Juice Detox Fast or Feast?

I was so excited that yesterday was spring, I decided to do a juice detox as a form of "spring cleaning" for the inside of my body. I haven't had much luck with juice fasts in the past. I usually give in before mid-afternoon. I think the problem has been not drinking enough juice. Instead of a juice "fast" I need to think of it as a juice "feast" and be sure to drink plenty of juice. By evening I was super hungry. I could tell it was hunger instead of a craving because plain carrots was sounding delicious. I usually have to have hummus or peanut butter to eat carrots. I don't care that much for them raw without the dip. But, last night, I could have eaten a whole bag raw! I managed to get through the "spring cleaning" and felt really good when I woke up this morning. Besides giving my digestive system a break, I felt good that I stuck with my detox plan. For me, juicing is one of those things I have to work my way up to doing more often. I prefer smoothies where you blend up the entire fruit or veggie and have the pulp. I want to experiment with more juicing this summer. I think adding is much easier than taking away, so instead of taking the food away, I will add a juice a day. I normally drink 32 ounces of water with lemon and local honey first thing in the morning. It's a great way to start my day. I healed a year-long cough in a couple weeks with that concoction. I alternated the lemon and honey water with ginger, honey, and OJ. I read about it on a holistic website somewhere a couple years ago when I was looking for ways to heal my chronic lung infection. It worked! I've been hooked every since. But the other juices, that is an acquired taste for me. I'm getting there.

I would love to hear from you about your juicing experience and favorite juice recipe!

Kathy

What Is Your Wellness Number?

When it comes to wellness there should be some numbers we measure far more often than weight and waist size. Numbers like how many minutes of quality time did you spend with your loved ones today? How many minutes did you exercise? How many fruits and veggies did you eat? How many ounces of water did you drink? How many minutes did you pray and meditate? How many minutes did you spend reading or studying something that adds value to your life? Unlike the scales and tape measure, the higher those numbers, the better. Here's my wellness numbers for today:

Quality Time with Loved Ones: 180 minutes
Fruits & Veggies: 5 servings
Water: 64 ounces
Pray/Meditate: 15 minutes
Reading: 30 minutes (Choose Yourself by James Altucher)

My Wellness Total: 294

What is YOUR wellness number today? What would you add to your wellness number? Maybe the number of times you told someone you love them? The number of hugs you gave? How many times you smiled at someone... These are the things that contribute to our wellness much more than the number on the scale.

I love you. Total: 295! :) 296...

Kathy

Big vs Small Meals

I am taking a nutrition course at Vanderbuilt University through Coursera.org and found the topic of balanced nutrition from Dr. Benardot fascinating. He used the picture above as an example of our cellular capacity being the small cup and the pitcher being what we consume when we eat large meals. His theory is to eat and drink smaller amounts throughout the day so you keep your nutrient levels balanced. I know this is a controversial topic. I have even heard some doctors refer to it as grazing and not letting your digestive system get a break. Dr. Bernardot says that we should not let ourselves get hungry or thirsty, that we should consume water in timed intervals because by the time we feel thirsty, dehydration has already taken place. He says that if you consume too much food at once you risk toxicity, wasted energy, increased fat storage and can develop insensitivity to nutrients. If you take in too little it can lead to malfunction, poor metabolism, inadequate protective systems, and reduced cell life. Smaller meals at regular intervals makes sense to me. I know if I go too long without eating or drinking water, I'm in trouble. The cravings kick in and are so hard to overcome. The solution seems simple, but it actually takes planning and effort. It's easy to get busy and distracted and forget to eat until several hours have passed and you feel famished. I'm going to give this smaller, more frequent meals and timed intervals of water a try. I know I need to bring my water intake UP! I'm going to set the timer on my iPhone and drink a smaller amount of water rather than trying to drink 32 oz in a short period of time.

Kathy