The Juice Bar

Second Fast

2008-12-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

So I'm taking a shot at a pre-Christmas fast. Starting on the 14th of December. This time I will be using much less food and a few different (hopefully better) recipes. I picked up the book, "The Juicing Bible" by Crocker & Eagles which I am using as a partial guide.

Cheers!

Day Something

2008-09-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Did I mention the fact that I lost 7 pounds on my fast. Surely I will gain it all back if I don't watch what I eat but another wonderful thing about the juicing is, once your finished you think about EVERYTHING that you put into your body. My next fast won't be until December. Until then I will post any juicing tips or interesting juicing information that I come across.

Day 5: Speaking of Fasting

2008-09-04T12:04:00.001-07:00

Hindu women pray before taking a ritual bath in the Bagmati River in Kathmandu at the end of the Teej festival, in which women fast and pray for the good health of their husbands.

From BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7597820.stm

Day 5: Shiatsu

2008-09-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

I had a cup of coffee this morning and it was excellent! Did some yoga, I feel great. Even though I am only eating fruits, veggies, and seeds today I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I finally got a massage scheduled with this guy who practices Shiatsu. I've been wanting to try it for quite some time now. This type of massage therapy is actually acupressure, focusing on specific pain areas in the body including stress and trauma pain. It takes several years to become licenced and even longer to perfect the practice. I hope this guy is good, though I have nothing to compare it too! It's a perfect ending to a long week of juicing. Here is a brief overview and the link from the Shiatsu Society website:

Shiatsu is a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure". It is a new name for the oldest form of medicine - healing with hands. Everybody has the healing power of touch and responds to touch. It is a natural ability that people are now beginning to recognize again.Shiatsu uses hand pressure and manipulative techniques to adjust the body's physical structure and its natural inner energies, to help ward off illness, and maintain good health.

Shiatsu is characterized by its great simplicity. It grew from earlier forms of massage, called Anma in Japan (Anmo or Tuina in China) which use rubbing, stroking, squeezing, tapping, pushing, and pulling to influence the muscles and circulatory systems of the body. Shiatsu, by contrast, uses few techniques and to an observer it would appear that little is happening - merely a still, relaxed pressure at various points on the body with the hand or thumb, an easy leaning of the elbows or a simple rotation of a limb. It almost seems a lazy activity and, to the extent that it conserves one's energy, it is. But underneath the uncomplicated movements much is happening internally to the body's energy on a subtle level.

http://www.shiatsusociety.org/public/about_shiatsu/about_shiatsu.shtml

Day 4: Already Planning For Dinner

2008-09-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to eat tomorrow. Even if it is only fruits and veggies. I'm already planning food for the next 4 days because that's all I can think about!

Day 4: A Little Foundation Wouldn't Hurt

2008-09-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've pretty much worn make-up every day since the age of thirteen. Until now. I decided that if I'm going to pass on the toxins, I better go all the way. No shampoo, make-up, hairspray, etc...If my internal organs aren't being freed enough from toxins, my skin sure the hell is. I do have to admit that I couldn't give up the toothpaste or deodorant. Next time I will go for Tom's of Maine. I am using Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap which is excellent and made with all natural, organic oils. The Epsom salt baths are life savers too.

Day 3: I'd Rather Have A Cigarette Than A Sandwich

2008-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Some Juicing Recipes and Learning Curves

2008-09-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's all one big learning curve this time around! I juiced 4 different types of juices today. 2 veggie & 2 fruit (You can see my juicing mess in the picture). The veggie juice are not too palatable (good note for next time). I read a great article today from a guy named Marc at healingdaily.com and he suggests putting grapes in the green juices to help them be more palatable. He does this so his kids will drink the juices. I will definitely do that next time around! I have added a link to his website under "My Favorite Juicing Blogs," and here is a link to his site: http://www.healingdaily.com/index.htm

I CLEARLY overbought for this fasting experiment. I have so many fruits and veggies left over. I didn't realize how much juice each item would produce. I have 5 cabbages, 3 grapefruit, 6 oranges, tons of apples, 3 celery bunches, bags of carrots, major amounts of ginger, and some garlic. We will be able to eat all that stuff...well, maybe not the cabbage...

So here are the recipes I used today (and how I will change them next time) I wanted the first time to be fairly simple so I only used 5 ingredients for each juice though there are thousands of possibilities:

Orange Juice (16 0z = 2 drinks)

2 apples
5 small carrots
4 celery stalks
1 handful of radish sprouts
3 large cloves of garlic

(This drink had too much garlic and not enough carrots. The celery produces tons of juice so next time I will use 3 celery and 6-7 carrots. I cannot stress enough... while it's delicious, watch the garlic!).

Green Juice (16 oz = 2 drinks)

2-3 cups of spinach
1 small cabbage
pinch of cayenne
1 large lemon
4 small tomatoes

(This drink is not my favorite...well o.k. none of them are yet...next time I will reduce the lemon to 1/2 of a large lemon , or 1 small).

