Skinny Witch Services - THE SKINNY BLOG - Thoughts, Tips & more

Spring Is Here?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:59:01 GMT

This years weather sure has been a mixed bag of nuts hasn't it! It snowed April 20th !!! This morning however, it is beautiful blue skies, but cold enough to have a thin layer of ice on the bird bath. Which I donned my slip on shoes and dashed outside to take it off. When it hit the lawn it shattered like old plate glass. Rather interesting actually. The birds are happy though as now they have access to the water.

Darling Husband and I have been working in the yard. We have buckets and containers set up for various varieties of potatoes, including little purple ones! This will be the first time we have planted them in containers, so it will be an adventurous experiment for us both.

We are also planting the three sisters in one patch and sunflowers in another. Not heard of the three sisters before? It is a companion planting method that the Native Americans used. Corn, Beans and Squash.

So off to Richters Herbs I went with my amazing Sister Amanda and we picked up some plants as well as seeds. I got two packages of seeds from their SeedZoo. One being Volta White Maize and the other Ijevan #1 Red Runner Beans.

Volta White Maize

Ijevan #1 Red Runner Beans

We also have a plethora of other seeds to go in the yard as well. My lovely MIL gave us some Lupine seeds from P.E.I. a couple years back, so those will be going in the garden today, which is fitting really as we are looking to move to P.E.I. or New Brunswick in the not so distant future. My mother sent us a number of seeds from her garden as well. Plus we have been seed saving the seeds from various squash, melon, and peppers to grow too. Even the potatoes were store bought and then left on purpose to start throwing out eyes ready for planting.

Now some will say you can not grow potatoes from store bought ones, that it doesn't work. Well this will be our third or fourth year planting store bought eye'd potatoes, and each year they did great. In fact, last year we didn't plant any, but some had been missed in the harvest and they grew more for us. So it was a lovely surprise to say the least. This year it's container growing vs in the ground.

I also bought some Soapwort at Richters as well. Going to put that one in a container as well as I want to harvest the roots at the end of the season and try it out for laundry or shampoo.

I have also been experimenting with growing other kitchen scraps too. Mango seeds for instance, they seem easy enough to germinate, but my first one died off, so I have a few more going. Considering that DH and I are transitioning to raw veganism, with a high fruit content, this is not a problem. We also love our avocados too, and I save those lovely pits for planting as well. In fact I have about 30 of them soaking right now! But I also found out that they are great not only in a smoothie, (use half per serving), but you can bake them and then carve them for arts/crafts/jewelry! So they will never be put to waste now.

Baby Mango Tree!

I also have another seed on the go too, a rather large one at that. Coconut. Yes you can sprout and grow coconuts as well. So that is also an experiment in action too.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Spring and please, share with us what you are growing this year!

Cooked or Raw Vegan - What am I?

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:02:07 GMT

I love my raw foods, I also love my cooked foods too.

I have been cooking my foods for a rather long time now, as have most of us.

Last year I tried the raw food lifestyle and found it to be amazing for my health, energy, skin, hair, and more. Alas, fall turned into winter and I edged back into cooking my foods again. Looking for that warmth and comfort we are all pretty much used to.

The things I have noticed in myself though when I eat cooked versus raw are quite interesting.

Firstly bathroom trips are easier on a raw food diet. I really have not had any issues in there. My energy on a raw food intake is higher, I feel more alive and alert, plus the over all feeling of increased health has been duly noted too. I feel satisfied on raw foods, not stuffed. When I eat cooked foods, I feel lethargic, sluggish, can't think quite as quickly, energy is affected, and it takes a much longer time to break down and find its way out of my body! Not to mention, bloatedness and just a general feeling of "ugh" when compared to how I feel after a raw food meal.

So, I am in transition to raw foods. It is still winter here right now and I also have a number of things in the house that one really can only eat if cooked, rice for example, it's not that nice sprouted! Plus some varieties of beans you can not sprout as they are quite toxic and make one rather ill (kidney beans for example must be cooked in order to render them harmless).

So to any raw food vegans out there, I won't at this time claim to be 100% raw, that is not where I am at present, however, I am getting there.

As I increase the amount of raw foods the amount of cooked foods goes by the way side.

I think the only ongoing exception to this for both myself and hubby will be our teas and tisanes really. I expect that by the end of summer 2013 we will be fully into the rawsome world of high carb low fat raw veganism. I am not sure that we will strictly follow the 80/10/10 method of eating, but pretty much eat what we want, and do a lot of monoeating as the fruits come into season!

Monoeating, for those who are not familiar with it, is when you only eat one thing at a time for a meal, I had a pound of black grapes for lunch the other day, hubby had about 12 mini banana's! That's monoeating. Why do it? That's pretty simple, it's easier on your digestive system to deal with one type of food at a time. You see this in the wild with big apes and even little monkeys, plus other animals too, eating one type of food at a time, going from tree to tree and eating the same thing until they run across another food, then they stop and eat those.

