This is random

Hey guys I know it's been a while, lol and I just wanted to say I'm doing some reading and really trying to find balance right now. I'm reading a book right now by Jillian micheals called master your metabolism. This really is an awesome book I highly recommend it if you are wanting to take on a healthier  lifestyle. I was skeptical because I didn't know Jillian micheals was informed and proactive about what is happening in our food industry right now. I just wanted to give you guys a little excerpt from the book, because she said this so well.

           "“You need to be an active participant here. You need to take responsibility and understand that Uncle Sam is not looking out for you. Big food companies are not on your side. Just because pesticides are legal, just because the USDA says hormones in beef are totally safe, just because your boss says you need to be married to your job 24-7—that doesn’t make it so. You cannot bury your head in the sand anymore. The faux foods and chemicals and stress are messing with you on a genetic level, altering your hormones to an unrecognizable degree, poisoning your body and killing our planet one evil dollar at a time. This is not just about your waistline—this is about saving ourselves.”

Excerpt From: Jillian Michaels & Mariska van Aalst. “Master Your Metabolism.” Three Rivers Press, 2009. iBooks. 

This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=421025711

You go girl! 

Thanks aunt k! Planning a book review when I'm done.

Untitled

Well I know it has been a f eew days, I am going to try and do a blog. Everyday, or at least every other day starting now. I have been immersed I'm my readings, and am learning a lot of cool things. Something funny happened over the weekend, I had a family dinner and decided to cheat on my diet a  little, well a lot, I had the most fantastic meal shepards pie and my  Noni's Mac n cheese. I couldn't say no those were my favorite foods, my Noni is a spectacular cook! Well when I got home I started to break out in a rash on my hands and ears, plus I was having stomach pain. The stomach pain was understandable I hadn't eaten cooked dairy and wheat and all the good stuff in 3 months. But the rash? What was that all about I decided to look it up. Well I found out after being on raw fruits and veggies for so long. My body has became a fine tuned machine and didn't recognize that as food I guess. And immediately started detoxing the cooked food. Well that wasn't fun at all. Lol I probably should have take it easier than I did. But anyways I'm back on track  and all is well, I do believe it is important to let yourself enjoy your Noni's comfort foods, that is what makes memory's after all. You don't want to feel deprived in this or you have more of a chance of failing, just remember 1 day at a time. 

I have also been wanting to say don't feel like it won't work because your family will never go for that. It is possible, my family eats a cooked meal every night, prepared by yours truly. It is hard at first but trust me it gets easier. I just prepare what I'm going to eat at the same time. We all still sit down together. If you want to change their diets I suggest little changes at a time, unless they are all on board but still take it easy.

Here is a pic of my wheatgrass. 

Gee whiz. 40+ lbs and counting!

Wow well today marks over 40 lbs down! That is one of my kids! The funny thing is I stopped trying to loose weight a while ago lol and just focused on my health and the weight is still coming off. It has slowed down, which is good, that tells me that hopefully in another 10 lbs it will stop coming off. I don't want to loose too much weight. I eat a crazy amount of fruit and stuff so hopefully everything will stabilize. One downfall of loosing all that weight it clothes, none of my clothes fit anymore! But I'm ok with that I see a shopping trip in my future! 

Evernote if you guys just want to change your lifestyle for health reasons, go for it. The weight was just one perk for me, health is my real reward! And don't worry , thinking you can't do this because you will loose weight. I have heard testimonies about people who were underweight who gained to there perfect weight. It's like our bodies know how much it should weigh at a state of premium health, and whether your body has to lose or gain it will find its balance.

The truth is America is a starving country, and it really makes me sad. We eat nothing but empty calorie, so nutritionally we are starved. Even if people would simply shop the perimeter of the grocery store and leave all the middle isles alone, and leave McDonald's to the clown we would see tremendous results. You see when you go to McDonald's or or Burger King you aren't buying food, you are buying a feeling, because you are not absorbing nutrition from that so you might as well not. Every bite you ingest is used to rebuild the cells in your body, so in theory you really are what you eat. Do you want to be chemical garbage or packed with vitamins and minerals your body can use to keep your body running like a well oiled machine. Every bite you take can be an investment in your health, that's the way I look at it anyway.

