Day 43:

Juice: Peppery Grapefruit

Peppery Grapefruit:
2 Grapefruits
1/4 Red Cabbage

Red Cabbage, a vegetable I didn't used to eat often - or ever - until a few years ago. I used to avoid most leafy vegetables or salad basics. I just didn't like them, which is what made Juicing such a great idea. But, Red Cabbage has grown on me, which is great because it is really good for you.

When is comes to vegetables, green is good, but purple is even better, and this stand true for cabbage.

Red or Green, cabbage is a Cruciferous (also called Cruciferae) vegetable along with cauliflower, kale, cress, bok choy, broccoli and a few other green leaf vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables have long been touted as being healthy and important additions to one's diet. In fact, most sources recommend a minimum of 3-4 servings of cruciferous vegetables a week. WebMD actually names this veggies: "The Super-Veggies" because of all of the nutrient goodness locked inside.

 "...they all contain phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, and fiber that are important to your health (although some have more than others)...One of the big reasons to eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables is that they may help to lower your risk of getting cancer." (WebMD)

Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), sometimes known as purple cabbage, is darker in color than it's green counterparts, because it has a higher "concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols, which contribute to red cabbage containing significantly more protective phytonutrients than green cabbage." (www.whfoods.com) Anthocyanin Polyphenols are pigment compounds found in many plants that lend them their characteristic colors and have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potentially protective properties.

Emotional Lifestyle: 

Couldn't resist.

All of this videos are so weird and hilarious, but I especially liked this one. The guy coming out of the window, the sleeping bag, the girl attached to the guys back in the back left hand corner...so many ridiculous things happening here.

Day 41: 

Juice: Pale Faced

Pale Faced:
2 Grapefruits
1 Apple
1/2 Fennel Blub
1 Small Bunch of Fresh Mint

This juice was incredibly interesting. Each element had a very strong and distinct flavor and blending it all together created a surprisingly nice flavor. Fennel is in season right now folks, so whenever you can incorporate it into you juices. It is jam-packed with phytonutrients. See Entry 30 for more about Fennel.

Lately I have been researching cravings - food cravings to be specific, not just normal hunger cravings.

Wait, what's the difference you ask?

Well, a hunger craving is a general craving for food. The generic tummy grumble and the body asking for sustenance to fuel itself. Food cravings are those pesky, very specific, almost insatiable cravings for a particular kind of food, regardless of whether you are hungry or not.

I was researching if food cravings could be linked to nutritional deficiencies and was surprised to find a huge amount of variance on the subject. A lot of research has gone into Carbohydrate and Sugar cravings and how they can be triggered by mineral deficiencies and blood sugar control. Mainly these studies were done while researching for diabetes. One study sites "Five minerals (and their co-factors) are critical for adequate blood sugar control: chromium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and vanadium."(Source) The study talks about each of these minerals specifically and discusses how cravings (mainly sugar and chocolate) relate to each mineral. I found the study's summary very interesting:

"The average American diet is already deficient in these minerals but in frequent dieter even more so...Because it is likely that mineral deficiencies are widespread, particularly in the dieting population, it is important that some assessment of mineral status be made. Correcting mineral deficiencies can go a long way toward helping the frustrated dieter control her impulses to eat something sweet, something fatty, or something devoid of nutrition in an attempt to satisfy an inner compulsion" (Source)

Great information, right? But where to start?

Well, I found this amazing chart on Natropath website:  http://www.naturopathyworks.com
Check it out for more information on how to target specific cravings.

I also found a lot of studies supporting the idea that food cravings are purely psychological.  One study sites mental imagery as the key to food cravings. Mental Imagery is when people crave a specific food, they have vivid images of that food. The study suggests that while one is imagining a food one is distracted and has a hard time mentally processing. But the study itself does not limit this specifically to food: 

"Mental imagery (imagining food or anything else) takes up cognitive resources, or brain power. Studies have shown that when subjects are imagining something, they have a hard time completing various cognitive tasks." (Source)

The study goes on to explain that subjects, while craving food, were asked to vividly imagine "common sights (for example, they were asked to imagine the appearance of a rainbow) or smells (they were asked to imagine the smell of eucalyptus)" and this decreased there food cravings.

