil to use topically.
I went to a fantastic yoga class this afternoon at a studio in Park Slope...I will certainly be returning, perhaps for a little Vinyasa yoga next time. I also picked up my bike from my old housemate, but was too tired to ride it home, and took the subway instead.
At Broadway Junction (big multilevel connecting subway hub), I went to take it up a 2 flight escalator....and at about step 8 or 10 lost my balance (I was carrying a giant bag w/ my yoga mat, etc), and proceeded to fall over my bike and a nice passerby. She fortunately caught the bike, while I did two or three tumbles over myself (escalators don't stop when people fall off!) before I finally caught my bearings. At least it woke me up. And -- It was cool to see that even that didn't piss me off. Yay for juicy mellowness.
Also, this will be my testament to the sturdiness of superhero mason jars -- it didn't break despite the escalator debacle (which included my bag flying and lots of flailing on my part, lol)
I have been really happy that my only cravings for solids have been for raw foods (salads, lettuce, hummus, etc.) and WHOLE cooked foods (hello, brown rice!). I'm not even sure that I'd describe them as "cravings," its more of "Hm, if I were going to eat something, it would be..."
My dreams have been completely bizarre lately! (and I'm usually eating in them, haha) They actually remind me a lot of the dreams I used to have back during the days of the Bed-Stuy ginger shot :). We had this amazing juice bar on our corner that served up 1 oz shots of freshly squeezed ginger juice. Drinking them was an incredibly detoxifying experience! Even as a raw vegan, one of these babies would leave me with the most wild, unbelievable dreams for about a week. Woah. This clearly shows the effects that these nutritious, live juices have on the body and the mind.
Today's Juicy Feast:
-- 3 qts water w/lemon & 1/2 teaspoon MSM powder (each)
-- 1 qt apple/chard juice (4 apples, 1 head chard)
-- water of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 1.25 quarts apple/kale juice (3 HUGE candycrisp apples, 1 bunch kale, 1 tsp spirulina)
-- .5 qts carrot/apple juice (8 oz baby carrots and 2 gala apples)
-- 1.5 hours yoga
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Juicing Antics: Day 6
[3:49 pm]
Hm. Last night/this morning have been the first days I've felt any detox/sickness. I had the worst headache last night, and some nausea. I want to attribute it to the seaweed flake fiasco last night..that was certainly on my mind while I was lying around feeling like absolute crap. I really don't know why they made me so sick. Also, the first few days, the only solid foods I was craving were salads & raw things, at this point I'd kill for some cooked brown rice and steamed veggies. Not sure whether that is also a detox symptom, or an indication that my intake isn't high enough.
Anyway, I slept for about 13 hours (kind of catching up from this week, as well) and I felt much better this morning. After running to Manhattan to meet with a friend for a while, I am now INCREDIBLY exhausted. Almost the way I felt when I was water fasting. I'm getting plenty of liquid and calories, so I'm hoping its just some detox that will be short lived. Nap time!
[1:42 am]
I ended up sleeping from around 4:00 until 8:00, and felt MUCH better after waking up and "taking care of business." :) My intake is fairly low for today, but then again I did spend the majority of the day asleep, haha. I think I'll have another juice with greens and apples before heading off to bed. I'm still thinking about rice, though. Hm.
Today's Juiciness:
-- 3 qts water with lemon
-- 20 ounces "Royal Flush" from Liqueteria (pineapple, aloe, ginger, pear, liver cleanse)
-- 1.5 qts collard/apple (1 giant bunch collards, eight apples)
-- 1 qt green chard/apple (1 bunch green chard, 4 gala apples)
-- 12 oz senna tea w/ 2 teaspoons of honey
-- 0.5 qt kale/apple (1 bunch red mustart greens, 2 apples -- pink lady & gala)
Hm. Last night/this morning have been the first days I've felt any detox/sickness. I had the worst headache last night, and some nausea. I want to attribute it to the seaweed flake fiasco last night..that was certainly on my mind while I was lying around feeling like absolute crap. I really don't know why they made me so sick. Also, the first few days, the only solid foods I was craving were salads & raw things, at this point I'd kill for some cooked brown rice and steamed veggies. Not sure whether that is also a detox symptom, or an indication that my intake isn't high enough.
