The Juice of Life is – Juice! 4 Reasons To Juice

The Juice of Life is – Juice! 4 Reasons To Juice

The Juice of Life is – Juice! 4 Reasons To Juice

Last December, I was sick as a dog for over a month- the worst cold/flu I have ever had in my life.  Cough, congestion, headache, fever, chills & chest pain.  A few times I really thought I was going to die & it was scary!  My friends, family, coworkers & bosses were concerned because I was off work for so long.  Neil gave me the order to drink lots of coconut water, eat, sleep & stay home in my jammies until I was well enough to get back to work.  Then, I met Jack….

I was introduced to Jack through my best friend of 30 years, Jodie, & I was instantly in love.  He nourished me back to health in the sweetest way, cured my illness & hasn’t left me since.  Jack (not Daniels!) is in my kitchen as I write this, sitting on my counter waiting for me to cram fruit & veggies in his mouth.  Oh, did I mention that he’s my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express?  Yes, I’m in love with my juicer!  Jodie bought Jack for me because she was mad that I was so sick & now I’m a true believer that Jodie & Jack know best.  While I know that Neil’s direction got me on the right track, Jodie & Jack led me to health redemption.

Why juice?  The book The Joy of Juicing by Gary Null, PhD says “…juicing is absolutely essential.  Even if you improve your diet radically and take all the right supplements, while you’ll be getting some measure of preventive benefit, you still won’t be doing enough to reverse existing damage. Add juicing to the mix, though, and you can actually begin to repair damage.  Juicing is the key to reversing the progress of disease.”  And you know what else?  Juicing is FUN!  I love coming up with my own potions that are absolutely delicious. I got well & feel more healthy & energetic than ever before!

Here are 4 of the best reasons you should juice & what produce to use to achieve juicing greatness-

1. Detox your body –  Our immune systems can’t work properly when it’s working so hard to fend off the junk we eat.  The processed foods that are such a part of our diet do huge damage to us on a cellular level, killing us slowly by clogging our cells with chemicals, not allowing them to function well between themselves. You can clean your cells by juicing grapes, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, watermelon, cherries, blueberries, aloe vera, wheat grass, garlic, collard greens, kale, chard, asparagus, cabbage, beets & spinach.  I recommend experimenting with the juice combinations to suit your taste or getting a juicing recipe book to ensure you get a great mix.

2. Weight loss  Adding juice to your diet will set you on the right track to losing weight.  Fad diets simply don’t work long term– you may lose weight initially, but you end up deficient in important nutrients & your progress stalls or reverses.  Drink a 12 ounce glass of juice 30 minutes before a meal & you will find that you eat less, feel satisfied & instantly have more energy.  For weight loss use the juice of apples, watermelon, lemon, grapefruit, papaya, aloe vera, celery, cucumber, kale, ginger root, carrots, parsley & artichoke hearts.

3. Stress relief Stress is incredibly damaging to our body’s well being.  Some studies consider it the root of all disease & illness- stress must be taken seriously!  Drinking a glass of juice at least twice a day has been proven to reverse disease & illness caused by stress but you must also pair it with healthy de-stressing behaviors.  Exercising, meditating, reading or simply resting after having your juice is a great plan.  For stress relief drink up some green beans, cabbage, tomatoes, wheat grass, celery, carrots, cucumbers, pears, ginger root, cantaloupe, watermelon, raspberries, apples, strawberries & passion fruit.

4. Beauty We all want to look beautiful, but it’s when you FEEL beautiful that your true loveliness shows!  Juicing can help clear up skin problems like acne, dryness/flakiness, fine lines & dull skin.  Juice can even help you sleep better so you look & feel refreshed.  For inner & outer beauty juice up some parsnips, yams, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, black olives, spinach, celery, cucumber, carrots, pineapple, grapes, apricot, huckleberries, blueberries, cherries, cantaloupe & lime.

