Victory - Mind over Matter !

I have just completed my first ever 30 day juicing challenge! It really does feel great!. Though there were some difficult days when the juice recipes were not exactly to my taste but you'll never know if you like something if you don't give it a go! 

Here are some of the last few juices I had

Apple, Red Cabbage and Lime 

Cucumber, Pear, Lemon, Carrot, Apple and Ginger 

Beetroot, Carrot and Apple 

This has been a fantastic experience for me and I'm sure for my flatmate too. My eyes have been opened to the wonders and tastes of different vegetable and fruit combinations. My all time favorite, well from the recipes I tired on this challenge, was apple, cabbage and lime. This one is tangy and sweet, surprisingly from the cabbage. This is a vegetable that I would never have chosen to put through my juicer in the morning, but it has proven to be most tasty! 

Mental Health 

Now, I am no expert on this field, or in fact any field of mental health, but I can certainly comment on my own experience which of course will be different from every single one of your's. I began this journey somewhat skeptical about the effects this juicing malarky would have on me, if any. I have read many reports, articles and books which all say that this is a great way to boost your mental clarity, health and general well-being. To begin with I only experienced mild effects, I was able to wake up more easily in the morning without the dread of the day ahead - we all know that feeling, and what a pleasure it was to get rid of it! As the weeks went on I found myself concentrating better in all of my lectures, even the 9am's! I can think more clearly and with more logic. I guess as well I was sleeping much better which is always a bonus. But I'm sure some of you will be saying "Well surely you can concentrate better because you are sleeping better, not because of the juice!! ". I definitely see where you are coming from, as a psychology student I know all too well how naturally it comes to question almost everything we come across in life, we are human at the end of the day - its natural! But I can say personally I believe that the juicing in the morning helped me to expend my energy better throughout the day, concentrate and actually pay attention - steadying my mind, proving a space to think logically and to rest peacefully at night. What a joy it is to place my head on the pillow and not have thoughts racing around in my mind! 

Physical Health 

100% more energy! Absolutely a great addition to my life! That is all there is to say on the matter - more energy more enthusiasm to do stuff - more dedication to go the gym! 

If any of you are considering giving this a go - DO IT! Just remember, if you have any health issues or worried talk to your GP first as they will be able to guide you and provide the relevant support than I obviously can't! 

This is not to say that it is goodbye, there are many more posts to come about new research in the area, health psychology, positive psychology and RAW FOODS! 

Happy Juicing 

Half way there!

Im now half way through my juicing challenge and im feeling great! Im up every morning to make the juice for my flatmate and I.
I am feeling very much alert and able to focus on my work. Also when I am going to the gym I seem to have much more stamina. Not only that but I am feeling lighter and fresher than ever before!

I cant stress enough how great this experience has been so far and I am very much looking forward to the next part of my journey.

Here are some photos of a few of my juices from the past few days

This one (above) was the first of week 3 - apples, carrots, beets, celery and ginger! I love the rainbow colours in the jug before i mixed it all together! What a lovely sight first thing in the morning! 

not only have I been juicing but I have discovered what is possibly my new favorite smoothie recipe - banana, peanut butter, hazelnut milk and spinach! (above)

I hope you are all enjoying the recipes that have come up so far - I know I have!

I have also recently ordered this book >>>

Jason vale is the guy from the documentary "fat sick and nearly dead" that I keep banging on about!! 

you can get your own copy here >> 

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Juice-Master-Keeping-Simple-Delicious/dp/0007225172/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1390339697&sr=8-4&keywords=jason+vale

Juice Challenge Cont....... Bit late!!

Hi everyone!

I have been a tad neglectful these past few, well 5 or so days on keeping you updated on the juices I'm having and how they are tasting!

So these are the ones I had for the remainder of week one of the challenge;

below we have a lovely carrot, apple ginger and lemon. I have to say this one was particularly refreshing definitely setting me up for a long day at uni!

