Tag: cleanse

5lbs in 5 Days: Day 3 Boost Your Juice – Talking Supplements

image

This was posted on Twitter yesterday by a fellow juicer!

How are you all doing? We’re halfway there and in a few hours you will be feeling alert and energised if you’re not already. And it’s Berry Banana Crunch Day!! Yum.

I had to give in to an afternoon nap yesterday. Afternoon and evening of the second day are always the most trying for me anyway, but it didn’t help that there was a party going on at our neighbours’ house the previous evening and when I finally did get to sleep, I was woken up in the early hours and couldn’t drop off again. So I gave in and felt much better for it.

Wednesday Wisdom

I hope by now any headache is starting to abate. Are you keeping hydrated?

image

I particularly like Pukka Organic Teas, my favourite is licorice and cinnamon but I also enjoy lemon, ginger and manuka honey. I drink a lot of warm water but it feels good to wrap your hands around a mug of tea and feel the stimulating flavours doing their work.

Now we’re on our third day, it’s time to think about supplementing your juices for added benefits. Hopefully by now most of the ‘elimination’ is done and it’s a good idea to start taking probiotics. The live yogurt in today’s Berry Banana Crunch is a good start but then I will start taking a couple of Juicemaster Bacterial Cultures a day to repopulate the gut and intestinal tract with friendly bacteria, replacing what has been flushed out of the system – vital for a strong immune system and a healthy digestive system.

It’s also a good idea to add Spirulina, Chlorella or Wheatgrass powder to one juice a day. Now I know Spirulina is not to everyone’s taste, I absolutely hated it the first time I tried it! I am not usually one to give up at the first attempt so I tried several times, but it was just too vile. I swapped it with my son for his wheatgrass powder, which I find very pleasant.

However, last year I was ordering from the Juicemaster website and they had a special offer on a bundle of supplements, one of which was Spirulina. I wanted all the ones that came with it and it was cheaper to buy them all together so I decided to give it another try. This one is milder than the first brand I tried, but still an acquired taste. I can take it, but some people prefer to take Spirulina separately in a little apple juice rather than ‘ruin’ or ‘taint’ (their words) a large glass of juice.

They also sell Spirulina and Chlorella combined in tablet form if you prefer to take them that way.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae, chock full of vitamins – including B12 – minerals, essential oils, and is three-quarters protein while Wheatgrass is high in chlorophyll, an important bloodbuilder, and is a good source of dietary fibre as well as B vitamins and minerals.

Chlorella is good for boosting the metabolism and increasing energy.

Don’t overdo the green supplements: one type once a day in one juice.

Be sure you buy good quality – preferably organic – supplements if you choose to use them.

Supplements are often expensive and they are by no means essential, these are just the ones I use if you’re looking to boost your juice!

Copyright: Chris McGowan

5 lbs in 5 Days Juice Challenge: Pies, Tarts & Pudding

image

I’m sorry to do this to you, but I spent all yesterday afternoon being surrounded by swirls of home-baking smells since my husband chose the first day of my juice cleanse to get creative in the kitchen. This is what confronted me when I went to get my dinner juice from the fridge. At least you only have a photo, I don’t have smellovision so you’re spared the aroma of vegetable pie, jam tarts and rice pudding with raisins!

As my husband pointed out when I related this story to our daughter, I wouldn’t have eaten them anyway, but that’s not the point! The smell of baking makes the other juices – the digestive ones – flow, it evokes memories of childhood and of days when I would spend all weekend baking and, like it or not, the mouth starts watering and the stomach begins to growl.

Nevertheless, despite such provocation, I made it through Day 1 with my resolve in tact.

image

Tuesday’s Tips

I find the latter half of the second day the hardest. I usually end up going to bed really early to shorten the day and by late morning of the third day I am over it. So, if you are flagging and you’re able to do so, take a mid-afternoon rest or go to bed early. Your body probably needs it with all the work it’s being asked to do eliminating all the rubbish and repairing the wear and tear.  I realise that probably isn’t realistic for many of you who have jobs and/or children. So try to minimise what you need to do on this day, prioritise, see if you can leave certain tasks until later in the week when the ‘juice high’ kicks in.