Raw makes sense. We are after all the only animal on this gorgeous planet that subjects it's food to heat. So why do it?

I know that I will have cooked vegan meals now and then, with the activities and organizations we are involved with, it's inevitable, and we are ok with this. But 2013 will be our year to learn and do more raw foods and delve deeper into this amazing way of being.

Stay tuned, I will be posting how to make raw hummus soon!

The Angry Vegan

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:25:35 GMT

There is a lot of talk about vegans and their anger, or the vegan police as some call it. I have to say I have been guilty of it too, even if it has been in my head for the most part., but I do get caught up in it here and there too.

People wonder why this happens, well from my experience it is hard being an ethical vegan and not feel frustrated and angry when others say they are vegan yet do things like eat honey, eggs, fish, byproducts, or use products containing or tested on animals, or come across as supporting this system of death.

It's hard because we know the suffering that these animals endure to bring those products to the shelf. We have seen the articles, the videos, the stories, the news of the plight of these innocent beings who humans seem to feel belong to us to use as we see fit. So, it's often the case that those who are well versed in these things get stroppy and defensive when they see others say they are vegan yet seem to support or openly admit that they are doing things that are not vegan by strict definition.

Some of us really jump on those things and voice our concerns and feelings, which tend to be harsh and certainly come across as angry.

This is definitely causing some grief in the vegan community, and now that I am seriously thinking about it, it's not that productive when someone is trying to go vegan, is new to it, or has slipped up and made a mistake here or there.

There was a discussion lately about what do we should do with our non-vegan items from before we were vegan. Well, for me, I used all my non-vegan consumables up, and then bought vegan versions. There are other things like wool sweaters, leather boots, furniture, etc that are not so easy to just pitch and replace when the economics being like they are, and there are also gifts from people we have received that are of sentimental value and can not be replaced. What do we do with those?

For me, I only use my pre-vegan non-vegan things at home, I no longer use them in public as I feel that they give a mixed message. How can I promote the vegan way of life if I am sporting a leather shoe, with feather earrings and a wool cardigan? You can't... I am not in a position to just replace all items, and as I am a cheap and frugal person too, if it has use still, then I will use it, then replace it with a cruelty free item when it's no longer functional.

So some suggestions are to donate your animal based clothes, bedding to animal shelters for use there, donate other things to places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Homeless shelters, they will be put to good use, and no further harm really is being done, and it saves things from being sent to landfill which only harms our environment further. In a way it's giving some respect and honour to the animals who's lives were lost in the making of those items, especially when you give them to an animal rescue or shelter.

I wasn't always an ethical vegan, as opposed to being just a plant based eater. I started this journey in June 2008 with the move to ovo lacto vegetarian. As I learned more I stopped the egg and dairy consumption, but I still didn't concern myself with byproducts, and things made from or tested on animals. After I watched Earthlings (www.earthlings.com) in the early 2011 both myself and my husband went immediately to the ethical vegan position. Even then it was a learning curve, figuring out what byproducts in packaged goods were animal based was sometimes overwhelming, but with the myriad of phone apps, and little lists that you can order for free online, it made the job a whole lot easier.

Eventually we just naturally moved to a whole plant food based eating plan and have found identifying consumable products much easier as we got used to knowing what was what and what to look for on the labels.

It takes time, it takes patience, and for some this takes longer than others. Us ethical vegans need to remember this.

As I like to say:

Being vegan is not about being perfect, it's about doing the least harm using the resources available to you and making the right choices for the animals, the planet and your health.

The one thing that seriously bothers me deeply are the people I refer to as "willfully ignorant" , in other words, those that know the truth, yet openly choose to ignore what they have learned and continue on as if nothing is wrong.

I honestly can not understand how one can know the truth, the horrors, the environmental impact, and the absolute health cost associated with the consumption of animal products, yet still eat it. I actually sit and shake my head in astonishment that people can be that disconnected and lack compassion for not just the animals, but their own children's futures, and the future of this planet. Those are the ones that seriously get my back up. Thankfully I do not encounter them often.

However, on the flip side of that coin, there are those who are not aware of it, and they are as much of a victim of this horrendous system as the animals they consume and use are. They are the ones that I reach out too.

So do your best, knowing that your best changes from moment to moment, make more compassionate choices for the planet, the animals and you own health. Don't stop making those baby steps to a plant based lifestyle, as every move forward is a step in the right direction.

Being vegan is a beautiful way to live, it honestly impacts so many areas of your life, from your health, your inner peace, the environment and more. It feels good to know that I am no hurting animals by buying things that contain their bodies or secretions. If you are not yet there, then feel free to ask for assistance. There are a plethora of resources out there for you to use to help make this transition to this amazing way to live life.

