Archives for Juice Feasting category
Posted on Apr 04, 2008 under Health, Diet and Lifestyle, Juice Feasting |
I love carrot juice and have lately had a liter almost every day, usually mixed with some apple, pear or cucumber.
Dr Norman Walker, who found healing and long life in freshly made vegetable juices, has this to say about carrot juice.
Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene. These nutrients are needed for a variety of functions in their original source together with known (such as Vitamins, B, C, D, and K as well as a host of minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium) and unknown nutrients.
Carrot juice is very rich in the alkaline minerals mentioned above as well as iron, phosphorous, sulphur and calcium. Carrot juice has an alkaline effect on the bloodstream. The calcium in carrot juice is more beneficial than calcium tablets or milk as carrots have no mucous forming properties and the calcium is fully (100%) absorbable compared to supplements and milk where 4-20% is available if you have a very strong and efficient digestive tract.
Dr Walker believed that carrot juice is the best thing for ulcers and cancer and over the years many people with these conditions have benefited from taking carrot juice daily.
The nutrients in carrot juice help your immune system, your hormonal system, and your nervous system function more efficiently.
Carrot juice can be taken very effectively for eye, skin and throat infections and combined with cold pressed flax, sunflower and olive oil, make these best mouth wash for any oral inflammation such as mouth ulcers, sore throats and “strawberry tongue” in scarlet fever. Gargle and spit out until the glass is finished.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to juice carrots on a daily basis, and furthermore, we don’t always have access to organically grown carrots. Therefore I often use Just Carrots, another brilliant AIM product, made from 100% organically grown carrots.
Just Carrots is safe for all, including small babies. Mary-Ann Shearer recommends that bottle fed babies have at least ¼ - ½ tsp of both Just Carrots and Barleylife on a daily basis. This can be included in the bottles, spread over the day or given in plain water if the baby will take it.
Elderly folk will find great benefit from Just Carrots in every area of your health. Do not be surprised if eyesight improves. The nutrients in carrots are extremely beneficial to eye function.
Just Carrots is 100 percent natural carrot juice and comes as freeze-dried crystals or tablets. Great for travelling too, just add water! Just Carrots is tested for pesticides and herbicides to ensure that Just Carrots is residue free. There are no additives, sweeteners, fillers, or artificial ingredients.
If you are taking in a lot of carrot juice you may find the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet become quite yellow. This is completely safe and merely shows your body now has the right nutrients to protect your skin from harsh sun. 20-30 minutes a day will quickly convert the yellow colour into a golden brown, even if you have never been able to tan before! So get ready for summer by consuming lots of carrot juice!
Posted on Mar 27, 2008 under By The Way..., Juice Feasting |
Just checking in to say that things are still juicy here. I’ve had very little in the way of detox symptoms these last few days, am still losing weight and feeling great! Except yesterday when something truly bizarre happened.
I was making my juice for the evening and my container was ever so slightly too small, so I took a few gulps of juice to make room. Within moments I was hit by a paralyzing pain just under my breastbone. I couldn’t bear to be upright, so I lay down on the couch. Even that was uncomfortable. I started sweating profusely, and the pain could be felt all the way at the back of my ribcage to my shoulders and even my neck. It took about an hour to pass. I grabbed my Sudoku book and started doing puzzles. I knew it wasn’t my heart, or my liver or even my gallbladder. It felt as if my diaphragm was in spasm. I think this is what babies must feel when they have wind. If hubby had been home he could have rubbed my back for me, or knowing him, thumped me, but as he wasn’t I just had to wait it out. And sure enough, I burped a lot during that hour. The lesson is to not gulp down whatever you are drinking!
All the other juice feasters are reporting increased consumption of juice, but strangely enough I think I’m drinking more water than juice at the moment. I’ll just go with it some more and see if I can figure out why. I’m certainly not starving myself. I have this love affair with water at the moment, after writing a page about water for my website.
I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment. The path I have chosen seems to be so full of obstacles and it seems unlikely that I can get around them. I have to keep reminding myself that my truth does not depend on that which can be seen, but rather on my beliefs. If I can’t go over or around those obstacles, I suppose I can always go through them! There is no room for doubt. It can be done, and it will be done. I don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.
Just a word on the store room. I inherited it in that state. That wasn’t my stuff, or my doing. I just couldn’t live with it anymore! Craig said that I was painful to work with… I have very set ideas about how to do things and for this exercise I insisted that EVERYTHING came out, the place got swept, and only then did we start putting things back. He was looking for shortcuts, but I was having none of it! I must say, I was surprised at his willingness to throw things away. I thought I would have to tear things from his hands, but he was pretty good! The only “incident” was when he hit an old tin of varnish with an even older golf club, shattering the tin and streaking varnish all over the tiles and wall of the back patio. Also all over himself and in his eye. Boys will be boys, I suppose. One of the finds of the whole exercise is a box full of photographs from his childhood and youth. I’ll be going through them soon!
