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Day 21 – 30 Days Juice Challenge
Sunday, Day 21 of the 30 Days Juicing Challenge. Yea! I’m feeling great but sadly, weigh loss some thing like 1 pound. You have got to be kidding? I have whittled my calorie intake to a bare minimum and still the fat is clinging on me. I sure my Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism plays a lot in the inability to lose weight. Dang. What to do?
What is Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism? Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is attacked by a variety of cell- and antibody-mediated immune processes. It was the first disease to be recognized as an autoimmune disease It was first described by the Japanese specialist Hakaru Hashimoto in Germany in 1912.
So, am I hungry everyday? Nope. The juice I make everyday does a great job of filling me up and giving me energy to take on the day.
Juicing is a simple and straight-forward way of consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables in an efficient, enjoyable way. As easy as it is to do, a few tips and guides never hurt anyone.
Here are some articles to read through while waiting for your juicer to arrive!
Why Juice?
You’ve heard the rave reviews about juicing and you want to know what all the hullabaloo is about. Is it fact or fiction?
Well, there’s a little bit of both. We love juicing. But we know that it is not a panacea. Learn more about the benefits of juicing and how to use juicing for health, not harm.
You can also read about my personal juicing journey here.
Which Fruits & Vegetables Can I Juice?
The short answer is: “Pretty much alllll of them! The more, the merrier!”
The more nuanced, more accurate answer is: “You can juice most produce, but some fruits and vegetables are unjuiceable.”
Even among the fruits and vegetables that can be juiced, it’s helpful to know which parts of a fruit or vegetable can be juiced. You’ll be surprised to find that you can juice a lot of parts that you typically can’t eat – another huge benefit of juicing!
Oh, you might also want to know about which fruits and veggies have edible, juiceable peels and which don’t!
What’s the Difference Between Juicing & Blending?
Some juicers are blenders too and it makes a lot of sense since blending lets you fill in the (nutritional) gaps that juicing leaves out and vice versa.
Learn about the difference between juicing and blending here and how they complement each other!
What is the Best Juicer to Buy?
Speaking of juicers – and blenders – it’s important that you choose the best juicer for your needs. Before rushing off to buy a juicer, take a moment and read through the different types of juicers and how they measure up.
Although there are juicers that are widely considered to be top-of-the-line, the best juicer for you is simply the juicer that best suits your juicing needs. Find out the 5 questions you should know the answers to before buying a juicer!
It’s pretty much the same deal with blenders – go with the blender that’s best for you.
What Fruits & Veggies are the BEST to Juice?
It’s hard to say which fruits and vegetables are the BEST. We can only repeat 3 good rules of thumb to follow when juicing:
1. Organic > Non-Organic: Organic fruits and vegetables better. Duh, you say – but they’re expensive. We know, and you don’t have to buy all organic
2. Vegetables > Fruits: Fruits juices are yummy, but vegetable juices are healthier than fruit juices. We recommend juicing mostly veggies and adding a little fruit for taste.
2. Diversity > Routine: One of the biggest benefits of juicing is that it allows you to consume a variety of fresh produce. Take advantage of it to supply your body with nutrients from foods you normally wouldn’t eat instead of sticking to the usual suspects all the time!
That being said, there are some foods that are a MUST in juicing.
How Long Does Fresh Juice Last?
This is an excellent – and important – question. Fresh juice is best-est when consumed fresh – and that means within 20 minutes of juicing. Busy schedules, however, often demand juice storage.
Although juice is best fresh, you can store fresh juice – and keep a lot of their nutritional benefits intact for up to 2 days.
(Source: http://justjuice.org/juicing-tips/)
Today’s recipe:
- Carrots
- Celery
- Apple
- Orange
Day 21 done, Check!
Can Cottage Cheese Cure Cancer?
Typical breakfast
Can cottage cheese cure cancer? Good question.
That’s a new one one me but this has been circulated through the alternative health community since Dr. Johanna Budwig introduced this hypothesis in 1931. It was discovered that around that time that, in the absence of oxygen, cancer cells would metabolize sugar which enabled them to multiply. Dr. Budwig discovered that highly unsaturated cold-pressed linseed oil would carry oxygen into the cells to fight cancer. The Budwig Diet, known in North America as FO/CC diet, is one of the most widely-followed alternative remedy for cancer and diabetes. The cornerstone of the diet is cold-pressed linseed (flax seed) oil, rich in omega-3, blended with fat-free cottage cheese to make it more soluble. This gets the oxygen-carrying omega-3 into the cells where it is needed
Another name for linseed oil is flax seed. No, she wasn’t talking about the kind of linseed oil that your kids rub on their baseball bats. This is cold-pressed, organic flax seed oil that you buy in the health food stores. In Europe it is known as linseed oil.
