What’s Up With All This Juicing?

So I’ve decided to go on this juicing kick. Some of you may already know about this from my postings on FaceBook.

I’ve decided to test the theory that food is really your medicine. I’ve been what a few people may call a ‘health nut’ for a long time – even though I’m no where’s near the true ‘health nuts’ that are out there – those that truly ‘Eat to Live.’

Anyway, I changed my eating when I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease back in 2003 and it definitely helped. But, having the sweet tooth that I have, it’s always been hard to give up many of those snacks I love.

In the past couple years, my cholesterol has been climbing. High cholesterol runs in my family along with other inflammatory issues like arthritis and type 2 diabetes. Since I had Grave’s disease, I can basically assume that I have inflammation in my body. Inflammation is not great when it comes to diseases, including heart disease. I also have inflammation of the tendons that connect my stomach muscles to my rib cage, this is called costocondritis (I was diagnosed with this in ’92).

I’ve been reading a lot about inflammation lately and cholesterol related articles as well. There are a lot of recommendations but the biggest one is……………AVOID SUGAR!

Pretty much every article says to avoid refined and highly processed foods (which I rarely eat) and white flour products. Because I eat gluten-free, I do avoid the white flour products, but I have come to start eating a lot of white rice which I believe is not helpful to my body.

So I’ve challenged myself to really put what I’ve been reading into action. My doctor wants to check my cholesterol again around February so I decided to eat differently and see if it makes a difference. I definitely do not eat the suggested 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables so that’s why I decided to start juicing. I have to say, in just 3 days, I feel a lot better. My blood sugar seems to be more stable, meaning I don’t get those feelings of ‘I have to eat!’ every 2 hours.

Also, my cravings for sweet and salty stuff has diminished quite significantly. I make sure to always use vegetables – especially green leafy ones like spinach and kale – along with some fruit so I don’t drink too much sugar at once because even though fruit is good for you, it still contains natural sugar.

So here’s where I’m at right now:

Total Cholesterol:   221

HDL: Great. I have lots of good cholesterol so this is a plus.

LDL: High. This is the first time ever that my LDL level (the bad cholesterol) has been high.

Triglycerides: Great. 56.

I’m going to incorporate some of the stuff below into my diet and avoid the bad things stated above: white foods, refined and highly processed foods.

• juicing:  lots of greens, fruits, garlic, ginger, turmeric
• Turmeric supplement
• Krill Oil – at least 1,000 mg daily
• Maitake Defense – supplement containing a blend of Reishi, Cordyceps, Chaga mushrooms (for immune system)
• Vit. D – 2,000 iu daily (in the form of d-3)
• