Juicing for Detoxification...for the sceptic

I know there have been a zillion articles written about detoxing, frankly I felt like I read them and was still confused..is it effective, is it safe, is it hard to do, does is really work.

 As you may have read in my recent blogs I was struggling with a lot of health issues, weight gain, inflammation, terrible stomach issues so I went about trying to figure out what was happening inside.  Through blood tests I discovered that I had an enflamed liver (high enzyme level on my blood test ) indicating that my liver was "clogged" and my body was not processing what I was putting into it. My doctor said "your liver is struggling"...well as you can imagine that really got my attention.  Because the liver is the "cleaner" of the body this became my main focus for getting healthy. 

 I chose to work with a holistic MD who really understood how food and not pharmaceuticals can actually be your medicine in curing important health issues.  After she clearly understood my history and issues the first thing she recommended was juicing to detox the liver.  As I sat there listening to her describe the process I felt nervous and a bit skeptical but frankly nothing else was working for me so I listened.
When you juice..and I mean juice..not blend foods,.it becomes the key!! as juices are easily digested and absorbed by the body, and fruits and vegetables can be combined in so many different ways depending on what healing properties you need. It become the ultimate medicine . By Juicing your food you supply a concentrated amount of vital nutrients in a manageable amount.  if you juice a medium glass of carrot juice it can be the equivalent to eating a pound of carrots.  Juicing can neutralize the acids and stimulate the functions of the bowels, liver and kidneys, eliminating toxins, chemicals and waste products from the body.

 My MD explained that my troubled liver needed time to get healthy and pure organic vegetable and fruit juices would start to clean the liver of all the "bad" stuff I had consumed  like bad fats, sugars, alcohol etc. in addition I added valuable vitamins in liquid and tablet form such as B complex, C-D-E- Magnesium and others to boost my immune system. Best part is you don't need to buy anything except a juicer and fresh foods. Don't buy those Detox pills or kits you see in stores

I use a book called "Juicing Can Save Your Life" to guide me in the types of foods I should juice depending on what I was trying to achieve. I've done  several 3 day juice detox's over the last 4 months for liver, kidney, skin problems etc. and I'm very happy to say that juicing along with a restricted diet of fresh foods and limited high carb foods has brought my enzyme levels back to the normal range and I have lost 35 lbs.  my inflammation has diminished by 75% and I can exercise everyday.
Let Food be thy Medicine!!

If your not losing weight your sneaking sugar into your daily diet

Today I wanted to continue my post about losing weight after 40.  the key that I have found is the reduction of refined carbs into my daily diet.  As much as you don't want to hear this cutting carbs is a critical element of losing weight or maintaining weight lose later in life.
 
Let's review carbs.  As you probably know carbs are present in the majority of foods we eat, any thing made with grains like baked items, breads, pastas etc.  in addition fruits and veges have carbs at various levels, for instance bananas have a higher level of sugars naturally than do blueberries so looking at the amount of carbs your consuming each day is critical.  if you are over 40, over weight currently and not exercising your body may not be able to process the amount of carbs and sugars you are consuming and therefore stores them in your body as fats.
 
If you believe that you have really cut out a large amount of sugars from your diet but are still not losing then you need to keep a food journal and do a carb count.  Items such as salad dressing, ketchup, bbq sauce, cocktail sauce, milk, creamers, corn etc all have high level of carbs and can really add up in a days time.  you may think the quantities are too small to make a difference but if you add them up over a day you will be surprised how high the number can go.
 
So your "go do" is to journal for a few days and really examine where extra sugars are sneaking into your diet.  try a week of eating "clean" prepare only raw and fresh foods with no extra condiments, no wine at dinner, no soda etc.  make a delicious salad dressing with some olive oil, lemon, garlic, vinegar and fresh herbs, thicken it with pureed carrots and add some ginger.  make enough for several days so its handy and your not tempted to add the 'ranch" dressing to your salad.
 
Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine by Thy Food 

You Must Reinvent Yourself

This is my second day of blogging about weight loss after 40.  I have struggled for most of my life feeling powerless against my up and down weight.  When your in your 40s and your in the middle of a marriage, raising kids, working and other things you  are responsible for....concentrating on weight loss seems like the last thing you want to worry about.  I just wanted a glass of wine or a hostess Ho-Ho during the times I had to myself.  I reached for sugar when I wanted to feel good.  Bad habits did not die easily for this girl.

I knew I had to do something big to change and it had to happen now before I ended up FAT forever.

So I reinvented how I viewed my self and my situation.  First I decided to see my physician for a good dose of reality...blood  and all the usually tests, of course they told the story of excess and bad habits.  pre-diabetic, bad cholesterol, obese category..ugg.

This way of living was unacceptable for one more day.  I needed to put myself first now and take charge. So my second act was to tell my family that I needed to take a break from some of my daily responsibilities and make a plan for how I was going to get well, by putting it out there I made it clear that this was a priority and I needed their help. 

Third I decided to become an expert on all things that went into my body, I read books on organic diets, juicing, detoxing and how to bust sugar out of my diet for good.  I decided that a CLEAN eating plan was the way to go.. I could not eat bad foods "sometimes" and get away with it..one piece of chocolate for me leads to 5.
Clean eating takes dedication, planning, organizing and a lot of practice, you don't get it right all the time.  but when you get into it it really takes hold and you body will respond in amazing ways.
So your like "OK fine" what exactly does this mean?
Clean eating means natural foods like veges, fruits, meats, nuts, beans, oats...get creative and you won't have any trouble finding a ton of websites that promote recipes and ideas for delicious foods.

You have to reinvent yourself into an advocate for your own health.  The most surprising thing to me are the number of people I meet who are doing the  exact same thing I'm doing!! I've had conversations about juicing and how to make your own peanut butter with people I thought would have no idea what I was talking about.
I feel so energetic and almost high on life from this reinvention that I want to tell as many people as possible.  Please never give up.
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food

Do you notice that everything has changed after the big 40 birthday..maybe for you it's the 5.0.milestone...either way your body is not responding the same to your regular diet and exercise routines or your have gone away from your usual tricks to keeping your weight in check.  this is a common theme among early middle age women and it's incredibly frustrating.

Often there are factors to consider like lingering health issues that have slowed you down...did you develop a bad back, knee or other joint issues.  Have you had your thyroid and hormone levels checked? Can you honestly say that you control food types and portions?  Do you really get to the gym 3 days a week.. or are you in denial?

The First step is an honest assessment of your whole being.  Do you have a trusted doctor, someone you can talk to about your issues and who is willing to help you explore and discover just what it is that is making you gain weight.  Insist on blood tests to help determine any underlying situations internally that can be a blocker to weight loss.  After doing this I discovered that I had a liver that was struggling (high liver enzyme count on my blood test) to process the food and prescription medication I was ingesting.  I called it my "clogged drain". Once I understood this scenario I went about looking for ways to naturally get back my liver back to it's normal state. 

The cure for me became somewhat radical by normal standards.. meaning I had to change everything and start a new.  So my Second step was to completely change the food that I ate, this meant cutting out dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol, processed foods and any foods high on the glycemic index such as potatoes and bananas.  my Third step was to cut all over the counter and prescription meds like ibuprofen, pain killers etc.  my liver was simply too sick to process them.  of course if you must take prescription medication by doctors orders continue to do so, but if not look for other natural ways to cure your ailments.

There are lots of diet plans out there you can call on, they are all over the internet, but basically if you choose natural foods like vegetables, lean meats, low glycemic fruits and water..lots of water you will see a dramatic difference in a very short amount of time.  Your bloat and weight gain will stop and you will want to exercise again.  within one month my joints stop hurting and I had lost my first 15 pounds.

I'm not selling any weight loss products, magic potions or pills.. just my cure for feeling great.  Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.