Anyway, I slept for about 13 hours (kind of catching up from this week, as well) and I felt much better this morning. After running to Manhattan to meet with a friend for a while, I am now INCREDIBLY exhausted. Almost the way I felt when I was water fasting. I'm getting plenty of liquid and calories, so I'm hoping its just some detox that will be short lived. Nap time!
[1:42 am]
I ended up sleeping from around 4:00 until 8:00, and felt MUCH better after waking up and "taking care of business." :) My intake is fairly low for today, but then again I did spend the majority of the day asleep, haha. I think I'll have another juice with greens and apples before heading off to bed. I'm still thinking about rice, though. Hm.
Today's Juiciness:
-- 3 qts water with lemon
-- 20 ounces "Royal Flush" from Liqueteria (pineapple, aloe, ginger, pear, liver cleanse)
-- 1.5 qts collard/apple (1 giant bunch collards, eight apples)
-- 1 qt green chard/apple (1 bunch green chard, 4 gala apples)
-- 12 oz senna tea w/ 2 teaspoons of honey
-- 0.5 qt kale/apple (1 bunch red mustart greens, 2 apples -- pink lady & gala)
Friday, January 4, 2008
Five!
Day five of my Juice Feast is winding down. Things have been stressful today..not necessarily juice feast related, but I feel that I handled them much better than I would have before. I just feel really really calm, all the time now. Its great!
I tried my first savory juice recipe today...and it was decent. I noticed last night that my thyroid was swollen, and I think its due to an iodine deficiency (I hardly ever eat sea vegetables...but was actually craving seaweed salad a few days ago!) So, I grabbed some organic kelp/dulse/sea lettuce flakes from Whole Foods to sprinkle in my juice.
The serving size was one teaspoon, but I totally overdid it, thinking "well, if it is an iodine deficiency..." Haha. So now my juice is full of floaty nasty sea veggie granules. Like, too many. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to blend them in with the juice, or just throw them in afterward. At this point I'm more concerned with getting some iodine than the purity of an omgcompletelyfiberfree juice feast. :) 1 tablespoon of kelp isn't going to break me.
So, the savory juice turned out all right. Not great, not terrible...nice and spicy..but not something I see myself making again in the near future. At least not with so much damn kelp. :)
Onto the Juices!
-- 2 quarts water with lemon
-- ~500 mL apple juice (made from 5 McIntosh Apples)
-- 1 quart spinach/apple (made from four yummy gala apples and 1 1/2 bunches spinach)
-- water of 1 young thai coconut
-- 32 0z freshly squeezed orange juice
-- ~1 quart savory monstrosity (2 stalks celery, 1 head collard greens, 2 gala apples, 80z baby carrots, 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1 romaine heart, sprinkle of cayenne, 1 tablespoon mixed sea veggie flakes)
-- 1 quart apple juice (5 huuuge gala apples)
I tried my first savory juice recipe today...and it was decent. I noticed last night that my thyroid was swollen, and I think its due to an iodine deficiency (I hardly ever eat sea vegetables...but was actually craving seaweed salad a few days ago!) So, I grabbed some organic kelp/dulse/sea lettuce flakes from Whole Foods to sprinkle in my juice.
The serving size was one teaspoon, but I totally overdid it, thinking "well, if it is an iodine deficiency..." Haha. So now my juice is full of floaty nasty sea veggie granules. Like, too many. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to blend them in with the juice, or just throw them in afterward. At this point I'm more concerned with getting some iodine than the purity of an omgcompletelyfiberfree juice feast. :) 1 tablespoon of kelp isn't going to break me.
So, the savory juice turned out all right. Not great, not terrible...nice and spicy..but not something I see myself making again in the near future. At least not with so much damn kelp. :)
Onto the Juices!
-- 2 quarts water with lemon
-- ~500 mL apple juice (made from 5 McIntosh Apples)
-- 1 quart spinach/apple (made from four yummy gala apples and 1 1/2 bunches spinach)
-- water of 1 young thai coconut
-- 32 0z freshly squeezed orange juice
-- ~1 quart savory monstrosity (2 stalks celery, 1 head collard greens, 2 gala apples, 80z baby carrots, 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1 romaine heart, sprinkle of cayenne, 1 tablespoon mixed sea veggie flakes)
-- 1 quart apple juice (5 huuuge gala apples)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Coconut Disaster of '08
Today was a very frustrating day...I spent 2 hours (possibly longer) scouring chinatown for a case of young thai coconuts. I couldn't find ANY. I was in at LEAST 10 chinese groceries looking for these things, in the freezing cold. I was dehydrated, colder than I think I've ever been before in my life, frustrated, under dressed, and tired.
