Day 36:

Juice: Water Cooler

Water Cooler:
2 Grapefruits
1 Thick Slice of Watermelon

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...life. But, I'm back.

Now, if you have followed this blog from the beginning you may remember that I don' t like watermelon, so...I made this juice, but I did not enjoy it. Also, it is not the season for watermelon, so I'm sure it was not as sweet as a summer watermelon. But, it is the season for Grapefruit and man, did I get some delish organic grapefruit. They tend to be smaller, more like an orange, but they are worth it.

If you want to know more about watermelon, I discussed it in Entry 23, so feel free to look there for more information. Like last time I had to juice watermelon, I didn't want to buy a whole watermelon so I purchased pre-cut watermelon from my local grocery store.


Some pointers when buying pre-cut fruit:

• Look for the date on the package - usually it will have the date it was packaged, not an expiration date - try to find one that was packaged within a day or so. 

• Try to a package with an orange slice in it. Vitamin C helps slow down the oxidization process. 

FUN FACT: If you ever want to make some juice to go, Vitamin C powder should help it keep for a few hours. Also, be sure to refrigerate it.

If you like watermelon, I'm sure you'll like this juice and I'll bet you'll like it even more in the summer.

Emotional Lifestyle:

Life has been insanely busy, as you may have suspected based on my absence from the Blogger sphere. Life sucks when you work three jobs, take two different night time classes, and are trying to make a web series happen - not to mention the freezing cold.

So, I have now gone through most of February busy and stressed, without working out or fueling my body well (aka not choosing well balanced meals). Which, of course, was the I could really use both of those things...but c'est la vie. 

Things are cooling down a bit and I think I'm adjusting to a busier schedule. But, I am starting to feel a revigoration of motivation...

Now, why am I telling you all of this? 

Well, glad you asked. 

One of the things I do when stressed is drink massive amounts of coffee and eat lots of sugary foods. You body craves these things when you're running on empty, so I ingested a bit more than usual. Now, my body craves them - even though I am sleeping more - because it is accustom to more calories and the drug-like effects sugar and caffeine have on our bodies (especially coffee). 

So, now I am annoyed by the cravings. There is a wonderful solution to this...a juice fast!

I am probably going to start a juice fast sometime here soon, which I have done before. It will most likely be short, like eight days - just a quick reset for the system. But, I want to get onto a work out regime as well (which is usually not recommended while fasting), so I need to do some research. Obviously, I'll let you know all of my findings on this matter in another blog, but for now....that's all. 

Keep Juicing!

Day 28: 

Juice: Cranapple

Cranapple:
3 Apples
1 Handful of Cranberries
1 Handful of Grapes

I have always been a fan of cranberry juice, usually plain, but I really like this juice. The tartness of the cranberries mixed with the multi-layered sweetness of the Apples and Grapes - delicious. This is also the first time I have juiced Cranberries and when I finished I looked up how to make homemade jam with the pulp. These are the great resources I found:

1. http://www.all-about-juicing.com/ (Fruit Sauce & Other Recipes)
2. http://www.ehow.com/ (Homemade Jam)

*If you try any of these, I'd love to hear about it.

The Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is one of the few crops native to New England (woot, woot!). Cranberries grow in acid bogs that lack a sufficient amount of nitrogen for most plant life. They are low, creeping plants that have - grower refer to them as vines - thin, wiry stems. Pollinated by bees, the cranberry flower appear mid-summer, they are white to light pink and bell-shaped.

According to UCLA's botany website:

"The common name cranberry is a modification of the colonial name 'crane berry,' because the drooping flower looked like the neck and head of the sand crane, which was often seen eating the fruits." (http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/)

 Now, Cranberries has always gotten a lot of good press. When one thinks of cranberries, usually one thinks of a high vitamin C content, a good portion of fiber and maybe it has been mentioned as being an anti-oxidant. Cranberry juice is also commonly known to treat Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). But, its complete phytonutrient package is what makes cranberries such an impressive and important fruit.

World's Healthiest Foods lists "5 key categories of health-supportive phytonutrients in cranberries" in the chart below: (Source)

Type of Phytonutrient	Specific Molecules
Phenolic Acids	hydroxybenzoic acids including vanillic acids; hydroxycinnamic acids inculding caffeic, coumaric, cinnamic, and ferulic acids
Proanthocyanidins	epicatechins
Anthocyanins	cyanidins, malvidins, and peonidins
Flavonoids	quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol
Triterpenoids	ursolic acid

Most of these phytonutrients have been studied independently for - mainly - anti-cancer, antioxidant and, anti-inflammatory properties (If you have been following my blog, we have talked about phenolic acids and flavonoids - btws). However, one of the main things researchers have discovered is that "...isolated phytonutrients in cranberry do not account for the same degree of health benefit as phytonutrients taken as a complete, synergistic group." (Source) The whole is more than the sum of its parts - if you will.

All of phytonutrients in cranberries have been shown to help protect against heart disease, cancer, gum disease, stomach ulcers, urinary tract infections and other diseases. A great resource for more information is the www.cranberryinstitute.org.

Day 23: 

Juice: Waterapple

Waterapple:
3 Apple
2 Thick Slices of Watermelon
1 Lime

Now, I don't like watermelon. I'm just not a fan, but juicing it is fine, especially if it is mixed with other stuff. Since I don't like watermelon I didn't want a whole melon lying around, instead I went to the corner grocer and purchased pre-cut watermelon. When doing this, look for the date on the package - usually it will have the date it was packaged, not an expiration date - try to find one that was packaged within a day or so.

Fun fact: Sometimes you see fruit salad with a slice of orange. This is because Vitamin C helps slow down the oxidization process. If you ever want to make some juice to go, Vitamin C powder should help it keep. Also, be sure to refrigerate it.

Watermelon is 92% water, which is where it gets its name. It is low in calories and refreshing on a hot summer day. Watermelons are believed to have actually originated in Africa several thousand years ago. They are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucurbitaceae family consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds, including crops such as cucumber, pumpkins, luffas, and watermelons.

Besides being a great source of Vitamin C and A, Watermelons are a great source of beta-carotene (See Day 6 for more), potassium and magnesium. It also turns out that watermelons are an anti-inflammatory powerhouse with an array of phenolic (Definition of Phenolic) compounds like our friendly neighborhood flavonoids (See Day 11 for more), carotenoids, and triterpenoids. Recent studies have also shown that watermelons may be "especially important for our cardiovascular health" (Source) because of a carotenoid called lycopene. Cancer.org describes lycopene as:

"...one of the major carotenoids in the diet of North Americans and Europeans. Carotenoids are pigments that give yellow, red, and orange vegetables and fruits their colors...lycopene may lower the risk of heart disease; macular degenerative disease, an age-related illness that can lead to blindness; and lipid oxidation, the damage to normal fat molecules that can cause inflammation and disease. It is also said to lower LDL ("bad" cholesterol), enhance the body's defenses, and protect enzymes, DNA, and cellular fats. A major claim for lycopene's benefits is in the prevention and treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, skin, and, especially, prostate." (Source Page)

 So even I, who is more against watermelon than for it, will recommend you add it to juices...frequently. To fight the bad, ingest the good!