How can YOU become a juicer?  Get a good quality machine like my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express at Bed, Bath & Beyond or Costco & read the book that comes with it.  Shop for your favorite produce to make the juices you want then prep it into the perfect sized chunks or bundles.  Feed that raw produce thru your juicer, mix it to your taste then fill a bunch of mason jars, seal them up tight & stick them in the fridge to chill.  You’ll have tons of pulp left over from this process but don’t throw it away!  Mix the fruit pulp into yogurt, cereal, pancake, waffle or muffin batter.  Veggie pulp can be added to soups, sauces, eggs, casseroles or dips.  Make sure you get every benefit from that your just-juiced-produce has to offer!  Jodie even feeds the pulp to her dogs!

Now that I’ve shown you how AWESOME juicing is- are you going to give it a try?

Or are you already an experienced juicer?

Give me your feedback & let’s share some recipes!  And now please excuse me while I have some fresh peach, plum, strawberry & orange juice – YUM!!!

Molly Keating
Molly Keating
Hello! I'm Molly and I run & manage the Blog here at O'Connor. I grew up in a mortuary with a mortician for a father who's deep respect for the profession inspired me to give working at a mortuary a try. Work at O'Connor has brought together two of my deep passions, writing & grief awareness. In 2016 I earned Certification in the field of Thanatology, the study of Death, Dying and Bereavement. I am honored to be able to speak on these taboo topics with knowledge, compassion, and a unique perspective. I want to sincerely thank you for following & reading the blog, I hope that this is a healing place for you.

20 Comments

  1. Neil says:

    Hi Carrie –

    Here is a great movie that I believe you may have seen, if not pass this on!

    http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

  2. Carrie, what an interesting topic! I’ve heard of juicing before but I didn’t know anyone who practiced it at home – I didn’t exactly know you COULD do it from home – what a great idea! I really like the idea of making your own recipes and also knowing what types of areas the juices target. You’ve motivated me far more than some of the other juice fans I’ve met who’ve made me try their mysterious red liquid that tasted way too much like celery. yuck!!
    Thanks for putting a new fun twist on this and empowering my view of juicing with your enthusiasm & courage to try something new!

    • Carrie Bayer says:

      Molly, I hope you give juicing a try- it is awesome! And, you can tweak the recipes to suit you taste. No matter how you change it up, you are still guaranteed to receive wonderful benefits in your yummy drink! You can also add protein powder, vitamin C crystals or any other powder form of supplement that you want. Let me know how you do if you decide to try juicing, I’m happy to bring Jack to your place for a delicious demo! XOXOX Carrie

  3. Neil says:

    Hi Carrie –

    I am so glad that you are on the path to a heathy life style. Yes, we juice once or twice a week, from Veggies to Fruits.
    As you know we can never get enough good nutrients in our bodies, juicing is a great way to stay healthy.

    Here is a good green one for you!

    Celery Spinach Green Juice:
    Serves 1
    2 green apples
    4 stalks celery
    1/2 cucumber
    1″ ginger root
    2 cups kale
    2 cups spinach

    Enjoy! Here is to your health, only you can control it.

  4. Anne Collins says:

    Oh Carrie, How inspiring! We have the most wonderful juicer by Champion that we bought 30 years ago up in the cupboard. I would never get rid of it, but it sure hasn’t been getting a workout for years. The other thing you could mention is the live enzymes obtained from plants that you only get from eating and drinking fresh living things. Our bodies respond so well to the live enzymes. The minerals, too are such a great part of the veggies juices. Popping vitamins also usually means popping cellulose and other fillers that are not really digestible. Your way is the right way. Thank you for sharing!! Hugs. Anne

    • Carrie Bayer says:

      Anne, you are one of the most health conscious people that i have ever known & you are always willing to share your knowledge- thank you! Your juicer is the same fancy one that my sister has, I’m sure that one could get juice from a stone! Thank you for the reminder of where the added benefits of juicing come from & break out that machine & take it for a spin! XOXOX Carrie

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