I also urge you guys to ink about organic and buying organic. There are absolutely no chemicals in USDA organic food! My husband made a good point lat night, isn't it sad that we label the pure stuff (ie organic) but not the harmful stuff ( ie GMO, Corn syrup, chemicals). I know organic is expensive but if you can't afford it at least buy greens and apples organic. Those are staples in this diet, and you really don't want to buy waxed apples they can be over a year old. If you do buy organic I am posting a recipe for a veggie and fruit wash below just spray and rinse well! 

Veggie wash ( it is a great all purpose cleaner as well) 

2 tbs vinegar

1tbs baking soda

1 tbs liquid soap ( I use dr bronners) 

Fill rest of spray bottle with warm water 

Summer time!

I just love summer time, mostly because it is a break from the rigamarole of nursing school. You guys will be excited to know that I just bought two new books, the china study, and the 80/10/10 diet. So I can't wait to read them and tell you guys what I learn. They are both nutrition books btw. So I have been staying raw and vegan, I feel amazing! I have eaten some seafood but that was just one meal and it didn't affect me badly in any way! I have been eating a ton of fruit like bananas and such.

Speaking of I wanted to revise something I may have said, I may have said to cut out the fruit if you are wanting to loose weight. I have done some more research and I have come to the conclusion, don't limit yourselves! You see god intends not to harm you but love you, I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack from eating to many bananas. I have been eating a ton of fruit and my weight is continually dropping I even feel my muscles starting to get some tone in my abs. I don't fit in any of my clothes anymore so i got down my box of clothes from before I got pregnant with Craigie and I am swimming in those too! But I will say the ONLY sugar I get is from fruit, and a very occasional bit of honey, there is no refined sugar or any sugar at all in my diet except for what is in the fruit I eat, and let me tell you my diet is mainly fruit! I do get a healthy amount of veggies in too, don't forget about those guys! This is definnately a lifestyle of abundance, I don't have to limit my self of gods delicious treasures! I do limit fats to no more that 10 percent of my daily intake ( avocados, nuts, and seeds).

I can not tell you how much my life has changed and how good I feel since I made this change.

I challenge anyone reading this blog to go just 3 days raw vegan!  I am curious to se how it affects others!

Here is my delicious lunch smoothie recipe

1 mango

1peach

1 orange

1 handful spinach 

A few cashews

A dash of almond milk

1/2 -1 banana 

1 cup ice 

.........and yes I drink the whole thing!

Here is some food for thought.

So have you ever thought to yourself, hmm I wonder what Adam and Eve did with out dawn or herbal essence? Well we all know that they didn't exactly have a Walmart between the fig and apple tree. So what do I think they did? Well I believe that god has so graciously given us everything we need to endure like on this earth.I have struggled over the years with problem skin, psoriasis on my scalp, and frizzy hair you name it. I have always been searching on the shelf for an answer, I just cleaned out all of the products I had bought over the years, and I had garbage bags full, yikes! I finally prayed for healing of my body ( ie weight issues, skin, energy ect.) and it was on that day that I just decided I'm going to start juicing that he has began to answer those prayers! You see a lot of our problems are healed internally through nutrition, the way god intended. I know what your saying though what about soap what about shampoo? Well the exotic oils like olive oil, avocado oil, and my favorite coconut oil all extra virgin of course is my answer, that and a man named dr. Bronners, who actually made a soap out of those oils, called dr bronners Castile soap. Yep that's right those are the only products other than a fluoride free toothpaste, which you can make your own out of all natural ingredients just comment off you want the recipe. So I will go through all my regiments I use below. I am still a work I progress, but my skin has never been so glowing and my scalp condition is completely gone. You must remember though I am on a raw food diet so I am getting extremely good nutrition, that is what is healing my skin, everything else is just for removing the days dirt. Another side point would be, if you elide to totally change your diet like I did, expect to detox. Detox symptoms can include breakouts, phlegm, smelling bad, ect., things have to get worse before they get better. 

