My husband and I have been watching a lot of veggie-porn lately.
You know... the kind of stuff where rich, dark soil is cradling a bright orange carrot as it grows happily in the sunlight... where cauliflower comes in not just white, but shades of green and purple. And there is always a happy looking farmer, often with his wife and kids, in the rows of vegetables, plucking weeds and lovingly tending their produce. Then the camera will pan to a chubby toddler with bare toes wiggling in the dirt, and he will be eating a gorgeous, vividly red, ripe tomato - juices and seeds dripping down his chin.
Veggie-porn is the bane of "northern" hobby-gardeners. For three months of the year, we toil, and attempt to eek a meager, limited harvest from our dry, clay-filled soil; in a climate that is limited in the number of days that a human - let alone a tender young plant - can exist outdoors. So my hubby and I look to the documentaries on Netflix, typically about sustainable-organic, small-time farmers, and we sigh with envy at the lush greenery in more Eden-istic climates.
One particular documentary was both enlightening and challenging. "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" wasn't specifically about farming, but about the value of vegetables and fruit and eating a more "raw" diet. I featured a 40 year old Australian businessman, who was inactive, overweight and battling some rather debilitating health issues involving his immune system. To make a long story short, he embarked on a 60 day juice fast, to investigate whether feeding his body the micro-nutrients (from raw veggies) that it needed would bring restoration within his body system, allowing his body to heal itself.
As you may very well guess, he lost a lot of weight, improved his energy levels, and was able to completely stop taking medication. I have to admit, that he looked really amazing, too. Within days you could tell that his skin was clearer, his eyes brighter, and he literally glowed - looking so alive and healthy.
So... last night my husband looked over at me, and said "What do you think about maybe trying a..."
and before the words could come out of his mouth, I completed the sentence: "Juice fast?!?!"
I was somewhat surprised at his willingness, but then again, we've always been quite adventurous and conscientious of our health - doing our best to take responsibility for how we feel and not jumping on the bandwagon of doing what everyone else does... just because. We cook from scratch - nearly all the time, and don't eat out very often. We have a garden, and several times we have grown herbs, wheatgrass and even attempted tomatoes with our own little grow-op in the basement during the winter.
A juice fast or cleanse, however, is something that I've thought about doing for a long time, but it has never been convenient to do. I've always had my excuses, and they have been valid - 12 years of non-stop pregnancy and breastfeeding can really put a demand on your body. All the more reason to "re-boot" my body with a super-dose of life-giving greens!
So, we are going to do this crazy juice fast together - all veggies, limited amounts of fruit and no bread, no meat, no sweets... and no coffee!!! (The latter part really scares me!)
What do I hope to gain? For one thing, both my husband and I would like to experience an increase in both energy and mental alertness. Secondly, from what I learned on the documentary "Food Matters", people who improve their intake of certain vitamins can improve their overall mood and even combat depression. I'm not saying that I am an unhappy, depressed person, however I would love to feel happier! (This goes hand in hand with the energy levels, I'm sure.)
Last of all, is what I hope to lose, not gain, and that is weight, toxins, and built up "sludge" that might be trapped in my body and slowing me down! On "Food Matters", there was a religiously dedicated raw-food enthusiast who told of a relative who embarked on a raw-food cleanse. This overweight individual apparently had a lot of "junk" to clear out of his system. Apparently, eating only green and fresh veggies can have a cleansing effect, causing a massive increase in bowel movements. Several days into the cleanse, this person apparently had a total of 12 bowel movements and lost 15 pounds in a single day! Egad! Talk about extreme cleansing....
The plan is to start our cleanse tomorrow afternoon/evening. We'll shop for our veggies earlier in the day and have a delicious, nutritious supper of kale, broccoli, ginger, green apple, celery....etc., etc.
Here's hoping I can battle my mind and body and become a happy, healthy herbivore - if only for a week or two!
For further information, check out the following websites:
http://myjuicecleanse.com/
http://www.jointhereboot.com/
You know... the kind of stuff where rich, dark soil is cradling a bright orange carrot as it grows happily in the sunlight... where cauliflower comes in not just white, but shades of green and purple. And there is always a happy looking farmer, often with his wife and kids, in the rows of vegetables, plucking weeds and lovingly tending their produce. Then the camera will pan to a chubby toddler with bare toes wiggling in the dirt, and he will be eating a gorgeous, vividly red, ripe tomato - juices and seeds dripping down his chin.
Veggie-porn is the bane of "northern" hobby-gardeners. For three months of the year, we toil, and attempt to eek a meager, limited harvest from our dry, clay-filled soil; in a climate that is limited in the number of days that a human - let alone a tender young plant - can exist outdoors. So my hubby and I look to the documentaries on Netflix, typically about sustainable-organic, small-time farmers, and we sigh with envy at the lush greenery in more Eden-istic climates.
One particular documentary was both enlightening and challenging. "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" wasn't specifically about farming, but about the value of vegetables and fruit and eating a more "raw" diet. I featured a 40 year old Australian businessman, who was inactive, overweight and battling some rather debilitating health issues involving his immune system. To make a long story short, he embarked on a 60 day juice fast, to investigate whether feeding his body the micro-nutrients (from raw veggies) that it needed would bring restoration within his body system, allowing his body to heal itself.
As you may very well guess, he lost a lot of weight, improved his energy levels, and was able to completely stop taking medication. I have to admit, that he looked really amazing, too. Within days you could tell that his skin was clearer, his eyes brighter, and he literally glowed - looking so alive and healthy.
So... last night my husband looked over at me, and said "What do you think about maybe trying a..."
and before the words could come out of his mouth, I completed the sentence: "Juice fast?!?!"
I was somewhat surprised at his willingness, but then again, we've always been quite adventurous and conscientious of our health - doing our best to take responsibility for how we feel and not jumping on the bandwagon of doing what everyone else does... just because. We cook from scratch - nearly all the time, and don't eat out very often. We have a garden, and several times we have grown herbs, wheatgrass and even attempted tomatoes with our own little grow-op in the basement during the winter.
A juice fast or cleanse, however, is something that I've thought about doing for a long time, but it has never been convenient to do. I've always had my excuses, and they have been valid - 12 years of non-stop pregnancy and breastfeeding can really put a demand on your body. All the more reason to "re-boot" my body with a super-dose of life-giving greens!
So, we are going to do this crazy juice fast together - all veggies, limited amounts of fruit and no bread, no meat, no sweets... and no coffee!!! (The latter part really scares me!)
What do I hope to gain? For one thing, both my husband and I would like to experience an increase in both energy and mental alertness. Secondly, from what I learned on the documentary "Food Matters", people who improve their intake of certain vitamins can improve their overall mood and even combat depression. I'm not saying that I am an unhappy, depressed person, however I would love to feel happier! (This goes hand in hand with the energy levels, I'm sure.)
The plan is to start our cleanse tomorrow afternoon/evening. We'll shop for our veggies earlier in the day and have a delicious, nutritious supper of kale, broccoli, ginger, green apple, celery....etc., etc.
Here's hoping I can battle my mind and body and become a happy, healthy herbivore - if only for a week or two!
For further information, check out the following websites:
http://myjuicecleanse.com/
http://www.jointhereboot.com/
