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 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 35:

Juice: Grapefruit Basic Sharp

Grapefruit Basic Sharp:
1 Grapefruit
1 Apple
2 Carrots
1 Stick of Celery
1 Inch of Ginger

Okay, so this is kind of cheating because this is practically the same juice as last time. Sorry, but I am going by the book. So, instead of talking about the ingredients I've already been over, today I am going to answer a question I got from a reader.

The question: 

How do you make Nut Milk (like Almond, Cashew, etc...) with your juicer?

You may have strolled through of your local grocery store and seen a full shelf dedicated to nut milk. Lately, it has become a popular alternative to dairy milk due to it's high nutritional content.
However, the problem with the most of the nut milk in stores is that they have been pasteurized. Through the pasteurization process, nut milk looses most - if not all - of its nutrients. Hence why they fortify it with vitamins. So, it is much better to make it yourself. This way you know exactly what you're eating.

1.) Have the right equipment:
To make nut milk I recommend you use a blender or a slow juicer like a Hurom Juicer. You can use a centrifugal juicer, like mine, but it proved to be more wasteful than the blender, so I use the blender. 

Left: Non-Centrifugal Juicer - Shown there is a Hurom Slow Juicer, but any non-centrifugal juicer will do.  
Center: Blender - Any blender will do. A Vitamix is a blender - not a juicer - so feel free to use it here. (I use a Magic Bullet).    
 Right: Centrifugal Juicer -  Most juicers are Centrifugal. The one shown above it the juicer I use Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro.

2.) Get fresh, raw nuts of your choosing (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc...).

3.) Soak the in nuts water for at least 4-6 hours. More is not a problem. One recipe I found said to soak them overnight. (A lot of sources online say to do it with filtered water - just to keep it extra clean)

4.) Process the nuts through your equipment:

• Hurom Juicer: Pour the hydrated nuts into juicer, place a bowl or glass underneath. 1 cup of nuts should yield 1/2 cup of milk (so I have read since I use a blender). 
• Blender: Place the hydrated nuts in the blender with water (or filtered water): 1 cup of water to 1 cup of nuts. *Note: anything you'd like to add to the milk (i.e. honey, cinnamon, vanilla) this is the time to add it. Process until thoroughly blended. Next you will need a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.

Cheesecloth

Nut Milk Bag

Place the cheesecloth or nut milk bag over a bowl and pour the blended mix over/into the material. It will catch the pulp. You may have to do it several times if you are making a lot of milk.

• Centrifugal Juicer: Pour the hydrated nuts into the juicer - I have read that pouring a cup of water into the juicer first helps with the process. 

 5.) Store the milk in a glass container (glass containers are the best for storing juice of all kinds) and in the refrigerator. Homemade nut milk will store safely for 48 hours (though some sources claim 72 is still okay). So, your best bet is to just enjoy the milk quickly.


Enjoy some nut milk for me friends and let me know how it all turns out!!

Happy Juicing!

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.