Face- I cleanse with coconut oil usually sometimes if I'm feeling kinda dry I will use olive oil. I use it just like I would a cleanser. I remove it with a wash rag and warm water. I only do this every other day!  It will penetrate the pores and remove all the dirt, and it won't make your skiing super oily, trust me I have oily skin, it really balances me out. My skin feels so much healthier, and it is continually clearing up. That is all you have to do, no moisturizing nothing. I will rinse my face with water in the am And pm before bed. 

Skin- when I shower I have a bottle of evoo in there and I wash with that. It really does clean the dirt of me and makes my skin feel amazing. My stretch marks are adding as well.

Hair- I don't was it everyday number one, maybe just a rinse. If it is dry I will first add some oil to it while it is wet. Then I will let it sit and I will wash it out with dr bronners. Once a week I will rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar, it makes it really shiny, but I don't get it on my scalp, it is too sensitive.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask! 

Getting creative and saving money!

So I have been sticking to a raw vegan diet since the fast, and I love it! I did try to have some chicken breast But it really upset my stomach. I was never really a big meat eater anyways, so it really isn't a big deal for me to skip out on the meat I don't miss it. Dairy hasn't  been a problem either, I have been making my own homemade almond milk, yummy I will show you how below. I haven't tried. Eggs yet but I will eventually try one once in a while, maybe I'm not big on eggs either. Wow I never realized how easy it would be to omit theses things from my life! I have also taken out all gluten as well I did try a piece of sprouted grain bread the other day. It was good, but my body wasn't used to the heaviness of it so I didn't eat for the rest of the day. I love the raw lifestyle because when I'm hungry I eat when I'm not I don't. Instead of having calories counted or diets regimented, I just eat and when I want to loose weight I cut down on nuts and seeds, and oils and lessen the avocados and bananas. Other than that I eat whatever as long as its raw, fruits or veggies. I do add in some garbanzos every once in a while, but I soak them for s day and cook them slow and on a low low heat like low in the crockpot. Then I take them out store in a big glass jar add a few here and there.

Here is a pic of my last nights dinner raw spaghetti with zucchini noodles mmm..

 

 The trick  with eating raw is that the things you eat can't reach a temperature of above 118 degrees. It starts killing vital nutrient and enzymes after this point. I ended up getting a cheap dehydrator and I love it I have made raw sweet potatoe  chips and dried strawberries. So I want to show you guys how I made my own almond milk, almond butter, and walnut butter.

Almond milk (raw)

This is how I store it.

1 cup unroasted unsalted almonds

4 cups water

You can add things like honey, agave, or an organic sugar melted in hot water

Also you can vanilla bean or vanilla extract. 

All you have to do is put it all (except the sweetner) in the blender depending on how good your blender it it can take 2 -5 minutes blending time. When it is done blending strain the cheese clothe or a nut milk bag ( you can get a health food store or online, I use cheese clothe because I have it but when I'm out I will be buying a nut milk bag). I save the finely ground almond pieces and use them as flour in almond cookies and pie crusts. After you have your strained milk add your sweetener. Let it refrigerate over night and enjoy. 

Nut butter 

For almond butter you can use a blender or a masticating juicer if you have the attachment. I used my juicer, all you do is get the nuts extremely finely ground up, raw nuts don't have a lot of oils in them so you will have to add your own into the ground nuts, I used coconut oil, and honey for a little sweetness. You will have to play with the oil in the recipe ( I use around one tablespoon)  because not all nuts are created equal. But as for the honey about 1 tablespoon to a cup of nuts. 

Night guys! Oh and I'm changing the name of my blog!

What a day I had yesterday

So yesterday morning I woke up to having no Internet, later to find that the reason I had no Internet was that my sons hamster got loose and chewed through the Internet cord. You will all be happy to know that after tearing apart one house and taking a trip to daytona, I found the hamster ( captain hammy) and my Internet is restored! 

So I know that I missed telling you guys about my 1st day off the fast, so here it goes. You should plan on eating mainly juice on the second day an about three bits will fill you up, and listen to your body if you start to feel stomach pain u should stop eating and drink some water, and wait a while before finishing. I would not advise eating meat on the  first day keep it strictly raw fruits and veggies. I also wanted to tell you guys that you shouldn't stop juice in just because your fast is over you should still incorporate juice into your daily diet the benefits are amazing! I always start my day with a nice big juice in place of breakfast.  

More to come tonight.....