I don’t suffer headaches anymore, but I did when I first did a juice cleanse. Keep drinking between the juices. The headache is temporary, I promise. It is caused by withdrawal and will soon go. Drinking will help flush it away. And speaking of which, have we all had a good clear out?! One thing they never tell you when you start a juice cleanse: stay near the facilities! Another reason to make sure you drink plenty of water, to replace what you’ve lost in the ‘elimination’.

Try to keep yourself mentally occupied so you’re not thinking about food or clock-watching until your next juice. Tackle the bills or do something arty, something that requires total concentration.

If you feel more energetic, do some exercise: maybe do a Spring tidy-up of the garden, walk up and down the stairs at work, go for a bike ride, use your home as a gym. Exercise doesn’t have to mean doing a marathon or lifting weights – see my post Jumpin’, Jivin’ and Jiggin’ About.

One of my favourite juices today: Ruby Tuesday. I have it often. Can’t wait.

Enjoy!

Copyright: Chris McGowan

5 lbs in 5 Days: Day 1 Motivation

image

Today is the first day of your journey to a healthier life!

Congratulations on making the decision and following through. The sun was shining when I opened the curtains, always a great start to a juice cleanse, and it felt so good to open the windows and breathe fresh air. Central heating is so stifling and dehydrating. My skin feels parched after the winter months and I can’t wait to see the results of a week of juicing, improvement in your skin is usually the first thing you notice when you begin juicing.

Don’t panic if you gain a spot or two! Your skin is a major player in detoxing, internal problems are often mirrored in your skin and when your body is cleansing, your liver and kidneys are working hard so your skin gives a helping hand to eliminate the rubbish you have accumulated. They will soon disappear.

image

Turbo with a Kick, one of my favourites!

Today’s tips:

The timings on the app are for guidance only. When I did my first cleanse I found some gaps between juices too long and others too short. I was getting too hungry sometimes and forcing down juices at others. Don’t let your blood sugar dip too low but don’t force anything down either.

Sip your juices slowly while sitting down and try to do so without working or texting at the same time. Take time out to just juice.

I recommend investing in a set of stainless steel straws like the one in the photo. They are dishwasher safe and come with a tiny cleaning brush. It is better for your teeth to sip rather than drink juices and also better for you and the environment to ditch the plastic straws. They are inexpensive and can be bought on Amazon.

Rinse your mouth out after each juice but don’t use a brush until after 20 minutes.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND HERBAL TEAS!

Get a good night’s sleep.

Juice Master

Copyright: Chris McGowan

5 lbs in 5 Days: Day Zero – Prep Day

image

(Apologies for lack of credit, I came across this on Twitter and it was unattributed)

So, here we are on Day Zero of my 5lbs in 5 Days* challenge! It starts properly tomorrow, but Day Zero is preparation day.

It’s a fine morning to begin our countdown, the sun is straining to come out from behind the clouds. I was woken by the dawn chorus, a beautiful way to start the day. If you have the oportunity, get as much fresh air as you can, breathe it in deeply and appreciate the budding trees and nesting birds.

This is an excellent time to clear out the bodily clutter and start anew. In a week’s time you will feel you are a different person!

If, like me, you are a regular juicer and have a fairly ‘clean’ diet ie free from processed foods, alcohol and sugar, then you probably only need the weekend to taper down before the week long juice fast. If you are doing this for the first time and/or tend to have takeaways or convenience food and so on, then I recommend you spend a couple of weeks gradually introducing more fruit and veg and reducing the sugar/alcohol/coffee/processed foods before you do a full-on juice cleanse. That way, you are less likely to experience withdrawal symptoms in the first couple of days – this could be a headache for instance or a strong craving for caffeine – and therefore less likely to give up before you’ve really felt the benefits.

My day began with my usual cup of hot water – unfortunately I can’t have lemon juice in it, it sets my teeth on edge! Sometimes I have ginger tea; fresh ginger is anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-fungal and is a strong weapon to deploy when doing a cleanse or when fighting off viruses or inflammation in the body.