However, it does not explain if thinking to other "common sights" as well as the food craving improved productivity. (Source)This study seemed to merely outlines how food cravings can be disruptive mentally, but does not clearly explain the origins of food cravings.

Another psychological study suggest that "food cravings involve a complex mix of social, cultural and psychological factors, heavily influenced by environmental cues," due to the simple fact that "few people crave vitamin-rich green leafy vegetables and many other foods contain more phenylalanine than chocolate—including salami and cheddar cheese." (Source)

• phenylalanine - an essential amino acid (a building block for proteins in the body), meaning the body needs it for health but cannot make it. You have to get it from food. (Source)

I can see that. It makes sense that sometimes cravings can be linked to stress and emotional issues.  Perhaps I am biased, since I was raised in a holistic/natropathic environment, but my question is: Stress actually produces chemical reactions in your body. You produce body adrenaline, right? So, how is a craving not linked to a chemical reaction in your body?

Also, a study was done in 2011 of "98 female students at the University of Pennsylvania [it] found that those who reported the most cycle-related cravings also had a history of dieting, eating disorders and high body mass indexes" (Source) which works in tandem with what our earlier study which found that "mineral deficiencies are widespread, particularly in the dieting population".

But, the biggest outpoint in most of the psychological studies on food cravings is that most of the researchers agree that Pica - the persistent craving and compulsive eating of nonfood substances - such as pagophagia (the practice of consuming ice) and geophagia (literally, earth-eating), amylophagia (eating starch) are associated with iron deficiency.

"...some studies have shown that pica cravings in individuals with iron deficiency stop once iron supplements are given to correct the deficiency. low blood levels of iron commonly occur in pregnant women and those with poor nutrition, two populations at higher risk for pica." (Source)

I'm still not quite sure what to make of all this - I don't think most researches do either - but I willing to accept it is a little bit of both. A little bit physiological and a little bit psychological.

What do you think?

Other Sources:

•  A Cognitive Experimental Approach to Understanding and Reducing Food Cravings
• Eva Kemps, School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100 

•  Are food cravings the body's way of telling us that we are lacking certain nutrients?
• Peter Pressman of the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, Calif. and Roger Clemens of the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy 

• How to Fend Off a Food Craving
• By Melinda Beck, The Wall Street Journal

Day 40: 

Juice: Surprising Sweetie

Surprising Sweetie:
2 Grapefruits
1 Thick Slice of Melon
1 Peach

This was a good juice! It was fruity and flavorful. (I'm sure in the summer this would be exceptionally delicious and refreshing).

As some of you may know I started a juice fast yesterday and I promised to pass on information to you: Can you workout on a juice fast?

As with most research about juice fasts in general there are a lot of view points pro and con. Most arguments really hinging on what type of fast one is doing - long term, short term, a cleanse targeting a specific internal organ like a colon cleanse. 

The arguments against exercising on a juice fast are mainly rooted in the fasting and cleanse mentality, which is to relax and revitalize. So if you're going to do a cleanse or do a reset its good to take care of your body - to relax. The cleanse process especially early on can bring with it a lot of aches and pains as you body retrieves the toxins. Also, you wont be taking in as much food as normal and strenuous workouts could stress your system, which might be counter productive to the cleanse process.

The arguments for exercising on a juice fast champion that exercise (usually light exercise) as a way to help keep the body active and strong as well as getting the lymphatic system going. The lymph system is part of the circulatory system consisting of a network of organs throughout the body and is an important part of the body's immune system. Lymph nodes, in fact, filter foreign material out of the body (like bacteria and cancer cells) and produce immune cells in the body. (Source)
So, exercise helps the lymphatic system circulate and can help cleanse the body faster, but again most of this research is arguing for light exercise.