The other day I was grocery shopping with my mother who needed cottage cheese. “Do you know what they call cottage cheese in Germany? she asked. My mother was born in Bavaria and is always ready to improve my German language skills. “It’s called quark.” We both laughed at the name.
After our spin through the grocery store, I went home and checked Facebook (I can’t go longer than a few hours without checking. My bad.) and there was a post on my wall called the Quark and Linseed cure for cancer. What? You got to be kidding.
So, I was amazed and highly skeptic but clicked on the video linked. In the video was a woman who had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread into her lymph nodes and using the Budwig Protocol, which was the quark (cottage cheese) and linseed oil (flax seed) whipped together and then raw flax seed ground in a coffee mill mixed in and eaten as a meal replacement, was how she cured her cancer.
I researched more on Youtube and watched several people mix the recipe up. Some people used hand-mixers or whips as it is important to incorporate the oil well into the cottage cheese and to add lots of air.
People also added flavorings and berries, etc. but the basics are to use only organic small-curd cottage cheese, cold-pressed flax seed oil, and raw flax seeds that you must only grind right before you add to the cottage cheese mixture.
I also watched a video where a doctor proclaimed the Budwig Protocol a bunch of hoo-ey and said the the casein in the cottage cheese is known to add to the cancer’s fuel. Ugh! Who to believe, right. What I do know is that cottage cheese does not agree with me personally. I tried the 17 Day Diet last summer that used a lot of cottage cheese and nothing gives me indigestion like cottage cheese. And if this is such a great cure for cancer, then why isn’t in more…mainstream?
For people who have cancer or ill health, the diet has to be followed for 7 years. I looked at a typical day of eating while on the protocol and it had champagne for lunch as the drink of choice. Champagne?
Of course it said to stay away from sugar (doesn’t champagne have sugar?) and no highly processed foods, eat a lot of raw veggies and lots of water. No surprise there.
So, is it really a cure or is it just another way to give people with serious illness false hope? As Hippocrates said:
Let food be the medicine and medicine be thy food.
Recipe for Budwig Protocol
Use 3-13 parts organic, small curd, low fat cottage cheese to 1 part flax seed oil whipped together.
1 tablespoon of freshly ground flax seeds.
Flavor with fresh herbs or honey.
Eat at least once a day as a meal replacement.
Good sources:
http://www.tamarastjohn.com/
Day 8 – The 30 Day Juicing Challenge
Day 8 and still juicing. Hooray for me! I thought I was going to fold a couple of days ago but I have been re-energized! Yes, I actually have a little more energy today but nothing up to hallelujah strength! I’m still waiting for that moment Joe Cross of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead talked about in the movie. Come on, Joe, don’t tell me I have to go all the way with juicing? I’m finding once a day hard enough. I want my hallelujah moment. This morning my juice recipe was as follows:
- Celery
- Apple
- Carrot
- Slice of fresh ginger
- Mixed greens of kale, collards, chicory
- Star fruit (yes I had to climb the fence again to get to the fruit)
- Snap peas
- Frozen raspberries
Easy cleanup
A rainbow of color.
Frozen raspberries don’t work.
What did it taste like. Wonderful! Yummy! I chugged, chugged, chugged. Down the hatch. I learned to fill the shoot with things like blueberries or frozen raspberries with the motor off and that way you can put the plunger over the shoot and turn on the extractor and no berries fly around the room. I also started with the frozen raspberries and noticed that they just went through without depositing any juice in the cup. So I scooped them out and waited until they defrosted to put them back through. Mental note: I will take raspberries out of the freezer the night before to defrost so they will be juicer. Juice and learn. Day 8, done. Check!
What the Heck is Diabetes?
