My Juice Cleanse...Day Eight and Counting!
For the past eight days I have been on a Juice Cleanse. Normally, I wouldn't do something so drastic...it's not like eat a bad diet or need to loose weight but I just haven't been feeling well--very fatigued. So I went to see my doctor and she did the standard blood work-up and referred me to a nutritionist. I've never had any interest to see a nutritionist, but I thought it can't hurt and I was curious. Well, it was basically a waste of an hour and $320 dollars, which thankfully was covered under my insurance, but still. The first thing she asked me is where I get my protein from since I am vegan...seriously? She then recommended a diet of 1800-2200 calories per day, based on my activity level and that I should consume 75 grams of protein per day!!! I almost laughed. This is so old school. Seventy-five grams of protein per day would put a strain on my liver. I believe that my protein should fall in the range of 10-20% of calories consumed. Anyway, she gave me a booklet with food groups for managing diabetes and I was on my merry way. Again, diabetes??? my glucose level is 81!
So here I am on day eight of my juice fast. Why, I'm not sure but I do feel better. Don't get me wrong, this is not a walk in the park. Some days I feel great, full of energy and not even hungry and other days I'm sluggish and starved. I basically drink three 16-20 juices per day and since I don't need to lose weight, every other day I blend up a fiber-protein packed smoothie, full of calories, but low on the sugar. However, I still have lost about five pounds, perhaps more. I also drink herbal tea and a liver cleansing turmeric-ginger-lemon concoction in the evening. I'm not certain how long I plan to stay on this, but for now it's working for me!
Below are some of my favorite juices I have been making: Beet Blast, Creamy Greens and Sicilian Screamer. Not certain why I give them names, but it's more interesting than red, green and orange juice drinks...:-)! Each recipe makes 16-24 ounces of juice depending on the size of your veggies. During the work week I usually juice everything at once and seal the juices tightly in mason jars to prevent oxidation. This way, I can take them to work without losing nutrients and having them oxidize. By the way, juicing is not cheap. Everything I purchase is organic and I spend about the equivalent of $20 per day or more on my juices. This does not include my normal grocery list for items that I purchase for my husband's breakfast and dinner.
Beet Blast
1 small-medium beet
1 green apple
1 small-medium cucumber
2 carrots
1/4 inch slice of lemon
1 inch piece of ginger
Creamy Greens (My favorite--I could drink this all day! You juice first and then pour it into a blender and then blend in the avocado...just delicious!)
1/4 or 1/2 fennel bulb depending on size
1 small green apple
1 green ripe pear
1 small-medium cucumber
1 stalk celery
1/2 bunch spinach
1/4 inch slice of lemon
1/4 avocado
Sicilian Screamer (This is another personal favorite. Add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce, cayenne pepper or a seeded red fresno chili for the heat to taste.)
3 large or five small-medium ripe tomatoes
2 or three carrots depending on size
1/2 red bell pepper
1 small to medium cucumber
1 stalk celery
4 sprigs parsley
1/4 inch slice of lemon
Hot sauce to taste
If you're interested stay tuned...more of my favorite juice recipes to follow...Sweet Potato-Cantaloupe-Orange-Carrot-Turmeric, and also a Fennel-Grapefruit-Apple-Spinach, basically, one of my favorite salads in a glass! To your health!
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