Going Green

Today I had a delicious green juice. To make this juice you will need:

- 1/4 cucumber
- 2 pears
- 1 orange
- 1 stick of celery
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves

Juice everything , give it a good stir and ENJOY!!

More on Raw

I would like to take this opportunity to say a little it about eating raw foods. Now, many of you, as I did, probably think that you eat a very balanced and healthy diet with enough fruit and vegetables to give you everything you need. However, it seems that we need to greatly increase the amount of RAW foods that we are eating, particularly the veggies.
It has been suggested that we should have an 80% raw diet with minimal meats and diary. I personally, don't include hardly any diary in my diet, not only because you can get calcium and all other dairy related benefits elsewhere, but because it has 'cured' my eczema! I would really recommend that if you are suffering from this problem or similar that you cut out as much dairy as you can. I don't miss it and actually find that coconut milk and other nut milks are more tasty and lighter than semi-skimmed or even skimmed milk. Plus you don't get that clammy after taste !

A good alternative to milk for first timers is Kara coconut milk, its really tasty and sweet enough to make you feel satisfied in the same way that cows milk would.

Admittedly it is a very tricky thing to get going, eating more raw, but a good way to start is to eat more raw nuts and seeds. These are great snacking food which really give you an energy boost and a whole bunch of vitamins and other nutritional essentials.

Raw almonds are really creamy and easy to just pop a bag into your lunch box ! Or even crush up a whole bunch of nuts and put them on a salad, in a soup or on top of your morning cereal (if you aren't juicing that is!!!!!)

So, after that piece of insight I shall leave you with a piece of wisdom once said by the famous philosopher Hippocrates

"Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food" 

Where has all the juice gone?

For the past 3 days I have not had my daily morning pint of juice and I have to say I have definitely tell!? My mood isn't as bouncy and my energy levels are somewhat diminished.   most of the research done on juicing which is all mainly based on self report, has shown that it increases energy levels immediately,  I can absolutely agree. I feel like I m missing that morning kick, that enviable buzz that gets me going in the early hours.
Though im pleased to say that my juice journey will be back on track this coming week as it is time for a much needed food shop. i have been reading about celery juice recently and its benifits which appear to be related to reducing inflammation and water retention. It also has lots of B vitamins which many of us are lacking in. These are great for getting your calcium without eating too much dairy.
If you want to find out more about the benefits of celery take a look on this page, it has some really great, easy to read info

  http://juicing-for-health.com/basic-nutrition/healing-vegetables/health-benefits-of-celery.html

More on Mental Health

Moving away from juice for the moment, mainly because I haven't been shopping yet so have nothing to juice! But now towards the mental health aspect.
I have recently started volunteering at an allotment project with people who use the services on offer from Mind (http://www.springfieldmind.org.uk/index-2.php) - mental health charity.
I can honestly say I had the best time! I woke early on Tuesday morning to torrential rain and automatically had doubts. But as we arrived at the space the clouds left and the sun came out.  Because of the time of year the jobs that needed to be done were the ones that no one really wants to do! But I paired up with a lovely lady who suffers with learning disabilities and she chatted away to me for the couple of hours about her family and the old library in Leamington. I have to say being out in the open air is not only good for their minds but mine too! As I walked back to the flat I felt a great sense of contentment something similar to what you would achieve through meditation I imagine.
So, if I have learnt anything so far its to get outside! Enjoy the British weather whether its rain or shine.

My Kit

I realized that it would probably be a good idea for me to share with you what kind of juicer I have and how it works. 
This is the one I have - its made by Heston Blumenthal's range of kitchen products and is really great!
It really does get ALL of the juice out of whatever you pop in. I think the best thing about this one is that the shoot is really wide so when your making it early in the morning you don't have to worry too much about chopping your veg up too much. It's also very fast taking only a few minutes to make about a pint of juice! 
There are lots of different types of juicers from the more basic citrus juicers to the centrifugal juicers which I think are the most technical though still simple to use.

The only thing with using the juicer is that it is really important to clean it straight away after use otherwise you end up with the pulp getting everywhere!

If anyone is interested in the types of juicers then there is some pretty good info at this page  >>> http://www.harvestessentials.com/whatjuicisri.html

If you do decide to buy a juicer it doesn't have to be the most expensive one but it is a good piece of kit to invest in if you are going to be using it on a regular basis.

Also, I found this article in the telegraph online which has some good info on why juicing is beneficial and a link to a documentary which I think everyone needs to watch !!  

>>>>> http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10162603/The-real-benefits-of-juicing.html

The Journey Begins

I have recently got my hands on my very own juicer thanks to my lovely parents who gave this to me as a gift for my recent 22nd birthday! 
I was introduced to raw juicing by my Dad who seems to have had a nutritional revolution over the past year or so. He is very much into the vegetable juice, which i'm told is the best kind, particularly the green juices. I have been given this great opportunity to start my own juicing journey and hopefully find my way to a clearer more attentive mind, which, lets face it, everyone seems to want these days! 
So, I am inviting you to share this experience with me, through the nice and the nasty. Not only is this a discovery of health but also of food and the different ways that you can enjoy it and use it! Flavour combinations are sure to be outrageous and exciting! 
But lets start as we mean to go on with a picture of my very first juice I made with my very own juicer !