Juice Feast-Day 11

A Dandy of a Day!

A Ha! I figured something out today. Dandelion greens make me pee. Whenever I add them to my green juices, I always seem to be running to the bathroom twice as much as usual. Now I know why. It turns out that dandelion greens improve liver functions, promote weight loss, and possess diuretic effects.(I can certainly vouch for that :) Got a special event coming up? If you feel like you're retaining water, adding a few dandys into a glass of greens should do the trick! Dandelion greens are high in vitamins, minerals, and protein. They actually contain more carotenoids and vitamin A than carrots, but they make a b-i-t-t-e-r- juice, so all you need a is handful. And speaking of juicing bitter things...

...I'm really trying to rotate my greens to make sure I don't miss any key nutrients. So for something different, I tried 4-5 Brussels sprouts in with my daily greens today. Brussels sprouts give you the same key benefits as vegetables from the cabbage family. That means you get a six pack of hard to pronounce anticancer compounds, plus vitamin C, potassium and iron. It's best to juice these mini cabbages with veggies that are high in calcium (kale, spinach or parsley) because Brussels sprouts have a high phosphorus content, and high amounts of phosphorus can reduce the utilization of calcium. I found that they juiced well and didn't get caught up in the blades like some of the leafy greens can.

More Thoughts On pH Balance

Just like some foods are acid-forming, I've read that anger, fear, and jealousy also swing the pH balance toward the acidic in your body. Stress and overwork are acidic, too. To stay alkaline, we need to eat plenty of raw fruits and veggies and stay positive. Meditation and thoughts focusing on peace, kindness and love have all been shown to have an alkalizing effect on the body(*Om*) (*Om*) (*Om*)....

Juicy Diary-Day 11
Today's Juices & Supplements

32 oz water + 2 MSM caps + 2 cascara sagrada
32 oz yellow watermelon/strawberry
8 oz cantaloupe/strawberry
32 oz water
32 oz water
36 oz green juice (Lacinato kale, green pepper, carrots, parsley, dandelion greens, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and apples)
32 oz water + B12
40 oz green juice
20 oz cantaloupe/strawberry

Total Juice = 136 oz (1.06 gallons)
Total Water = 120 0z water ( 1 gallon)
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Sleep & dreams: 8 hours. I had a waitressing dream last night. As a former waitress, I still enjoy the occasional "in-the-weeds" dreams. This one was different, though. It was more of a "food for thought" dream-and something totally related to this juice feast. Too bad I can't remember what I was being served.
Energy: Excellent. Each day I seem to have more and more energy. Today was amazing! I think the change in order of fruit juice, green juice, green juice, fruit juice was key for me.
Exercise: 2 mile hike with dog and another fight with my lawn mower. I won this one! I got a great workout mowing the lawn today. You'd have to see our lawn to appreciate it. It's very steep in places.
Sauna: 35 minutes. Even when it's warm out, this feels great. Today I had the dog and the cat in with me (I sat in the middle).
Physical observations: I'm not going to include any detox symptoms until something else happens :) Beyond my juicy glow, I am starting to notice some other significant changes. The first is my knees. They are typically very creaky, especially going up and down stairs. In the past 2 days, I don't feel any pain anymore. It's incredible. I'm not sure if it's the MSM or the juice or a combination of the two. Who cares! I may run again!
The second is my body. It's definitely shrinking and tightening up, which is weird to me seeing as how I'm not exercising anymore than usual. The third is my energy. I can't believe how much energy I have! I'm practically bursting!