I finally gave up and went to the Whole Foods on Bowery. I picked up 2 coconuts -- then after checking out saw that they sell them for $1.50 there and not $3 like the other WF...I would've stocked up. I also realized after I finished shopping that they DIDN'T HAVE A JUICE BAR. And I'm starving at this point. So...yeah. I wind up going to this shady juice place on Houston that served me "fresh squeezed orange juice" from a pitcher. It didn't taste pasteurized, but it certainly tasted like it was squeezed yesterday morning. Gaaah.
Trying to buy fresh produce in this city is really physically and emotionally exhausting. I find myself spending hours out of my week bouncing back and forth between Trader Joe's (which looks bombed out a la crumbling communist economy), Whole Foods, the green markets, and the Park Slope Food Co-op. I'm really, really frustrated with the whole ordeal and sometimes wish (especially in the winter) that I just lived in some ridiculous suburb and could drive to the grocery stores in the comfort of a climate-controlled vehicle.
The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that the selection in the suburbs (at least in Lakeland) sucked too. More, even. I actually had a harder time finding food there, if thats possible -- and I'm talking essential, basic things like organic spinach and apples. Not some coconut thats been shipped 239847923 miles in order to get to me. Merh.
I should really work on being more flexible. Rather than going to 9283473 places to try to find something (ie, UNWAXED, organic cucumbers, which I haven't seen live and in person for over two weeks), I should just find something else. Its really not the end of the world, and if nothing else it will keep my diet varied and interesting. Plus, I can always stock up and have a cucumber feast when they finally do start showing up again.
I really do have a lot to be grateful for. The amount and variety of fresh, organic produce in NYC is really phenomenal, between Trader Joe's, chinese groceries, and the co-op. A lot of it isn't as local as I'd like it to be, but the fact that I have the knowledge, time, and money to nourish my body with the best nutrients available is pretty great.
PS: Update on the McIntosh apples? They still suck. I added what was probably 2 pounds..possibly more, to my kale green juice this morning (I even used the milder kale instead of the lacinato), and it was still disgusting. However, they do make for a delicious apple juice when blended alone...
I finally gave up and went to the Whole Foods on Bowery. I picked up 2 coconuts -- then after checking out saw that they sell them for $1.50 there and not $3 like the other WF...I would've stocked up. I also realized after I finished shopping that they DIDN'T HAVE A JUICE BAR. And I'm starving at this point. So...yeah. I wind up going to this shady juice place on Houston that served me "fresh squeezed orange juice" from a pitcher. It didn't taste pasteurized, but it certainly tasted like it was squeezed yesterday morning. Gaaah.
Trying to buy fresh produce in this city is really physically and emotionally exhausting. I find myself spending hours out of my week bouncing back and forth between Trader Joe's (which looks bombed out a la crumbling communist economy), Whole Foods, the green markets, and the Park Slope Food Co-op. I'm really, really frustrated with the whole ordeal and sometimes wish (especially in the winter) that I just lived in some ridiculous suburb and could drive to the grocery stores in the comfort of a climate-controlled vehicle.
The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that the selection in the suburbs (at least in Lakeland) sucked too. More, even. I actually had a harder time finding food there, if thats possible -- and I'm talking essential, basic things like organic spinach and apples. Not some coconut thats been shipped 239847923 miles in order to get to me. Merh.
I should really work on being more flexible. Rather than going to 9283473 places to try to find something (ie, UNWAXED, organic cucumbers, which I haven't seen live and in person for over two weeks), I should just find something else. Its really not the end of the world, and if nothing else it will keep my diet varied and interesting. Plus, I can always stock up and have a cucumber feast when they finally do start showing up again.
I really do have a lot to be grateful for. The amount and variety of fresh, organic produce in NYC is really phenomenal, between Trader Joe's, chinese groceries, and the co-op. A lot of it isn't as local as I'd like it to be, but the fact that I have the knowledge, time, and money to nourish my body with the best nutrients available is pretty great.
