Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, the Movie I’d Been Waiting For June 18, 2011

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First, I haven’t seen it yet, but if you recall from a previous post I was excited for it to come out when I first heard it was in the works.

I admit that the past few months I haven’t been juicing daily and I can really, really, really tell the difference. Even if it was a placebo effect, when I juiced every day I felt so much better physically, emotionally and mentally. I felt so good that there was a point I forgot that juicing was helping and thought it was all on my own and kind of dropped the daily juicing habit.

In the beginning, it was ok because I’d supplement a juice here and there from the juice bar where I work. Then, I even stopped that after getting sick one day immediately after drinking one and have blamed it since then. Then, I gave my juicer to someone who really needed it and never bought myself one. After I put up these roadblocks to juicing, I started not feeling as good as I did juicing.

So ladies and gentlemen, I’m back in the game. Although, now I do a mixture of juices and green smoothies. I don’t do any fruit only smoothies, they’re more like thick juices with add-ins so it’s my own creation of juice and smoothie. I like the combo sometimes because there’s supplements I like to add and other things like chia seeds or acai.

I hope to one day have one of these, a Vitamix because it juices and blends so perfectly and in one machine, but it’s a bit out of my price range right now and for a long while unfortunately. I just keep it on my wishlist because I will have it one day. For now, I’ve settled for my own cheaper version, a blender and a juicer as separate appliances. I am so grateful and fortunate to have a Vitamix in my lunchroom at work, though so I get the pleasure at least once a day if I want.

Anyway, I digress. The point of this post was to let you know that Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is out on DVD (and stream & download) now and can be purchased through its website. You can even host a screening for not that much dough (click here for details). I’ve seen the trailer and hopefully will be able to see the movie soon, which I will post a review once I do.

Watch the trailer below and see the movie soon. I bet you Joe Cross will have you juicing faster than I will. Yes, I’ll admit defeat when I see it. His movie is all about how he was literally fat, sick and nearly dead so he juiced for 60 days straight and it led to him getting healthier and keeping that healthier lifestyle. What’s great is how he went around the country getting people to try juice and juicing and spreading the word. Kudos! Let’s keep spreading the word and the benefits you can get from adding a fresh juice into your daily routine.

Related articles

• Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (vegancynic.wordpress.com)
• Juiced Up: Do You Know Your Facts? (fitsugar.com)
• Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (thegrassskirtblog.com)
• “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” is food for thought (reuters.com)

Kiwi Sale Leads to Pineapple Asparagus Goodness December 18, 2010

In addition to my juicing habit, I’ve also picked up a thrifty one as in my juices tend to involve lots of fruits that happen to be on sale when I go to the store for my weekly produce “pickup”. I was shopping recently when I noticed kiwis were 3 for a $1 so I picked up several. I had some asparagus I needed to use up in the fridge as well so that’s how this recipe came about. I can’t get away from using pineapple and asparagus together because the pineapple does such a stellar job at softening the asparagus taste that you can’t even tell that you’re drinking asparagus. It’s more like a citrusy, pineapple-ly refresher.

Don’t use kiwis that are too hard. Using kiwis that just slightly indent to the touch are perfect for juicing. Don’ t worry about peeling the kiwi before juicing as it’s loaded with extra nutrients, plus it gives it a more tangy kick. If you must avoid all bitterness as much as possible then go ahead and peel the kiwi.

Kiwis have more vitamin C than oranges, as much potassium as bananas and four times as much fiber as celery. They are excellent sources of Vitamins A and E, antioxidants, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, folate and the amino acid L-arginine. Consuming raw kiwi juice is also associated with several health benefits, such as reducing high blood pressure, improving eye sight, and boosting our immune system. The L-arginine in kiwi specifically helps to keep the liver, skin, joints and muscles healthy.

Yes, kiwi is the star of this recipe, but the asparagus, pineapple, orange, and lemon also present in the juice have their own set of nutrients and health benefits. They not only make the juice taste great, they also provide an added boost of goodness for your body.

Kiwi Pineapple Asparagus Goodness

7 or 8 kiwis (You can leave the skin on if you like.)