Sorry

Hey guys the last two days has been super crazy, we just got home from taking craigie ( my youngest son) to the Er, he somehow tried to cut his pinky toe off. i had a lot to show you guys and some recipes but, I also have blood all over my floors and bathroom. I have been wrestling a toddler for 4 hours at the hospital and needless to say wiped out. Tomorrow I will catch up with you guys, that is unless craigie tries to cut his finger off too.  

This mama is tired night night

The last day!

Well I made it!! Tomorrow I will let you guys in on what I'm doing next! I will also tell you how I eat first day post fast, it is very important you don't wanna overload your digestive system you need to go easy. So I made and photographed all my recipes! They were all pretty tasty, I will post the pictures at the bottom. I feel so amazing and ready for the next week of new revived health, I have so much more energy. I highly recommend adding juicing into your diet it is and amazing way to get pure nutrition! Since my ten days of fast are over, the rest of the blog will be more freely subject, probably mainly focusing on nutrition, but also I plan on sharing recipes for homemade cleaning and beauty products ( they Work way better than the store brand chemically stuff, and cost pennies on the dollar! I love telling you guys about all the crazy stuff I learn and do, you guys are awesome, thank you! I do know one thing make sure you guys get plenty of rest, you will feel like you have plenty of energy to keep going but your body still needs sleep. 

Until tomorrow....

Day nine :)

Well ay nine has given me some clarity. So I'm beginning to think beginning fasts would have better results ( as in returned fasting and stronger change) starting slow, you don't want to overdue it. On your first fast I would only recommend about a 4 -5 day cleanse, take a small break then repeat; Instead of 10 days straight and overdoing it, Because if you guys set yourselves up for long term success you will thank yourselves later. This has been a very busy weekend, so I am in need of sleep. Remember guys sleep is restorative get as much as you can, I have included 11 fasting tips that are crucial for having a successful fast.

11 juice fast tips.

1.  Your pre-juice fast diet should include several days of higher volumes of raw fruits and vegetables, limit dairy as well.
2. Get plenty of exercise outside is best to get that oxygen flowing.
3. Sunbathe if possible—10-20 minutes of direct sun per day ( it really does help)
4. Take hot and cold alternating showers or baths. ( helps release toxins)
5. Sleep with a window open so that you can get lots of clean fresh air.
6. .Continue with normal activities, but minimize overly strenuous physical or mental work.
7. No coffee, soft drinks, cigarettes or anything else by mouth. Your health care supervisor may prescribe some nutritional supplements depending on your case. Many clients say this is the easiest way to quit smoking.
8. Do not chew gum during the juice fast. Avoid mints and hard candies. They promote the release of digestive enzymes and makes you really hungry. Following the juice fast, there is a loss of appetite for caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, sugar, and junk foods.
9. Cut back on some supplements and medications during the juice fast. If you are over 65 you will want to take your daily vitamins (if you are on them) during the juice fast. You will need to discuss this with your health care team as to which medications should be continued with a juice fast. Usually most medications and supplements are withdrawn during a juice fast, but exceptions occur—especially when they have to do with the endocrine system (e.g. Insulin, thyroid, heart medications, etc.) And even though juices provide lots of nutrients, some physicians recommend use of an abbreviated list of vitamins and minerals for elderly fasters.
10. If you wear dentures, keep them in during your juice fast so that your gums will not shrink.
11. Do take time out for naps if necessary.

Juice Fast dips: During  juice fasting, toxins are loosened and cleansed from the body, cell by cell, even within deep tissue.  At certain times of your juice fast you may experience feelings of weakness, discouragement, negativity and an overpowering urge to just want to quit. Little things may seem like big things and emotions, memories and hurts you have harbored from the past are trying to come out.  During these times, breathe,

 talk to someone who has experienced fasting (juice fast or water fast), pray . Tomorrow things will look different. You will have regrouped and can continue the process until your goal is complete.

I got this from naturalhealthtequnigues.com, I made some alterations. ,

Night night

Eight is great!