I really only found one source discussing the topic of "intense" workouts while on a juice fast. Nina Cherie, a health and wellness PhD, posted an interesting article about this on her website: http://ninacheriephd.com/. During which, she sites her own experience on a juice fast which she started on a day she had to get a spin instructor certification. She said she kept the juice and water flowing all day - constantly drinking - and at the end of the day "felt invigorated." She goes through numerous examples where she felt strong and energized even though she was on a fast and breaks down her theory as to why this happened.

The main thing I found was people - experts and laymen alike - reiterating that you should listen to your body. If it's too much, it's too much. Relax a little and let you body do it's thing. The most important thing it to help your body through this cleanse, not give it more stuff to deal with.

Here is some of the articles I found:

• How to Exercise During a Juice Fast

• Intense Exercise Training During a Juice Fast? Is That Even Possible?

• Water is the Most Important Element in Having a Healthy Lymph System.

Emotional Lifestyle:

Day 2 of Juice Fast:

Yesterday was definitely hard. I was hungry a lot - much more than Day One - and I began to have some muscle stiffness and back pain, which it on the list of things to expect: Common Physical Reactions to Fasting. The coated tongue also arrived yesterday. For those of you unfamiliar with the coated tongue, it is when you tongue builds up a little white residue (I hate this cause it makes you breath smell, so keep the mouth wash handy) but it is the sign that your body is detoxing. Your digestive system is working through all its junk, which is exactly what I want it to do, but man I wish the tongue wasn't a part of it.
Here is some good information about it:

• How to Determine Detox Duration. 
• Tips for Getting Rid of the White Coating on your Tongue 

I also felt my resolve start to waver....already. Oh Man, this it gonna be hard. But ultimately, after my extensive research, I have found no evidence that a longer fast is a better cleanse. I pretty much have found that when you're done, you're done. So, I am gonna listen to my body on this one.

Day 39: 

Juice: Greatfruit C

Greatfruit C:
2 Grapefruits
1 Kiwi
1 Guava

 Again, I had a hard time finding guava. But those of you elsewhere in the world might have better access to it.

Kiwifruit (which is usually shortened to just Kiwi) is the edible berry of a vine in the Actinidia family. Typically associated with New Zealand, kiwifruits are actually native to southern China and cultivation spread from China in the early 20th century. (I was surprised the spread of the cultivation kiwi's was so late in comparison with other fruits.)

Though the fruit is small, it is packed with Vitamin C. "This nutrient is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, neutralizing free radicals that can cause damage to cells and lead to problems such as inflammation and cancer." (Source) Vitamin C is important for the proper function of a healthy immune system and has been shown to help prevent/reduced a multitude of problems. This is  are always telling you to eat more Vitamin C.

Kiwifruit Orchard

Kiwi's also have a good supply beta-carotene content (usually when you hear beta-carotene you think carrot and other orange vegetables and fruits). This combination of vitamin c and beta-carotene, researchers theorize, is what gives kiwi's the amazing ability to protect DNA in the nucleus of human cells from oxygen-related damage. But, kiwi's also contain "a variety of flavonoids and carotenoids that have demonstrated antioxidant activity, these phytonutrients in kiwi may be responsible for this DNA protection."(source)

Emotional Lifestyle:

Juice Fast Day 1:

No coffee as of today. Yikes! My cupboards are empty and my fruit and vegetable drawer is full.

 
I plan to have six juices today: (unless my body calls for more). Fruit juice in the morning and fruit/vegetable in the mid-morning, nut milk for lunch, fruit/vegetable in the mid afternoon, and mostly vegetable for dinner (an apple might sneak in there).