Fruit Juice 1 (16 oz = 2 drinks)

1 large grapefruit
3 pluots (these are plum/apricot hybrids)
2 oranges
2 1/2 pear
2" nub of raw ginger

(wow! way too citrusy. I will be much more aware of grapefruits and oranges next time I juice. The juicer really extracts the citrus and it is pretty bitter. The ginger is also overpowering here. Next time I will reduce the grapefruit to 1/2, decrease the ginger to 1", and increase the pluots to 5).

Fruit Juice 2 (24 oz = 3 servings)

3 oranges
3 nectarines
2 1/2 pears
3 pluots
2" ginger

(This was the best mix of the 4 though still too much citrus. Perfect amount of ginger. Next time I will reduce to 2 oranges & increase to 5 nectarines).

Day 3: I Need A New Juicer

2008-09-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well the day is almost over and I haven't fallen off the wagon yet! I juiced enough for today and tomorrow. You're really not supposed to "juice ahead" because all the nutrients are lost when exposed to oxygen, but I have an ancient juicer and I have to work tomorrow so I figured I better do it regardless. The key to juicing ahead if you really must, is to store your juice in an airtight amber glass container. Of course I didn't pre-plan everything so I had to go to the co-op and by juice in amber containers (which were 3.79 each by the way!) and wash them out to use them. So I'm pretty much on track.

I started this fast with a generous hand-me-down juicer from my Aunt Kathy and after a day of juicing I have come to the conclusion that I need another one. God Christmas present...hint,hint... I was only going to consider buying one if I felt this fast was worth it and I already do. My 13 year old son is even considering doing it with me next time!

Day 2: Why The Hell Would You Put Yourself Through Such Torture!

2008-09-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

It seems like I've been bitching alot about the negatives that come with juicing. Truthfully though, the benefits of juicing outweigh the side effects a thousand times over. Our bodies are designed to be their own healers. Every time we eat something that doesn't come out of the ground or has been processed repeatedly, we are hindering our bodies natural healing process. Juicing resets out body, increases energy, heals chronic ailments (without drugs!), and of course it helps with weight loss. All the time and energy spent on improving (or keeping together) our outside appearances are futile at best if the inside of our bodies are damaged. So... although I cannot wait to have a "Shannon Strength" cup of coffee again, I am much more looking forward to the rewards of the fast!

Day 2: How Healing Hurts

2008-09-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

Aside from the constant 2 day headache, there are several things happening to my body because toxins are leaving and are not being replaced by new toxins. Our body stores toxins and stress-trauma for years. According to Myerowitz "Poisons make you sick twice - on their way into the body and on their way out." So tagging along with the headache could be Acne, Nausea, dizziness, fever, and other flu like symptoms. I finally understand why I was sick for months when I quit smoking. All that nicotine trying to find an escape route!

Day 2: Not The Movies!!!

2008-09-01T18:53:00.001-07:00

There is only one day left until school starts and my son Nicholas wants to go do something fun to "say goodbye" to Summer. I don't know if I can do the movies. All that popcorn and soda and licorice! Today has been difficult. I feel like I'm starving and I don't even start juicing until tomorrow. I've never gone this long without carbs or caffeine. I don't mind the starving as much as I do the headaches. More about those later.

Day 2: Original First Fast Plan

2008-09-01T18:42:00.001-07:00

Above is the original plan I came up with for this week. You can click on the image to create a larger one. I have since then eliminated day 5 to cut my actual juicing down to 2 days. So it will look a little more like this:

2 days of pre-juicing.
2 days of strict juicing. Liquids only.
2 days of post-juicing.

Day 2: Smoking

2008-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to add pictures of my "juicing plan" but am having technical difficulties. In the meantime... I realized last night as we were taking a long stroll between the Snohomish River and the city of Everett's Wastewater Facility (um...talk about toxins!), that juicing is alot like trying to quit smoking. Your mind is always on the activity you are trying to relinquish. I am trying to avoid relating the act of juicing with the act of "quitting" anything because really it is one of the best things that I can do for my body. But it's hard when you're hungry!

Day 2: A Great Starter Book

2008-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for an easy to understand starter book for juice fasting, I highly recommend Juice Fasting and Detoxification by Steve Meyerowitz. He also has a great book about the benefits of Wheatgrass.

If you're more into blogging, here is a great blog I stumbled upon in my research.

http://juicingtips.com/juicer-and-juicing/

Day 1: Holy Month of Ramadan

2008-08-31T17:05:00.001-07:00

I managed to start my fast during the start of the Holy Month which has been declared by religious authorities in the Middle East. This is the time when most devout Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. How coincidental. While I view this experience as a partialy spiritial one, it seems even more so now that millions more people are fasting with me.

Day 1: Preemptive juicing

2008-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today is 2 days before my official "juice only" fast starts. I can eat cooked veggies, fruits & salad only. I am allowing myself to drink any liquid with the exceptions of soda and coffee.

Day 1: Welcome

2008-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my juicing journal blog. This is an attempt to document my experiences as a novice juicer.