I recently (and successfully) did a 3-day juice cleanse. I had my reasons for doing one. Mainly I wanted to hit a reset button and cleanse my body from the inside out. I've been under a lot of stress caring for my parents, whose health has declined over the last few months, and it's not a wives' tale that stress can make you sick. I wanted to get some amazing green juices in me that are known to rejuvenate at a cellular level. Being such a HUGE foodie, I doubted I'd make it through day one, but miracles do happen, and I made it! And it wasn't as bad as I thought. The first day was the hardest with lots of highs and lows. When I was hungry, I was HUNGRY and would have happily gnawed on the sofa's arm. But then I'd have another juice and contently enough, hit a plateau. The second and third days were less of a roller coaster, then before I knew it, I was done. On the morning of the fourth day, when I ate solid food again, I remember feeling like it hit my stomach's bottom with a clunk! That's when I knew juicing and I were going to be friends. During the cleanse and immediately afterward, I felt great. The best way I can describe it is mentally alert, aware, focused, and light. I wasn't bursting with energy, but my energy level was high. Overall, I just felt in tip-top shape. This is one of the many reasons I'd like to incorporate juicing into my lifestyle. I'm not even saying I'll juice every day. I'm aiming for at least three times a week to start, develop some kick-ass recipes, then go from there. That and cashew milk. I'm developing a cashew milk having tried one in my cleanse, and it's so good I can't live without it. Some personal thoughts about juicing: I don't recommend it as a meal replacement. No one that I know does. I love eating fruits and vegetables, but let's face it. I'm human, and I know I'm simply not getting what I need each day. This recipe is loaded with lemon, ginger, cucumber, apple, and celery. Fifteen minutes, one glass later, and I've given myself a dose of honest to goodness health. There are all kinds of juicers that can get pretty pricey, but I took a friend's recommendation who's been juicing for over 20 years. She recommended the Koios masticating, slow juice extractor, cold press juice machine. Where others are nearly twice as expensive, I was comfortable with this investment. Keep in mind the moment fruits and veggies are harvested, they start to die, so you want a juice machine that allows you to drink your juice within that 24-36 hours window of making it. It's all how the juice is processed. My last thought. I recommend buying from your local farmers market as well as organic. Why buy local? The closer the food, the less transit time for nutrients to die off. Why organic? Who wants a pesticide cocktail? No thank you. Not me. I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. It's gluten-free, vegan, low in calories, perfect for morning, and loaded with vitamins and nutrients.
Recipe for Good Morning Green Juice:
Ingredients:
1 organic lemon, leave rind on
1 inch organic fresh ginger, leave skin on
½ organic English cucumber, leave skin on
1 organic granny smith apple, cored, leave skin on
4 organic celery stalks
Directions:
Wash all veggies and cut into pieces small enough to fit in your juicer. Using a juicer add all ingredients one by one to juice. Drink immediately. Enjoy and be happy about all the vitamins and nutrients your getting! If you don’t like the pulp you can strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer.