The following day featured carrots (AGAIN!) celery and apples.

starting week two I didn't manage to get to the supermarket in time to pick up my fruits and veggie so instead I had a recipe from week one - same as the one above in fact.

WEEK 2 - this was such a lovely juice, and had ingredients I had never had in my juice before. I have to say the purple cabbage gave such a lovely flavour if not the best combo I have had so far!

and of course it was a beautiful colour!!

This mornings juice was NOT a lovely colour, it was a sludgy brown shade, but it did still taste good. The recipe for this one was;

1 cucumber
1 pear
1 apple
1 lemon
3 handfuls of spinach
1 thumb of ginger

Delicious even if it wasn't easy n the eyes!

The Power of Purple

This morning I made a beautiful, vibrant purple juice made from Kale, Apples, Orange, Beetroot, Carrot and Ginger!

After having this lovely morning juice I managed to plough through a whole heap of uni work. I felt concentrated, focused and energized. Not only was I mentally prepared for the day I felt light within myself. Often when I have a bowl of cereal I can feel heavy and a bit sluggish, but not today! Today I was delicate and felt like I could move easily.
For anyone that is interested here are the nutrients that were in my juice this morning

Nutrition Facts (Juiced)
Calories 326 Calories from Fat: 29.02
	% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3.22g	9.21%
Saturated Fat 0.384g	1.92%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.243g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.116g
Cholesterol 0mg	0.00%
Sodium 222mg	14.83%
Potassium 2264mg	48.17%
Total Carbohydrate 84.17g	64.74%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g
Sugars 44.31g
Protein 14.91g
Vitamin A 1604µg	178.27%
Vitamin C 381.5mg	423.87%
Calcium 468mg	46.79%
Iron 5.19mg	64.87%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
Vitamins
Choline 33.9mg	6.16%
Folate 264µg	66.08%
Niacin 3.958mg	24.74%
Riboflavin 0.504mg	38.75%
Thiamin 0.487mg	40.61%
Vitamin B-12 0.00µg	0.00%
Vitamin B-6 0.995mg	76.51%
Vitamin D 0IU
Vitamin E 0.98mg	6.55%
Vitamin K 1737.2µg	1447.71%
Minerals
Copper 3.936mg	437.32%
Magnesium 179mg	42.61%
Phosphorus 336mg	48.00%
Selenium 3.9µg	7.03%
Zinc 2.13mg	19.40%
Other
Caffeine 0mg
Theobromine 0mg
Water 654.35g
All nutrient values are calculat

So from the vitamin -6 I was able to feed my brain functioning as well as build up antibodies to fight any winter cold that might be going around! 

A vitamin that not many people know about is vitamin K - it is essential for building healthy bones and preventing heart disease. So I definitely got my fill today!

If you want to find out about whats in your juice go to this site 

http://juicerecipes.com/health/benefits/juicing-for-weight-loss/?page=2

and go to ingredients and enter yours into the builder. 

ENJOY YOUR JUICING ! 

Breakfast Date

This morning I was lucky enough to share a beautiful breakfast with my good friend Camie who made some lovely blueberry pancakes with fresh coffee and, of course,I brought the juice!
Our juice this morning was;

- 4 oranges
- 2 larger carrots
- thumb of ginger

I have to say we both enjoyed it very very much !
But, even better than the juice were the pancakes! To go with the bursting bubbles of blueberries, we had peanut butter, raspberries, cream cheese, honey, maple syrup and jam!!!! How delicious!
So here is a photo for all to see!!

Juice on the go!

So this morning I decided to snooze my alarm for 30 minutes!! BAD IDEA! This left me rushing to get out of the house for work, which was a crazy 12 hour shift !
No picture of my juice today but the ingredients were;

- 2 pears
- 1 small beetroot
- 1 medium carrot
- thumb of ginger

I found this one to be extra filling which was just what I needed for my long day! Plus it was pretty cold out there today and so the ginger put a warmth in my tummy !

Not my juice, but still a lovely picture anyway - one that should get you inspired to join the juicing bandwagon !!