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 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 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.