Next I had a very fiery Morning Glory – see Juicy Winter Warmers – which was particularly spicy today and a great wake-up juice!

image

Another glass of warm water was followed by a large breakfast smoothie:

image

Small banana

Handful of Walnuts

Heaped Tbsp of Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbsps Quinoa Flakes

2 Large Romaine Lettuce Leaves

1 Tsp Wheatgrass Powder

1 Medium Glass Fresh Apple Juice + a little filtered water

1 Heaped Tbsp Coyo Plain Yogurt

It has plenty of protein, carbs, omega oils, vitamins and minerals to keep me going all morning. If you want it a little fruitier/sweeter and a little less ‘green,’ try adding a couple of dried apricots or a pitted medjool date.

For lunch I’ll be having leftover home-made vegetable soup (see Thick and Chunky Winter Vegetable Soup)

image

with home-made Gluten-free Tiger Nut Bread

image

 Mid-afternoon I’ll have The Red One image

Beetroot juice in my funky Grip and Go glass bottle

This evening I’ll either have a huge salad with avocado or a vegetable stir-fry, haven’t decided yet – depends how cold it is by then!

Don’t forget to keep hydrated, lots of water and fruit or herbal teas will help prevent any detox headaches and hunger pangs.

Try to wind down from tv, computers and other devices well before bedtime and get an early night. Try to avoid over-exertion of the mind and body during this juice fast, it’s not advisable to start building that extension or increasing your work load. Any chance you get to just ‘be’, to be still, to be alone, to meditate, contemplate, do some yoga, go for a stroll, take it. Cleansing your mind is as important as cleansing your body.

Hope this has given some useful insight to pre-cleanse prep and I look forward to hearing your experiences during the week.

See my other Juicing Posts for more detailed tips and to read about my Super Juice experience.

Good luck!

*http://www.juicemaster.com

Copyright: Chris McGowan

5lbs in 5 Days Juice Challenge

image

On Monday 4th April, I will be taking part in Jason Vale’s Big Juice Challenge using his 5lbs in 5 Days juicing plan. I wondered if any of you would like to do it with me and perhaps I can offer some support if it’s your first time?

This is my favourite of Jason’s plans: the juices are tasty and satisfying and the plan is just long enough to feel you’re getting somewhere and to spur you on to clean up your diet and lifestyle more permanently.

It says 5lbs in 5 Days, but most people lose more. My first time – without exercising – I lost 8, some have lost as much as 11, it really depends how overweight you are and how much you exercise.

This is an excellent time to start cleaning up your diet as the weather improves and the days get longer; you can finally leave your winter cave and breathe some fresh air while walking/running/cycling, and feel inspired by the renewal of Nature all around you to renew your faith and investment in you and your amazing body!

Juicing feeds your body on a cellular level, giving it everything it needs, and once your body has eliminated and replaced all the rubbish you will feel alert, energised, positive and motivated to carry on. Your hormones will be reset, your digestive system calmed and you may even finally discover which foods are aggravating or make you bloated/sluggish when you begin slowly to reintroduce solid food.

For those of you concerned about living on liquids for a week, don’t worry there are some solids in there too! Some of the juices are blended with avocado, there are mixed seeds, berries, banana and yogurt too. The Berry Banana Crunch is something to look forward to on Day 3!

image

Jason’s 5lbs in 5 Days app is fun, informative and inspiring. I recommend using it if you’ve never done this before, and if you can obtain a copy of the book all the better. It really helps if you understand the process and make a mental as well as physical commitment to your health.

The app contains a shopping list and all the recipes and coaching videos you need to keep motivated. You have a ginger shot and 4 juices every day (2 x 2 recipes so you can make some in advance by doubling the quantity) plus herb or fruit teas and water:

DON’T FORGET THE WATER!

For extra motivation, I recommend watching Super Juice Me! The Documentary which involves an experiment Jason conducted taking 8 people with 28 chronic and sometimes life-threatening illnesses, giving them specially-prepared juices for 28 days. You will be amazed, moved, inspired.

If you are interested or if you would like more information or if you’re not sure, take a look at my My First Juice Cleanse – Advice for Beginners (which has my before and after photos), Super Juicing Day 1: Tips & Tricks or any of the other juicing posts.

Finally, if you would like to join me, Rule Number 1 is Don’t Have A Final Blow-Out This Weekend! You will feel worse for it and stand a bigger chance of giving up before you get properly started.

