My Juicer is here!

I got my juicer pretty late tonight so I didn't really have time to experiment with it. But I have a few foods I've decided to put in my juice in the morning, like broccoli. Broccoli has a strong, positive impact on our body's detoxification system. Broccoli may help us solve our vitamin D deficiency epidemic. When large supplemental doses of vitamin D are needed to offset deficiency, ample supplies of vitamin K and vitamin A help keep our vitamin D metabolism in balance. Broccoli has an unusually strong combination of both vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and vitamin K. For people faced with the need to rebuild vitamin D stores through vitamin D supplements, broccoli may be an ideal food to include in the diet. I have a vitamin D deficiency so this is perfect! Broccoli also has some real nice anti inflammatory properties.

I think carrots are a must in any juicing concoction. I read about a study done on them: We are fortunate to have the results of a new 10-year study from the Netherlands about carrot intake and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)—and those results are fascinating. Intake of fruits and vegetables in the study was categorized by color and focused on four color categories: green, orange/yellow, red/purple, and white. Out of these four categories, orange/yellow (and in particular, foods with deeper shades of orange and yellow) emerged as most protective against CVD. And even more striking, carrots were determined to be the most prominent member of this dark orange/yellow food category. Participants who had the least carrot intake had the least amount of CVD risk reduction, even though they still received risk-reducing benefits from their carrot intake. However, participants who ate at least 25 more grams of carrots (with 25 grams being less than one-quarter of a cup) had a significantly lower risk of CVD. And the groups of participants who ate 50- or 75-grams more had an even more greatly reduced risk of CVD! I'm not sure how any study could better demonstrate how easy it can be to lower disease risk by making a food like carrot part of the everyday diet in such achievable amounts.

Some sour green apples should make an appearance tomorrow morning. I found that some health benefits they have are: good for digestion, helps reduce blood pressure, stabilizes blood sugar (yay!), contains protein, and has antioxidants. Green apples have plenty of vitamins, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and they are one of the most prominent green apple benefits.

I'm excited to try it out tomorrow, wish me luck!

Green Machine

So to get this thing going, I decided to start with the brand Naked. I wanted to taste some different flavors and get some ideas for what I want to make as soon as my juicer comes in the mail (hopefully Wednesday!)I don't want to stick to these Naked drinks because a few of them have more sugar than I expected. Yes, they're healthy but also high in sugar. The two that I found to be my favorite for many reasons are Green Machine and Berry Blast. Green machine is loaded with ingredients like broccoli, spinach, blue-green algae, and wheatgrass with some added fruits for flavor. It is the ugliest green color, but tastes like apples and kiwi! Berry Blast is made with blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, and bananas. It amazing and I drink it every morning.
When I start my actual juicing, I'm going to juice for my main 3 meals and then any snack will either be a fruit or veggie I already put into my juice or a handful of peanuts for protein and some fats. When my blood sugar drops, I may have to cheat and chug a soda. But i'm trying my very best to have my blood glucose levels be as stable as possible. Each day I get more and more excited to do this! Healthy mind. Healthy body. Healthy spirit.

Where I Got This Crazy Idea

The answer is actually my boss! She told me how her cousin saw significant results in her overall health as a result from juicing. She is a type 1 diabetic as well and it has made her blood sugar numbers more regulated. This immediately peaked my interest so I Googled it. "Juicing for type 1 diabetics", and I found a post from a lady living in New York and her two week experience with juicing and her results from it. It's a great little blurb. I'll tag a link for anyone who is interested.
So, here on this blog, I will post about my juicing journey. I think it's important to do this because 1) I will actually be consistent knowing people know I'm doing this, and 2) So that I can look back on this and remember what I did, the accomplishment. I'll post about what my favorite recipes are, how I keep my energy up, what it's doing for my body, and even a cheat day now and then. Because well, I'm 21. So here's to you juicing and a healthy, hot, strong body.

That post I mentioned. Just copy & paste into your browser. Links apparently aren't my thing.
http://ehealthforum.com/health/type-diabetes-juicing-and-raw-foods-experience-t392113.html