1 large orange (You definitely need to peel the orange. Keep as much as the pith or soft white part as you can but if you leave the peel it will make your juice bitter and undrinkable.)

1 large lemon (Like the orange, peel and leave as much as the pith as you can or you’ll end up with a bitter, undrinkable juice.)

1 medium pineapple (Include the core but remove the rind. I’ve heard you can juice the rind if you’ve got a power juicer and it’s organic but I don’t and I wouldn’t recommend it either.)

1 bunch of asparagus (about a 1 pound) (Just rinse and juice. No need to cut the ends off or anything. I find that it is easier to juice when you put the pointy, soft side down first and do a handful at a time.)

 

Related Articles

• Nutrition Facts for Asparagus (brighthub.com)

Pine-Apple Asparagus Citrus Cooler November 7, 2010

The one thing that’s really great about most of my juices is that they are like meal replacements for me. The recipes I post probably make enough juice for 2 people, but if one person drinks it all then it can definitely be considered a full meal. This is one of those juices.

The other day I had a few different pieces of fruit that needed to be used so I decided to throw them all together into a juice and it was the most refreshing and tastiest juice that I’ve made thus far, in my opinion. Each sip just made you wanna go, “aaaahhhh!”

Pine-Apple Asparagus Citrus Cooler

I pineapple (Include the core, but not the rind or outside.)

1 Bosc pear

1 bunch of asparagus (about one pound and I find they are much easier to juice when you put the good part down first and the woody part up)

1 celery stalk (Include the leafy part if it has it)

1 large apple

1 cup of red grapes (If you don’t have red any grapes will do here.)

1 large lemon (Peeled but include as much as the pith or “soft white part” as possible as it’s good for you. Do not include the peel though because it will make the juice bitter and sour.)

1 large orange (Peeled but include as much as the pith or “soft white part” as possible as it’s good for you. Do not include the peel though because it will make the juice bitter and sour.)

And so begins my attempt to bring juicing to my generation October 29, 2010

Juicing always made me think of old, hippie, fitness, weirdo types and of Jack LaLanne, of course, but now that I’ve made it a regular part of my life, I really know why people who juice regularly are so passionate about it. Sometimes being passionate about something these days makes people think you’re a little off or “out-there”, so I can see why there’s such a stigma associated with the juicing crowd. But, I really think it’s time to destruct that stereotype because juicing is awesome for you in so many ways. It’s as plain and simple as that. Plus, there isn’t any reason why you have to be “old”, “hippie”, “a weirdo” or anything else like that in order to enjoy the benefits of juicing. My goal is to bring juicing back, in a way that my homies can understand.

My father-in-law became a juicing convert and on a recent trip to visit me in Portland, OR he had brought one suitcase whose contents included a shirt and a juicer. Of course, I thought it a little (or a lot) strange but these days  I could totally see myself traveling with my juicer as. He bought me the basic Jack LaLanne juicer a week later and so began my juicing adventure.

Ever since I started juicing regularly (and regularly for me equals at least once a day) and made most of them full of some green vegetable like asparagus, spinach (favorite), or kale , I have felt better physically, mentally and emotionally. I finally feel like I have enough energy to actually get out there and exercise, which is also making me feel better but it never would’ve started without the energy from juicing. I also feel like I can remember things easier as my mind seems clearer almost like there was some sort of fog I had never really noticed before.This has lead to me being able to focus on things better. Finally, handling stress is a lot much easier to manage than it used to be. At least it feels like it. I mean, yes, it could be a placebo effect in that I have added this new juice drink (that takes some effort in procuring, preparing, juicing and cleaning) so I’m going to believe that it’s the reason for this sudden change. Well whatever it is, it works and even if you’re not in it for these benefits the taste of this juice will be enough to lure you in.

The essential vitamins and nutrients that are in fruits and vegetables that make a juice worth drinking begin to go away as soon as the produce is juiced. So store bought juice really seems like a joke. Why not enjoy the taste and the good stuff in it.

Either way I’ll be posting various recipes I try and come up with and as many pictures to go with them as possible. I’ll also occasionally post some articles on various juicing topics whatever I may find them to be of interest and relevance as well.