Juices today:

1. Plum Pear Punch
• 1.5 Bosc Pears
• 3 Chilean Plums
2. Abbie's Favorite with Half a Pear
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Sticks of Celery
• 1 Apple 
• .5 Pear (had to use it from the Plum Pear Punch)
3. Homemade Almond Milk
• 2 Cups of Almonds
4. Kitchen Sink (This is when I just throw in whatever I have and see how it tastes)
• 4 Small Carrots 
• 3 Apples 
• 2 Sticks of Celery 
• 1/4 A Large White Turnip (it was too much turnip)

I definitely felt the lag and grog without coffee. No significant caffeine withdrawal headache (which is awesome). I was hungry later in the day, because I didn't bring enough juice to work. I didn't workout, but I will in the days to come.

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!

Day 37:

Juice: Grapefruit Blues

Grapefruit Blues:
2 Grapefruits
1 Large Handful of Blueberries

Okay. So, a lot of the fruits featured in these juices currently are out of season right now. I know people will claim that nothing is out of season anymore, but that's just not true. Even though the berries you get from the store may look like blueberries - we all know they don't taste like summer fresh blueberries. They also don't have the same nutritional content as those berries in the summer.
[I covered blueberries and berries in general in Entry 15 & Entry 16]

Eating seasonally is important for many reasons, but especially if you want good nutritional value. Now, summer is a cake walk. All the good stuff is around in the summer, right? Fall is pretty good too, but suddenly we get to winter and all there really is are root vegetables. I'm sorry, what?! And Spring isn't much better, maybe even worse with the fresh fruits and vegetables we all know and love. How can you do this? Well, I started by doing some research.

When people (nutritionist, ecologists and Cosmo magazine - yeah, I read an article once) tell you to eat seasonally, they are doing this because not only is good for the environment it is good for you.  The most sited evidence for this is a study done in London in 1997 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The study found significant differences in the nutrient content of pasteurized milk in summer versus winter. "The Ministry discovered that these differences in milk composition were primarily due to differences in the diets of the cows." (Source) It was also found by researchers in Japan that the differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter was three-fold.

Think about it.

Seasonally was the only way to eat for most of the human existence. Raw and unfettered fruits and vegetables. Now, sure the average lifespan was much shorter, but they didn't have the same amount of chronic disease or autoimmune disease (it was around, just not as prolific). Now we have modern technology - which I love. Don't get me wrong here, modern medicine can do a lot and I am truly thankful for that! But, wouldn't it be wonderful if we (our society) didn't have to ever use it.
Just because we can doesn't mean we should, right? This is great advice for HBO. So, eating with the seasons demands you diversify your food and your nutritional intake, which has been proven everywhere, to improve your health. Variety is the spice of life.

World's Healthiest Foods (one of my favorite websites) provides a seasonal guide:

• Spring: 
• Focus on tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of this season. The greening that occurs in springtime should be represented by greens on your plate, including Swiss chard, spinach, Romaine lettuce, fresh parsley, and basil.
• Summer:
•  Stick with light, cooling foods in the tradition of traditional Chinese medicine. These foods include fruits like strawberries, apple, pear, and plum; vegetables like summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn; and spices and seasonings like peppermint and cilantro.
• Fall: 
• Turn toward the more warming, autumn harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, onions, and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and mustard seeds.
• Winter: 
• Turn even more exclusively toward warming foods. Remember the principle that foods taking longer to grow are generally more warming than foods that grow quickly. All of the animal foods fall into the warming category including fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and venison. So do most of the root vegetables, including carrot, potato, onions and garlic. Eggs also fit in here, as do corn and nuts. 

 

Emotional Lifestyle: 

It is on. I am gonna do a juice fast and I think it's gonna be a long one (21-30 days). I know! So, I am researching, getting prepared, but it is happening in March. Get ready, because all of you will be privy to real time updates on this blog...stay tuned. 

Day 34:

Juice: Grapefruit Basic

Grapefruit Basic:
1 Grapefruit
1 Apple
2 Carrots
1 Stick of Celery

This was good. I got up early this morning and made this juice. It totally picked my morning up.