PS: Update on the McIntosh apples? They still suck. I added what was probably 2 pounds..possibly more, to my kale green juice this morning (I even used the milder kale instead of the lacinato), and it was still disgusting. However, they do make for a delicious apple juice when blended alone...
Juice Feast, Day 4
Hm. Today was rather hectic. When I left for school this morning, I thought I was going to have class in the evening for about four hours. I had with me the milk from one coconut, and one quart of green juice. I wasn't able to bring any more, since I don't have a cooler (note to self: buy one today!) and I didn't want my juice getting all yuck on me. I was planning on stopping somewhere for another quart of juice before heading off to class, but honestly had no idea where.
LUCKILY I found out that classes at Saint John's don't start until JANUARY 23rd (wtf!?) This is amazing! I was pretty worried about what I was going to do, and how I'd make it to Queens AND get fresh juice in the span of....90 minutes, haha.
Today's Abundance:
-- 3 quarts water with lemon
-- 1 quart of green juice (apples, a little less than a bunch of kale)
-- the juice of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 3 cups apple juice
-- 32 ounces green juice
-- 3 cups apple/strawberry/spinach juice (2 cups strawberries, 5 McIntosh apples, 1/2 bunch spinach...yet another juice ruined by those notorious McIntoshes...I'm starting to think that they only taste good by themselves!)
I'm off to buy a case of coconuts and a thermos!
LUCKILY I found out that classes at Saint John's don't start until JANUARY 23rd (wtf!?) This is amazing! I was pretty worried about what I was going to do, and how I'd make it to Queens AND get fresh juice in the span of....90 minutes, haha.
Today's Abundance:
-- 3 quarts water with lemon
-- 1 quart of green juice (apples, a little less than a bunch of kale)
-- the juice of 2 young thai coconuts
-- 3 cups apple juice
-- 32 ounces green juice
-- 3 cups apple/strawberry/spinach juice (2 cups strawberries, 5 McIntosh apples, 1/2 bunch spinach...yet another juice ruined by those notorious McIntoshes...I'm starting to think that they only taste good by themselves!)
I'm off to buy a case of coconuts and a thermos!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
DAY 3!!11!
Hm...Day 3 of my juice feast has been fantastic...although I may need to adjust my intake. More juicing at night/in the afternoon and less water in the morning. My schedule isn't very flexible during the school day and having to pee in the middle of class is not enjoyable.
Today's Juiciness:
--2 quarts water with lemon
--1 quart green juice (1 bunch kale, 4 apples)
--1 pint apple blueberry juice (1 1/2 or 2 cups frozen blueberries, 3 apples)
--1.5 pints (3 cups) orange juice. YUM!
--juice of 1 thai coconut
--1 quart green juice (1 bunch lacinato, 5 McIntosh apples, 3 stalks of celery)
--1.5 pints (3 cups) fresh apple juice (2345763lbs apples)
I'm really trying to drink more water, particularly in the morning. I noticed a HUGE difference when I drank the quart of water this morning right when I woke up, while I was making my juices for the day. I felt so much more alert and didn't look as sleepy. :)
I can't wait to see the difference in 2 weeks...a month...92 days. I already feel 300% better and can see/feel a difference. My skin is clearer, I'm more calm (especially at school -- the kids' craziness hasn't been getting to me as much!), and I think I've already dropped a few pounds. Woo!
I also cracked open my very FIRST young thai coconut tonight! It was amaaazing. I think I'll go to chinatown and buy a case of them tomorrow. The ones I got at Whole Foods were $2.99 each, which is just ridiculous. They weren't even organic. Hacking it open was so much easier than I thought it would be, and its good to know that I can now stock up and keep them at home rather than making the arduous trip to Canal Street whenever I'm in the mood for some Coconut (which is basically every day).
After hitting the juicy gallon mark for the first day, I'm feeling really freakin' great! I started skinbrushing as well, yesterday, which is proving to be an excellent practice.
PS: MacIntosh Apples aren't sweet at ALL when it comes to green juices...yuck. 5 was actually nowhere near enough, and I don't even like my green juices that sweet! Next time I'll probably add 7 or 8 per head of lacinato.
Today's Juiciness:
--2 quarts water with lemon
--1 quart green juice (1 bunch kale, 4 apples)
--1 pint apple blueberry juice (1 1/2 or 2 cups frozen blueberries, 3 apples)
--1.5 pints (3 cups) orange juice. YUM!
