Before I get into how green juice might help you survive the swine flu craze, I just have to follow up on yesterday’s post. So did you get it on last night? I did! My honey read the Pink Guide to Orgasm and got all hot and bothered. So I had to do the dishes, do the green juice, and do the deed. And yes, I did have multiple orgasms (but that is probably WAY too much information for the internet- sorry, Mom). Thanks to Dr. Rachel Carlton Abrams and The Multi-Orgasmic Woman. Matt hasn’t read it yet, but he’s all worked up about reading The Multi-Orgasmic Man and The Multi-Orgasmic Couple. Rachel and her husband Doug, the authors of those books, have inspired us to shake it up a bit with some Taoist sexuality tips. Stay tuned for more on that. Rachel is going to lead us in some Owning Sexuality exercises for getting into your body and releasing into your sexual self soon.
For more sexy chit chat, you’ll have to post comments in the Pink Guide to Orgasm, ‘cause today we’re going to talk about green juice and how it can help boost your immune function. I know- green juice. You’re all probably imagining hideous green sludge that you have to plug your nose to consume. Believe me, I felt the same way. Just read my posts from a few months back, and you can read all about my first green juice experience from the beginning.
Before I tried it, I imagined that green juice would be something I’d gulp down, hold my nose, and force myself to drink. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. I do love farmer’s markets, and I have always loved salads and other greens (what my Daddy always called “food’s food- so that gives you an idea of my culinary upbringing- cow! In fact, Dad gave Mom a pregnant cow for their anniversary one year on our ranch, but that’s a whole different story…)
Anyway, I went into the green juice cleanse with an open mind, but a reluctant palate. I did a 7 day pre-cleanse and a 6 day green juice cleanse with Tricia Barrett, founder of Green Resurrection and the Living Foods Expert at Clear Center of Health. Tricia is the coolest chick- SO Owning Pink! I was intimidated and felt very vulnerable going into it, but Tricia held my hand, nurtured me through it, and watched me as I evolved. When the cleanse ended, I ate a nearly raw foods, vegan diet for a month. It’s not that I’m a zealot. I just felt so good. And I kind of felt like the cleanse pushed the pause button on my life. Before that, I was eating poorly, drinking wine almost every night, hooked on coffee, and eating tons of Fritos, Velveeta, and ground beef from Costco (I know! Just shoot me, but it’s true).
That was less than three months ago, and now, I am a TOTAL convert. And just to let you know, I am not the easy adopter type. That’s a term they use in the pharmaceutical industry to refer to the doctors who are quick to prescribe a new drug (not me). Normally, I’m the kind of doctor who sits back, keeps her eyes open, maintains healthy skepticism, and after a while, if it’s been proven safe and effective, I might prescribe it. So the fact that I now make my own green juice (well, actually, my darling husband makes it) and drink about 5 juices per day speaks loads.
How can green juice help you fight swine flu?
I could go on…. But I’ll try to make it brief and not painfully scientific. Basically, a few servings of organic green juice is a readily assimilated, easily digestible, unbelievably nutritious superfood, filled with more veggie goodness than you could possibly eat. Drinking green juice fills your body with living enzymes, vitamins, oxygen, and phytonutrients. Because of this, green juice feeds your cells the necessary nutrients, allowing your cells to uncover the body’s innate healing power, thereby boosting your body’s immunity to help you fight swine flu, as well as other infections. Also, because your juicer has eliminated the fiber that keeps you from being able to eat 3 pound of green veggies in one sitting, it allows you to consume more veggies and provides your digestive tract with much-needed rest. Since your body doesn’t have to break down the vegetables in order to absorb the nutrition, it allows the body to focus on repair, healing, detoxification, and renewal. And as long as you use organic produce, the nutrition you introduce to your body via green juice has very few, if any, of the chemicals and toxins we Americans usually put into our bodies. Plus, as an added side benefit, your body’s aging process is indicative of how many enzymes are in your body. So by adding green juice to your diet, you may even add years to your life.
Why else is drinking green juice good for you?
In addition, green juice helps your body return itself to a state of healthy alkalinity. The pH of human blood has a very narrow window of safety, from about 7.35 to 7.45, as measured by an arterial blood gas. If it gets much above or below those levels, you are probably in the hospital- sick. Which means that the body prioritizes keeping blood pH within this range, even if it means sacrificing other necessary metabolic processes, such as getting rid of the toxins we ingest, absorb through our skin, and breathe. Eating alkaline foods allows the body to optimize its pH, thereby helping the body fight infection, cancer, and chronic disease.
Why is it important to eat alkaline foods?
Many foods in the typical American diet (like a grande caramel macchiato with an extra shot, a double bacon cheeseburger, and pasta with cheese sauce) are acidic foods, which means that the body has to work hard to neutralize the affects of these foods on your blood. Since your metabolic pathways are responsible for keeping the blood pH between 7.35-7.45, they’re gonna work their tail off to do so. Which means that if the body is working like mad to keep you blood pH stable, it has less energy to fight swine flu and other assaults like cancer, chronic disease, and other infections. I’ll get more into the science of it before we do a home cleanse together (get ready, Pinkies. It’s coming. More on that soon.) But suffice it to say that green juice is good for you, and that it boosts your immune system like no supplement can.
How do you get this awesome, superfood green juice?
I make mine with my Green Star 2000 juicer from kale, swiss chard, sunflower and mung bean sprouts, celery, cucumber, lemon, ginger, and jalapeno. And Tricia loves to puts lots of sprouts in her juices, because sprouts are the highest energy foods on the planet, grown in soil. And go ahead and juice wheat grass, while you’re at it, which is an even more concentrated superfood. If you have your own juicer but it’s been gathering dust under the counter, now is the time to pull it out. If you don’t have one, I think this is one of the best investments you’ll ever make. If you’re super busy and don’t have time to juice, many large cities have businesses that will deliver freshly made green juice to your door, such as Green Resurrection, founded by my friend Tricia Barrett, who trained at Hippocrates Institute and delivers her signature green sprout juice, freshly harvested sprouts, and prepared raw foods to her client’s door.
Sprouts and Wheat Grass in Tricia's Greenhouse at Green Resurrection
More about Tricia Barrett and Green Resurrection
If you live in the Bay area, check her out! Her juice is my favorite…so fresh and yummy. FYI- Tricia and I are in the process of designing a medically-supervised, fresh, nutritious green juice cleanse, delivered to your door, anywhere in the United States. We have a lot in the works, so stay tuned for more on that.
Do you want more tips on green juicing to help boost your immune system during this time of concern for swine flu? Please post your feedback, comments and questions.
Green juice cheers to your health!
Lissa
