Juice Feasting...A Primer

My stepfather's family has a nice garden out in Rio Linda and they were nice enough to send me 2 huge boxes of fresh picked organic produce! It's moments like this when everything just seems to come together so easily, and you can really imagine a world in a higher density.

So, with these goodies and my stock of peaches and cherries from my Dad's backyard, and a watermelon from the store, I am having a Jack LaLanne juice feast spectacular!

Juice feasting is basically juice fasting, but we add the "e" because there's absolutely no feeling of deprivation or weakness with this type of fast. You simply juice raw fruits and vegetable to your heart's content. If you google "juice feasting" you'll so many pages with tons of wonderful information about this practice, but I'm going to keep things real here and tell you that there aren't a whole lot of ways you can screw this up.

Pick a day. Or several days. Most likely weekends or vacation days, depending on your current state of health. The point of juice feasting is to cleanse your body by filling it with super huge levels of nutrients and enzymes and at the same time removing all digestible fiber, so your body has to do very little work in order to assimilate these nutrients. The result? Well, your body has all kinds of time free, time it would normally be using to digest all that crap you toss into it. Your body LOVES free time, and will use it to do a little spring cleaning.

Now, how much cleaning will occur? This depends on two things. Firstly, how long you do your juice feast. And secondly, how mean you are to your body. Yes, now the tables have turned, and it will no doubt be your body's pleasure to give you a dose of your own medicine. Or doughnuts, pharmaceutical drugs, and alcohol. It's good to release these things, because your body needs help to do so. There is no evacuation system for unnatural chemicals, toxins, and additives. They just hang around in your body until you give it that extra push and a little time to heal itself. And your body totally deserves this.

The most appealing thing about juice feasting for me is that you don't go around like a zombie, turning grey and trying to eat tv commercials out of desperation for calories. Other cleanses require you to fast completely or only drink liquid concoctions that have little nutrition and no energy. Fresh juice is alive- it's everything your body wants and needs and yet nothing it doesn't.

So, now you wanna try, right? I'm happy to tell you that all you need are fresh fruits and vegetables and a nice, powerful juicer. I am using the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer because my grandma gave it to me, and free is free. Not that it's a bad machine, I just don't have a whole lot of experience buying juicers so I really can't recommend one. I personally have only used the Power Juicer but it works great, you don't have to peel anything, and get this: I totally just dump everything in with the skin and the pits and it grinds them right up! Even peach pits. I know. It ate up handfuls of un-pitted cherries no problem, although the sound makes my 7 month old boy cry. When it isn't chomping on fruit seeds, it's pretty quiet, or at least as quiet as you can ask of a giant spinning demolisher of food flesh.

You'll definitely want to pick your foods wisely. Don't try to juice things like bananas or dried fruit. Use your head. It's a juicer, pick juicy fruits. Some great things to try are apples, grapes, cherries, all berries, mangoes, watermelon, peaches, pears, honeydew, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, pineapple...you get it?

Now veggies are different. You can juice pretty much all of these, but use a little more discrimination. Don't go for empty, white veggies like iceberg and potatoes. You want to get all the vitamins and minerals you can, and the only way to do that is to dig deep into the darkest greens you can lay your hands on. You will need less veggies than fruits, and by mixing and matching you can make juices that are packed with greens but still taste great. I'll be the first to admit that some greens just aren't that yummy. They can be bitter, spicy, and pretty near unpalatable. Those, however, are the greens you want for this endeavor. Choose dandelion greens, kale, swiss chard, collard, turnip greens, celery, cucumber, carrots, parsley, cilantro...

If you're unsure about your ability to mix things well, or are too afraid to experiment, go ahead and search around for some free juicer recipes. A lot of juicers even come with a recipe book. Consider adding healing elements like garlic and ginger for interesting flavor. The great thing about juice feasting is there really are no rules, no pills to swallow and no schedule to stick to. Just throw fruits and veggies in a juicer, drink up, and move on with your day. An airtight container will keep juices pretty fresh for drinking later in the day if you need to go to work, visits, appointments, etc., although drinking the juice immediately is ideal.

I've known people to do this for 30 days or more, and I also know people who do it for one day. A nice trend to start is to spend one weekend a month juice feasting, just to keep your body nice and clean. You wouldn't go too long without cleaning your outer body, right? And yet, some people never once clean the inside, even though that's the part that gets exposed to the worst of the worst. How many of you would run towards the nearest shower if someone dumped coffee or a fast food meal all over you? Now, how many of you would dash to clean up your insides if you got fast food all over in there? You say, "Yeah, well, it'll clean itself, won't it?" Well, if you didn't take a shower, would it clean itself? Maybe eventually, if you stood in the rain long enough. But most likely, it would just dry on your skin and clothes and start to mold and collect dirt. Ew. Don't assume that your body has a way to take care of everything. We have developed no natural defense against unnatural food, so if you're going to get it all over yourself, you should probably get a rinse out every now and then.

Plus, juice get you buzzed. How awesome is that?

Baby Blood Vessels!

I just thought I would share a nice little tidbit of information I ran across today in The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing.

