Monday, December 29, 2008

My Health Pantry: Juicing

Juicing is, in my opinion, one of the fastest and most efficient ways of getting concentrated nutrients into your sweet body pronto!

I often juice as I am fasting (called a juice fast) because fresh juices are great cleansers and help the body heal very quickly from what ails it. The power-packed nutrition is very satisfying as well and feels like your insides are getting treated to a day at the spa!

I love the flavor of freshly-juiced fruits, but keep in mind that a little of these goes a long way because of the concentrated, natural sugars. Let the bulk of your juicing be fresh veggies such as carrots or any green vegetable.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I daily drank 32 ounces or more of organic carrot juice + one green veggie. My favorites were celery, kale, cucumber or green bell pepper. Spinach actually wasn't too bad either. The green helped balance the sugary-ness of the carrots. Oh, and I often tossed in an apple as well. Yum.

When my son was born, my midwife could not get over how healthy the placenta was. She said she'd NEVER seen anything like it and was absolutely amazed. I attribute that primarily to the juicing.

I truly believe that if your health is in crisis, juicing is a powerful start to healing. And a great addition to any wintertime health pantry!

Monday, December 22, 2008

My Health Pantry: Fasting

One of the greatest tips I ever learned doesn't cost a penny.

Fasting every so often is a blessing to your health and makes you feel like a million bucks.

Stormie O'Martian wrote a little book on fasting that was inspirational and very informative to me. I read it several years ago and what I read in there still impacts my life today.

So, during this holiday season that is full of sugars and fats that can weigh you down and weaken your immune system, consider a short fast to "clean your house" and start your new year off right!