Benefits of Lemon water in the morning :)

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is splash my face and drink a nice big glass of water. There is nothing better than feeling the cool cleansing water rinse away the problems of yesterday to start you afresh for a new day! Our bodies are around 70% water by weight and it's important to stay hydrated. While drinking water throughout the day is beneficial, drinking water first thing when waking has unique benefits such as helping to lower stomach acids which cause reflux and keeping you regular by stimulating your bowel movements. I have heard a lot about adding lemon juice to my daily water but I admits have never given it a good thought, then I came across the
'10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF DRINKING LEMON WATER!' and I have been convinced to add my lemon ASAP! :)

 Lemon is a natural energizer; it hydrates and oxygenates the body so it feels revitalized and refreshed! Health benefits of lemon are due to many nourishing elements like vitamin C, vitamin B, phosphorous, proteins, and carbohydrates present in it.

1. Reduces Fever. Lemon has its own set of antiseptic and natural medications.

2. Balances pH. Lemons are acidic to begin with but they are alkaline-forming on body fluids helping to restore balance to the body’s pH.

3. Fight cancer. Lemons contain 22 anti-cancer compounds, including flavonol glycosides, which stop cell division in cancer cells.

4. Boosts your immune system. Lemons are rich Vitamin C and flavonoids that work against infections like the flu and colds.

5. Relieve tooth pain. In addition, lemon can also be used in regular cleansing of your teeth.

6. Perfect for Weight Loss. A few drops of lemon juice in hot water are believed to clear the digestive system and purify liver as well.

7. Decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Vitamin C in lemons helps to neutralize free radicals linked to aging and most types of disease. Drinking of lemon juice mixed with water and honey brings glow to the skin.

8. Flush unwanted materials and leans your bowels: Lemons increase peristalsis in the bowels, helping to create a bowel movement thus eliminating waste and helping with regularity. Add the juice of one lemon to warm water and drink first thing in the morning.

9. Cures Throat Infections. Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections as it has an antibacterial property.

10. Relives respiratory problems. Lemon lowers blood pressure and increases the levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

Step 1 - have yourself a nice big glass of water in the morning before breakfast when you first wake up.

Step 2 - if you have some, add some freshly squeezed lemon and add to your life all the benefits the yellow wonders can provide :) I know I will!

Rockin Raw

xox

Protein Juice??

3 days post juice detox and i suddenly realised although i was drinking smoothies i was having juice cravings!! I do love fresh juices and my body must have been craving another nutrient boost! So after a good workout of Body Pump and CX30 class at the gym i let my cravings guide me and made a juice :D only i know i need more protein after weights sessions especially so i thought 'why not try adding protein powder to a juice!?' so i did, and was pleasantly surprised, 'why had i not done this before!' Super nutrients better and healthier than any commercial protein shake... And it is real simple too :)

Juice...
1 carrot
1 small cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 green apple

Then stir in...
1 heaped tablespoon pea protein powder
Drizzle of honey

The best thing is you can do this to any of your favourite juices!! Looks like i will need to get more pea protein ;)

Protein Juice :)

Rockin Raw

Xox

Juice Cleanse Day 1

24 hours into my 72 hour juice cleanse, i have to admit i woke up feeling really good thinking and having a juice in the morning was like summer bliss, i thought 'this is going to be easy'... until lunch time i started getting lethargic!! By dinner time after a walk with the dogs i found it hard to get off the chair and was almost tempted by my dads lovely smelling french toast until my younger sister saved me by helping me create a yummy cocktail of a juice! And my energy picked back up :)

My mum started her own version today with green smoothies in the morning and salads for lunch and dinner but was feeling lethargic from it and will go back to normal tomorrow. I am proud of her for trying though :)

So... Today via 4 and a half juices i have consumed...

• 3 green apples
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 cucumber
• 6 celery stalks
• 1/4 beetroot
• 2 oranges
• 3/4 cup chopped cauliflower
• 3/4 cup chopped broccoli 
• 1 handful of spinach leaves 
• 1 plum
• 1 pear 
• 2.5cm slice of pineapple
• Plus 2 Herbal green teas! 

 

I don't think i would have been able to eat all that!!! But that is the point of juicing, consuming the nutrients of more fruit and vegetables than you can actually eat :) 

Diary time after 24 hours...