“Exercise is basic to health...It improves circulation to the point that areas which are stressed with regular exercise will actually develop additional tiny blood vessels to deliver oxygen and remove wastes.”

Wow. That's amazing! It's little things like this that always make me stop and think just how amazing the human body is. It so wants to be well, to perform at it's peak, and even if you abuse it for decades at a time it still has the desire to spring back and create optimal wellness. Take advantage!

What's Your Aluminum I.Q.?

Well, It kinda depends on your deodorant. I know you love the “Fluttery Sparkly Lavender Beach Breeze” scented solid you buy at WalMart, but do yourself a favor and check out the ingredient list. I'm willing to bet that you're rolling aluminum all over your pits every morning. So, why is that not all right? Well, consistent exposure to aluminum can cause build up of the metal within your body, possibly forming deposits in your brain. And the end result of heavy metal deposits in the brain is dementia and Alzheimer's. And maybe right now you'd welcome the idea of forgetting who you are and (more likely) who you know, but if not, treat yourself to something that will hide your sweaty stench without getting your neurons in a twist. Literally.

Unfortunately, aluminum is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mainstream toiletries, but we'll save that for later blogs. Aluminum buildup can also occur from using aluminum cookware or drinking unfiltered tap water. So, if you came home from work today and cooked up dinner in your favorite old pan, drank a tall glass of ice water and reapplied your Old Spice, prepare to forget everything you just read by the end of this sentence. For everyone else, let's look at some of the alternatives out there for people who like their name and want to remember what it is in 50 years.

Tom's of Maine has the most popular line of natural deodorants and let me just say right now, oh holy crap the apricot one smells amazing! However, like so many products that say “all natural” on the package, it isn't. Propylene glycol is an ingredient used in their formula and there is much debate over the safety of this chemical. Be diligent when reading labels. Check online for ingredient lists and definitions of additives you don't recognize. There are numerous resources on the web for smarter consumers who want to know what they're rubbing all over themselves.

If you don't trust anyone trying to get you to spend your money on armpit perfume, congratulations! You win the Offbeat Hippie Who Can't Trust A Mall award. You'll be healthier in the long run and live a quality life, but will probably lose friends due to your inability to eat at fast food restaurants and lack of “Daisy of Love” contestant knowledge. For you, the special non-consumer, a recipe for homemade deodorant, which you can personalize and then sell at your hippie shop on the pier by the ocean along with the hemp and seashell necklaces and soy reiki candles.

Natural Stick Deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda (natural deodorizer)
1/4 cup cornstarch (natural moisture absorber)
10+ drops tea tree oil (natural anti-bacteria/fungal)
2+ TBSP shortening (solid coconut oil works well)

Mix the baking soda and cornstarch in a bowl.
Add tea tree oil and stir well.
Mix in enough shortening to reach a consistency you like.
Pack mixture into an old deodorant stick container.
Allow to set for a couple of days to become more solid.

NOTES:
-- lavender oil will work instead of tea tree oil.
-- apply with a light hand until the stick becomes more solid.
-- deodorant should be invisible and lasts for ages as it only needs to be applied in a light layer.
-- you can leave out the shortening and use the deodorant as a powder.
-- you can also leave out the shortening and cornstarch and just mix the baking soda and tea tree oil with water until it sprays easily from a spray bottle.

WARNINGS:
-- For very sensitive skin, increase cornstarch to 6 tablespoons and decrease baking soda to 2 tablespoons
-- store in a cool place, as most shortenings start to melt at just above room temperature.

Natural and Effective Bug Repellent...

Natural, Effective Bug Repellent

Ruth, my sister in law and greatest doula in the universe, asked me about toxin free mosquito repellent and I thought I would share the information I gave her with you all. So, here's a list of easy tips and tricks to try next time some annoying bug tries to tap a vein.

• Garlic! The wonder drug. The powers of Garlic are epic. If you've ever given your cat garlic to try and keep the fleas from biting, you already know how this works. That signature garlicky taste hangs out in your blood and flavors it, making it unpalatable to pests.

• Raw Fruits and Vegetables. It's going to be a rare post in which I don't sing the praises of raw, natural foods, but I honestly didn't know this one until just recently. Eating a predominantly raw vegan diet discourages mosquito from biting. If you're just looking for a quick bug-zap, you don't have to practice raw foodism long term to get this effect. Just make it an all fruit breakfast the morning of your hike/camping trip.

• Citronella. Manufacturers have been adding this essential oil to repellent sprays and candles for good reason: it works! Adding Citronella to any spray or lotion you concoct will boost it's effectiveness.

• Tea Tree Oil. This is another agent of holistic greatness that I utilize daily for a variety of needs. Bug repelling is only one of the tasks this oil performs, and performs well. The strong scent is what repels pests. It has a very clean, disinfectant type smell to it.
  

Making your own mosquito repellent at home is simple, and requires no harmful ingredients. Get yourself a little spray bottle from any store. WalMart has a “travel size” section near the hair care products where they stock lots of different plastic bottles for filling with shampoos and bath care products, but you can just as easily fill these with your own homemade products. If you're going on a long trip and going to be in mosquito territory for longer than a day, consider making a larger batch in an empty spray bottle stocked in household cleaner aisles.