I really want to thank you for your unfailing support. I know you don’t all agree with me, but you’re always interested and polite, not to mention encouraging. Two of the blogs I read regularly have nasty controversies raging in the comments and I’m just so glad that I don’t have trolls dropping bombs in my comment section. We are here to help one another. If I ever say something in your comments that you find offensive, or misplaced, please let me know. My intention is always to encourage, educate and uplift. I love blogging, don’t you?
We’ve got a double dose of American Idol tonight, starting with Hollywood week! I told you we’re far behind, but we catch up!
About the picture:
Those of you who’ve been reading since January might remember that I once worked on an ostrich show farm. Here’s a picture of an ostrich race. We, the guides, had to provide the commentary like they do at a horse race! (It’s hard to believe that I could do that in three languages, although not at the same time…) The tourists lapped it up and the “jockeys” earned wonderful tips!
Posted on Mar 24, 2008 under By The Way..., Juice Feasting |
Day 53 and still going strong! Actually, make that “pottering along”. I just haven’t been feeling it these last few days. I expect it will get better again. Such is the ebb and flow of life (and Juice Feasting).
It’s been great having hubby around for three of the four days of the weekend. He did open his shop on Saturday, but it was so quiet that he was back home at 3 pm. My domestic was also here on Saturday, so that she could have the day off today. All of this means that I’m starved for my own company!
I’ve always know that I’m somewhat of a loner, and I love being on my own at home during the day. At night I want my hubby here of course! I can’t wait to do some emotional work tomorrow. And an enema. None of this is possible when he (or the maid) is here. (I’m very private about these things!)
We spent the day with my parents yesterday. My sister and her family were also there. And surprise, surprise! My half-sister, who lives 1000km away, was there with her new boyfriend. I haven’t seen her in almost a year. We had a lovely day. Craig took some fresh fish for the barbeque and while everyone ate, I fed my 11 month old niece her bottle. The most tempting thing for me was the bread… I just wanted to bury my face in it and start eating!
Physically I’m a bit buggered tonight. Today was Round #2 of Mission Storeroom. We’ve basically finished, but for a few items from the house which must still go in there. Sarie and I will do that on Wednesday. It was a huge job and I am well pleased with the result! Photo’s will follow on Wednesday evening!
I’m still managing to get some work done on the website. I’ve done 5 pages so far… Lots more to go. (Note to self - don’t decide to change the font again, it’s a mission!)
About the picture:
- In the winter months whale watchers flock to the southern coast of South Africa. Whales can be seen very close to shore in most of the bays. They come here to give birth and stay for a good few months. The most common whale is the Southern Right Whale, so named because it used to be the “right” whale to hunt. Fortunately nobody hunts these whales in our waters and boats may not come within a certain distance of them.
- Whale watching was one of my favourite past times when I lived in Plettenberg Bay. It is so relaxing!
- Uploaded to Flickr by Johan Lindstrom
Posted on Mar 22, 2008 under Heart, Soul and Mind, Juice Feasting |
I think one must finally take one’s life into one’s own arms and kiss it. ~ Arthur Miller
I knew from the outset that Juice Feasting was going to be a life changing experience, but I could not have foreseen the enormity of it. And by that I mean in the mental and emotional sense. I was prepared for the physical aspect of this journey, and really, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be, apart from the dreadful flu (which I normally don’t get because of the Barleylife I take every day). I am a much different person than I was 50 days ago. And I like it.
I realize now that during the last 50 days I have only paid lip service to dealing with my emotional issues. I have been juice feasting on auto-pilot, which is of course the exact opposite of being mindful! I was afraid of my emotions. I was holding on to the memories, the could-have-beens, the failures and the deceptions of my life. I was even holding on to my own (perceived) shortcomings. I had come a long way with that suitcase full of emotional effluent, ignoring the weight and the stench and the inevitable cloud of flies. I wasn’t ready to let go…
Yesterday we started clearing out our store-room. We only did a bit, because Craig can only take one truck-load per day. (I took a “before” picture, which I’ll post with an “after” once we’re done). Ninety-five per cent of the stuff in that store-room do not belong to me and have been there for years. I’ve only lived here two years and moved from a tiny studio apartment, so I had no “stuff”, apart from my stinking suitcase full of garbage. That didn’t go into the store-room though. I have no idea why clearing out this store-room has shifted something inside me.