 Well day nine was great! I got to make juice for some of my friends, it was so delicious. Everything went well fasting is going good, pretty easy day all in all  no complaints. It was a very busy day however. We ended up getting home rather late again, kids were so tired! I love spending time with friends and family! A tip for those of you going on a fast or are planning on even just doing a 24-48 hour cleanse, if you do have a masticating juicer that is, store your juice in advance! If you know your going to be having a busy day make all of tomorrows juices today, it will save you the hunger pains and the risk of cheating. I store my juice in a mason jar, I fill the jar as high as I can put the lid on. You also can store your for 72 hours.

So here it is my info on why no grains, dairy, legumes. 

Grains

Grains contain anti-nutrients which interact with our bodies function, producing adverse toxic effects inhibiting nutrient absorption and attacking enzymes needed for digestion. They  also contain lectin and gluten; these are both linked to inflammatory problems and digestive diseases.

The Glycemic Index of grains is also much higher to that of un-processed fruits and vegetables. A  rise in blood sugar levels leads to many health problems, like jdiabetes, weight gain and cardiovascular diseases. Types of grains to avoid on the paleo diet include wheat and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour, rye and all processed foods made with rye, barley, rice, oats and corn.

Z

Dairy

The reason dairy is not part of the paleo diet is because people did not eat dairy before animals were domesticated. the problem with the majority of dairy products lining up supermarket shelves boils down to two factors; the health of the animal and the processing factors.

"The environment and living conditions that commercial cows are placed under is not one that promotes good health. They are kept in a confined individual cell on cement floors in an over-crowded building, forced to produce milk ten months of the year. The cows are fed a diet consisting of grains, corn and soy and are more often than not pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones. An un-healthy cow cannot produce healthy milk, and considering the life span of commercial cows is 42 months (compared to 12-15 years of a pasture cow), the milk is definitely anything but healthy." (Living paleo.com)

Legumes

Legumes are very similar to grains because they needed to be cooked in order to be edible. Legumes also have similar traits to grains,  they contain phytates which inhibit nutrient absorption and cause inflammation. They also contain lectins and play with  regulated  hormonal functions.

Types of legumes to avoid on the paleo diet include lentils, all beans (such as kidney beans, pinto beans and broad beans), peanuts (peanuts are a legume not a nut), soy beans and chickpeas.

SugarsSugars

"It is fairy easy to see how sweets weren’t part of the hunter-gatherer diet; most candies and desserts are the result of modern technologies and heavy processing combining sugars and chemical flavors together.

For many thousands of years the paleo hunter-gatherer survived without consuming any traces of sugars apart from those found naturally in fruit such as berries. Refined sugars are only a recent introduction to society but its consumption is rapidly increasing every year; in 1900 the average person consumed 10pounds of sugar a year, in 1985 the average person consumed 124pounds a year, by the year 2000 the average yearly consumption of sugar was 160pounds per person."

calorie-free sugars such as Aspartame, Equal and Splenda.  Artificial sugars are made up of table sugar and modified with chemicals such as chlorine and phosgene gas, they act as an excitotoxin in the body which leads to the destruction of cells.

Transfer fat

when oil is heated above 200 degrees Celsius the shape of the fatty acid molecules change, turning it into a bad an d toxic fat called trans-fat.

Some fats can turn rancid and cause free-radical damage in the body if applied to high temperatures.

Our bodies use fat in many ways, but one of the more essential uses of fats in the body is to create cell membranes. Consuming the wrong types of fats will cause the membranes to degrade and ultimately mal-function and die.

Types of oils to avoid on the paleo diet include supermarket oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil.

I looked a a lot of different articles at books and I ended up getting a lot of thin information at livingpaleo.com. This is a pretty good website if you were curious.

So that's a lot to think about tonight :) but remember Adam and Eve did without it! Will you? 

The answer for me is I don't know I will going without everything excerpt garbanzo bean and a few other legumes. I believe that is just the direction I'm being led so I'm just Rolling  with it.

Night night guys! 

 

Oh thank heaven for day seven!

Well Craig (my husband) and I just got home, it is pretty late. I thought I would just post the first half of this blog tonight and the next half tomorrow. It has been a good day, everyday I feel better and better. I haven't been drinking enough water throughout this whole thing so my goal for the next few days is to drink more water. You have to flush the toxins out with water you can't expect to get your water requirements from the juice alone you still need your water! It can be difficult though because the juice satiates your thirst, but just everything you think about it go get a glass and drink some water. 

