Colonista: One Woman's Search for the World's Best Colon Cleansing

Juice Recipes to Keep You Going

I’m back into juicing and wanted to share some recipes that I found particularly tasty:

 Jogger’s Juice

3 oranges

2 pears

1 small yam

 Not only is this juice extremely tasty, but it is also packed with nutrients that will keep athletes active.

 

High Energy Juice

2 yams

2 lemons

1 beet

1 stalk of celery

1 slice of Spanish onion

1 slice of ginger

 

Have a long day ahead of you? Start out with this juicing recipe and feel the energy boost.

 

Licorice Elixir

1 bulb of fennel

2 apples

½ beet (with greens)

 

Fennel tastes a lot like licorice but is really good for you! If you’re a licorice lover, get ready for this licorice elixir that will blast your taste buds.

The Three Worst Juicing Books: Save Your Money!

There’s nothing more disappointing than becoming interested in a subject and then stocking up on books about said subject just to find out that they…well, they suck.  Here are three books that I bought when I became infatuated with juicing—take my advice, and save your money!

 

1. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juicing -  Ellen Brown

 

I’m usually a huge fan of the Complete Idiot’s Guides.  However, this one fell short for me.  It seemed as though the information was sloppily thrown together, and there wasn’t any sort of easy way to navigate the book.  Also, no pictures makes my eyes hurt when I’m sitting down to read for an hour or so!  There are many other juicing books that give much more in depth information about juicing—this book seemed to approach juicing from an extremely elementary standpoint and left me wanting more.

 

2. More Super Juice:  Juicing for Health and Healing -  Michael van Straten

Simply put:  this is not a book dedicated to juicing.  As I went through the recipes, I saw many that included dairy such as goat’s milk.  I am all for experimenting and trying new things, but when I buy a book about vegetable and fruit juicing, I don’t want to be incorporating dairy—it goes completely against my juicing practices!

 

3. Dr. Jensen’s Juicing Therapy:  Nature’s Way to Better Health and a Longer Life - Bernard Jensen

 

I was so bummed out after I received this book in the mail.  I was looking forward to a new variety of juicing recipes and found….none.  Well, scratch that:  I found a few “blended” recipes.  Sorry, kids.  That’s not juicing.  This book would be better called “Dr. Jensen’s Blended Vegetable and Fruit Therapy.”

 

Want to know what I’m up to?  Add me at www.twitter.com/colonista

 

 

 

The Three Best Juicing Books

 You know that I’m a juicing fanatic.  Now it’s time for me to share with you where I get some of my best juicing tips and recipes.  Following are the three best juicing books that I have come across—get out your pen and paper and write down the titles and authors of these beauties!

1.Complete Book of Juicing:  Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality   - Michael T. Murray

This book is chocked full of great information about juicing.  Murray has included a variety of fruit and veggie juice recipes, so you’ll never be at a loss for juice recipe ideas again!  This is an all around great guide for the juice lovers—if you even have a small interest in juicing, I would recommend that you start with this essential and complete book.

2.  The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing   - Jay Kordich

 

While I must say that I was at first very turned off by the cheesy cover photo, I was impressed and stoked when I peered between the covers.  This book is written by a juice lover who used juicing to better his health after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.  His story is inspiring, his information is helpful, and his recipes are palate-pleasing.

3. The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health   - Cherie Calborn

 

I love it when women take an interest in alternative and holistic medicine, and I love reading books written by these women.  It makes me feel as though the author and I are blood sisters, as we both are women whose passion lies in bettering our health and the health of those around us.  Calborn’s book is beautifully illustrated and is written in such a way that will keep you wanting to learn more about the art of juicing.

 

What are your favorite juicing books?

 

Three Yummy and Nutritious Juicing Recipes

You will surely fall in love with the following three juicing recipes that I’ve found—I know that I have!

Veggie Juice Recipe That Doesn’t Taste Like Veggies

 3 Celery Stalks

6 Carrots

1-2 Handfuls of Spinach

1 Handful of Parsley

Flushing Recipe

½-1 Cucumber

1-2 Beets

4 Carrots

Popeye’s Recipe

1-2 Large Handfuls of Spinach

5 Carrots

1 Beet

Three Tips to Make Your Juicing Experience Better

1.  Clean, clean, clean!

It is EXTREMELY important that you clean your juicer right after you juice. This will prevent your juicer being contaminated with mold—yuck, right?

A great way to clean your juicer is to add a few drops to the machine and run it for a minute or two. Then rinse it several times, very thoroughly.

2. Rotate the veggies you use!

Make sure that you aren’t juicing the same vegetables day in and day out. It is very important for you to rotate the veggies you juice. If you do not rotate the veggies that you use, you could become allergic to those delicious greens!

3. Add essential oils to your juice!

Vegetable juices lack necessary fats and proteins, so it’s very important that you add supplemental oils to make up for this lack. Here are a couple of ideas as to what kinds of oils to add to your veggie juice:

· Fish Oil

· Flaxseed Oil

· Evening Primrose Oil

· Cod Liver Oil

Three Ways to Make Your Veggie Juice More Balanced

1. Add chlorella

Chlorella is a form of algae that is fantastic for eliminating toxic mercury from your body.  Chlorella is a great source of chlorophyll, adds a good deal of magnesium and protein to you juice, and clings to pesticides and heavy metals, aiding in the detoxification process.

