The Liver Mover

This drink is called the liver mover because it promotes the flow of bile and fat to and from the liver. This is very useful when promoting weight loss and also in liver disorders.




LIVER MOVER

• 1/2 beet including the top
• 2-3 apples

Simply juice them and drink

Super Smoothie

Don't you just love smoothies. My girls and I adore them. They are great when we are hungry but between meals. They are so filling and nutritious and really satsify any sweet craving.  This one is called a SUPER SMOOTHIE and has the benefit of being part juice and part smoothie.




SUPER SMOOTHIE

• 1/4 small pineapple
• 1 still celery
• 4 cm cucumber
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1 cm lime (peeled)
• 2 apples
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 tspn Amla C Powder (optional)
• 4 ice cubes

1. Juice the pineapple, celery, cucumber, spinach, lime and apples
2. Place the juice in the blender and add the avocado and Amla C powder and the ice cubes and blend. If you don't have a high powered blender then be careful putting ice in it as you could wreck your blender.

Natural Lemon Gingerale

Although I drink this juice quite often I really can't wait for summer as it's really refreshing and light and is just going to be so nice to have on a lovely summer's day.




Lemon Gingerale

• 2 carrots
• 2 apples
• 4cm lemon & rind
• 2cm ginger root

Simply put them all through your juicer and enjoy!

Juicing like a Queen

I have been wanting a "proper" juicer eons now but because I wanted a "quality" one, it was going to cost us some big bucks.  I finally found one that suited my needs and I was able to pay it off over two months. It finally arrived and guess what I was too scared to use it ... it intimidated me.

Well I have finally started using it and trying some juice recipes that were give to me at a Juicing Workshop that I recently attended. They have been really yummy!

You may wonder why I want to juice, so here are my reasons, so if you are new to juicing some of this may help you. If you already have been juicing, you probably know way more than me.

I wanted to find a quick and effective way to meet my dietary requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables and there are many vegetables and even fruit that I do not like to eat raw (even cooked for that matter!). I am happy to drink them once they have been juiced, for example celery and broccoli.

A benefit of juicing is easy assimilation - in whole fruits and vegetables, some enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins C, A and E, along with minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine and magnesium are trapped in the indigestible fibre and cannot be assimilated by the body. Once they are "liberated" from the cellulose in the pulp, those nutrients can be taken into the cells of the body within 15 minutes! Juice nourishes us, our body actually converts the food we eat into juice so that it can be absorbed. Juicing quickly provides the most easily digestible and concentrated nutritional benefits of fruit and vegetables -- and best of all it tastes great!

Another great benefit of consuming fresh juice is that it provides high levels of antioxidants which can protect the body against aging (please do!), cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, arthritis and many other degenerative diseases.

Also juice can reduce the acidity and toxicity in the body. The acidic state of the body (cause by eating processed foods, tea, coffee, alcohol, etc) can be neutralised by drinking certain raw juices. Flush those toxins out and get those organs functioning better ... yeah!

My new Hippo
(Green Power Hippocrates PLUS Twin Gear Juicer)

Choosing a Juicer

There are several varieties of juicers on the market which vary in their abilities, quality and price.

There are centrifugal juicers which chops the produce into small pieces then thrown them against a spinning bowl that separates the fibre from the juice. These are relatively inexpensive compared to the other types but have a shorter life span, clog up quicker, do not extract all the juice fully, cannot juice leafy greens or wheatgrass and you need to drink the juice within 15 minutes of juicing as the processing method destroys the nutrients and live enzymes. (Approx NZ$150 - $399)

Single gear masticator juicers grind the produce into very small particles and presses or mashes them through a screen which separates the juice from the fibre. This type extracts more nutrients because it generates less heat and friction so more enzymes are preserved. You get more juice extracted, the juice usually can last in the fridge (in a glass container) for up to 48 hours and you can also juice greens, make nut butters, pasta, frozen desserts, hummus, etc.  The juicer lasts longer but be aware it is a slower juicing process. (Approx NZ$299 - $850)

Twin gear masticator juicers are basically the same as the single gear but has two gears, costs more, gets more juice extracted and the juice can be stored up to 72 hours. (Approx NZ$899 - $2500)


Well I hope that has helped some of you, if you managed to read through all the boring stuff to the end. I'll be posting some of my (well the one's I've tried and enjoyed so far) great juicing recipes shortly.

Introducing Me ...

Hi, I am a 40 something woman, (just between us who is closer to 50 than 40 ... sigh), who really doesn't like salads or veggies. I eat them begrudgingly, mostly so the kids eat theirs, but seriously eating salad doesn't come easy to me. I don't enjoy it that much.

On the other hand give me some meat, dairy and breads and I'd be so happy I'd fart fairy dust!

I have recently realised that when a woman gets to a certain age ... ahem ... that certain parts start to droop and aches and pains and illnesses that you used to laugh about in old people aren't so funny anymore ... (how can getting out of bed hurt? ... but some days my aching back) ... and that unless I start doing something now then I am not going to age shall we say, gracefully!

So a few months back I started a journey into Raw Foods. Anyone who knows me well is probably, laughing their tiny, firm bottoms off at the thought of me trying to eat Raw. Don't get me wrong, whilst I applaud vegetarians and vegans, bacon and I go along way back and I think it would simply be rude to cut all ties between myself and meats. In fact the meat industry could go into decline, so it wont be a total emergence at this stage. I simply thought if I could incorporate some fresh raw foods into my diet and eat a lot less meat, dairy and bread (I could eat them for every meal) then I should improve my health and at the same time weight.

So anyway I thought I would document my journey and share some recipes and healthy information that I learn and try along the way. Feel free to add offer advice and any tips ... as I say I am new to this, so it's a journey of discovery.