LIFEBOD

Category: Juices

  • 16 Things To Know Before You Start Juicing

    It’s been a while, my readers. As most of you might not know, I was in the U.S. for almost 4 months. Now that I’m back in Asia, I have a bit of time to impress my juicing wisdom upon you. Here it is!

    1. Choose organic vegetables and fruits whenever possible.
    2. If you have to use non-organic produce, find those with thick skin like oranges or pineapple, so you’re minimizing your pesticide exposure.
    3. If it’s thin-skin produce, avoid the dirty dozen and choose the clean 15 whenever possible.
    4. Use a slow masticating slow juicer to retain the enzymatic and raw benefits (I use a Hurom that I lugged back from Korea). Those regular centrifugal juicers cut the produce and causes rapid oxidation.
    5. Carrot and green apple juice is the easiest starter juicer. I’ll share more juicing recipes in time, but for now, 3 medium carrots, and 1 large apple will yield a good 8 oz glass.
    6. Don’t throw away your pulp. Use it to make compost for your garden.
    7. If you are controlling your sugar intake, substitute fruit with vegetables.
    8. Wash your vegetables with a tsp salt to a 1.5 liter bath to remove dirt and kill creepy crawlies like pests and worms. Scrub the crevices with a toothbrush, or just cut it out. Stuff lives in there.
    10. The sooner you drink your juice after juicing it, the more nutritious and safer it is.
    11. Never leave it in room temperature for more than a few minutes if you live in hot climate. Refrigerate your juice under 8C.
    12. Avoid drinking juice that is more than 3 days old, especially if you live in a hot climate.
    13. You can freeze some juices to stop spoilage, but not all juices will thaw and look pretty.
    14. Make sure you don’t be a hero and juice vegetables that are not commonly used for juicing. Stick with what is common. Some produce are toxic raw (Ie. tapioca, su jai choy, etc).
    15. Drink juice on an empty stomach so that you can absorb the nutrients.
    16. Finally, listen to your body. For example, bittermelon is very good in controlling your blood sugar level. However, if you’re experience hypoglycemia or your muscles are going all tender, cut it out and reintroduce it back sparingly, gently and slowly.

  • Spring Cleaning: Detoxing My Body, My Life

    It’s been a while. I had been too busy to write a post, though I’ve recently gotten a bit more active on Instagram. May is even busier, and going into June I will be here and there, and everywhere. So I figured I’d fit in a quick one before two more months pass.

    A year back, I was so caught up in the hype of my weight loss that I forgot to share that one of the major reasons the weight was able to melt off (it wasn’t possible before no matter how hard I worked out and controlled my diet), was that I went through a 7-day elimination detox and rejuvenation program — twice.

    daynight

    It’s important to note that I have fluctuated between 68kg – 71kg depending on my dietary habits and activity level over the past 6 months. I was going through a rollercoaster ride with a life challenge, and must admit I indulged in foods I liked while I was on holiday. However, I thank God I didn’t wake up back at 85 kg when I realized some battles are better left to, well, God.

    [wide]MAY17[/wide]

    Now it’s a year later, and I’m at the end of my 2nd day detox while writing this post. This time around, my body reacted a lot faster, possibly due to the fact that my body isn’t quite as toxic as it was a year back.

    Carrots and carrot juice

    DAY 1
    My healing reactions happened mostly in the first day, with aches on the left side of my neck, sudden itching on my face, and waking up in the middle of the night because I felt uneasy.

    DAY 2
    Today though, things moved into the emotional as my body goes through the process of resetting itself. The general malaise from the sudden change of diet makes me feel a little less like myself, and a little more like what I imagine someone would feel on 10 cups of coffee a day while running on 2 hours of sleep the night before. I feel wired but tired.

    This feeling is not new. I felt this way on both my detoxes last year too, but to be honest I forgot how that felt like until today. I was also a little paranoid in a hypochondriac way for part of the day, because I just felt so insecure about what was happening and wanted to make sure they weren’t signs of trouble.

    But today, the stiffness in my joints are completely gone. My limbs are pliable, my usually dry-skin has retained it’s moisture from the 15 drinks I have a day, and the annoyingly stiff nose I’m super aware of has gone softer. It sounds ridiculous that I notice stupid things like these, but they’re incredibly annoying to breath through a nose that feels like it’s made of rubber – when it isn’t.

    I have no idea what causes that, but I know the detox changes things on the cellular level as I flood it with raw juices and have my glutathione production go up by 600%, using a method I’d prefer not to plaster all over the internet. If you want to know, you can write me.

    My smile lines have dimished from view, and my skin is so hydrated – but I feel a little vulnerable. Like a carnivore who has had all her teeth pulled out, and made to go on liquid and baby food diet.

    But I know, as I have experienced in the past, that good things come to those who wait patiently with positive expectation.

    So bring it on DAY 3!

  • 10 Reasons Why I Drink Raw Juices

    Every time I tell people I juice, they flinch or make faces because they think it’s a lot of hard work to do that in the morning.


    What they don’t know is that, it’s one of the fastest and easiest breakfast to make and it’s usually done within 5-10 minutes.

    After all, all one needs to do is to identify several types of fruits and vegetables that go well together, wash, cut, and feed it through the juicer. 3 steps, no cooking, it doesn’t get any easier than that!

    But the convenience isn’t the only reason I’m a juice junky. I do it for the raw living cells in the fresh fruit and vegetables, and I ingest all of that goodness on an empty stomach to get my immune boosters like vitamin C, K, A, E, iron, and potassium just to name a few.

    To me, vitamins in pill form should only be used as a substitute when and where real, live nutritious food is lacking. So since I live in Borneo where it’s relatively affordable to eat fresh whole foods, I’ve opted to go for the real deal. Here’s just ten reasons why I juice. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to do the same.

    1. High in Antioxidants
    Raw food has enzymes and living cells that are high in cancer-preventing antioxidants.
    2. Great for the Skin
    Raw stuff makes my skin glow better than any beauty product
    3. Vitamins and Minerals
    Juices are really high in vitamins and are mineral rich. Usually I get all or more of my daily required intake in one glass.
    4. High Alkalinity
    It’s a known fact that acidic diets causes gout, cancer, among other painful ailments. Raw juices are highly alkaline, thus helping prevent some of diseases I’d like to avoid.
    5. Taste & Flavor
    It’s yummy! Why go for chemical cocktails when you can create amazing concoctions that are purely natural and good for you?
    6. Energy Boost
    I get an energy boost that starts me off and keeps me going for a good portion of the day.
    7. Detox Effect
    It neutralizes all the crap I ingested the day before by flushing it through my system. Literally!
    8. Bio-Availability
    Food is the most bio-available form of nutrition. It is also the most flexible. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption, which is why I always spritz some lime or lemon on my beet and spinach-based juices.
    9. Increases Metabolism
    Yea, I also do it to lose weight. Just saying, if you’re interested in that kind of thing 😀
    10. Controls Blood Sugar
    The trick is to use more vegetables than fruit. The sugary produce is really there to give it a sweet taste so that it’s not too hard to chug it down. I use vegetables like bittergourd, celery, and lettuce alongside the sweeter fruits to keep my sugar levels steady.

    I’m sure I can find another few, but there you have it… the 10 reasons I juice! Shouldn’t they be yours too?

    If you want to get started, here are two recipes from kkmoi.com. Just remember that the best time to drink it is on an empty stomach so that you can absorb all the nutrients. Let 30 minutes pass before eating anything. Enjoy!
    Greenie-Carotene Juice with Apple and Lime
    5-Green Vegetable Super Juice From Hong Kong