Tell Me Your Juice-Story! - Here's Mine...

Tell me why you started juicing, how it's changed your health for the better and your favorite recipe!

I'll select parts of all of your comments for my upcoming eBook to be released in the fall. 

Juicing for me started in 2005 when I began working at Whole Foods Market in the Vitamin Department. Everyone in that department was so into eating naturally, we were all taking herbal tinctures of this or that, taking antioxidants and learning what we could about ways to be healthier. Our job was to help people find what they were looking for to be healthier themselves. It was a fun and exciting time for me. I was in my mid twenties and there was always something fun to do with my crew from "The Foods". 

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Fasting Q&A with Modern Hippie

I recently had a friend reach out to me and tell me she was ready to do a fast.  She was excited and full of lots of great questions.  I've decided to share them with you (with her permission of course). For any of you on the fence or those that also have questions, this might be helpful.  To the left is a helpful book by Steve Meyerowitz on Juice Fasting.  Below are her questions and my answers. Her questions are a bit advanced but some are also fundamental for fasting. More updates on her progress will follow. Enjoy!  

"Hi Dez,  Ok, so I read all that I could find on your blog about fasting. I'm so glad that I did because I learned about weaning the certain foods & junk from my diet beforehand. I'm glad to have been doing the Maker's Diet since July so eliminating most of this won't be hard for me.  

Now, for the questions about the actual fast..."

Q 1. During the fast, I should drink appropriate amounts of h2o, right? Half my body weight in ounces?

A 1. Drinking clear liquids is important. I'm not even very good at this one; Drink 50 to 70 ounces of pure water on top of your juicing and herbal infusions and you'll be just fine:)

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Juicing Sweet Potatoes does WHAT?

I was preparing for my juicing class last week and came across the juiciest little tidbit about Sweet Potatoes.  They are considered a "power food", meaning that they are very therapeutic.  

These pretty babies contribute to healthy connective tissue and even speed the healing of wounds.  They reduce the risk of cancer and osteoporosis and support healthy bones in general. They also help balance cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease.  

ALL valuable attributes, but that's not what caught my eye:

Some research has indicated that consuming sweet potatoes may increase the likelihood of conceiving twins! 

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First Juicing Class; Many more to come!

I'm so excited today because my first ever juicing class yesterday was an enormous success!  I had more people in class than ever before with 19 in attendance and I had alot of great questions, excellent participation from people there and I had 4 people drive from almost 2 hours away in Ann Arbor!  Thanks guys!

If you have questions on juicing, fasting or natural health, my ideas and experiences are just a click away.  Check out the blog for all my detox info, fasting tidbits and ways to be more naturally healthy, pharmaceutical free and happy!

A SPECIAL thanks to my lovely Sister Destinee without whom the class would have been complete chaos!  Your the best "Vanna" ever!  Love you!

Why I fast.

Today is day 12 of my Juice Fast (or juice feast as I'm trying to call it).  Juicing has really improved my health in the last year.  My digestion has improved; less bloating, gas, all that fun stuff has diminished.

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Calcium Deposits: How we get them, How we get RID of them.

I recently had a friend reach out to me and ask what he could do for a calcium deposit in his shoulder.  I recommended that he started getting a very mineral rich diet intake, juicing vegetables rich in sodium. Celery, for example is high in sodium, which is a necessary nutrient for the body. Not the type of sodium that your french fries are coated in; This is the sodium found in abundance in vegetables such as celery and even in fruits.  I also mentioned to begin avoiding when possible "enriched with Calcium" products such as Orange Juice, Soy Milk, Rice milk or any type of enriched processed foods.  

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Internal Body Cleansing: The Final Cut; Part V

Thanks for your patience as I got my poop in a group this month.  I wanted to start a cleanse sooner but I suppose everything is as it should be.  It's better to do a cleanse in the spring or the fall (although it's not quite in the air yet) it is on the horizon, cooler mornings, shorter days...

So just to break it down for you, here's what you need to buy:

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Internal Body Cleansing Part II: The Scoop on Dairy & When NOT to Cleanse.

Let me give you just a little background on dairy so you can fully understand why this is a no-no for cleansing purposes.

Dairy: First and foremost Dairy is acid forming food in the body. There is much to learn on the topic of pH balance but to keep it simple all the bodies organs (accept the stomach) work BEST in a slightly alkaline environment. Also Dairy, yummy as it may be, is mucous forming in the body. So that cold you can't kick or the phlegm in your throat you just cant seem to shake can sometimes be dairy related.