--juice of 1 thai coconut
--1 quart green juice (1 bunch lacinato, 5 McIntosh apples, 3 stalks of celery)
--1.5 pints (3 cups) fresh apple juice (2345763lbs apples)
I'm really trying to drink more water, particularly in the morning. I noticed a HUGE difference when I drank the quart of water this morning right when I woke up, while I was making my juices for the day. I felt so much more alert and didn't look as sleepy. :)
I can't wait to see the difference in 2 weeks...a month...92 days. I already feel 300% better and can see/feel a difference. My skin is clearer, I'm more calm (especially at school -- the kids' craziness hasn't been getting to me as much!), and I think I've already dropped a few pounds. Woo!
I also cracked open my very FIRST young thai coconut tonight! It was amaaazing. I think I'll go to chinatown and buy a case of them tomorrow. The ones I got at Whole Foods were $2.99 each, which is just ridiculous. They weren't even organic. Hacking it open was so much easier than I thought it would be, and its good to know that I can now stock up and keep them at home rather than making the arduous trip to Canal Street whenever I'm in the mood for some Coconut (which is basically every day).
After hitting the juicy gallon mark for the first day, I'm feeling really freakin' great! I started skinbrushing as well, yesterday, which is proving to be an excellent practice.
PS: MacIntosh Apples aren't sweet at ALL when it comes to green juices...yuck. 5 was actually nowhere near enough, and I don't even like my green juices that sweet! Next time I'll probably add 7 or 8 per head of lacinato.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Juice Feast, Day 2
Today's Juice Feast:
-- 16 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
-- 1 quart green juice (biggest bunch of chard I've ever seen before in my life, four medium apples, three stalks celery)
-- 1 pint apple/blueberry juice (3 apples, 1 cup frozen blueberries)
-- 2 quarts water with lemon
I woke up late again today..by the time I got back to NYC it was around 3:00 or 4:00. I wasn't really hungry at all this morning, but I grabbed an OJ from Jamba Juice before I got on the train back to Brooklyn. Currently sipping on my delicious chard/apple/celery concoction and watching the Jim Carrey JuiceWeasel clip on YouTube...AGAIN! Hahaha.
Last night I went to a NYE party in Connecticut with Phil, Charles, Lisa, Glen, and a few other raw foodies. The food looked incredible (particularly the marble chocolate pie that Lisa made), and I can't wait to try it! In...90 days, haha. So far things have been flying by. I can't believe its been two days already. :) I feel great!
-- 16 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
-- 1 quart green juice (biggest bunch of chard I've ever seen before in my life, four medium apples, three stalks celery)
-- 1 pint apple/blueberry juice (3 apples, 1 cup frozen blueberries)
-- 2 quarts water with lemon
I woke up late again today..by the time I got back to NYC it was around 3:00 or 4:00. I wasn't really hungry at all this morning, but I grabbed an OJ from Jamba Juice before I got on the train back to Brooklyn. Currently sipping on my delicious chard/apple/celery concoction and watching the Jim Carrey JuiceWeasel clip on YouTube...AGAIN! Hahaha.
Last night I went to a NYE party in Connecticut with Phil, Charles, Lisa, Glen, and a few other raw foodies. The food looked incredible (particularly the marble chocolate pie that Lisa made), and I can't wait to try it! In...90 days, haha. So far things have been flying by. I can't believe its been two days already. :) I feel great!
Juice Feast, Day 1 (December 31st, 2007)
Hm. I began my Juice Feast a day early, kicking it off with a tasty quart of green juice the night of December 30th (making my first official "day" 12/31). I woke up late in the afternoon and ended up drinking much less juice than the recommended four quarts. I did get two big bunches of greens (and some celery) in, though!
Juice Feast, Day 1
-- 1 bunch kale, 2ish? pounds of apples (about 1 quart)
-- 1 bunch kale, 2ish? pounds of apples, a few stalks of celery (about 1.5 quarts)
-- 1 quart water
-- 2oz kombucha tea at midnight :)
Juice Feast, Day 1
-- 1 bunch kale, 2ish? pounds of apples (about 1 quart)
-- 1 bunch kale, 2ish? pounds of apples, a few stalks of celery (about 1.5 quarts)
-- 1 quart water
-- 2oz kombucha tea at midnight :)
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