Weight - 49.8kg (it is surprising how much weight in food we eat throughout a day!)

How do i feel?? I woke up at 4.30am last night, no idea why! but was surprisingly not yet hungry. I actually had one of the longest sleep ins i have had in a while, the past week had caught up with me but what better time to do so than on a cleanse! Then as i said by lunch time the lethargy hit me, i was occupying myself by going through past uni work and cleaning my files out (even that felt good!) then mum and i actually fell asleep on the couch watching 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' again... we seem pathetic i know :P I made an evening walk but almost gave in to some food at dinner and was saved by my sister with a broccoli, cauliflower, plum, orange, spinach and pear followed by a trip to McDonald's with my fresh juice to get her dinner! Needless to say it was funny when i was then the one to get up and turn on the TV after her post-dinner slump hit ;)

One thing i don't think i will be able to do though is miss a gym class, so tomorrow depending on how i feel i may eat a banana to take mum to a pump class and last the hour. I have lots of admiration for those larger people who have juiced for 60 days!!

Rockin Raw

Xox

Juice Cleanse Prep Day and Start

Well i am excited to say i have officially started my juice cleanse!!! It seems rather funny saying that with dad cooking away in the background sizzling a steak with seasoned roast vegetables as i sip away at my beetroot, celery, carrot, cucumber and apple juice... the first step is always the hardest, right? Well truth be told my excitement and love of fresh juices doesn't make it so hard... yet! This juice was not on my list to drink today but my mum kept me one from her daily juicing at lunch time so i am using it as an entree. I am a little worried about waking up in the night being hungry anyway so i think starting with 2 juices tonight a few hours apart will be good :) (as long as i don't need to get up to pee!!)

As per the recommendations i made sure i eased into the juices. I usually eat raw salads and whole foods anyway so this was not a problem for me, but for breakfast i had a green smoothie (see my previous post, the 'Peaping Berry' smoothie!) followed by tuna with fresh salad for lunch and a small gluten free fruit medley muffin i made yesterday (i will be posting this one too!) with an earl grey tea for an afternoon snack. I love my little muffin treats so this was to get me through the next few days :)

So Diary Time...Prep Day & The Start

Weight - 50.6kg
(Just to be clear i am only 155cm tall! :P) I am not wanting to lose any weight particularly as i have been trying to build muscle, but this is just for interests sake as other juicers have done.

How do i feel?
Excited, a little tired with a headache from a poor sleep last night and working today (there is only so much good food can fix over a good sleep!) and i don't feel hungry, although i am a little scared to go out and join my family for dinner to watch them eat. I will coordinate my juices with their meal time better tomorrow. PLUS my sister and mum join me in the morning for their own version of a cleanse with more raw foods and not just juices.

Daily Nutrition - Notice i am avoiding using the word daily 'food'!!

• Breakfast - Peaping Berry smoothie
• Lunch - Tuna and fresh salad
• Afternoon snack - Fruit medley muffin and earl grey tea
• Dinner - START!! Carrot, celery, beetroot, cucumber and apple juice
• Supper - Apple, orange, lemon and celery juice (Yum!!)

I am use to the carrot and beetroot juice as mum makes it quite a lot, but trying a new flavour of apples, orange, lemon and celery was soooo refreshing and great! I used...

2 green apples chopped and cored (peel still on)
1 orange (chopped and peeled)
2 celery stalks
1/2 small lemon peeled and chopped

And the result... yummo!!

As some added inspiration and motivation, if you have not watched the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' (you can watch it on You tube here) please do so!! If you are skeptical or not sure about juicing cleanse it will change your whole outlook on juices, the documentary is absolutely amazing as it follows 2 middle aged men in a health crisis who literally cure themselves and no longer need medications and lose many kilos off their overweight states through juicing. My sister and I watched it last night which helped her come to the decision to try the cleanse with me :)

Good bye toxins, hello micronutrients and health!!

Rockin Raw

Xox

How to Do Your Juice Cleanse - My Plan

After reading my previous post on why we should detox with a juice cleanse and the many benefits it can bring i hope you have been inspired to give it a go! If not, maybe some key tips and ideas can help guide you on a path of juicy health :) 

As i mentioned previously before starting a juice cleanse it is important to ease into it and prepare your body so it does not get too great a shock!