I did have a great day today, my hubby didn't have to work today so we all spent the day together. I love my boys. 

I have a friend who spoke to a nutritionist today and she got lots of info I am going to read tomorrow. So tomorrow should have an interesting blog in store for you guys. That should make up for tonight's shorty. Hope everyone has a great Friday night!!

To be continued..... 

Day Six!

Wow this fasting experience has put a whole new spin on life, plus I can not tell you how productive I have been in the last few days!  I am still detoxing, for some reason I can tell. I feel more and more revived everyday for once I am not behind on house work.  What a blessing! I had a friend ( thank you by the way!!) over today and we even moved my furniture around, usually I would just say its a good idea and then it really would never happen, and I spent the rest of the day spring cleaning our used to be catch all room now our playroom ( yay now kids won't be in my hair as much), you don't realize how stupidly you accumulate and buy crap that a few months down the road I am forking over to goodwill. I love simplifying my life, things can get so crazy sometimes. On another good note, my taste buds are changing today I was needing a pick me up ( it was my usual coffee time) so I just cut a hole in an orange and just sucked the juice out. It had to be the best orange I have ever tasted in my life!

Juicing tip of the day- Moderation is key. I remember one day I was making a juice and I put a whole jalapeño in. it made it unbearably spicy. A good idea when juicing things like ginger, jalapeño, and things with strong flavor is to start small and work your way up. Your taste buds will adjust to the flavor. On aside note  ginger is extremely beneficial to put in your everyday diet, It can give you loads of energy and is also extremely detoxifying. 

So now for more about my research on the Palio diet :)

 

So I skimmed through the book the Hallelujah diet, Basically it's a diet where you take the notion of pre-flood where Adam and Eve only ate fruits and vegetables and seeds and nuts, but didn't eat meat and rather was more friends with the animals. So basically that's mostly a raw vegan diet. So here's why the Paleo diet is making more sense to me, After the flood God told Noah that they were allowed to eat the meat. You see before the flood Adam and Eve basically had super duper hulk foods to eat. During the flood that was all wiped away and never returned as nutritious as it once was, due  to climate changes Post flood. This is why God allowed us to start eating meat for extra nutrition, Of course nowadays we have taken it way out of context and started eating 2 to 3 times a normal portion size of meat at each meal. You know my husband had a point this morning though, he said " why should you have to live in the confines of this diet or another, why don't you just do what you wanna do" I absolutely 100 percent agree, you shouldn't. 

I plan on eating a predominantly raw diet, only eating meat a few times a week ( I have never been a big meat eater) eliminating dairy, processed food, most grains, most legumes, and starch ( minus sweet potatoes, they make delicious juice!). I will be talking more tomorrow about why I am choosing to omit those things. I also wanted to add one last thing, I will only be eating farm raised organic meat, I just don't believe that the way we "manufacture meat" and treat our animals is the way God intended. Watch food inc. to see how we treat animals in America, it is unsanitary and cruel. It is also a lot healthier to not shove your body's full of those chemicals anyway. 

 

Thanks for reading guys feel free to ask me any questions, I am happy to help! 

Em

Half way there .... Day five

What a amazing day, I felt peace today. I had an awesome productive day, I was so motivated and filled with energy! I will tell you it hurts to look at food, so I recommend limiting your food exposure ( ie cooking for kids and husband), but it is definitely doable. I wanted also to tell you guys that you can run you greens through twice, and maybe three times in centrifugal juicer.  I always run my greens through first and just pick up the pulp and put it right back in; You will get double the juice! Also peel all citrus except Lemon or limes, those two have vitamin pact essential oils in its skin. I have so many more but i will get to those later. 

So I wanted to talk with you guys about something that I have just started to research, it's called the paleo diet. The Palio diet basically is the "caveman diet" , but since I don't believe in evolution and all I'm going to call it "the Adam and Eve diet" for the sake of me explaining my views on the diet. Basically It goes back to what was provided naturally by God in the beginning. The diet allows meats, fish and seafood, veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts and healthy oil (avocado, olive, nut, ect.). Apparently it promotes perfect balance, exactly what the body needs. The meats are strongly suggested to be hormone free, antibiotic preservative, chemical free). Basically  wheat, legumes, dairy, and refined sugar, or any processed foods aren't allowed. So far it is an amazing concept to me but I am still researching a lot about it, but I can't wait to tell you guys what I learn!