While researching for this blog last week, I stumbled upon a very interesting article online: Limonin: Health Benefits in Citrus Fruits. It mentions a compound found in citrus fruits call Limonin. 

Limonin:

(lî`mō´nĭn)

n.

1.

(Chem.) A bitter, white, crystalline substance found in orange and lemon seeds.

Limonin enters the body as a sugar molecule and is absorbed into the blood stream. From there, Limonin works as an active antioxidant fighting the breakdown of cell DNA. According to a scientific team working with the USDA, has been shown to "fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon." (Source) 

How does it do that? You might ask. 

Well, researchers have found Limonin can remain the the blood stream for up to 24 hours - an impressive amount of time - and this "longevity" is probably why limonoids' have such an ability to fight cancer cells. The USDA also states that though most people think about vitamin C when they think about citrus research has shown "limonin glucoside is present in citrus and citrus juices in about the same amount as vitamin C." (Source)

 

What does this mean?

Keep juicing is what it means and while you're at it include some citrus with seed and peels! 

Happy Monday!

Day 33:

Juice: Grapefruit Sweet

Grapefruit Sweet:
2 Grapefruits
2 Tangerines

Delicious! I used Honey Tangerines which are very sweet and it was great! It was a nice morning treat.









Now, we have been doing a lot of citrus fruits lately, I thought I'd reiterate how to use them with a juicer.

For oranges, tangerines, clementines - citrus with loose or thin peels - I peel the fruit by hand then chuck it into the juicer. The rinds don't have a lot of nutrition value in these fruits, but they do have a lot of bitter flavor, which I don't really want in my juice. You can see this in my picture of the juice ingredients. The tangerine is peeled by hand.

For thicker citrus rinds, mainly the grapefruit, it can be easier to cut away the rind. This is also shown in the picture above. However, when I do this I try to keep most of the pith - the white stuff in between the peel and the rind - because it has a lot of food value. It also makes your juice creamier, more like a smoothy or as my sister puts it "a natural creamsicle".

As for Lemons and Limes - when washed and organic - I put rind and fruit in the juicer. The rinds of both have intense flavor - there is a reason they are always being 'zested' in recipes - so, I like to utilize that.

Note: All of these rinds can be juiced. It just changes the bitterness of the juice. This is only how I like to do it. Also, be sure to buy organic if you plan to juice the rinds. Nobody needs to ingest any unnecessary more chemicals.

Emotional Lifestyle: 

Motivation.
(noun)  
- the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way.

As of late, I have been lacking this. I have been busy. Scheduled within an inch of my life. I have deep purple bags chiseled permanently beneath my eyes.  And though all of it is good, all of it is stuff I've want/ need to do. It has been feeling a little blah. "Post-holiday's depression" is what I read on a new article and I suppose that's it, but I am sick of it. 

So, yesterday - while getting ready for work - I made myself a new Pandora station (Abbie's Wake Up) and I added old school artists and songs. Things to bring up other times/ fun memories, so that I could think about something else besides what I had to do that day. Wow! It worked. It may me nostalgic and now I am on a kick of childhood songs and artist. 

Am I old? Is this a sign that you're getting old? Well, if so, it's kinda fun!

Yesterday was Bryan Adams -thanks to Pandora - I was seven again. Lounging across my parents tattered, well worn and well loved couch, watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and loving every minute. The little, natural born movie geek in me noticing that the guy who plays The Artful Dodger in the 1968 Oliver! plays one of Robin Hood's merry men. (No imdb.com then so, I have to watch Oliver! after, just to be sure). 

Today has mainly been Mary Chapin Carpenter. It came on this morning and suddenly there I was: Nine or ten crammed into my dad's pick-up (with three other kids, mind) riding home after skiing all day with our school. We always stopped at this little bakery (which is still there) at the bottom of Okemo Mountain called Sweet Surrender. It was our desert before dinner day. I would get a coffee roll and a carton of Tropicana. My parents never bought juice (I think it was too expensive with five kids) so it was as much a treat as the coffee roll. 

