I’d been on leave for a little over four months. I must say that I’m blessed to work for a company that values its employees and will try to assist them when life throws them a curveball. In my case, I’ve been dodging those darn balls for a few years! I’ll write about that in a later post. I’ve returned to work on a modified schedule, four hours per day for the first month. I’ll be for the next two months, and then I’ll move to full-time six hours daily.
I plan to do some canning this week, and I believe my lovely daughter will be making herbal teas. we purchase our herbs in bulk and make our tea blends from what we have. We both are tea lovers and so I have a large stock of herbs just waiting to be blended into something awesome.
My goodness, where has the time gone? It’s been super busy for me. Yesterday, I went out in the garden and picked produce: tomatoes, cayenne pepper, bell peppers, mullein, lavender, and rosemary. I’ll return later this week to pick more herbs to freeze-dry them. I also plan to do some canning this coming weekend. The big project I’ve been working on is rearranging our home. I’ve reorganized all items in the home, and the majority have been placed in containers, labeled, and put away. I like ordering; this will make it easier for my daughter to locate some items if I tell her their location.
This sushi was mainly vegetables; however, I added a small amount of cooked salmon. Results? She loved it, and I’ll be making more. I’ve never been a fan of raw sushi, so when I have prepared sushi, I’ve always sauteed or steamed the meat added to the sushi.
This past week, I picked up two boxes of apples from my local farm for $20 per box. The photo is a box I purchased two weeks ago; the most recent boxes purchased are green apples, which I prefer; however, they weren’t available a few weeks ago. I’ll be using the apples for juicing, and I’ll be making apple butter, apple jelly, and applesauce.
Yesterday, I met with my colonic hydrotherapist. It was my first visit, and I’ll write about that in another post. During our consultation, I decided to take her advice and add smoothies to my daily routine. Why? Although my diet is extremely healthy, I still have problems with sluggish bowels. I’ve talked about gut bacteria with those close to me and rebuilding, so it was nice that she was focused on that, too.
Fermented Foods
During our discussion, she asked me what I knew about fermented foods. I was familiar with fermented foods and told her I was currently fermenting foods in my kitchen: cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and yellow onions. They’ve been on my kitchen island for a few weeks! I told her I’d be willing to introduce that into my daily intake slowly. Slow since some fermented foods can cause a flare-up with auto-immune disease. Flares are typically triggered by sugar and fried foods, so I will check to see how these fermented foods do since they contain neither. I had two slices of fermented cucumbers this morning, poured some of the fermented juice into a small jar, and drank that.
Triphala Digestion & Colon Cleanse
The hydrotherapist also suggested that I take a digestive supplement three times daily. I used to use Triphala many years ago and had great experiences with it, so I’m willing to try it again.
Smoothies
Instead of focusing on juicing, she suggested that I include smoothies, which will add more fiber and assist my sluggish bowels. I enjoy smoothies and prefer savory smoothies over sweet smoothies, so I have no issue creating mainly smoothies and supplementing them with juices.
Colonics
I decided to do a series of colonics; with the challenges I’ve been facing, this is most helpful, and the great thing is I don’t have a set time to use them. I purchased five. I decided to schedule my next colonics this Friday.
I’ve always enjoyed taking a brief break from eating solid foods. No, I did not starve myself; I just consumed freshly made juices. When I only juiced, I looked at a slight break for my digestive system since it did not have to work as hard breaking down liquids. The first few days, I usually have even more energy than I already have. Which, at times, can be hard to fathom for those who know me since I have a lot of energy. It’s been several years since I’ve consumed only juices for over a few days, so I’m enjoying reacquainted with some of the feelings I had as fasting from consuming only juices.
What I’ve observed drinking juices only the past seven days
My energy, which is already high, has increased.
I started having cravings for solid food around day #5. I wasn’t hungry; however, I missed the texture/feel of solid food in my mouth. I chew my juices; however, it’s not the same as eating solid food.
Today was the first day I felt extremely tired around 11:00 a.m. Thankfully, I am off of work, so today, I took a nap for about an hour. I awoke feeling refreshed. I felt tired again around 6:00 p.m. However, I did not take another nap; I’d be awake within a few hours if I did.
To stay on top of juicing, I make sure that I have a well-stocked refrigerator to make my freshly pressed juices quickly. Tomorrow, I’ll be purchasing the following produce.
Celery
Bok choy
Watermelon
Pineapple
Celery is the only item on the list that I still have at home; however, I need more. I used the last watermelon this morning when preparing juice. My daughter loves the watermelon juice blend that I make. I have enough celery to last for another day. I have plenty of ginger and turmeric and typically add them to all my freshly pressed juices.
Food Cravings While On A Juice Fast
For the past few days, I have had food cravings. I wasn’t hungry; however, I was missing the texture of solid food. For myself, I found that drinking a large cup of herbal tea was helpful. I have a few herbal gardens, and so some of those teas.
How I’m feeling
Overall, I’m feeling great. I’m still trying to decide how long I will consume juices only. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t have a set time in mind and just go until my body tells me to stop.
I love the Nama J2 juicer, and since it arrived, I’ve been juicing with it almost daily. There were a few days I didn’t juice; however, I’d batch juices the day before, so I had enough juice to sustain me. My huge selling point is that I can load the hopper with a lot of produce, and I don’t have to feed Ever. Single. Piece. Into the juicer.
Yesterday morning, my daughter and I went to the local farm, and I bought two more watermelons, a box of apples, and kale. It would be fresher if I harvested from my garden. I typically don’t use many ingredients in my juice; however, yesterday, I did add a lot of different produce. Today, I will have less produce.
Saturday’s Juice
I had six juices total, rotating between the two listed below.
