Let’s start with the title and subject matter. “Juice” and “fast”. Juice is self explanatory. It involves pulling liquid from a solid matter. But… fast? I’m at the end of Day 1 of my Juice Fast. Let’s be clear. There was nothing fast about it! It was one of the longest days of my life…. right up there with high school public speaking class, pap tests, and the time that lapses between seeing the flashing lights in your rear view mirror and the moment the cop writes you a ticket and drives off (it seems like a week has passed, ya know?). Can we say S-L-O-W?
I CHOSE to do this. My choice. Me. Mine. Yup. No, I can’t blame someone else. No, I wasn’t coerced. No, I’m not on my death bed with no other options. My body aches, it’s kinda rusty. It could use some help. But I’m not backed into a corner against the stretchy ropes with someone pounding my face in. Nor am I laying there with the count down from ten to zero seeing stars. I chose this. Keep reminding yourself that, Carol Ann!
So, the question then becomes, “Why?” Why did I choose this? I’m a researcher. I like facts. I’m a black and white kind of girl. I like questions and I like answers. I like to be in the know. No grey. I want to be convinced. I want to learn something new that I didn’t know before. I want to improve. I want to feel good about myself.
After watching, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead!”, I decided to do some research. What I found out was really incredible. I learned we have come so far off the healthy beaten path of what we SHOULD be eating. But, my inner voice whined at me, “the food I’m currently eating tastes so good!” I know, I know. Sigh.
Juicing vegetables and drinking the juice means that you will drink a glass loaded with all kinds of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. What are enzymes? These busy-body little microscopic things that are active and increase your health. They don’t stay alive very long. I can see why! They are like us running the fastest sprint we can and never stopping! They are gone within moments after you juice a vegetable. So, it’s crucial to drink your drink very soon after juicing.
When you juice vegetables, it takes lots of veggies to make up a 16-oz glass. You’d be surprised! It’s like eating one apple, one cucumber, parsley, 4 carrots, one green pepper, 2 stalks of celery, kale, a tomato, some garlic, some ginger, several chard leaves, some cabbage leaves, blah blah blah. I know! You’d be full and probably couldn’t eat all that! Plus, yuck! Who can get through all those veggies raw … not cooked, no butter, no dressing, no salt, no nothing? I know I couldn’t do it.
So, that little 16-oz glass of juice is chock full of goodness! It’s amazing really. And when you juice it, your body doesn’t have to work to break down the solid food into liquid. It’s like a shot in the butt of instant nutrients! This allows the body to use it’s energy on the important stuff like cleaning house, tossing out decayed and diseased cells and repairing tissues, organs and cells. It’s impressive what the body is capable of, given the right food!
So, I prepared my first glass. I sipped on it. Nit great, but not bad. Definitely tolerable. I literally got tingles, like chills, while sipping. It felt like my body was alive and I could feel every nerve. The tingles ran all through my body, up and down. I’m sure it was the enzymes running around. They were like firemen putting out a fire. “Over here, George! Bring the hose! There’s another fire to put out!” “Oh look, Joe, here is a cell that’s badly damaged. Let’s get it on a stretcher and get it out of here! There is no saving it!” And, “Oh man, the haze… I can’t see through it with all the garbage in the way. Crap, there is another huge fat cell in my way. I need the Jaws of LIfe to move this bad boy!” Oxygen! Oxygen! Where is the oxygen? HELP!!!
Day 1 end. I’m tired, I’m kind of hungry, I’m badly craving my usual junk food I eat and I’m hoping this is all worth it! I’ve had about a gallon of fresh squeezed juice today. It’s 10:30 p.m and I’m off to bed. Tired won and I concede. Round one goes to the Juice. I will be back in the ring tomorrow!