I feel ready to take on the day:

 

Day 32:

Juice: Grapefruit Sharp

Grapefruit Sharp:
2 Grapefruits
1 Lemon
1 Lime

Okay, this juice was actually a bit too tart for me. I couldn't make it through the entire glass, but don't be discourage if you're not into tartness. As I said in my last post, and will probably say in many others, if you are afraid it will be too tart reduce the amount of grapefruit you are using and throw in an apple or maybe just half. It'll sweeten the whole thing right up!

Limes or Lime Tree. Citrus aurantifolia. A small tree found typically is tropical and subtropical areas which bears edible acid fruits. Typically found throughout the year, but the Lime season is May  through October.

Now, most all of us know that limes, being citrus, are a good source of Vitamin C.  Nearly 50% of you daily required Vitamin C intake can be found in one lime. I talked about Vitamin C in detail in Entry 9.  Most of us also know that citrus, especially limes, help prevent scurvy. - a disease resulting from a deficiency of Vitamin C. British sailors used limes in the 19th century to ward off scurvy and ended up with the nickname "Limeys". But recent studies in West Africa have shown that the inclusion of lime juice in a main meal of the day helps prevent against the contraction of cholera - an infection of the small intestine contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

New research has also shown that lemons and limes have incredible healing properties. Lime juice, specifically,  has been proven to have a positive impact on cell cycles - the series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication (replication). So, it is helping the cell decided whether it should divide (called mitosis) or die (called apoptosis). It also has show to improve the activities of immune cells called monocytes. White blood cells used in the immune system, monocytes "are made in the bone marrow, and they spread through the body in one to three days. They can develop into either dendritic cells or macrophages." (Source)

A human lymphocyte (pink) scans the surface of a dendritic cell (blue).

Dendritic cells "act as a communication vehicle between multiple key cells...and trigger immune response." (Source)

A macrophage (pale brown) interacts with Borrelia cells (blue), the spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Macrophages "eat foreign material in the body. These cells are involved in the primary or innate immune response to a number of immune invaders..." (Source).






So let's recap:
Not only does lime juice, help your body's healthy cells reproduce or the old, tired or unhealthy cells die; it helps your body identify a problem and, essentially, notify the national guard to deal with the problem.

Hello Lime Juice! Get to know me!

Emotional Lifestyle: 

The Oscar Nominations are out and it is all anyone in the media field can talk about, which I find weird because we all know Lincoln is going to sweep. I bet it is going to get best picture and best actor for sure. Zero Dark Thirty is really it's only contender, but Kathryn Bigelow won recently and for anyone who has ever followed The Oscars knows that they are all about dues and Bigelow got 'hers'  too recently. Silver Linings Playbook and Les Misérables might get a few things. Best animated feature is probably going to go to Wreck-It Ralph or Brave. Everyone liked Wreck-It Ralph better, but everyone also agrees that Brave is beautifully made. I haven't seen any of the nominated foreign films, but I am pretty surprised The Intouchables isn't on there. Big time snubbing. It was great.
But the Austrian film Amour is nominated for everything, so maybe that will win. Best Score might go to Skyfall or Lincoln. Original Song is probably going to Skyfall.
As for the rest of the categories, I'm not really sure...I guess I'll have to watch and see. 

Day 31: 

Juice: Pure Grapefruit

Pure Grapefruit:
3 Grapefruits

All the juices I have done to date have been fruit juices - sweet and delicious - and all of them have had the same base ingredient - Apples. But today is the start of fruit juices with a different base ingredient - Grapefruits. If you are someone, who is not too into grapefruits (mainly because unsweetened juice can be quite bitter) reduce the amount of grapefruits used and toss in an apple. This will sweeten the juice and allow you to enjoy the juice without missing out.