For whatever reason this diet is really making sense to me on a God  level! Thank you Lord for all the wonderful delectable food that YOU have provided for us, I am so grateful for how much you love us even when we fail you. 

 Here is a printout about the paleo

Day four...... What a day!

Well here I am at the end of day four with a new perspective on things. Today I literally did spring cleaning all day. I had so much extra energy that I wanted to be busy constantly! Every time I was feeling kinda sapped for energy I would just drink some more juice and BAM more energy and kept going. I had no coffee either, so today was a great day. Also I didn't have super bad cravings  for crap instead I have been yearning for avocados, I can't wait to get my hands on one of those. 

So I didn't really explain any of the benefits of juicing or rather juice fasting. I received a concerned email today ( I love you, you know who you are) being weary about me fasting only on juice. I was like, dang I really didn't explain it too much, I would think I'm crazy too! This dear dear friend is super proactive when it comes to no preservative GMOs whole living lifestyle, and she was concerned, so I expect some of you with a SAD ( standard American diet) were like holy guacamole ( mmmmm guacamole) this girl  is bananas.

So I am going to give you guys a list of the benefits of a juice cleanse or juice fast.

"Benefits of a Juice Cleanse

•       More energy

The digestive system gets a break, so that energy used for breaking down solids is now freed up!

•       Clearer skin

When the colon has to deal with too much build up from processed foods, this can come out in our skin! Clearing out the gates can really make that skin glow!

•       Reset your taste buds

What you will notice after you complete a juice cleanse, is that everything tastes different. We re-establish that sensitivity to flavor.

•       Lose weight

This shouldn’t be the main intention of doing a cleanse, but the pounds will come off naturally. All that junk from your gut will be released.

•       Re-establish your relationship to food

Since you won’t be having solid food, this is a great time to see what surfaces when we aren’t able to have our favorite comfort foods. It is great to reflect and see if we are using food to become emotionally satisfied!

•       Improve immune function

Also an obvious detoxfy the body of chemicals"

**** I copied this directly from fit life.tv kaitlyn Stevens article she explained them well enough I though

Hope that gives you guys a little more information about what a fast does. The reason I chose to do a fast is, I needed to once and for all cut those cravings for junk i had out, I needed to strengthen my inner will and determination, and I also wanted to reset my taste buds to crave healthy things. As you can see  I am craving veggies today, and that is an amazing feeling.  I can say without a doubt i have or am having everything on that list happen to me! It is amazing to see what extra nutrition can do for you.

Now I know what your saying, how does that explain how your perspective changes. Well I am just gonna say I learned a lot of new information today that is pretty interesting, I can't wait to share it with you guys tomorrow!       

{{ I <3 juicing }}

Day Three........

Well I made it through today which out Caving to my temptations. I wanted everything from ice cream to fried chicken today, But I stood strong and stuck with the juice! I could however tell the difference between hunger and craving just out of sheer wanting pleasure from the taste of the food.  So all in all it was a tough day but my energy levels are increasing, weight is decreasing already lost 5 lbs since day one!  Here are my recipes from today:

Orange drink

1 apple

4 carrots 

1 knuckle ginger

1 lemon

Green drink

3 handfuls kale

Half a cucumber

1 inch turmeric ( optional)

1 inch ginger.

1 radish

1 lemon 

1apple 

I also had the same green drink for dinner only with celery and bell pepper. I had the same desert that I posted the recipe on the last blog. 

Yay!!!!!

Well I got on the scale this morning and today marks 30 lbs of weight loss! The pounds have literally been falling off since I have bee juicing and going raw. I feel so empowered today! I have been juicing since April, I cut all processed food in march ( high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and GMOS ect.), basically I have been living on the wonderful delicious gifts god has given me. So since the end of march I have lost 30 lbs! Have a beautiful day  :)

I just recently saw this I thought I would share it with you, yikes!