What the heck is diabetes? Yes, I’m sure you have heard of it…and that it’s increasing. My endocrinologist’s office is filled with patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes making it difficult for us thyroid sufferer to make an appointment. Okay, that’s only slightly true but according to JAMA over 44 million now considered obese
Currently, more than 44 million Americans are considered obese by body mass index (BMI), reflecting an increase of 74 percent since 1991. During the same time frame, diabetes increased by 61 percent, reflecting the strong correlation between obesity and development of diabetes. Today an estimated 17 million people have diabetes in the United States. And this was in the journal Lancet: An international study has revealed some shocking statistics. In less than 30 years, between 1980 and 2008, the number of people with type 2 diabetes more than doubled around the world, rising from 153 million to 347 million.
Yikes, right! But let me put what diabetes is in simple words.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar. Remember, sugar has 56 names.(Click here for the 56 Names of Sugar) Here’s how it works. When you eat a meal, the carbs in your food are broken down into glucose. The glucose enters your bloodstream where it is carried throughout your body to give…energy! Your pancreas in turn releases the hormone insulin to help your cells turn glucose into energy. What happens when there is too much sugar over and over again? Your body becomes insulin resistant. So, the pancreas sends more and more insulin out (poor pancreas) into the bloodstream so glucose can convert to energy but keep going along like this; forcing more insulin into your bloodstream, and your pancreas won’t be able to keep up. What happens instead is that the glucose becomes trapped into your bloodstream, and the cells of your muscles and organs are starved for energy. Eventually, this causes organ and nerve damage.which eventually will lead to heart disease, eye sight damage, limbs being amputated, strokes, etc.
That’s why your grandparents used to call it SUGAR. Because you give a urine sample and if you are experiencing diabetes an over abundance of glucose will present in your sample. Now, it is know as simply diabetes – type 2.
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.
In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.
– See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/#sthash.meThJ71C.dpuf
Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
- A waist that is 35 or more inches in diameter of you’re a woman or 40″ if a man.
- A Blood triglyceride of 150 or greater.
- Fasting blood sugar greater than 100mg.
Symptoms you may have type 2 diabetes:
- Common symptoms of diabetes: Urinating often Feeling very thirsty Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1)
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2) –
- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/symptoms/#sthash.souFT766.dpuf
What you can do to prevent developing type 2 diabetes.
Eat a well balanced diet that is high in vegetables, low in simple carbohydrates, zero in refined sugar except on your birthday and maybe Christmas…if you must, and, this is a big one…cut out the alcohol.
I recently read a magazine about diabetes and they had some recipes that included chocolate cake. Come on! Chocolate cake? Yes, it had stuff like sugar and white flour. No, not a good thing to eat if you have or have not diabetes. This recipe for 1 Minute Chocolate Cake is the correct recipe for preventing diabetes:
1-Minute Cake With Almond Flour
1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
2 tbsp half & half
Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is even and smooth (no lumps).
Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a mug and microwave for 1 minutes.
Refrigerate remaining batter for later!
I like to add unsweetened whipped cream on top. No sugar carbs in this recipe!
If you suspect you have symptoms of diabetes it is imperative to seek a doctor’s advice as soon as possible and be tested. I have my blood tested every year.There is medicines that can control diabetes and in severe cases, insulin injections. Hopefully, you will keep good healthy eating habits and avoid that long, dark ride down type 2 diabetes lane.
Day 4-The 30 Day Juicing Challenge
Today I was feeling a slight gag response when I thought about the juice so I decided it would be a good idea to add more fruit today to make it more appealing. That worked and it was better tasting. It’s funny throwing the blueberries down the extractor’s shoot…they pop back up so you have to be quick and cover with your hand so they don’t fly all over the kitchen.
The extractor I am using is an very old Hamilton Beach which still works really well. I am doing this 30 Day Juicing Challenge with an extractor and not a blender because there are claims that the nutrients are absorbed into your cells better without the fiber. I still haven’t found a use for the leftover pulp that I throw away everyday from my extractor. Joe the Juicer uses an extractor but many people prefer the blender. Do whatever feels right for you.
So, today I used blueberries, apples, celery, and a carrot. Pretty simple. I kept it that way because I am hosting a Valentine’s dinner party tonight and didn’t have time to add anything extra. I made 8oz. and slugged it back. Clean up was a snap with the kitchen brush and it’s dried and put back into the pantry until tomorrow.
I am using this as a meal replacement and I have noticed already my pants are fitting looser. Do I feel any amazing burst of energy as of yet? No. Still waiting but this is only day 4.
What I can’t imagine is how anyone can do a complete juicing fast as Joe Cross did in the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I find doing it once a day enough for me.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
D5 Creation