Mean Green Juice Detox: Day Three

Another day of greening it up, and I'm doing pretty well for the wear.

Quite honestly, I think it's growing on me. Well, not actually growing on me, but the taste seems to be agreeing more with my palate upon each passing day. I put a lot of ice in the glass, which upon melting tends to mellow the flavor out a bit.

Physically, I feel really good for the most part, and my clothes are definitely getting more comfortable. How freaky that it's so noticeable after only three days! Other than experiencing a bit of a tummy thing in the afternoon, I'm not dealing with many of the side effects of the detox. I don't think it was the juice, anyway. I'd only had a tiny glassful at that point, then had to head out on my bike to the fruit market for more supplies.

All that aside, I did notice something interesting and a little odd in the shower today. As I washed my hair, I detected the distinct scent of a spring veggie garden. Either the detox is purging something out of me or I'm taking on the smell of the greens. Or maybe...I've been in danger of becoming Swamp Thing and started juicing just in the nick of time! (C'mon, indulge me. I do have the mind of a writer, after all. And I'm not going to give it back!)

Well, this means that I have to try to resist the urge to walk up to people and ask them if I smell like vegetation. There is, after all, only so much that writers can truly get away with...isn't there?

Tune in tomorrow for Day 4. Until then...

Peace out

Mean Green Juice Detox: Day Two

Day two and all is well.

When juicing up today's batch, I peeled the lemon this time...it made the juice MUCH more palatable!

You may find this a tad unbelievable, but I already feel a bit better today. While I'm not overweight by any means, my back injury over the summer caused me to pack on a few uncomfortable pounds that I've been very anxious to shed. After only one day on the fast, my clothes are actually a bit looser! Amazing! It will be interesting to see if I can fit more easily into my smaller summer sizes after a couple weeks of this. I'm also feeling less fatigued and cold...which is good news, indeed! I'm really counting on this juice to significantly reduce, or even eliminate completely, the inflammation that has been my bane for so many years.

To remain in my integrity, I will admit that I faltered a bit in completely fasting. I had a half cup of refried beans last night, along with the few last bites that remained from a dark chocolate candy bar a friend gave me for my birthday last week. It was just sitting there beckoning. I figured the best way to make it stop was to eat it. It worked! No more candy bar to tempt me.

I'm realizing a little bit of irony today. I began my fast impulsively, without a lot of planning time. I work better that way...on the fly. However, it dawned on me that today is Fat Tuesday in these parts, and with it come these amazing, extremely bad for you Polish pastries called Packzis. While part of me feels that it might have been better to start my fast tomorrow, when devoted Catholics everywhere begin their Lenten fasts, the better part of me sees how Divinely inspired my move to begin yesterday actually was. No chance for me to stuff myself with those jelly-filled doughnuts on steroids that will land in all the places I'd prefer them to miss.

Yep. I'll just keep sucking down this green stuff and try not to think about it.

If you want the juice recipe, check out Mean Green Juice Detox: Day One in the menu to your left.

Until tomorrow, Peace out.

Mean Green Juice Detox: Day One

Joe & his Mean Green Juice
http://www.lifestyle.com.au/health/juice-saved-my-life.aspx

After spending over 24 years experiencing some pretty agonizing auto-immune related conditions that range from:

• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
• Restless Leg Syndrome
  
• digestive inflammation
  
• Rosacea

and, within the past 7 years:

• Chronic Auto-immune Urticaria & Angioedema (seriously debilitating random hives and facial swelling)
  

all of which are not responding well to allopathic (modern) medicine, I'm taking my self-care a step further.

Acting on a friend's suggestion, I settled in this morning and watched the film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. The film is a 1 1/2 hr documentary of one man's journey from being overweight and very ill (with some of the same conditions I'm experiencing) to cured, healthy and trim. He did it all by committing to 60 days of consuming only what is affectionately called Mean Green Juice!

Witnessing the full-spectrum change in this man over the course of only 2 months makes my jaw hit the floor. Juice and only juice to cure what ails me? Can it really be this simple?

Well, I'm willing to try it out and see for myself. I've worked long and hard on bringing myself to a relatively functional level since I first began experiencing these maladies, and what I've achieved so far just isn't quite good enough. I'm ready to take the next step in releasing the fatigue, inflammation, hives, killing myself to stay trim and overall lack of physical well-being that has dogged this body for far too long.

I woke up today feeling just as crappy as I have for the past few months and I'm done with this noise. I have had enough. I am better than this and I choose better for myself. With a renewed sense of resolve, I'm heading out in 36-degree weather on my beloved bike to the fruit market. Burrr....!

Later:

I've returned laden with everything I need to prepare a couple days worth of juice, and I'm ready to give it a shot.

If you're interested in accompanying me on this journey, here's the recipe:

4 Stalks of Celery
1 Cucumber
1 Thumb-sized chunk of ginger
1/2 Lemon
2 Granny Smith apples (can use Gala if you choose)
6 Leaves of Kale

Juice it up, baby! This recipe gives you enough for two glasses of juice.

Okay, here goes...

Wowza! The first sip zings around my taste buds, giving me a bit of a pause. I add ice. The second sip is better. It's definitely an acquired taste, but unlike scotch or beer, it's one that's worth acquiring. I've always been highly attuned to what takes place in my body, and I can feel it deciding what to do with these strange, raw micro-nutrients after consuming only half a glass so far. I'm sipping it through a straw instead of gulping it down. I think my body will respond better that way.

Okay, stay tuned for day two of my Journey into the Juice.

Peace out.