My Juicing Story

I  never knew the exact meaning of ‘Eureka’ except as some kind exclamation that no one uses anymore. Come to find out it is Ancient Greek for ‘I have found it.’ It is most known because Archimedes, Greek scholar, shouted, ‘Eureka!’ when he stepped in a bath and the water level rose. ‘He suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. This meant that the volume of irregular objects could be measured with precision, a previously intractable problem. He is said to have been so eager to share his realization that he leapt out of his bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse naked’ (Thanks, Wikipedia).

eureka

Like Archimedes, I am eager to shout out my realization to whomever will hear read it. I think I’ll pass on running through the streets of Maui naked, although tempting. 

I have been on my own a path of discovery for almost a decade: health. I will preface this with a piece of my story. At 19, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The doctors found a tumor the size of a grapefruit on the left side of my chest cavity and it had started to crowd my breathing. I was given a biopsy right away and shortly after put on a cancer treatment plan. Twelve treatments of chemotherapy every other week followed by five weeks of radiation every day was the course of action I was given, and by the end of it, I was told I would be cured.

I ended up completing only ten of the twelve chemo treatments (yeay me), because the tumor had shrunk so significantly and then I followed up with daily radiation for five weeks. At the end of it all, about nine months from start to finish, I became what doctor’s call a cancer ‘survivor.’ 

After my treatment, I decided to drastically change my diet. I had always been active and ate fairly healthy for my age at the time, but I really wanted to take on nutrition and health in a new way after being pumped full of toxic poisons that left the cells in my body sick and damaged. I shopped at a local Farmer’s Market for the first time in my life, increased my raw fruit and veggie intake, got rid of unhealthy fats, drank tons of water and only water, took my vitamins and supplements, ate a diet high in fiber with lean proteins, no refined carbs, yes to whole grains and absolutely no fast food, ever. I spent time making my own meals as best as I knew how considering I was about 22, working part-time and going to college full-time. This was my food lifestyle for five years and it was incredible. I looked and felt great. Then I got married and eleven months after my husband and I were married we had our baby boy and my lifestyle slowly began to change (as it so easily can when having children). I wasn’t eating as ‘hardcore’ healthy and found it difficult to keep a consistent workout routine for one reason or another. During this time I really got the lesson for myself that working out and eating healthy are not solely about image, although let’s just be honest here, for years it was a huge part of my motivation. But, really and truly for me, and I’d say the majority of people in the world, self-care is directly linked to how we feel emotionally and physically and yes, even spiritually.

 

{Wedding day in Maui. Best shape of my life. Isn’t this usually the case on wedding days?}

Since my healthy lifestyle took a bit of a downturn, I have felt the difference in every way possible. I don’t sleep as well at night, my back and shoulders are tighter, my skin has lost some of its luster, and I can be downright irritable if I don’t get my workout in (such a stress reliever). Oh, and I’m for sure not as toned. For sure. Some would say I look it, but I kid you not the second I step into a weight class…LIES!!! ALL LIES!!! My strength and endurance are just not the same. You know how it is when you are not consistently lifting weights? You have to start ALL OVER! So, yeah, when I don’t eat as healthy and consistently workout, I feel, well…blah.

Fast forward to the present, July, 2011. I’m 29 (exactly a decade after I was diagnosed), my little man is nearing two-and-a-half and we recently made a move from Portand, Oregon to Maui, Hawaii. About two weeks ago my husband decides he wants to watch a Netlix movie before we hit the sack. He picks out a documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I reluctantly agree to watch it. And then I do. And in an instant I have one of those, ‘Aha!’ moments. This is something I want to take on for the rest of my life. What’s that you say? Juicing. Wha?! That’s it? Juicing? Juicing. I want to include waay more fruits and veggies in my life to heal my body, or should I say aid my body in healing itself, and this is the way to do it. Eureka!

Joe Cross, an Aussie who was way too fat, way too sick and nearly dead, created a documentary {that pretty much all of America has seen by now} about his journey back to health. If I could recommend a movie for everyone to see this year, this one would be it. It’s his story, his likeableness if you will, and the common everyday person he meets on the street and is able to do it, too, just like him. It makes you feel like you’re in this together and there is a community of people out there taking back their health with you. Check out the trailer.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – Official Trailer from Team Reboot on Vimeo.

I was hesitant to take this on at first because I thought why would you take out the pulp, which is rich in fiber, and I started thinking about investing in a Vitamix instead. Kyle, my husband asked Joe Cross himself (this was about a month before he became huge and was able to respond to folks personally). He Facebooked him and this was Joe’s response:

‘Hi Kyle…nothing wrong with a Vitamix for smoothies and blending fruits…but during a juice only Reboot we need to separate the fiber from the plant to ensure that the body thinks we’re on a fast…that way we use up more excess energy…..so, it really does depend on what the goal is….for health and clarity…a Vitamix is great…also with weight loss…but for super fast results and longer term Reboot’s, you’ll need a juice extractor!! Hope this helps, but find out more at www.jointhereboot.com – Joe’

This is exactly what we needed to make our decision. I would love to invest in a Vitamix someday, (spendy suckers!), but for now let the juicing begin!!!

My juicer of choice: Breville JE98XL

 

Cheers to no more cancer and as Joe would say: Juice on!

HOW TO GET STARTED —>> JUICING 101

**Update: It’s been 3 years since I started juicing and it has changed my life (and my family’s). We feel better, have more energy and we  are getting way more fruits and veggies in our diet than we ever would have otherwise. I love it!

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1 Comment

  • Louise Cook says:

    Hey there, was just enjoying reading your blog about juicing and how you got started. So glad to hear you were able to turn your health around. I would imagine you have probably by now had others attempt to get your opinion about a product called Juice Plus+, but in case not, I thought I would give it a go. To make it as simple as possible, Juice Plus+ is just juiced fruits veggies and berries that have been dehydrated at very low temps to retain the nutrients. Then pulverized and predigested into powder and encapsulated. The produce is allowed to vine ripen so it has the greatest amount of nutrition and is processed within 24 hrs. to retain that nutrition. Since it is processed so quickly, it actually is more nutritious than juicing as the items we juice with at home are generally picked before totally ripe and then who knows how long it has been pick before getting to our home. Juice Plus+ is also the most researched nutritional product in the world which has resulted in 1000’s of doctors recommending it to their patients. So basically compared to juicing, Juice Plus+ is easier, more nutritious, and less expensive by far. If you would like any more info. please let me know. Blessings, Louise Cook P.S. you can view my website and learn more also.

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