Thank you.

Juicing and Oxalic Acid

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:02:00 GMT

Oxalic Acid and Juicing

Oxalic acid is naturally found in some foods.

Oxalic acid combines with metals such as calcium in the body to form oxalate crystals which can irritate the gut and kidneys. The most common kind of kidney stone is made of calcium oxalate.

Since oxalic acid binds vital nutrients such as calcium, long–term consumption of foods high in oxalic acid can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Healthy individuals can safely consume such foods in moderation, but those with kidney disorders, gout, osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis are typically advised to avoid foods high in oxalic acid or oxalates.

Oxalic acid requires exercise for it to be metabolized. If you get too much oxalic acid, then your body will begin to actually loose nutrients.

If you or your family history indicates there is an increased risk of experiencing such health problems as mentioned above, then avoid juicing vegetables and fruits that are high in oxalic acid.

Even if there is no history or cause to be concerned about kidney stones, gout, osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis, you should still only juice vegetables and fruits that are high in oxalic acid only occasionally and in smaller amounts.

Foods that contain significant concentrations of oxalic acid include (in decreasing order):

buckwheat
star fruit (carambola)
black pepper
parsley
poppy seed
rhubarb
spinach
chard
Beets and beet greens
banana
cocoa
chocolate
most nuts
most berries
and beans

In the case of rhubarb the only edible portion is the stalk because the root and leaves contain dangerously high concentrations of oxalic acid. The gritty feel one gets in the mouth when drinking milk with rhubarb desserts is caused by precipitation of calcium oxalate. Thus even dilute amounts of oxalic acid can readily "crack" the casein found in various dairy products.

Leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are also known to contain among the greatest measured concentrations of oxalic acid relative to other plants. However the infusion beverage typically contains only low to moderate amounts of oxalic acid per serving, due to the small mass of leaves used for brewing.

Oxalic acid and oxalates are mild nephrotoxic acids that are abundantly present in many plants, most notably fat hen (lamb's quarters), rhubarb and sorrel. Oxalic acid irritates the lining of the gut when consumed, and can prove fatal in large doses. The LD50 for pure oxalic acid is predicted to be about 375 mg/kg body weight, or about 25 g for a 65 kg human. Oxalic acid can also be present in the body due to the consumption of another toxin, ethylene glycol (generally known as automobile antifreeze), because over time, the body metabolizes ethylene glycol into oxalic acid. Bodily oxalic acid may also be synthesized via the metabolism of either glyoxylic acid or unused ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which is a serious health consideration for long term megadosers of vitamin C supplements.

Oxalic acid (IUPAC name: ethanedioic acid, formula H₂C₂O₄) is a dicarboxylic acid with structure (HOOC)–(COOH). Because of the joining of two carboxyl groups, this is one of the strongest organic acids. It is also a reducing agent. The anions of oxalic acid as well as its salts and esters are known as oxalates.

Oxalic Acid and Calcium

Since oxalic acid and calcium combine to create an indigestible compound, one should not juice oxalic rich foods and calcium rich foods together. An example would be spinach and broccoli.

One should also avoid eating calcium rich foods immediately after juicing vegetables high in oxalic acid. This includes food items such as milk, seaweed, tofu, tahini (ground sesame seeds), etc.

Oxalic Acid Content of Selected Vegetables

This table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8–11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.

Vegetable	Oxalic acid (g/100 g)
Amaranth	1.09
Asparagus	.13
Beans, snap	.36
Beet leaves	.61
Broccoli	.19
Brussels sprouts	.36
Cabbage	.10
Carrot	.50
Cassava	1.26
Cauliflower	.15
Celery	.19
Chicory	.21
Chives	1.48
Collards	.45
Coriander	.01
Corn, sweet	.01
Cucumbers	.02
Eggplant	.19
Endive	.11
Garlic	.36
Kale	.02
Lettuce	.33
Okra	.05
Onion	.05
Parsley	1.70
Parsnip	.04
Pea	.05
Pepper	.04
Potato	.05
Purslane	1.31
Radish	.48
Rutabaga	.03
Spinach	.97
Squash	.02
Sweet potato	.24
Tomato	.05
Turnip	.21
Turnip greens	.05
Watercress	.31

Source: Juicing Book @ juicingbook.com

WINTER WONDERLAND

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 02:25:32 GMT

Hard to believe that's me!

Ontario in winter, it sure is pretty, or at least most the time it is. We have been lovingly blanketed with soft cold white stuff, commonly known as snow, for the past few days. This morning as I looked out my kitchen window and was seeing the somewhat large flakes drift slowly to the sleeping earth, I had this urge to go out on a walk with hubby and take the camera with me. We bundled up, I put on a fall hunting jump suit, it's like a snow suit, but not water proof like one. However, with it, and a couple of layers, I was toasty warm. Although I looked a bit out of place wandering through the streets to our destination. Once I was in the glorious natural environment, I kind of blended in.

