By Rivka Malka

April 10, 2013

Bezalel Juices!

 

Well I told you I’d update you on how our juicing is going. Firsts thing you should know – I finished my juice fast. I was on it for Wed, Thurs, and Fri and after light Shabbos eating, I was on it for Sunday and part of Monday. It’s been awesome.

Over Pesach I weaned myself from Splenda, that used to go in my coffee twice a day. I also started making my coffee half decaf to prepare so the withdrawal wouldn’t be so hard.

The basic idea of juicing is that  1)it floods your body with vitamins and minerals and brings health and nutrition to your cells at the deepest level. 2) it gives your other organs a chance to detox and heal. they’re “on vacation” from digestion.juicer

The actual detox reminds me of a trip I took long ago. I had to be out of the country with my three kids by myself for a month. I managed okay. I really thought I was doing great.  But when I got home, I walked into my apartment and burst into tears. All that pent up emotion just burst through.

Our bodies, they manage – even when we’re rough on them. But when we give them a break, when we stop masking thecompromised state – it bursts into tears. And out comes all the bad stuff.

                                                         

Day 1 – Felt great. (My husband, had a crashing headache by the end of the day though..)

Day 2 – Had a headache, my eyes were hurting, I climbed into bed a few times during the day. It was tough. I was really detoxing.

Day 3 – Felt good. My energy was steady and light. My eyes got more clear. I started seeing in HD! Not at all hungry – slight ache in my legs but overall had nice energy. No midday slump!

Day 4 – I felt amazing! Alive! It was Shabbos so I had to eat. I had matzah and chicken soup and some veggie’s and a small portion of fruit.  I walked an easy two miles.

Day 5 – My energy was so great. It filled me with lightness and motivation. I started my day at 7:30 am, ran around with the kids all day and still felt amazing!

In terms of hunger though, it was a harder day because my body got used to food over Shabbos. But I was told to expect it so it was ok

Day 6  – I felt amazing…. but hungry. Midday I ate. I think if I would have held out until the day was over, the hunger would have passed and my body would have adjusted. I feel ok with it though.

                                                   

Today is Day 7. Today is where the real work begins, making better food choices. I have been avoiding flour and sugar (aside from Shabbos matzah) for about 3 years, but my body was still not responding well to the foods I was eating. Even a meal of cooked veggie’s could sometimes exhaust me, sending me for a nap midday or a slump after dinner.

When we were putting back the food in the pantry after Passover, the foods that were highly processed and had chemicals or white flour I just didn’t want.

It’s an interesting thing and its teaching me a lot about how people work. My own neighbor has spoken to me about Diet Coke and other products, but it was just a conversation – nothing I was ready to hear. I wanted small stepsmy Diet Coke!

Its only now that I’m ready that I can make  changes. And even now – I’m not fully open. I know that there are many levels of clean and healthful eating, but I’m taking it one step at a time.

What stuck with me from the video’s that  I watched (Fat, Sick and Nearly dead and Hungry For Change) was two bits of info that I had never really integrated.

First of all, the idea that every single fruit and vegetable has tremendous nutritional value. though I’m stating the obvious, it wasn’t until I saw the vitamin chart that I realized that even something as light and humble as a piece of celery or an onion gives us so much. https://www.rebootwithjoe.com/eating/a-z-fruit-veggies/veggies

Secondly, the idea of chemicals and  how they sit in our body potentially   messing around with our cells and our well  bring; their link to cancer. I learned that aloe and chia seeds are some of the few things that will bind to the chemicals and release them from your body. I was pleasantly surprised to find that shopper’s, a local supermarket sells individual aloe leaves.

So what did I eat today? I ate lightly, an orange, peanuts, and 2 Juices, later on I had 2 healthy granola – date bars. (Each juice is like a large salad)

The interesting part is that I’ve dieted before and I’ve  been on a no flour, no sugar food plan for a while, but this is a whole new message for my brain. It’s not at all about deprivation or limits. Eating smaller quantities and raw fruits and veggies is a way of taking care of myself, because I want to feel good. And digesting your food takes a lot of energy for your body! that’s energy that I really want to have. Having felt what it was like I don’t want to lose it.

My friend Leah came over and made a video with me which I’ll put up soon. One thing she said to me that struck me was “People are often vegetarians because they care so much about animals. Isn’t caring about ourselves important too?”

                                                            

Side benefits

1.My son who would rather starve than eat something thats not pizza has started taking apples to school (as he proudly tells me.)

2.No guilt about what I buy in the supermarket.

3.I walked into the office and my friend Vicki said “you lost weight!” that’s always nice 🙂

4. My eyesight is incredible – the world is just so pretty.

5. I’m off of caffeine and I’m liking this calmer person that I am. feeling great

                                                      

Juice Recipes

Green Dream

1 bunch kale

1 apple

1 lemon

1 zuchinni

(optional) small slice of ginger

 

 Sunny Day

2 carrots

1 orange

1 lemon

1 celery

(optional) slice of aloe vera

For tons of juice recipes,  salads and great articles to get started on eating healthier, click HERE

juicing

Thanks to all my Fb friends for your advice and encouragement!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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