Something has definitely shifted. I noticed it last night. Before getting into bed I saw that for the first time since my teens I have EWCM (egg white cervical mucous). This to me is a huge indication that my hormones are loving juice feasting! My body is healing. I have not had my customary stabbing pain that normally accompanies ovulation, but I had the egg white! Even though we’re not officially trying to conceive right now, there was no way my husband was going to sleep unmolested! Afterwards I started crying. And then I cried some more. I feel as if I have a reservoir of tears that need to be shed.
I have no idea why I’m crying (still on and off), but it’s just making me feel so clean. And the river of tears has carried away that reeking old suitcase. Out of my life. I am emerging from the waters clean and whole. Maybe it has to do with the full moon and the Equinox. I don’t know, but I feel so close to myself right now.
Michelle did an excellent post yesterday about cycles, based on a transcript from Karen Knowler, UK raw food coach. Apparently one goes through 5 levels of transformation when changing over to raw food (but this could apply to anything) and then you start again at #1 with new thoughts, insights and ideas. There is no finish line. I’ll say that again, for everybody making changes in their lives. There is no finish line.
I see this cyclical effect in my physical detox. My tongue is once again coated and the skin condition on my hands has flared up again, even though I can see that the underlying new skin is the healthiest it’s been in 12-13 years. My weight loss has slowed down, because I have been holding onto my suitcase for dear life. Now that the suitcase is floating away from me, I think my body is going to respond beautifully.
I realized as I was reading Michelle’s post that I had regarded juice feasting as my “magic bullet”. It was supposed to cure my addiction to fast food. It was supposed to be my “pass” into a healthier diet.
The truth is that I still have to fight the temptation to eat the things I have previously been addicted to. But making good choices has become a habit that will stand me in good stead when I eat solid food again. It has become easier for me to consider what my body needs and wants. Starting solid food will be starting a new cycle of transition. And with the confidence and wisdom that I’ve gained while juice feasting, I know that it will be a challenging, yet rewarding cycle. I can do it! I may not make the best choices 100% of the time, but I’ll be grateful for 90% and keep working on the deficit!
Juice feasting is, and has been, the most significant thing I’ve ever done in my life. It is both harder and easier than I thought it would be. I would be a poorer person for not having done this. I am looking forward to the next few months… I have been thinking about extending my juice feast beyond 92 days, but when I examine my motives now, I realize that I’ve been trying to reach “perfection”, an all too-familiar pattern in my life. I didn’t want to quit until I had fully detoxed, lost x amount of pounds, and pulled together all the threads of my life.
That’s not going to happen. That is not the purpose of juice feasting. I will have to step up to the plate and do it myself. And believe me, I’ll be working on it. While juice feasting. I am trusting my body to tell me when to stop. I’ll be listening…
And I know that that will only signify the start of another exciting leg of my journey through life.
Posted on Mar 19, 2008 under Juice Feasting |
The fridge is once again stocked with lots of produce, amongst other things a 5 kg (11 pound) bag of carrots. I see lots of carrot juice in my future! All the juice feasters rave about watermelon juice, so I bought some watermelon, which I’ll try out tomorrow. My love affair with citrus is still going strong.
I had another terrific colonic this morning! Then I went to my beauty therapist for a leg, underarm and brow wax. Now I’m super-smooth!
In my retracing journey, I am now 16 years in the past. No wonder my liver is feeling somewhat tender… In 1992 I was in my first hotel job, staying on the premises in staff quarters and partying wildly when off duty. I was casually involved for quite a while with the most beautiful, sexy, yet sadly self-destructive and ultimately doomed, man. I saw him about 5 years later, after both of us had got fat and married. He looked terrible! Booze and drugs had left their mark on his once gorgeous face and body. Shortly after that I heard that he’d died of a suspected overdose/heart attack/suicide (take your pick). He was a bastard, but there was something about him I’ll never forget… in fact, he reminds me of Tomas, the lead character of The Unbearable Lightness Of Being.
I’m very happily married, and Jerome was not the “love of my life” or “the one that got away”, but he had a big impact on my life and I think I’m letting go, not only of him, but of the Hanlie I was back then. Goodbye Jay, I hope you found your peace. I have.
Furthermore I’m making great headway with my website (at the expense of some time spent reading blogs - I promise I read everything, but I don’t comment as often!). I’m not going to even hazard a guess as to the launch date of the website, because the content is taking a long time to formulate and load. I really want it to be a valuable health, fertility and lifestyle resource.
About the picture:
Fairview is another well-know wine estate, near the Winelands town of Paarl. The estate is also famous for its goats’ milk cheese.
Uploaded to Flickr by FranandJespah