Now that I know that this new attire I have (which I acquired freely I might add) keeps me warm in winter, I will be outside a heck of a lot more. I don't look that small in it, but I can tell you this, I am glad I got it, and to be honest, so long as I am warm, I don't really mind what it looks like. Unlike myself when I was a teenager, I'd rather go cold vs put on something I didn't like! Glad I learned it's better to be warm, than not!

Here are some photos from today's three hour walk!

Never too old to swing!

Eating tree buds. Tasty.

A snow covered, weed grown path to somewhere.

Muskrat (dead centre of photo) eating in the stream

Beavers live here. They have quite the dam going!

Sad Goose in the Snow. It's mate had been killed by coyotes. We found it further down the stream.

We also did some plant identifying in their winter states while out there. One of these is edible, one isn't. If you don't know, then don't eat either!

New Years Intentions & Update

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:37:41 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What will 2013 bring, well looking out through my office window I see snow. Drifting around every so gently. As for what this year will bring, I honestly do not know, but I know that I will be a better person for it, a healthier one, and ultimately happier.

I had posted on Facebook on January 1st what my New Years Intent is for 2013. This is what I had written:

"My New Years Intent:

I walk my path, as we all walk our own paths, sometimes there are obstacles to overcome, tunnel under, go around, but they are never insurmountable, time helps, if time is give the time to work that is.
With this in mind, it is my intent to apply spiritual divine love to all things I do this year, to be mindful to remain in the now, and not let my past haunt me like it does or affect me negatively in social situations, to work on my book, and to do the best I can in all moments of my life. To love people regardless, and to do the least harm to all things with all aspects of my lifestyle (vegan ethics showing there), and to continue to improve my body's condition."

THE GYM:

Hubby has joined the gym with me now, so we are now working out as a team, which is fun. We are going five days a week at the moment. We also ride our bikes to do our shopping, unless the distance or weather are too much to ride.

JULIE, YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK!

After much prompting over the past four years now from my friends, I have also undertaken to write a cookbook. YES! I am writing, finally, the book my friends online and in person have been saying I should be doing for the past few years now. This book will be special as it will not just be a vegan cook book, but also frugal, gluten free (no wheat of any kind), corn free and soy free, including byproducts from those ingredients. I am also endeavouring to use readily or more easily available ingredients, so it's user friendly. Especially with the gluten free baked goods! I have my recipe testers set up, and am now starting to work on the recipes I have already compiled and take them to a healthier gluten/corn/soy free status.

HOW'S THE WEIGHT LOSS?

My official starting weight for 2013 is 165.8 lbs. I put a few on over the holidays with all my baked goods, and higher fat/sugar content foods. It won't take long to shed it though. I often get asked what my goal weight is now, I can not exactly say that I have a new goal weight per say. I know that I have about 15 to 20 lbs of body fat to still work off, and probably gain 10 or more lbs of muscle with the weight training. I figure when all is said and done, I will be between 150 and 160 lbs. However, my goal now is to lean up, strengthen and increase my endurance versus focusing on the weight aspect.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

I am slowly updating my website, redesigning it, and my focus. Spending more time on the book this year, vs services I think, blogging more frequently as well giving progress updates, sneak peaks at recipes that will be in it, as well as anything health related.

I also find so many wonderful photos with words on Facebook, and G+ that I am considering starting to blog about them, have my favourite of the day posted. As well as my video of the day too, not "my" video, but one I have watched and am sharing. Although, I am considering doing some videos myself at some point.

Something else I have come to find is my sense of "this is me". I am who I am, you are who you are, and not much can really change that. So I am also learning more about accepting who I am, some of the limitations I personally have, and finding out how to work with those, as well as overcome them as well. The biggest thing are those old tapes that play in your head, old messages that still linger in your brain from days gone by, the "not good enough" syndrome if you will. Or even experiences that were hard and emotionally charged, that still rear their not so pleasant heads from time to time. It's about being aware of what you are experiencing, and being in the NOW. I know it will take time, but that is something I have.

FRUGAL LIVING?

The other key to 2013 for us here at home is frugal living, remembering to turn off lights, unplug things that "glow" when off even, reduce, reuse, reclaim, freecycle, make myself, and of course recycle to reduce costs.

I do such things as save my juice pulp, dehydrate it, and then grind it to use as extra fibre in my baking, it replaces at least 1/4 of my flour requirements and adds amazing flavours and benefits. It also reduces my waste, and my costs.