But then you say, "What about my Calcium?"

What's interesting about that (and what the milk industry doesn't want you to know) is that when milk is pasteurized, precious HEALTHY bacteria and enzymes needed for calciums absorption are completely destroyed. Milk IS a good source of Calcium; Unfortunately the milk we have access to commercially (whether it's organic or conventional) contains calcium that is NOT accessible by our body because it lacks the enzymes necessary for us to process it.

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Internal Body Cleansing; Live longer, Feel Better, Look Amazing!

"First Cleanse: Cleansing for Beginners" Part I

Hey there Hippies! I just want to say THANK YOU, for giving me the opportunity to help you begin a cleanse. And if your not there yet, that's OK! Below is a description for what I call "First Cleanse: Cleansing for Beginners".  It's going to break down what to eat during a cleanse & what not to eat and why.  Most importantly I explain how to ease into the cleanse to mitigate the PAIN that detoxification can sometimes bring.  Take it slow! Keep it simple. Buy a juicer!

First I want you to ask yourself;
What do I intend to accomplish with this cleanse?

• Weight loss?
• Better Health?
• Mental Clarity?
• Renewed Energy levels
• Cleansing of environmental toxins?
• All of the Above?

Cleansing and fasting are different paths you can take to accomplish similar goals to renew your body, heal sick or diseased tissue or just get more pep in your step.  

When you eliminate foods that convolute the body's functions, you give it a chance not only to work efficiently, but allow the body to heal itself,  repairing damage done over a lifetime. With this comes some difficult days and some amazing days. No matter what though- your body WILL thank you for it. 

 

So how do you start?

There are so many ways to cleanse. You don't have to fast! Although I have fasted many times and have always loved the results. Everyone is different! Below I will describe Part I of "First Cleanse for Beginners" with more to follow:)

If you have any questions, just shoot me a message on Facebook.com/modernhippielife or email me at desiree@modernhippie.org

The easiest way to transition into a cleanse is to PREPARE!
For 1 week (or two if you want to go slower) prior to beginning any cleansing program you must systematically remove the following foods from your diet.

• Dairy
• Alcohol
• Refined Sugar (table sugar)
• Bread and most grains
• Meat
• Caffeine or Tea ( herbal teas are acceptable)

I know you must be thinking, What am I going to eat?
First of all, don't quit these things cold turkey (pun intended). Each day remove one food category from your diet. Start with the easiest for you. Maybe you hardly drink, or almost never indulge in sugar; Start with those.

Each day that you remove something from your diet, shift your meals to include more and more vegetables and fruits- Especially the veggies! Try to eat vegetables with every meal. If your already eating alot of fruits and vegetables try to eat as many RAW vegetables as possible. Raw fruits and veggies are completely uncooked. The following are wonderful examples of vegetables and fruits to eat raw;
 

• Spinach
• Romaine lettuce or ANY type of lettuce except iceburg
• Kale
• Tomato
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Onion 
• Garlic
• Apples
• Pears
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Sprouts

This should get you started. If you want some ideas for homemade raw dressings; I can help you out there too.
 

Just to reiterate, in that first week you are removing the above Six Food Categories;
dairy, alcohol, sugar, wheat and most grains, meat and caffeine.

In Part II of this blog post I'll tell you WHY you should systematically remove these ingredients from your diet for a cleanse.  I'll put that out tomorrow to get you rolling for the weekend!  :)

Happy Cleansing!

My First, My Last, My Everything

Ok, so this is my very first ever blog post.  whew- feels good!  I think this morning I'll talk about what's at the forefront of my mind.  Breakfast.  They say that Wheaties™ are the breakfast of champions. Or maybe it's bacon and eggs?  

From what I'm learning at school and in my own adventures in eating, it's neither.  The true breakfast of champions is a bit on the boring side, maybe even a bit further to the granola side.  And no it's not granola either. 

It's juice.  100% freshly squeezed vegetable juice with a small amount of fruit.  If you don't have a juicer but you've thought about the investment even once,  put down your half-cafe soy latte and go get one!  It really doesn't matter the brand at first,  I got mine at Costco about 5 years ago and she's still juicin' strong.

Juice IS the breakfast of champions for 3 main reasons. 

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