Easing into a juice fast

A week before your juice fast, eat clean, unprocessed light meals. It would be ideal to eat vegetarian, vegan or raw for a few days before so that detoxing side effects are less.

Drink smoothies each day and try to have at least one juice to help prepare your body for juice fasting. This is not necessary, but recommended as it’s better for your body. If you can eat light for at least the day before it will make a difference on how your body will react in the first few days of the fast.

How to juice fast

During a juice fast, you’ll want to drink a variety of only fresh juiced juice (not the commercial!). Don’t drink bottled juices as it does not have the nutritional value that fresh juice has. A typical juice fast does not consist of smoothies or food. However, many people will make their own modified juice fast by eating raw vegetables or smoothies to slow down detox side effects or calm hunger pains, so while its best to last as long as you can don't worry if you need to have a little help along the way. 

General guidelines for how to juice fast: 

• Drink mostly vegetable juices - Limit your fruit juice consumption to only one fruit only juice a day, you can incorporate a fruit into a vegetable juice if you like. 
• Many people drink at least 4 glasses of juice a day. If you want to drink more that’s no problem. Drink a juice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between meals. 
• Drink several glasses of fresh spring water to help your body cleanse and remove toxins. 
• If your bowel movements are slow, drink sienna tea or add psyllium husk powder to at least one of your daily juices. If your body is not removing waste, the toxins could get reabsorbed into your colon. 
• Be sure to allow your body to rest. It needs energy to cleanse. 
• You can exercise during a juice fast, but it should be low impact exercises such as Pilates, yoga, stretching, light walks or gardening. 
• Herbal tea is beneficial to support cleansing. Have some tea during the day for variety. 
• It’s not a good idea to drink coffee or have caffeine during your juice fast as it’s counterproductive. 
• It's a good idea to make sure you have a lot of produce on hand so that you aren't tempted by other foods. 

Remember that during a juice fast, you might experience some detox side effects like nausea, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, flue like symptoms, runny nose and achy joints. These are good signs and usually mean that your body is cleansing so just take it easy and rest. If you power through it, you’ll start to feel much better particularly if you do a longer cleanse around day 4 and 5.

Easing out of the juice fast

Easing out is an important step of how to juice fast. When you decide to stop juice cleasning, you definitely don’t want to eat a heavy meal as it will only hurt your stomach. A first meal should consist of a raw soup, a smoothie or a light vegetable salad. Eat light for at least 2-3 days after the fast. Don’t eat fried food, heavy meats, cheeses or oils. Stick to a light vegetarian diet so that your body can adjust to solid food again.

It’s also a good idea to have at least one juice a day while easing out. A glass of vegetable juice with a meal will aid digestion. Swirl the juice in your mouth between bites as you eat so that it can mix with your saliva. Follow these simple guidelines on how to juice fast and you should have a successful cleanse.

Try out these detoxifying juice recipes to use :)

There are some specific items that are very good for cleansing…

• Cucumbers and celery - these are natural diuretics 
• Beets - great for liver cleansing 
• Lemons, ginger and apples - aid in cleansing the entire body 
• Cranberries - good for cleansing the bladder 
• Greens - nourish our cells and clean them at the same time 
• Dandelion greens - are especially good for cleaning the liver 

Ultimately the detox would work best if you were not taking any medications including pain killers at the same time. If you are on prescribed medication you DO need to consult your doctor before starting a detox to discuss whether or not you can stop certain medications. Girls on the pill may use complete the detox on the sugar pill days (but do not take the sugar pills simply take nothing at all). And remember to avoid alcohol

Remember to drink lots of water to keep hydrated and even drink hot or cold water with lemon. If you feel really hungry, definitely drink more juice and more water. If you prefer to switch up your juice with a smoothie, you can do this.

I am going to incorporate yoga into my three days for light exercise but to also help detox my mind and souls whilst juicing takes care of the rest of my body so i can gain more clarity and mental stability for the year ahead :)

So what does my 3 day menu look like? I want to give myself a few options to see what i feel like on the day as long as i have the ingredients at hand...