I will be sharing these things over the course of the year. Especially as many people feel that living as a vegan, not consuming animal products, reducing processed foods, and going whole fruits/veggies and doing things like juicing is expensive. I will admit, depending where you live, it could be rather expensive, say if you are North of 60 for instance, or in sparsely populated cold climates, however, if you are like us, and reside in or near a larger populated area and have standard grocery stores, like Loblaws, TNT, FoodyMart, NoFrills, Sobeys, and the rest (Canadian stores), then stay tuned. For I will be sharing my shopping finds and how to save money in the stores eating whole food plant based.

Are you excited, I know we sure are. Have a blessed day and an amazing 2013! Peace, Love, Compassion and Great Health to you all.

21 Days of Juice. My thoughts.

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:41:04 GMT

So myself and my darling husband decided to do a 3 day juice feast, then I said 3 days is not enough, lets do 7 days.

That would have been ok. Until I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (again) and we decided to do a full 10 day juice feast.

When we got to about day 7 or 8, we felt so amazingly great we decided to shoot for a full 30 days.

We managed a 21 day juice fast in the end, and we are very happy with the results.

I think the things that stand out the most was not the 12lbs of weight loss, it wasn't the glow our skin took on after a few short days, or how great we were feeling, it was the bringing our eating habits to a totally new level of awareness that got me excited about it all.

I don't own this photo. Credit goes to it's creator, not me.

The first two days we both noticed that we randomly just grabbed for things and noshed on them without even being aware we were doing it. We thankfully were eating things like grapes & tomatoes from our garden for the first two days.

Day three we were good, we went shopping, and a box of Cadbury's Chocolate Fingers called my name. Now being vegan I would not have eaten them anyway, but would have satisfied myself and that sensation of GIVE IT TO ME NOW, by choosing a vegan option instead. Being that we were on the feast it gave me the opportunity to examine why I felt that way. Before I had even left the store I had come to the realization that it was attached to a lovely memory of good happy family times at Yule, as that is when we'd typically have those particular cookies.

So there was lesson number one. The emotional attachment to various foods.

Then on Day 8 we were at the Markham Museum manning the Markham Lions Club Memorabilia room, we had juice with us, we even bought fresh pressed apple cider while there, and drank that, but here I was, wanting fries off the chip truck, with vinegar and ketchup. Certainly not healthy, nor raw, nor what I needed to have, but we had some anyway. I couldn't finish mine, they were just hot lumps of tasteless grease. The chemically brutalized ketchup tasted better than the fries.. it was gross. Now the memory of fries makes me drool, but I seriously doubt I'd eat any at this particular point in time now. I felt totally bloated, crampy, sluggish and grumpy the next day...

All went fine again for a while, then we had company over, I cooked a meal for the girls as well as our guest. We partook of it, although not much in quantity. Again I felt bloated and grumpy and sluggish all over again the next day but wasn't nearly as bad as when I had eaten those hot lumps of greasy nothingness!

Then all was fine again until we had company over, and poof, we are eating what I had cooked yet again. Are you seeing a theme here? I hadn't seen that yet.

I found that when I had been out and about with my sister, Amanda, I wanted to eat, this time I satiated that feeling by having fresh grapes with me as a just in case. I did eat a few of them, but not a whole lot. Sis had a lovely looking and smelling vegan bran muffin with tons of fruit in it, she offered me some, and I actually turned it down without even thinking about it. I had my grapes, I didn't need baked goods.

The fourth time was when we broke the fast, after, once again, company was here and I was making hummus for them. Sure enough, that was it, here I was noshing on hummus and tortilla wraps. That was the end of day 21. I decided that given the fact that our juicers blade was so dull it was creating smoothies vs juice, and that now the joy of eating was calling my name, I felt it was time to say enough. Lets look at what we've done, learned, and feeling and ponder it for a while. Not too mention, DD2 brought home a lovely bug that hubby got, I felt it for a bit, but didn't take hold, so we decided we were done. (For now)

So I have come to learn that I and hubby, and probably many of us out there associate eating with social time, with memories of the past (that honestly, we can't re-live by putting food in our mouths), and what we think of as polite or not.

When company comes, I was brought up to feel that it's impolite to eat different foods from what you are feeding your guest.

So, the next time we do this, it will be with better preparation, a better game plan, as really this was to be a three day fast, then seven, then ten, then thirty in a matter of 8 days... we were excited, we hadn't planned, but it was our first time doing anything like this too. So it's a great learning curve we are on.

Thirty Day juice feast will happen again in the not so distant future, probably after Yule. I've been off my feast now for what is now four days, and I have no desire really for cooked foods, even the soup I made I tasted it, tried two spoonfuls and said "nope"... and went for a bowl of grapes, Brazil nuts and a green plum!