 

Not all people’s bodies react well to chlorella.  Try using one teaspoon in your veggie juice.  If you find that you feel nauseous after consuming the juice, avoid taking chlorella in the future—or decrease the amount you add.

 

2. Add garlic

Garlic in your vegetable juice?  Sounds crazy, I know.  But fresh garlic has healing potential that can benefit your body in many different ways.  By consuming fresh garlic regularly, you will help to balance out your bowel flora.

 

The recommended dose is one large clove.  And I promise—it won’t give you horrible garlic breath!

 

3. Add oil

One teaspoon of fish oil for every thirty pounds of body weight is the recommended dosage.  This fatty oil can help you to absorb vitamin K from the veggies.  Vitamin K is very important for building stronger bones and has also shown to decrease calcification in your arteries.

 

Are you ready to get juicing?  Add me at twitter.com/colonista to get even more great tips!

Juice, Smoothies and with Granola: the Many Ways to Consume Acai Berry

There is a wide range of ways that you can incorporate the Acai Berry into your diet.  More commonly, the fruit is used in smoothies, juice blends, sodas, and other fruit drinks.

In the northern region of Brazil, Acai is classically served with tapioca and can have either a sweet or salty flavor, depending upon local preference.  Natives use honey, rapadura or sugar to achieve their preferred flavor.

The southern portion of the country prefers their Acai mixed with granola, which is thought to be a great dish for high energy.

Brazilians also enjoy the taste of Acai in ice cream or as a flavored liqueur (I have to admit, Acai-flavored liqueur sounds absolutely scrumptious to me!).

But there are other uses for the Acai plant besides consuming the fruit.  Leaves from the trees can be used to create baskets, hats, booms, mats and roof thatches, and the trunk wood is often used for building since it’s naturally repellant towards pests.  The acai seed is also commonly used as livestock feed.

With so many various uses for Acai and ways to consume the fruit, it certainly seems like a “miracle food,” as everyone’s been claiming.

Three Ways to Make Your Juice a Balanced Meal

1.      Add 2-4 eggs

Eggs are a significant source of protein as well as great for beneficial fats.  One single egg has approximately eight grams of protein. 

 

Simply blend the raw eggs into your vegetable juice.  This way, you are able to get all of the beneficial nutrients, as heating eggs cause many of those nutrients to become damaged.  However, I can completely understand if you are concerned about getting sick.  Don’t fret—there are other ways to add protein to your juice.  Just read on…

 

2.      Add a protein powder

If you’re weary about adding raw eggs to your veggie juice, consider a protein powder as a safe alternative.  I would recommend a whey protein powder because it is the gentlest on your digestive system.

 

3.      Add some seeds

Adding seeds to your veggie juice will make it a higher fat drink; this also will help to prevent getting hungry easily after drinking your juice.  Seeds are chock full of protein and fatty acids that help to balance your veggie juice into a complete meal.

 

Try pumpkin or flax seeds.  If you do decide to try out flax seeds, grind them in a coffee grinder before you blend them in with your juice.

 

Have you tried any of these tricks?  What did you think?

How to Store Your Juice without Losing Nutrition

 

It’s best to drink your juice right away in order to absorb the largest amount of nutrients possible.  Vegetable juice is extremely perishable, so it’s best to consume it right away.  However, you may find that sometimes it’s more convenient to juice ahead of time.

 

If you are one of those people, there are some things you should keep in mind when storing your veggie juice.  You can only safely store vegetable juice for up to 24 hours—after that, your juice will spoil.

 

Here is a step-by-step on how to properly store your juice:

 

1. Store your veggie juice in a glass jar that has an airtight lid.  You should fill the jar up to the very top; you want the minimum amount of air in the jar.  The oxygen in the air will oxidize your juice, spoiling it.
2. Wrap your jar with tin foil in order to efficiently block out light.  Light will damage your juice.  If you have an opaque jar, you can use that as well.
3. Take your juice out of the refrigerator approximately thirty minutes before you wish to consume your juice.  Veggie juice should be consumed at room temperature.

 

What do you think?  Do you prefer to drink fresh juice, or would you rather store your juice?

Four Tips to Make Your Juicing Experience Better

1. You get what you pay for.

If you buy a cheap juicer, you are destining your juicing experience to be loud and unpredictable.  Cheap juicers break easily and produce lower quality juice.  If you can’t afford the very best juicers available, go for a mid-priced machine.

 

2. Start by juicing veggies you like.

When you first start out with juicing, it’s best to drink juice from vegetables that you would eat non-juiced.  This way, you’ll enjoy the taste of the vegetable juice, and after you become a regular juicer, you can incorporate veggies that you typically wouldn’t eat.

 

3. Listen to your body.

After you drink your veggie juice in the morning, your tummy should stay happy.  If you feel sick to your stomach or feel “off,” then you’re probably drinking veggie juice that you shouldn’t be drinking.  Everybody’s body is different.  Listen to yours, and only drink juice that makes you feel great.

 

4. Use coconuts, cranberries, lemons and ginger to make your juice tasty.
   1. Coconut tastes fantastic and is a great source of fat.  Yes, you do need fat in your diet—just not too much of it!
   2. Cranberries are a terrific source of antioxidants—even better than broccoli.  Try to limit your cranberry juice consumption to four ounces per pint of juice.
   3. When you use lemons in your juicing, leave the white rind on it—it contains some really good nutrients.
   4. Fresh ginger gives your veggie juice a killer kick!