Posts Tagged ‘juicing’

Liquid Diet

October 9th, 2010

HPIM1664I was inspired this morning by Audra and Pierre’s posts to try something I had yet to try – to only drink juices and smoothies for an entire day.

For a late breakfast (I slept in) I had a green juice, albeit it was a powder I dissolved into a glass of water. After a frustrating experience with my juicer, I retired it, but after watching a video on juicing Yuri posted a little while ago, I was contemplating giving my juicer a second chance, and after reading the entries posted this morning, I was ready.

For lunch, I made Pierre’s blueberry smoothie, except mine was more a mixed berry smoothie and it turned out pink. It was fabulous, and I look forward to making many many more. Because of the restrictive diet I’m following that limits my fruit to low-sugar fruits only, I do not normally eat bananas or grapes, so I’ll have to wait patiently, or not so patiently, to try this again. I also froze the grape puree my juicer spit out.

I gave some to my dad to try. He was only supposed to take a sip because it was more for my mom, and he ended up taking a second “sip” and drinking half of it. He loved it and would definitely drink it again. I’m certain my mom will like it when she tries her share.

Since my juicer performed so admirably juicing the grapes for my smoothie, I decided to go ahead and try Audra’s juice recipe. My juicer definitely does not like the leafy greens, which is my problem with it since that is what I want to juice. In the end I persevered and made a small glass of the juice. It was definitely energizing, even with the small serving I had, although I did forget to add the ginger, which was probably best in the long run since it would have overpowered everything else and I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. With ginger, I have learned a little goes a long way, and it is something I’m slowly trying to incorporate more of so I acquire a liking for it.

Back to my day. Since I felt so good, I went and did a 20 min workout on the treadmill, and no, I didn’t just do a nice leisurely pace. I know better than that. In fact, I pushed myself and did some intervals at a faster pace than I’ve ever tried before.

Dinner was make-it-up-as-I-go, with a juice made from a pear, carrot and cabbage. I was hoping the cabbage would process better than the spinach. It was okay and tasted mostly of pear. Since it made a very small glass, I decided to make a second smoothie, this time with only the mixed berries and a bit of the frozen grape puree from my earlier smoothie. I got watered down raspberries as a result. I think banana must be what gives a smoothie it’s nice creamy texture since mine was lacking that, but it was a good excuse to add some more flax seed and it did the job of filling me up.

Also, throughout the day I was drinking plenty of water.

So if anyone has doubts about being able to function on liquids only, the answer is you definitely can. Admittedly, I wasn’t overly active today, but neither did I drink very much, so upping the quantity of juice and smoothies you drink should compensate for more activity.

A final note about my juicer. I went out and purchased the cheapest juicer I could to see if I even liked juicing. It’s small, and I have to cut my fruit and vegetables into tiny pieces to feed them into the juicer. I was envious watching Yuri stuff entire stalks of kale into his juicer. I think I’m confident that if I had a better juicer it is something I would do more of.

Does anyone out there have a juicer they like and would recommend? If you do, please let me know. Thanks.

Nichole

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Posted in Client Journeys

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Green Juice Challenge

September 17th, 2010

green-juiceA few weeks ago, one of my Fitter U Fitness members, Phil, asked me to put together a video of me making a green juice.

He thought it would help him to get a realistic “look” at what goes into making my famous green juices.

So I took him up on the challenge. Actually, there was no challenge…but I did create one.

My intention was to show Phil (and everyone else) that you whip together a delicious green juice in less than 10 minutes!

Did I beat my time? Was I up to my own challenge or did I fall flat on my face?

Well, you’ll just have to watch the video to find out!

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Posted in Raw Food Recipes, Raw Foods

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How to Grow Wheatgrass

June 25th, 2010

If you are interested in incorporating wheatgrass into your diet, there are a few ways to go about it. You could go out and buy pre-grown wheatgrass, or you could buy pre-juiced extracts. Or, with very little work, you could grow your own wheatgrass at home, saving yourself some money and providing an ample supply, whenever you need it.

Of course, you know that wheatgrass offers all sorts of wonderful health benefits for people following a raw food diet. Fresh wheatgrass juice contains vitamins, minerals and living food enzymes that can, among other things, help to clarify and strengthen your blood, skin and hair; encourage the growth of muscle tissue; and keep your body healthy and able to fight off various minor infections.