If this is too short notice, then you could spend this week tapering off your usual diet ie cutting out sugar, processed foods, alcohol, coffee and begin properly next week. I will still be here if you need support.

Juice On!

image

Juice Master

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Super Juicing Day 8 Back on Track – My Reward? Parsnips!

image
Prep for Mineral Medicine

Here we are, Day 8, back on track after my weekend wobble, feeling good and very proud of myself for getting through it and sticking to my goal of 14 days’ juice only.

So what’s my ‘reward’ for making it through Saturday’s struggle?

Parsnip!

Except, not. As you can see from the photo, the offending parsnip is noticably absent from the prep board and replaced with a sweet potato. I have tried at least half a dozen times to have parsnip juice, but for me it never gets any better and I have decided to just give in and adapt accordingly. It is my one weakness and I think I’ve done well.

The juice turned out really tasty – sweet potato is one of my favourite vegetables to juice, skin on when organic – as was this morning’s Oxygen Elixir:

image
Another lovely beetroot and avocado blend

Quiet day today, no disasters, no wobbles. Just lots of honest to goodness juicy veg and feeling fantastic!

 

Super Juicing: Day 7 – Bit of a Wobble

image
For Goodness Shake

Yep, I admit it, I had a bit of a wobble yesterday.

I was hungry. I was cold. I was tired. I was fed-up with the grey, damp weather. Everything hurt. Then at night I couldn’t sleep. My tummy was gurgling. I was seriously concerned about being able to carry on another week.

I had decided to have a rest in the late afternoon. This caused me to break one of my own Tenets of Juicing: Remember to have your juice!

By the time I got up, I was so hungry I skipped the green juice and went straight to the more substantial evening shake, Tahini Cocoa Beany.* I had been looking forward to this all week, it was lovely.

But in doing so, I filled myself up and didn’t feel like having the skipped juice before I went to bed.

Big Mistake.

I just couldn’t fall asleep. I tried the slow breathing technique – breathe in to a count of 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8 – which certainly made me feel more relaxed,  but I couldn’t drop off. My tummy growling and gurgling. I tried the audiobook. 3 cds later I could ignore it no longer.

Finally, I got up at 3 am, had the missed juice and 6 cashew nuts – magnesium helps you relax and can help with insomnia – and went back to bed. I fell asleep.

Today, I am back on track. All systems are go. I know I can do this. I no longer feel tired and am superalert again.

I think what also happened was that my body reacted to the tomatoes in a juice on Day 5. I haven’t had them since doing the Clear Skin Programme* and had always wondered if I was sensitive to them. My stomach felt bloated after the juice and I had slight indigestion. I felt uncomfortable that night, but not seriously. That’s the only other thing I can think of to explain yesterday’s pain and tiredness and consequent need to rest.

Further Tip:

I forgot to mention in an earlier post that, psychologically, it helps if you ‘eat’ the thicker blends and shakes with a spoon rather than straight from the glass. If you also chew, even better. It makes the juice last longer and you feel more satisfied.

A Juice Cleanse/Fast/Detox is Not a Diet:

I have so far lost 4 lbs. But as I indicated at the start, I am not doing this to lose weight.

When I was at the dentist’s last week, I got into a conversation with the receptionist about juicing. She asked me if I could recommend a plan.*

She also looked me up and down and said, ‘But why are you doing it?’ clearly linking juicing with dieting.

I told her I was doing it for the health benefits. That it helps with the aches and pains, that I hadn’t had to use an inhaler for 2 years, that I had cleared myself of a horrible rash,* that it eased my digestive problems, lowered my cholesterol and gives me more energy.

I am definitely carrying on.

*http://www.juicemaster.com

*A Rash Decision?

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Pears But No More Parsnips: In Which I Confront My Parsnip Phobia!

      image

 Parsnip-Free Zone!

In our family, everyone is allowed one vegetable they dislike and can choose to avoid: my daughter’s is Brussels sprouts – though perversely she chooses to eat them at Christmas! – my son doesn’t like cooked carrots (I used to grate them into stews and casseroles to hide them), and my husband picks out all the mushrooms. For me, as regular followers on Twitter will know, it’s parsnips. I hate parsnips. No, that’s not quite true: I have a real phobia about parsnips. Just writing the word makes me wince and feel queasy. I shudder at the mere thought.