Juices	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Breakfast	2 cups Strawberry, 1 apple, 2 carrots Or ½ medium pineapple, 2 apples, 1 inch fresh ginger	½ pineapple, 2 oranges Or 8 leaves of kale, 4 stalks celery, 1 apple, ½ cucumber, 1 carrot, ½ handful parsley	2 apples, 2 grapefruits Or 2 pears, 2 carrots, ½ pineapple, ½ inch ginger
Lunch	2 Oranges, 1 tomato and 2 stalks celery Or ½ beet, 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, ½ cucumber	3 tomatoes,3 carrots, handful spinach Or  3-4 carrots, 2 celery stalks, ½ beet, 2 broccoli florets, ½ lemon	Handful kale, 3 oranges, 1 lemon Or ½ beet, 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, ½ cucumber
Dinner	4-5 kale leaves, ½ pineapple Or 2 carrots, 3-4 oranges peeled, 2-3 pears, 1 medium sweet potato	½ Beet, 1 apple, 4 carrot Or  1 cucumber, 3 carrots, 1 beet, 2 stalks of celery, 1 handful of parsley, ½ lemon	4 carrots, 2 apples, small knob ginger Or 1 beet, 2 apples, 1 pear, thin slice of ginger, juice 1/2 lemon
Snacks	Any juice of choice e.g. ½ beet, 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, ½ cucumber	Any juice of choice or herbal tea	Any juice of choice or herbal tea

Possible Salads

If i needed something more substantial (if i can't hold on!) i will make one of these salads... 

Mango Avocado Salad
4 cups mixed greens
1 avocado
1 mango
1/4 cup red onion
Toss ingredients in a salad bowl and mix in Simple Vinaigrette dressing.

Simple Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
cracked black pepper
celtic salt
juice of ½ lemon

Mexican Salad
2 corn on the cob
1 tomato, cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1 red pepper, cubed
1/2 cucumber, cubed
1. De-cob corn using a knife, chop up additional ingredients bite size and add to a medium bowl.
2. Top with dressing

Simple Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
cracked black pepper
celtic salt
juice of ½ lemon

So, Saturday night after a fill in day at work i will start!! I aim for 3 days but if it goes well i could extend it. My mum is not too keen on the full juice only detox but will be joining me for a 2 day simplified version having juices and more substantial smoothies along with some raw salads, her main concern is how tired she will feel particularly as she does night fill work so this will be a good start to see if she can go the full detox next time. With a trip to the farmers market tomorrow it is only 26 hours until i start... i am getting excited!!! Stay tuned as i post how it goes each day :)

Rockin Raw

Xox

Carrot, Celery and Beetroot Juice

Before my mum got into Green Smoothies she was first introduced into the world of juicing. Juicing raw fruits and vegetables has many benefits which can even be seen with drinking one freshly squeezed juice a day! They are also widely used for detoxing the body from a build up of toxins from processed and manufactured foods. Benefits may include better mental clarity, and a feeling of well-being, clearer sinuses, improved digestion and elimination. These benefits increase by continuing to consume juices on a regular basis, or during a complete juice cleanse such as clearer and softer skin, assisting in weight removal and control, detoxification and a stronger immune system. Most people report feeling more energised incorporating juices into their daily life, juice cleansing simply restores the body to its natural state as the benefits indicate how a normal body should be performing PLUS you consume copious amounts of nutrients!!

My mum has found a juicing combination she loves with 3 favourite ingredients - Carrot, Celery and Beetroot :) today she made one of her favourite juices instead of our green smoothies...

Ingredients (Serves 3)
1 Beetroot
2 Carrots
2/3 of a Cucumber
2 Green Apples
3 Celery sticks
Ginger to taste

Vege's at the ready!

 Into the Juicer they went and i marvelled at the colours as the power juices where unleashed...

Orange...

Green...

Red...                         

 Into the glasses the juice went and we sat outside under the patio on a nice sunny day, it was almost like being on a tropical holiday!.... almost ;)

Carrot, Celery and Beetroot Juice

Apple, Orange and Raspberry Juice - True Summer Bliss

My sister juiced up this simple yet amazing juice today! It was so refreshing, cool and full of flavor i just had to tell you about it! All that is in it is...

2 green apples
2 oranges
A small handful of raspberries 

Put the apples and oranges in a juicer and sprinkle in some raspberries and hey presto you can now drink summer from a glass!!

Apple, Orange and Raspberry Juice