Well today is actually day two of my juice feast, but I wanted to post these a day behind in attempt to get them up earlier for everyone. I was planning on having this posted much earlier today but I was having tech issues.
Yesterday to start off my feast I had a Turmeric Tonic, not too many people took my poll I think I only had 3 voters, but I did make everything yesterday in the blender.
Turmeric is a fantastic anti-inflammatory that is used in many curry dishes, using the whole food source instead isolates typically provides a better chance of your body fully absorbing the health benefits. In this recipe I used turmeric root, this can be found in the produce section most likely near ginger.
Other health benefits of turmeric:
Natural antiseptic & anti-bacterial spice, it can be used externally to help in the disinfecting cuts or burns. Many people suffering from acne have found amazing results and relief of their symptoms by drinking turmeric tea three times a day.
Curcumin, the main active constituent of turmeric, could help prevent the onset of dementia & Alzheimer’s disease.
Turmeric is a cholagogue which stimulates bile production in the liver and can help excrete bile through the gallbladder which aids the body’s ability to digest fats. Great for cleansing!
Turmeric is also an anti-inflammatory to the mucus membrane which coats the throat stomach and intestines where it can help decrease inflammation and congestion.
Other related conditions which it is suggested turmeric may help are colitis, Crohn’s disease, diarrhea and the after effects of food poisoning. It can also be used to relieve the itching and inflammation of hemorrhoids and fissures.
What does turmeric look like?
(Ginger root on the left, turmeric root on the right)
Turmeric has a tougher skin than ginger, if you rip a piece off turmeric is orange-yellow and very bright. A great way to peel both ginger and turmeric is by using the side of a spoon and pushing it around the skin. This root can easily stain your hands, nails, juicer/blender, clothes and cutting board so please be careful. Like ginger and beets you do not want to buy this root if it feels mushy, soft, or looks blue inside or out. These are all signs of the root going bad :)
Turmeric Tonic Recipe
1-inch turmeric, peeled and chopped
Juice of one whole lemon
1 cup water
Dash of cayenne or black pepper (I’ve read studies that have shown better absorption of turmeric with pepper sometimes I do both cayenne and black pepper. It just depends on my mood ;) )
*Another option is to add 1/2 mineral water, I did not personally do this by I frequently do! You may want more water in this, everyone has a different preference with tonics and I have been drinking these for a while.*
After finishing up yoga and my run I was ready for breakfast. I made a Whole Watermelon Jalapeno Lemon Mint juice in my blender. I did not strain it, didn’t taste necessary to me, but if you do not like foam or lots of fiber in your drink you may strain it. Watermelon rind has a lot of nutrients, when strained those vitamins are being removed. So please try this recipe as is at first then may be strain a little see how that tastes and if you honestly can not stand it strain away.
Whole Watermelon Jalapeno Lemon Mint
1/2 mini watermelon, chopped with rind
3 tablespoons jalapeno chopped (or your preference, I like it with a good kick)
I did not need to use water, but depending on your blender you may need to add some. Try adding one cup of filtered water at a time.
After the above was all blender up I took three huge lemon mint leaves from my yard and threw them into the mixture. I used a spoon to mash-up the mint and “activate” it.
A few of my friends were surprised when I told them how healthy watermelon is. I guess sometimes it is difficult to see that fruit can do more than satisfy your sweet tooth but can be amazingly powerful too.
Health Benefits of Watermelon:
Watermelon is a source of the potent carotene antioxidant called lycopene. Actually, watermelon is the only fruit that contains higher concentrations of lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene is what gives fruits the attractive red color that we find in watermelon, it can help reduce the risks of diseases like prostate cancer.
These antioxidants surf throughout the body neutralizing free radicals (substances that damage our cells thus damaging our blood and body). This helps keep our hearts healthy (heart disease, asthma) and is even excellent for those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis.
Watermelon is a fruit that is rich in potassium. It also has a cooling effect on our bodies and is high in citrulline, an amino acid that our bodies use to make another amino acid, arginine, which is used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body. These are all reasons why we possibly crave watermelon so much during those sweaty months!
Watermelon is rich in B vitamins necessary for energy production, also a vitamin many vegetarians and vegans lack. Food experts recommend watermelon as an excellent source of vitamin B6, vitamin B1, and magnesium. Watermelon has such a high water content, approximately ninety percent, and calorie value it is ranked more valuable than other fruits. I recommend consuming watermelon while cleansing, juice feasting or mono mealing, because it helps us feel full, satisfied and helps us get more water into our bodies. Thus helping our bodies function properly, a well watered machine ;)
This juice kept me full, hydrated and energized until around 3pm. That’s when I decided to make a big batch of green juice! This juice was so filling, sweet, savory, freshening and hearty that I drank half of the batch for a late lunch and the other for dinner.
For Linner ;) I had Angela Stokes-Monarch’s Green Pine Juice. This is another drink I made in the blender, so depending on your preference you may want to strain it or not. I didn’t and was very happy with the texture. I think it helped me feel so full for so long. I did not have to add any water because of the natural juice in the pineapple, but everyone’s blender is different. Angela recommends using only a quarter of the ingredients with filtered water as needed, to desired consistency when using a blender. But I ignored that :-x hehe
Angela Stokes-Monarch’s Green Pine Juice Recipe
1/2 bunch celery
1 cucumber
1/2 bunch parsley
1 big bunch of your preferred leafy green (I used spinach and green leaf lettuce)
1/2 to 1 pineapple, to taste (I used about a cup and a half which is less than one half of a pineapple…I don’t like things very sweet though)
*If blending chop everything very well and try to mix everything nicely instead of just throwing the ingredients down the list into the blender. The pineapple will really help your blender out, same with the cucumber and celery.*
This juice tastes very strong of pineapple, parsley and greens (in my case spinach). I am in love with the flavoring combining here.
Check-In:
Well I didn’t drink as much juice as one should while doing a juice feast, but the juices I made were so filling. I also was drinking lots of water yesterday because I was doing house maintenance work. My energy levels were fantastic, I went to yoga, ran, house maintenance outside and even went for a bike ride. My bowel movements were healthy and plenty, the watermelon juice had me going to the bathroom to urinate frequently.
I’m excited to see what ideas day two brings my way! Currently I think I will be doing a juice feast for 5-7 days, it really depends on how my body is feeling. Thank you all for reading and have a delicious day :D Much love & raw power <3
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-35594760-1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