So for me now, I am most definitely a raw whole food vegan. Now I am not at that 100% mark, not sure I will be given the climate I am in, and that many of the nuts we get here in Ontario are pasteurized and therefore not raw, that and my ginger tisane I drink daily isn't raw either. But that's about where it sits for me at present, about 90% on the minimum is raw for me at present. Part of me misses my cooked foods, but in looking at it, it's habits I am missing, not the food itself.

Very pleased with what I have learned in 21 days about myself and my relationship with food. I urge you to research this for yourself and see if it is something you may wish to try yourself.

Happy Juicing!

TEN DAYS OF JUICE! Day By Day Log!

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:42:36 GMT

Rebooting Savoys!

So hubby and I decided to undertake a ten day reboot by juicing. In other words, we are doing a juice fast, or feast in our case. There is no nutritional deprivation or starvation, just lots of yummy yummy juice!

One of my reasons is that I had recently started eating things I really know I shouldn't, like bread, crackers, pasta... wheat belly issues... so it's break the habits for me, and detox, esp as wheat causes me to gain weight, 176.6lbs right now. I was 167lbs... wasn't happy about that result from wheat eating. :-(

DAY ONE!

OK, So day one of a ten day juice fast. Now I have never done a fast like this before , or any other fast for that matter.

Something I noticed by lunch time, was that I wanted to "chew on something" , that's the biggest thing I found a challenge, to stop the general grazing on grapes, tomatoes and other noshables in my kitchen. I did catch myself eating cherry tomatoes, grapes and I baked bread that day too, so hubby and I shared a small piece as a kind of treat/reward for being so good on our first day! (there is that wheat thing again)

DAY TWO!

This juice was awesome, had difficulty with the evening smoothie, too thick. So thinking I'm a juice girl through and through.

Still noticed that I just want to graze when I travel through the kitchen. although not as bad as the first day.

Got "cravings" for wheat products and salty things... no sugar cravings but then again, didn't expect any, we are natural fruit eaters, we are supposed to like fruits/sweets... fruit = natures candy!

I have to admit, I did pinch a small slice of my home made bread, then seriously regretted it as my stomach went into knots! Wheat is not my friend!!! (but man it's got a hold on us all)

Today's Favourite Juice Combination: 3 apples,
2 orange beet,
1lb carrot
big knob of ginger
1/2 a honeydew melon
1 English cucumber
and 1 orange
Smashing!

DAY THREE!

First day "out" with a juice fast on the go. I am a member of the Markham Lions Club, and we were helping our local hospital today with their annual staff appreciation day bbq. Serving veggie burgers, beef burgers, pop, chips and sweet corn on the co with scads of butter. Veggie burgers smelled awesome, corn looked lovely, regular chips used to be my sinful friend, and pop, well, lets just not go there! lol.

I went with the most amazing juice.
1 large beet
4 apples
2 oranges
1/2 honeydew melon
1 english cucumber
large piece of ginger
1 fennel bulb
1 turnip.

Purple and delish!

So having a juice with me, actually two jars worth, really helped, I ate nor drank anything but my juice and water.
Happy to say I didn't "eat" anything today. But wow, that juice is awesome.

DAY FOUR :-)

Today was a great day, I wasn't really tempted to eat anything solid today, I did find an emotional trigger for food though, when I was out shopping with my DH I walked past a box of Cadbury's Chocolate Fingers and those I used to eat by the box load! So I saw them, and instantly wanted them, being vegan I wouldn't touch them now anyway, however, I did become very aware of what my brain was telling my stomach!!! Had I not been on a juice fast I probably would have gone for the accidentally vegan cookies in the next aisle, but I didn't. I am glad that happened as it has really brought awareness to why I eat.

Today's Favourite Juice has to be the one we had in the morning.

4 apples
2 oranges
1 red beet
2 orange beets
1 cucumber
2 nectarines
1/2 honeydew melon
1 lemon

DAY FIVE - HALF WAY THERE

This was my profile photo on Facebook and comment today: "Good Morning, this is the morning of Day 5 of my juice fast, I need a shower, but this is me when I get up, no make up, no nothing, amazing how I feel. and 6lbs in 5 days is blowing my mind, energy to spare too... wow "

My status which I had done a few minutes before was this "Ok so today is the morning of Day Five of the juice fast.
I feel incredible, and I suspect this is only going to get better as I continue with it.
Just about to upload a snap I just took of myself with the new camera, fresh out of bed, not even showered yet, no make up, no nothing just me... I bet you will see the difference too. Amazing what 5 days of raw fresh veg/fruit juice can do for you!!!! Thinking about going a full 30 now!"

If you are out and about and out of juice, look for something like this, all fruit juices and banana... can't go wrong with that choice.

DAY SIX!

Today I was suffering with what I call a "storm headache" basically it's a headache induced by the change in air pressure with different weather systems that move through the area. So nothing much was accomplished today, save for some rest.