I have no idea how this began. I don’t recall any parsnip trauma growing up. I don’t ever remember them being served up, though my mum eats them when offered. She even brought a can of Parsnip Soup with her recently – vegetarian or otherwise, I was nearly sick! imagePerhaps my dad didn’t like them. My own family is split firmly down the middle when it comes to this vegetable: my husband and daughter love them while my son and I recoil in horror whenever they appear. In our house, they are bought, prepared, cooked and served by my husband once a year at Christmas, when he makes roast parsnip chips. He loves them.

It’s not just the taste that is off-putting to me, there are other root vegetables that I’m not keen on, like swede and turnip, but I still have them in soups and stews.

Nope, it’s the smell! I can’t be anywhere near the kitchen when parsnips are being peeled. I have tried, really tried to get over this. I haven’t felt this strongly about a vegetable since my first pregnancy when I couldn’t be around potatoes in any way, shape or form.

When I first began juicing (see My First Juice Plan: Advice for Beginners or Do As I Say Not As I Did!), I followed Jason Vale’s 5lbs in 5 Days juicing plan. I was so excited at this new challenge, looking forward to not just losing some of the weight that had crept up during the previous year, but having more energy, feeling more alert and generally a lot healthier.

I did so well. The plan delivered in every respect: as promised, by Day 4 I was on a ‘juicy high’.

But, dear reader, imagine my dismay, my sheer horror when Day 5 came around and there, right front and centre was not one but two (!) juices called Pear ‘n’ Parsnip! Jason promised I would be surprised and have ‘a newfound respect’ for the humble parsnip.

I summoned up the strength and determination of hundreds of doughty ancestors, intent on not falling at the final hurdle. I even attempted to peel the parsnips myself, with a scarf over my face! I will admit, it wasn’t as I expected and I did drink them both down, but I can’t say it was a pleasant experience – because I could still smell them!

Not to be discouraged by my first attempt, I tried again a few months later. I am nothing if not stubborn and determined, I don’t like something to get the better of me.

But, Jason, I’m sorry, you did your best, I know you did, but I can’t, I just can’t…

Except that I did! In December, I began following Natural Juice Junkie‘s Winter Cleanse 2015. Loved the Winter Slammer (see Juicy Winter Warmers), The Beet Goes On, the raw Pea and Mint Soup and Pearfection.

But what’s this on Day 2? Hang on, not just Day 2 but Day 4 – twice: ‘Back to my Roots’, which means *4* parsnips in total!

Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, I am no wimp. Down the hatch they went. Still didn’t like them. But I did it. Very proud of myself. That’s it then.

But no, there was more!!

On Day 5, I discover the final meal of the plan is – drum roll – Parsnip and Ginger Soup which also has not 1, not 2, but *4* parsnips in the ingredients list!

Neil, you’ve broken me. I can’t go on. I have to draw the line. From now on I shall be replacing parsnips with squash. Or sweet potato. Total immersion therapy has not worked for me!

NO MORE PARSNIPS!

Here is my take on Jason’s Pear ‘n’ Parsnip Juice, replacing the parsnip with sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, B vitamins, Vitamin D, magnesium, iron and potassium.
Use organic if possible, scrub well and leave the skin on for extra nutrients and flavour. You won’t be disappointed!
(Unless you have a sweet potato phobia!)

image    Ingredients

1 Apple, 2 Pears,
1 large sweet potato
Half a lime, peeled but with the pith still on
Few sprigs of mint

Juice all the ingredients and pour over ice. So refreshing. Cheers!

Update: My daughter-in-law, who loves parsnips, recently posted a video for my benefit of my 3 year old grand-daughter chomping on a raw ‘yellow carrot!’ <sigh> My daughter-in-law loathes celery and so my son delighted in posting this rejoinder: ‘don’t worry, I fed them both celery afterwards!’

Disclaimer: Please remember, these are my personal experiences. If you think you may wish to embark on a juice plan, be sure to consult your doctor first.

Jason Vale/Juicemaster

Natural Juice Junkie Home

Copyright: Chris McGowan