Since I already talked about grapefruits - Entry 21 - I'm going to give you some juicing tips and best practices to help you going forward. For anyone just getting started in juicing check out Entry 12 it is a short little "how to" for juicing.


Tips:
1.) Line the pulp catcher:
To help with clean up after juicing, use a plastic bag (any grocery store bag will do) to line the pulp catcher. This way the the pulp catcher wont stain and it is one less thing you have to clean.

2.) Use your pulp for other things - don't waste good nutrition:
You can save pulp in your fridge for up to 12 hours, but it is best to use it as soon as possible. Some ideas:
- Stir pulp into veggie sauces, dips or soup.
- Fruit pulp can be used for fruit sauces, jams, or (even more fun) freeze it into homemade fruit pops.
- Mix pulp into meatballs, meatloaf, or burgers. It will give it some nice flavor and keep them moist.
- You can also sneak it into layered casserole dishes, like lasagna. 
- Bake it into pound cake, muffins, or biscuits.
- I also saw someone mix honey (or any binder agent really) into pulp and make healthy 'cookie snacks'. I haven't tried it yet myself.

3.) Drink your juice as soon as possible:
After you juice fruits and vegetables, juice begins to oxidize (it tends to change color as it oxidizes, especially apple). It is the same thing that happens when you cut and apple and leave the white exposed - the browning is oxidization. *Note: Oxidized or discolored juice is not bad. It just doesn't have as much nutritional value as it would fresh because oxidization it the breaking down of the natural enzymes in the fruits and vegetables.

4.) Stock, Wash and Store before juicing:
This means plan your juices and buy what you need for a few days or the week. Then wash it all before it goes into the refrigerator and store it so it is easily accessible to you. This tip is a VERY popular rule of thumb for juicing, because this way one never has an excuse not to juice. If everything is ready to go when you want a juice, then you are more likely to juice.

5.) Store in glass:
I don't really ever store juice. I usually consume it in the morning or evening right after I make it, but if you are taking some to work or just want to store excess juice for the next day...please use glass. Plastic, not only leeches chemicals into anything stored in it, but it also can react badly to juice as it oxidizes. There have been stories of plastic containers cracking, breaking and exploding while holding juice. Glass also helps slow the oxidization process.

Day 30:

Juice: Bellyful

Bellyful:
3 Apples
1/4 White Cabbage
1/4 Small Fennel Bulb
1 Small Bunch of Mint

This is a warm, yet crisp and very refreshing. This is a great mid-morning snack. Sweet enough that it still feel like breakfast, but substantial enough that it can pass for lunch. 

Fennel, my dear friends fennel or foeniculum vulgare. A vegetable I really had never eaten until recently. Fennel is a hardy perennial (a plant which grows back every year) and a member of the  Apiaceae family (formerly the Umbelliferae) - meaning it is related to carrots, parsley, dill and more - like over 3,000 more species. Needless to say it is a large family.

Fennel looks kinda like a cleaner, nicer version of celery root. It is a white or pale green blub with stalks protruding from it, which are topped with feathery green leaves. In season during, both fall and spring, but fennel can be found all year long in most stores around the US. However, you may find the taste is the best during the spring and fall.

Fennel is crunchy in texture and slightly sweet and has an anise-like taste. Often fennel and anise are listed as the same plant by people (mainly on the internet), however they are not the same plant. They are related - both members of the Apiaceae Family (I told you it was a large family), but they are different plants. The confusion stems from the fact that "the whole plant (bulb, stalks, fronds) of fennel is consumed while it is usually just the seeds from the anise plant that are eaten..." (Source)

Fennel Seeds

Fennel is an amazing vegetable resource to have in your fridge. Full of vitamin C, potassium, manganese, folate (also called Folic Acid is a B-complex vitamin) and a variety of other phytonutrients, fennel has a wide variety of health benefits. The essential oils in fennel - the oils that give fennel its anise smell - "stimulate secretion of digestive and gastric juices, reduce inflammation of stomach and intestines and facilitates proper absorption of nutrients from the food" (Source), aiding any symptoms of indigestion, constipation, flatulence, diarrhea. In fact, chewing fennel seeds after a meal is a common practice in India.  Hence the name of this wonderful juice. Fennel has also been shown to help with colic, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders, eye care, bad breath, hair loss and more, so it is not just for the intestinal track.