Fill your bottle up with purified water and start adding oils with a dropper, one at a time. Tea Tree is a good base, but you can substitute Eucalyptus which works just as well. For a smaller bottle around 6 ounces, you want to add a minimum of 30 drops. The larger the bottle, the more you add. There's no rocket science to this, you just want a really strong smell.

You can then add Citronella, and Lavender oil also makes a good addition. It's great for your skin, makes a wonderful antiseptic and will lift your spirits if you hate camping but have to go anyway (I do). Add these oils in smaller amounts, 10-15 drops for a small bottle.

Doing a quick Google search will turn up lots of different oils you can add to these, but I like this mixture myself. It's also a very effective disinfectant for scrapes and cuts you might get while you're out running around in the wild, so spray away! But don't expect to do any close cuddling out there, since you're going to smell like a hospital inside of a garlic factory.

The Invasion of The Healthy...

Healthy people don't blend in very well. In an era where the vast majority of the population are succumbing to preventable illness, “health nuts” have become more of a conversation piece at social gatherings than an example of wellness. I've had complete strangers who, upon meeting me, launch immediately into a desperate attempt to defend their eating habits. Out loud. I think they can smell the supplements on me. Either that, or my Mom is still introducing me to people as “Jessica the Vegan.” I prefer Jessica Von Vegan, but whatever. Either way, what people are hearing when they meet me is a tiny voice inside their head saying “Holy crap, it's the Health Police!” I've decided that this must be true, because it's the only way for me to come to terms with the fact that most people run screaming in the other direction. It's either that, or I need to shower more.

I haven't always been like this. What's “like this”, you ask? A nutrition studying, raw food eating, green smoothie making, tea tree oil spraying, energy healing, herb growing vegan hippie. And I mean hippie in the most derogatory sense. 5 years ago, I smoked regularly and weighed a great deal more than I do now. My favorite food group was chili cheese fries, my favorite kind of purified water was soda, and I was pretty bummed at the way my life was unfolding. Being raised in a predominantly Seventh Day Adventist family, I decided to turn to the vegetarian comfort foods of my teenage years spent living with my Great Grandmother. I contacted my Great Aunt, the matron of the Adventist side of my family, and got my Grandmother's seitan recipe.

My Great Grandmother, who lived to be 88 years old, was an amazing influence on me, though that influence didn't take hold until just a few years ago. She regularly consumed juices she made from juicing fruits and vegetables, purchased Morning Star sausages for my breakfasts, and brewed Kombucha in a dark corner of her kitchen. Once, she juiced and drank so many carrots she turned orange. It was so Beverly Hills.

That single recipe combined with a very negative child birthing experience in a hospital and a Joaquin Phoenix narrated documentary became the Axis of Awesomeness that motivated me to take my life apart, piece by piece. It's a long process, rebuilding your entire life from the ground up. I'm nowhere near finished, and in 10 years time I still won't be. Life itself is a process. But with every day that passes I lay one more brick, in the hopes that someday there will be a beautiful home where a rickety old shed once stood.

So, knowing all this, you can see that I haven't always been The Food Nazi. But that doesn't mean I'm a Pod Person who's taken over the body of Jessica and is now trying to infect humanity with a insatiable craving for spirulina which will render them physically useless when our Mother ship enters your Earth's atmosphere and releases a foreign substance that renders your bodies ready for assimilation into the Urania Atma Grid. That's just silly.

And it doesn't mean I float around on air and spend my days caressing plant leaves and whispering to the four winds about the wisdom of the Ascended Masters. I save that for Wednesday afternoons, right after Maury. Most days I'm struggling, like everyone here in the third dimension, to make the right choices. I screw up spectacularly a good amount of the time, and I make no secrets about that. I haven't set the bar higher than you or anyone else. I'm simply using a different bar.

So, let's stop the distinction between “healthy people” and “unhealthy people” because this sets most people up for failure. They have this ideal of what I am or what being healthy has to be, and they believe they could never achieve it because it's so foreign and just plain unattainable. You don't have to abandon everything you like and move to the Redwoods. You certainly don't have to spend all your money on magical pond moss harvested in the Crystal Forests of Unicorn Valley. I've tried a bottle, and I can tell you from experience they charge too much for that stuff.

All you have to do set a standard for yourself. This is it. This is how simple it really it. All you have to do....is value yourself. You must decided what you are willing to do to yourself, and what you are not willing to do to yourself. What are you willing to accept? Do you accept disease and illness? Do you accept fatigue and pain? Have you given your power away to so called “health experts”? Have you decided that other people know what's best for you and your body?

I have drawn a clear distinction between what I will and won't accept for myself, and I would encourage you to do the same, in all areas of your life. This doesn't end with food. This will drastically improve your relationships, your work ethic, and anything else you apply it to. Come on. How easy is this? All I'm asking you to do is give a crap about yourself.

I'll leave you with this last thought, and one that still mystifies me to this day. My Mother and Father have not spoken to one another properly in over 10 years, yet they both refer to me as the Food Nazi. We-ird.

Sincerely,

Jessica Von Vegan, The Health Police Food Nazi