Today's juice was heavy on the carrots, and other orange coloured foods, oranges, carrots, sweet potato, apples, ginger, lemon, strawberries and cucumber.

DAY SEVEN

Wasn't an easy day today when compared to say Day four or five, but it was fine none the less, still wanting to "eat wheat" by the evening, my baked bread has never lasted this long before, now I know who really eats it , hubby mostly, then me and the kids! LMAO.

This juice was to die for by the way... so yummy!

1 pint strawberries
1 pint green grapes
1 asian pear
1 apple
3 cactus fruit
1 large papaya
1 knob ginger
2 nectarines
1 lemon

DAY EIGHT

Hubby, daughter #1 and I went to the Markham Museum today. Hubby and I are members of one of the local Lions Clubs and so we were manning the Lions Memorabilia room at the museum. Bought 8L of fresh pressed apple cider.

Today's Juice:
3 oranges
1 pint green grapes
3 apple
1 large papaya
1 knob ginger
1 english cucumber
1 red pepper
2 orange beets
1 lemon

At the fair we did an experiment. We both ate a plate of chip truck fries with vinegar and ketchup. I could not finish mine, Glenn did out of spite I think, lol, spite for spending $4 on a plate of greasy, tasteless, dead potatoes loaded with fats! LOL. I felt weighted down, bloated, sluggish, and blah...

DAY NINE

I think todays best juice was the fresh apple cider from the Museum we picked up yesterday, one single ingredient: locally grown apples. That's it. Love it!

They actually press it on an old stone apple press at the Museum. Made for a nice change of pace.

Didn't do a whole heck of a lot today to be honest. Made a couple of juice smoothies. This is where you make your juice as normal, then toss it in the blender with a plantain or a banana and whiz it together. So had a couple of those today using the standard fruits/veg combo's we have learned to love here at home. Apple, orange, carrot, ginger. Then toss in whatever needs using up!

Yesterdays experiment in junk food didn't have any long lasting ill effects, happy to say, but the bloating, heavy, sluggish feelings, longer wait time on the loo, etc.. not worth it.. but live and learn, at least now I can say "don't do this when you are fasting, or....." with honest experience behind me.

DAY TEN - WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

Day Ten, I honestly didn't think I'd make it to day 10. I was originally going to do a 3 day fast only. After watching Fat Sick & Nearly Dead for the third time, we went from 3 days, to 7 to a full 10 instead. Good Movie, strongly recommend it.

Anyway, so I ended up with some detox symptoms by late afternoon today, only watery stools. The only things I can figure it was were either the fries I had late on Day Eight, or the store bought OJ I had when out shopping earlier today. That stuff that's in those bottles is NOT juice no matter what it says, trust me.. lol. But in a pinch, it's much better than the alternatives!

RESULTS/THOUGHTS

(not SWS image, found on FB - if you know the creator, please let me know)

WOW!!!!
Ok, so the results are in, and let me tell you something, I am seriously looking forward to the next 20 day's of fasting. In fact both hubby and I have already said that we dig this, and can see ourselves juicing/smoothies daily, and having a light raw meal at night, plus other snacking foods like nuts, seeds, avocados (for hubby he needs the heavy calories, I don't) and kale chips, almond cheeze, etc too. But juicing will forever be part of our lives, that's for certain!

Yes, there have been days where I really would have loved to eat a slice of bread, darn that addictive wheat stuff that makes my belly bloat and gain weight! I haven't really craved anything other than wheat products, salty things, and the occasional fatty foods (fries)..

So I added avocado back into my diet for two days, ate one, as is, and that fixed that fat craving issue.

Things I have learned about myself. Most of my "bad food wants" are emotionally based. I discovered that when I ran across some Cadbury's Chocolate Fingers in the store, not that I'd eat them anyway as they are not vegan, but I would have otherwise picked up some vegan chocolate cookies to replace them with. The thing about emotional eating, you will NEVER feel what you felt before that is associated with the food in question. For me that was a happy childhood memory associated with presents and food, lots of sweet fatty salty Christmas foods... that's when we ate those. If I wasn't on the fast, I wouldn't have made that realization.

Convenience is another deal breaker. We take juice with us to places we are unsure if we can get juice (store bought that is) where we are going. But regardless, it's easier and better for you to juice up before you go anyway, and take a jar of it with you! Running errands on my bike with hubby made me aware of how easy it is to just grab a veggie burger, or pop, or whatever and eat it on the run. Bad habit that one!

