Day 38:

Juice: Pink Grapefruit

Pink Grapefruit:
2 Grapefruits
1 Handful of Raspberries
1 Handful of Strawberries

So, again we have a situation of our berries being out of season, but you can still get the tasteless winter berries or if your in the mood (as I was) buy the berries frozen, juice the Grapefruit, blend the juice with the berries and enjoy a smoothie! It was delicious! I love smoothies and don't worry the whole back of my book of recipes is smoothies...so we'll get there.

I'm not sure about the temperatures everywhere else in the world, but tight now in New York City they have been volleying between 40 degrees and 20 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 to -6 Celsius). It's been cold. Which means, you need to watch out for dehydration.

I know dehydration is something most of us consider to be a hot weather problem (and it is), but it is a cold weather problem too. Actually, Robert Kenefick, a researcher at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) argues in his paper (published by Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2005), that you are more at risk for dehydration in cold temperatures. (Source)

How? Great question.

Now, as our bodies loose water (sweating, illness, exercise, etc...) our sodium (electrolytes and a mineral) levels rise in the blood. Overall blood volume decreases. This triggers the hypothalamus gland (a small gland in your brain) to secrete a fluid-regulating hormone plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP), which runs and tells the kidneys to slow down the production of urine (it tells you to pee less to save the water). This restores the bodies fluid levels. The hypothalamus gland also sends a message to the brain's cortex to make you thirsty, so you drink more to restore the sodium levels.

Basically, fluid levels drop and your brain says drink.

But in the cold the body reacts differently. When you are cold "vasoconstriction takes place – the body decreases blood flow to the periphery of the body to decrease heat loss." (Source)

Your limbs get cold, right? Fingers, toes, etc... Because you body keeps all the heat in the middle to keep you warm. So, what this means is, your body does not detect a "blood volume decrease", so the hypothalamus gland, doesn't secrete the signal as strongly. Your kidneys get a "hey, maybe we should take in some more water when you get a chance" instead of "Red Alert! Drink Now!". "It’s a trade off – maintaining the body’s core temperature becomes more important than fluid balance,” Kenefick says. So, the sodium levels in you blood keep rising which can cause a laundry list of problems:

"seizures, an irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, and other problems...such as chronic heart or kidney disease, endocrine diseases (such as problems with the adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, or parathyroid glands), eating disorders, or bone disorders." (Source)

Thankfully, there is an easy solution to prevent this - drink lots of water. Even if you "don't feel thirsty" 'cause your body might be confused.

Also, sometime thirsty feels like hungry. Our dear old hypothalamus gland controls a lot of things, including hunger and thirst. So, it send relatively the same signal, whether you're hungry or thirsty. This means you need to pay attention to you body OR whenever you feel hungry drink 8 oz of water and wait (30 mins is recommended). If you are still hungry, eat. If not, note down the feeling you just had was thirst.

It is a great idea to keep a water bottle on your person at all time, clearly it is just as important as a wallet. Also, know what foods/liquids can help you with this. Celery Juice is your best friend for re-hydration. Check out Entry 7 for more on how wonderful celery is OR take a look at this article at naturalnews.com. By the way, I love this site.

Emotional Lifestyle:

I have been preparing for my juice fast. No dilly-dallying here. When I decide, I decide and BAM it's done. This Sunday - Feb 24th 2013 - I'll be starting a 30 day juice fast. 

 What does this mean?

• I will not eat any solid food. I will consume juice and only juice. I am defining juice as any fruit, vegetable I can pass through a juicer. including nut milks (even though I use a blender to create nut milk, because I cannot afford to buy the nicer juicer to process nuts). 
• This is considered to be a liquid diet, but not all liquids are created equal. No coffee. No Milk. No store bought juice (it has to be made for me, in front of my very own eyes). Just fresh juice. 
• I am also planning to do a budget analysis. Compare how much I spend of food normally to how much I spend during the fasting period.

I know, I know...woah. I am not sure I am fully prepared either, but I have been doing my research and getting ready.

"Getting ready", how? 

• I have begun to lighten up my diet - eating lighter fair, like salads and soups and cutting back significantly on carbohydrates, dairy, and sugar. About 50% of my daily intake is raw food (meaning unprocessed). 
• I have also begun to cut back my Caffeine intake...this one is a tough one for me, because I LOVE coffee. I typically drink 3-4 cups a day, never less than two. So, this is day three of only one cup of coffee. I have already experienced caffeine withdrawal symptoms: headache, sleepiness, lethargy, irritability, lack on concentration, muscle pain/ stiffness, and flu-like symptoms. (Top Ten Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms).
• Continually researching. Knowledge is the best tool! And all of my discoveries will be - of course - shared with you!

 Happy Juicing!