Now, one of the down sides to growing your own wheatgrass is the length of time required to cultivate a crop. Wheatgrass can take up to two hundred days to grow to the point where it is ready to be harvested and juiced. Another problem area is the amount of wheatgrass it takes to produce a viable amount of juice. Remember, this is a grass we’re talking about, not a big, juicy orange, so it will take a lot to produce a little.

All that being said, it is worthwhile to grow your own wheatgrass. The first thing you will need to do is sprout your wheatgrass seeds. This usually takes between six to ten hours of soaking in a shallow water bath. Afterwards, you can drain off the excess water, and plant the seeds into a shallow seed tray, filled with your preference of growing medium. Most planting soils will work well for this, but you can mix in compost as you see fit. Once you have distributed the sprouted seeds over the growing medium, cover with a thin layer of soil or peat moss, and water.

The seed tray should be kept in a bright area to grow, but it does not need direct sunlight. Water the seedlings when the soil appears dry, and within a week, you should see the first shoots of your very first crop of wheatgrass. Your crop will be ready for harvesting when it reaches around six inches in height. At this point, simply clip the grass with a pair of scissors, and juice away.

One thing to watch for as you grow your wheatgrass is mould. At best, mould in your wheatgrass can cause an unpleasant flavor; at worst, it can cause a severe allergic reaction. If you see mould in your wheatgrass crop, simply remove the affected seedlings and soil.

Once trimmed, the wheatgrass crop will continue to grow, and if you choose to grow it indoors, it can continue to provide you with fresh wheatgrass all year round.

The juice you produce will be great when added to your favorite green smoothies, or on its own as a very healthy raw food drink that will provide you with a myriad of health benefits, at a fraction of the cost of buying it in the stores.

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Posted in Food For Thought

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Juicing – Instant Energy in a Glass

May 4th, 2010

juiceSo, what is so great about juicing, anyway?

Everywhere you look, you see people talking about the wonders of juice. Whether it is weight loss, a way to eat for energy, health benefits or just great taste, fresh juice seems to offer it all.

And you see it everywhere – the juice and smoothie stores in the mall, the machine commercials on television, the ads in health magazines, the testimonials of big-name celebrities and the do-it-yourself products in almost every store. But really, what can juicing do for you?

Well, for one, fresh juicing can help you to lose weight. This might sound like another one of those miracle diet promises, but it is more than that. If you add more raw, fresh juices to your diet, you will be introducing natural sugars to replace the overly-processed ones that come in your favorite drinks. This is a great way to get something into your stomach when you’re feeling a little hungry, rather than resorting to a bag of chips or a handful of chocolates.

But the best part about fresh juices is the extra kick of energy that you’re going to get with every single glass you drink. If you are like most people, your idea of a high energy diet is a cup of coffee to get you going in the morning.

But the caffeine that gets you going is quickly used up by your body, leaving you with only the eventual crash and the diuretic effects of coffee as a reminder. A glass of juice in the morning instead will give you that kick, despite the lack of caffeine. The shock of a cold glass of juice will be just as effective as the caffeine you are used to, but that tall glass of fresh juice will also offer you a lot more of the vitamins that you body will need after a few hours of sleep.

After a strenuous workout, many people will reach for an energy drink or a sports bar to replenish what they’ve used up. What they’re actually doing is loading their bodies with sugars and fats, and often denying their bodies the hydration and nutrients that the muscles are screaming for.

Fresh juice will be a much better after-work out snack to be eating for energy, in that it will not sit heavily in your stomach like a lump of chocolate would. It will also provide you with naturally situated vitamins and nutrients, rather than artificially placed ones.

And you can cater your fresh juice to what your body needs – adding more citrus if you need more vitamin C, or throwing in some carrots for extra beta carotene. If you want something sweet, you can use apples or pears, and if you need more iron, you can add some spinach. And unlike store-bought juices, you can customize every single glass to your personal tastes and what your needs are, on a day-to-day basis.

No matter how you squeeze it, a fresh glass of juice will be more beneficial to you, whether it’s first thing in the morning, or the last thing you gulp down after a workout.

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Posted in General Nutrition, Raw Food Recipes

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