So what have I noticed physically in the 10 days of nothing but amazing fresh fruit/veg juice and 2 avocados (a plate of fries, and some grazing on tomatoes and grapes, and a slice of bread or two)?
Well let's see. I have more brain energy, physically I am seriously energetic, can go go go, but the brain fog since my surgery is making me fatigued mentally, which as we all have experienced with this, makes you lethargic to say the least. So that's going away nicely now. I can think clearer too. Emotionally I am more aware. My skin is brighter and was glowing by day 5 (or so I was told on Facebook at least). I am sleeping better. When I wake up I am alert again (that was another thing I was struggling with since the surgery in April) and thinking faster. My eyes are brighter (didn't think that was possible) and I feel absolutely amazing.

Oh and I guess you are waiting for something here aren't you?

I told you I was 176.6lbs when I started this on Day 1.

As of the morning, I am 168.4 lbs, that's 8.2lbs off my body.

Now don't forget this will be a combination of fat, water, and "crap" in my digestive system. So, please don't think that a 10 day juice fast is your next weight loss diet. It's not about weight, it's about health and changing your eating habits and lifestyle to one of health and wellness. But it sure is an added benefit, I will say that much!

Oh, and it's official... Today is Day 11.. of 30!

So Excited!

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:58:47 GMT

To say I am excited is an understatement. With the punishment I put my little $40 blender through I am really looking forward to getting this one by the end of the month.

I make a lot of nut based cheezes for hubby, he with his high metabolism and 6 day a week cardio bike workouts going to and from work, he had been gaining lots of lean muscle, but losing body fat like there is no tomorrow. So nut cheeze it is.

My little standard blender chokes, sputters and heats up both the motor but also my food I am trying to blend. Same with grinding nuts, seeds, etc, just heats the food too much.

When you heat your food, you are not only reducing it's nutritional value, but also destroying the enzymes. It also oxidizes your foods, which depletes it's nutritional content as well.

I had done a fair bit of research, questioning people, what to get, the big V or the Blendtec with the 4" blade. After many conversations, facebook comments, youtube video watching, and reading reviews. I decided on the Blendtec. Here is my reasoning.

1. It's cheaper. Over $100 cheaper actually. Even more if you find the right place to shop.
2. It's warranty is longer, by 2 years. That's a good point to keep in mind.
3. It's larger, can hold more and there for do more for me at once, reducing my time spent in the kitchen.
4. It's one large blade in that large carafe will make it that much easier to clean, vs trying to get around numerous sharp blades

5. It doesn't heat up your food like the big V does, so it's not oxidizing it as much, nor subjecting it to heat.
6. No need for a tamping device to push your foods into the blades, this sucks it right down from what I've seen/read/etc.

7. Little more compact, easier to fit under cupboards on the counter.

So there you have it, this is why I chose it.

Once I get it, I will be putting it to the test with almond nut cheezes, grinding seeds, and more. I will probably reserve my standard one for grinding hard things up first, to preserve the life of the blendtec blade, although a good mill, hand cranked would be great in the kitchen too. Then I can gift this one to someone in need

Wild Plant Powered Juice!

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:30:47 GMT

There is something to be said for growing your own green goodness, homegrown whether intentional or something that just happens to be in your yard, or a friendly neighbours is just amazing to use as a regular food source.

Personally I love wildcrafting my herbs and edibles. From Garlic Mustards to Dandelions and Violets, there is always something out there that one can munch on, or in this case, juice!

Here is today's star, the orange day lily, I have a whack of it growing in my yard, ok, well not a whack, but enough that it's both pretty and a useful food source as I have come to learn.

The flowers, buds, and leaves are edible for humans, the older waxy leaves are very very fibrous, my juicer had a hard time with it actually, so I guess it would be like trying to juice leeks, not exactly recommended.

Stinging Nettle, wonderful energizing plant, great for women in particular, and so nutritious, but be careful when harvesting, it does sting, I can't pick it without being stung, so I use gloves, however when just gardening, it never gets me, even if I reach right on in to it, although hubby, he gets stung just looking at it.

You can also see the lavender flower peeking out on the right and the garden mint and day lily leaf here too, as well as the wild strawberry leaves, which as it happens are more nutritious than the berries themselves!

So here is to good health and wild edibles or rather, juiceables.

The actual ingredients for this juice were as follows:

1 day lily flower & buds

1 day lily leaf or two
1 stalk rampant garden mint
1 handful of wild violet leaves
1 luscious lavender flower with stalk and leaves
1 stalk of sensitive stinging nettle
1 bunch beautiful beet leaves
2 stalks of hydrating celery
2 succulent navel oranges
1 very red delicious apple
1 knob of gentle ginger
4 large sensational strawberry leaves

When collecting anything from the great outdoors, whether it be in your yard, a field, park or elsewhere, if you are not 100% certain that the plant you are going to eat is edible for humans, please, DO NOT EAT IT! Always do your research first and double check that again. I've been eating wild edibles and have been practicing self taught herbology on myself and family for over 2 decades now. Stay safe out there!