Emotional Lifestyle:

Recently, I watched a very interesting and disturbing documentary called Farmageddon (2011). It is about small farms being unlawfully forced to shut down by the USDA for unexplained reasons (most of the time). It is a little long an repetitive, but the information is sound. It is an interesting look at the government attempting to control what people eat, by controlling one's access to it.

If you are from New York, this has been a big topic here, as Mayor Bloomberg has been trying to put in laws about soda and junk food. However, this documentary is looking at small farms all around the country who are providing healthy, organic food for (mainly) their local communities and are being shutdown. Even when a farm has the right paperwork and their animals tested, the government has been threatening, harassing and killing livestock on these farms...for what reason?...it is often unexplained by anyone. It is interesting (though a little long), but definitely worth the time. 

Day 29: 

Juice: Prime Cooler

Prime Cooler:
3 Apples
1/2 Cucumber
1 Inch Ginger Root
1 Small Bunch of Fresh Mint

Sorry for the lack of posting friends...I have been continuing on the 400 Days without you. The busy holiday season has stolen all of my weeks away. But, now I'm on vacation and now...I have some time.

 
Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) a gourd from the Cucurbitaceae family and the fourth most cultivated vegetable after tomatoes, cabbage and onions. Cucumbers are the in the same botanical club as melons and squashes.

Though not well publicized, cucumbers are rich in phytonutrients, especially in cucurbitacins, lignans, and flavonoid.  Lignans: "any of a class of propyl phenolic dimers including many found in plants and noted for having antioxidant and estrogenic activity". www.merriam-webster.com Basically, Lignans can have some compounds that act like natural estrogen in the body and in doing so can help the reduce or prevent cancers - especially hormone related cancers - lower cholesterol and atherosclerosis. They have also been shown to help reduce symptoms of menopause.

*Remember estrogen is present in both men and women, so this is beneficial for all.*

Cucumbers are known to have a good amount of polyphenols (a branch on the lignans tree). Polyphenols: "a polyhydroxy phenol; especially : an antioxidant phytochemical (as chlorogenic acid) that tends to prevent or neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals." www.merriam-webster.com Antioxidants, especially polyphenols, have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. According to World's Healthiest Foods:

"...fresh extracts from cucumber have been shown to provide specific antioxidant benefits, including increased scavenging of free radicals and increased overall antioxidant capacity. Fresh cucumber extracts have also been shown to reduce unwanted inflammation..." (www.whfoods.com)

So, juicing them is a fantastic idea! It is good for the heart, cells, metabolism and your taste buds!

Being a part of the melon family it may not surprise you to learn that cucumbers are incredibly hydrating - 95% water. So, a juice drink of cucumber and celery is like a homemade sports drink.
See Entry 7 of this blog for more about the hydrating components of Celery.

A bulk of the nutrition in cucumbers actually resides in the skin and seeds, so when possible consume both. However, something to be cautious of is that most commercially grown cucumbers, both organic and non-organic, are waxed to protect them from bruising during transit. Organically grown cucumbers - in order to get the label 'organic' - have to used non-synthetic waxes, which are free of all chemical contaminants. Non-organic, however, may be waxed with synthetic waxes that contain unwanted chemical contaminants.

So, it is suggested that you buy only organic cucumbers, but I am realistic and I have a budget, so if you purchase non-organics just peel before juicing. No need to ingest harmful chemicals and carcinogens along with the nutrients to cleanse the body of such things.

Emotional Lifestyle: 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!!!