Day two

Well today was a little harder, still not that bad but I was definitely hungry!  It was hard because I cooked lunch and dinner for my family, plus went to the grocery store and boy all that food sure did looked delicious :)  today was great though I had more energy, I mowed the yard front and back! With a push mower even, and we have a pretty good sized yard. I was amazed I actually got it all done all by myself and actually wanted to. So it was a great day I even went grocery shopping afterward. I was rethinking the whole fast idea all day, but now I am sitting here at the end of day two feeling victorious over myself. I am so glad my determination won, I guess it doesn't hut having the whole thing blogged about too. ;) 

I didn't start writing early enough so I though I would kick you guys a recipe I am actually having right now. It's my dessert and it is delicious! I like to save a predominantly fruity juice for a "dessert", you guys should really be drinking mainly veggie juice, lemons and limes are ok too. It is just good to limit your sugars, but not totally eliminate them from what I hear. Tomorrow I think I am going to post my whole days juice recipes that way you could probably have a good idea of balance Incase any of you guys want to start a fast, good night  guys!

Dessert concoction

1beet 

1apple (maybe two if I am having a sweet tooth attack!)

1knuckle ginger

1lemon

**this makes a great snack too 

G

End of day one!

Well at the end of day one I am feeling just ok, I'm sitting here right now drinking the last juice of the day. Yummy. Today not surprisingly I had a lot of cravings but other than that not to to bad, seems like we always want what we can't have.

 I thought tonight I would start in with my basic knowledge of what juicer is the best because there are a few different kinds out there. For me it all started with a jack la lane juicer, then I traded up for a breville which is supposed be a great name in centrifugal juicer. There are two types of juicers out there centrifugal and masticating, centrifugal spins really fast and masticating really slow cold pressed style. Here is a short List of pros and cons.

Centrifugal  

Pros fast 

        Machine is cheaper

        Less cutting

Cons heats juice enough to kill some nutrients and enzymes

        Misses a lot of the juice still in the pulp

        Froth :(

        Can't store the juice

       

Masticating 

Pros cold pressed so it holds all nutrients

        Save tons on produce because you will get more juice out of less!

        Juice tastes better

        No froth :)

        Can store juice for up to 72 hours

        Longer warranty (15 years at least)

Cons takes longer

        You have to cut up the veggies a little more

        

So as u can probably Tell I saw the value in the masticating juicer ( which I have included a pic of mine below), I  invested and got one and I love it! I have already saved so much in produce! 

Intro...

Hi my name is Emily, I am from New Smyrna Beach. I have always wanted to start a blog and since I just started to venture in on healthy and clean living I think a blog is perfect! I found that I really have a passion for nutrition and wellness, People just really don't know what they are doing to there body's this day and age. I believe that god gave us this natural source for food developed specifically for our bodies why aren't we using it more! It seems out with the bad and in with the good has never been truer. What man puts out ( GMOs, processed food, chemical engineered garbage) has BAD effects on the human body, but what god has giving us (vegetables, fruits, plants, Herbs, ect.) has GOOD effects.

I have alway been pretty proactive about natural living and what not. I have gone through seasons where I Have been super healthy and times where I have been like whatever screw it I am gonna do what I want. I am in my second semester of nursing school and I have two kids and a wonderful husband ( who thinks I'm crazy :)), so there is no wonder why I felt my self to lazy to cook or care what I was eating and also  ended up feeling like I never had any energy and in a fog all the time. In my first semester of nursing school I did a project on high fructose corn syrup, and boy did that finally get the gears turning. I couldn't believe what I was so ignorantly doing to my body. This is where I started my adventure really, I started going to my local health food store (family nutrition in NSB  they are all amazing there!) researching, and reading and my whole life changes. I learned and frankly am still learning so much! But all that is for a later blog. One day I woke up and decided it was a good day to start juicing, I started juicing really because I was sick of  preparing one meal only for me ( my husband isn't completely on board yet) and meal for everyone else. I had already started to eat more raw at this time.  

So today marks the first day of my continuous 10 day juice fast. I will be eating nothing and drinking juice (not mots or welches ;)) and water. And I am going to blog about it everyday! I will post another blog tonight letting everyone in on the conclusion of my first day of fasting.

My First blog!!

Finally I have actually done it! Started a blog that is.