Showing posts with label juicing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label juicing. Show all posts

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Nutritional Test Day...Dun Dun Dunnnn (Part 1)

Blood draw time...at least it was in the comfort of my own home.
Today was the day.  Fasting since 9 last night, check.  Morning urine sample, check.  Mobile blood draw with 4 vials taken, check.  Miranda, our mobile phlebotomist from Michigan Mobile Phelbotomy was in and out within 20 minutes with our samples and off to the lab.  She'll send the urine & blood samples for the to Genova/Metametrix today and then we wait patiently for a couple weeks until the results are ready.  The test is called Individual Optimum Nutrition (full nutrient/mineral panel) + add-ons of lipid & thyroid, amino acid, undigested folic acid and vitamin K.  I have to admit it - I am little nervous to have my nutritional levels checked!   Why?

Well...because I make a serious effort, DAILY, to keep my wellness top of mind.  I make sure my diet is varied.  Colorful.  Balanced.  I eat plenty of green leafy veggies.  Drink protein/fiber smoothies with add-ins like bee pollen, spirulina and sea vegetables. I eat oysters and pumpkin seeds for zinc.  Frequent the farm market or the upscale grocers and buy organic produce, chicken and free range eggs.  We don't go out to eat much, and even then, I am conscious of what I order.  I don't drink pop or fruit juice.  I stay far away from HFCS, or any non-organic corn or soy. I limit the sugar in my coffee.  I drink about 2 cups of green or herbal tea every day. You won't find junk food in my home;  everything is cooked or baked from scratch. I barely eat grains, and when I do, it's mainly brown rice. If I bake, it's normally a healthified version, with healthy fats and gluten free flour.  I drink lots of distilled & re-mineralized water and juice fresh veggies.  I practice yoga and ride my bike for exercise. I grow my own veggies when possible.  I ferment my own kombucha tea and sauerkraut for healthy probiotics.  I go somewhere tropical about 2x a year for that added vitamin D. ;)  I've even cut WAY back on alcohol and no longer have that occasional 'social smoker' cigarette.   Take a peek into my "vitamin cupboard"; it looks like a dang health food store display!  You'll find all of the usual suspects (multi-vitamin, fish oil, probiotic, vitamin D, C...) as well as several strains of medicinal mushrooms, iodine, resveratrol, special fiber blends, and a wide array of other professional grade supplements.  I ask all kinds of health questions and have them answered by a Naturopath on the spot.  You get the point.....!  P.S.  This wasn't all implemented overnight, it's been a process for the past 3 ish years.

So what will it mean for me if my vitamin levels and fatty acid profiles are way off?!   To me, it will mean that maybe all of my efforts "aren't enough".  The whole "not being/doing enough" is a deeply rooted fear in my consciousness that affects other areas of my life.   Its something that I struggle with already.   Partially, I'm afraid it will set me back on my emotional journey. It will mean that I have to revise my already revised diet.  I will also be pretty nervous for the rest of my fellow Americans, because if I am deficient, lord help the rest of you!  (I'm half joking, but half dead-as-a-doorknob-serious).  

I do think the results will be empowering.  If there are areas that can be improved upon, I will KNOW exactly what I need to do to get on track, especially knowing I have the support and knowledge of Dr. Matt.   If the results are great, that will be an awesome reassurance that my hard work is paying off.

That's a LOT of nutrients, fatty acids, cholesterol and thyroid levels to test for!
Stay tuned.   I'll post my results and share my POA (Plan of Action) when the results are in.....


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Juicing: Top 10 Pros and Cons



Juicing is such a hot topic in food and health right now!  If you're like me, you watched the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and ran out to immediately buy a juicer.  I even attempted a juice detox to cleanse and "reboot".  Now, after having the juicer about a year, I have to say that while I enjoy the occasional juice and its benefits, there are certainly some cons too.   After being gifted 6 lbs of carrots today (long story!) and 4 cabbages, I decided to make some juice.  Here's the good, the bad, the messy and the recipe! 


PROS:

1. Floods your body with nutrition
Yes, this is a very quick way to get your nutrition in!  You can really get your creative juices flowing (lol) and change up the veggies to suit your body and your dietary needs.  ;)

2. Great way to use leftover veggies
Say your garden is overflowing with tomatoes or cucumbers...or maybe you over-calculated the amount of {Insert fruit or veggie here} you needed for a recipe. Or you're going on vacation and need to get rid of all fresh produce.  Now you have a use for all of that goodness before it goes bad! 

3. Helps with detoxing
A quick dose of vitamins and minerals help the liver detox (flush out toxins) naturally. Juicing is a much safer detox than fasting completely, keeping you hydrated and nourished!

4. Easy to absorb
It doesn't require any real digestion because it lacks fiber and other complex carbohydrates.

5. Creates fantastic compost (seriously.)
The super-fine fiber remnants that are leftover decompose way faster than other veggie scraps, leaving you a rich compost for the garden.  

CONS:

1. Expensive
Very.  Especially if you go organic with your juice (which is a great idea especially when juicing your vegetables), it can cost a pretty penny.   A 4-day cleanse for 2 people cost us somewhere between $120-150!

2. Creates lots of waste
It's pretty sad to see that huge bowl/tub full of waste.  ESPECIALLY if you do not compost!

3. Messy clean-up
Imagine juice (beet juice especially) splattering your kitchen walls, counters.  Pulp everywhere.  A juicer that must be washed by hand.  This is not a quick and easy process.  It takes about 15 minutes to scrub the juicer down, and another 10 to wash, prep and juice your veggies. 

4. Removes fiber and it's benefits
Man cannot live on juice alone!  Fiber is what cleans our gut and is the food that our probiotics thrive on.  Plus, it moves things along... 

5.  Tons of SUGAR!
Most people like the taste of sweet, so they end up picking fruits and veggies (but mostly fruits) with a high sugar content.   While these drinks are delicious, it's a better idea to use the 80-20 rule (80% vegetables to 20% fruits) in order to keep your drink nutritious and cut back on the sugar.  One 16 oz glass of juice (as recommended as a meal replacement)  can have 90+ grams of sugar if you're picking (for example) apple-orange-pineapple!

(Look how much FIBER and SCRAPS are left over to make just over 50oz of juice!)

RECIPE 
Apple-Carrot-Ginger-Cabbage Juice

Carrots -  6 lbs peeled
Apples - 4 
Cabbage -  1 softball sized 
Ginger - 3 inch piece
Sea Salt  - to taste

Pretty tasty and kind of "zingy" with the cabbage & ginger.