First Juice
Apples
Watermelon
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon
Lime
Second Juice
Red Cabbage
Kale
Cilantro
Apple
Turmeric
Ginger
Lemon
Lime
Third Juice
Sunday’s Juice
First Juice – First juice from Saturday
Apples
Watermelon
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon
Lime
Second Juice
Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Third Juice
Celery
Kale
Carrots
Cilantro
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon
Lime
Apple
My brother and nephew visited, and I made juice for them and my daughter. Results? My brother and nephew loved the juice. I sent them home with the remaining juice. I’ll make more for my daughter tomorrow.
Watermelon
Apple
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon
Lime
Fourth Juice
(I drank the juice I made for my family. It is delicious!)
Fifth juice
Apples
Watermelon
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon
Lime
Thoughts
Day #2 is winding down for me. I baked chocolate chip cookies and made a pasta dish for my daughter; however, I was not tempted to eat anything. I might need to increase the daily juices.
This week, I’ve decided to swap over to only juice. For the past several days, I’ve only been consuming one meal daily. There have been a few days where it was only juices. My body seems to tell me this is the right thing to do, and I enjoy juice fasts. I do believe that I’ll end the fast with a water fast. For the past several days, cabbage juice has been the primary juice I’ve consumed daily. Guess what? That juice has helped with the constipation that I was experiencing, and I’ve been having bowel movements (unassisted) in the morning. How awesome is that?
The past few days have been a bit challenging. My symptoms have been slowly improving; however, I still have itching, but it’s much more easily managed.
Watermelon with seeds!
This morning, my daughter and I went to our local farm, and I purchased two more watermelons. I also bought kale and cilantro for juicing.
I’m typically awakened in the early morning for the past few years by intense itching. Well, guess what? I did not experience that at all. How awesome is that? Yes, it’s something straightforward; however, if early morning wakeups are part of your daily life, you truly appreciate when this does not happen. I’m still mainly juicing and adding one daily meal to my daily routine. I most likely will swap over to 100% juice at some point.
Today, I had my watermelon juice combo and drank the remaining cabbage juices, 16 ounces. Well, all the liquids I consume are in 16-ounce glass bottles. I didn’t juice today; there was no need since I made plenty of juices yesterday. However, we went to the store today, and I purchased grapefruit, celery, and carrots. I’ll be juicing tomorrow.
My one meal of the day was a lentil soup I made yesterday and red and sweet potato chips.
I chopped the potatoes into thin slices, patted them dry, and placed them in a large stainless steel bowl. I then added spices: garlic powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, and Redmond Salt. I mixed the spices well and ensured all the chips were coated. I then spread the chips on a tray placed in a preheated 425F oven and baked for 25 minutes. Results? The chips were crisp and delicious, and what’s better, they were not fried!
Years ago, when I’d swapped to juicing or mainly juicing for some time, I discovered that for me (at least), watermelon juice was a delicious and gentle way to break up some unpleasant symptoms that I might have had during juice fasts.
Juicing: I’m Drinking Most of My Meals
I’ve been mainly juicing for the past week, and some days have been challenging. I imagine the added annoyances are tied to my autoimmune disease and Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). I’ve noticed that the itching has intensified in the early morning hours, typically between 1:00 and 3:00. However, unlike in the past, the itching usually dissipates within 30 minutes upon awakening, which is much better than it used to be when the pain was bone deep, in how it felt, and would last for hours.
Easing the autoimmune itch by choosing produce that reduces inflammation
A few of my favorite juices to help alleviate itching associated with some autoimmune diseases are cabbage, celery, and watermelon. Celery contains apigenin, which is an anti-inflammatory, which is just what the body can use to help heal from autoimmune diseases.
Watermelon is high in antioxidants, potassium, and amino acids. It makes a fabulous post-workout drink, and I would drink occasionally after my intense gym workouts. Since my garden apothecary is depleted of watermelon, I’ve been purchasing seeded watermelons from the store, juicing, and drinking the juice throughout my day. We consumed the last juice yesterday, so we must replenish our watermelon supply.
Watermelon Juice – 256 ounces
Health Benefits of Watermelon
Research states that watermelon has more lycopene than any other fresh produce. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Consuming it has been linked to heart disease, eye disorders, and cancer.
High in Antioxidants
Excellent source of vitamin C
Excellent source of vitamin A
92% of watermelon is water. It’s an excellent source of hydration.
This afternoon, I added watermelon, celery, ginger, turmeric, lemon, and lime to my Nama J2 juicer. I made 256 ounces of juice, enough to last my daughter and me for a few days. My daughter loves the juices I prepare and drinks most of them, except spicy ones. The watermelon was purchased earlier today; I bought two medium-sized watermelons.
All the cold-pressed juices that I made today with my Nama J2 Juicer
I also made a small juice batch this evening containing red cabbage, celery, carrot, ginger, turmeric, lemon, and lime. Cabbage juice can be an acquired taste; however, I’ve been juicing cabbage for several years, and it doesn’t bother me anymore. Not only is cabbage great for inflammation, but it’s also an excellent digestive aid, and I’ve read that it can help heal certain types of ulcers.
I typically drink my last liquids at least two to three hours before I plan to go to bed. I hope to sleep through the night without any wakeups due to itching.
My goodness, where has the time gone? It’s been super busy for me. Yesterday, I went out in the garden and picked produce: tomatoes, cayenne pepper, bell peppers, mullein, lavender, and rosemary. I’ll return later this week to pick more herbs to freeze-dry them. I also plan to do some canning this coming weekend. The big project I’ve been working on is rearranging our home. I’ve reorganized all items in the home, and the majority have been placed in containers, labeled, and put away. I like ordering; this will make it easier for my daughter to locate some items if I tell her their location.
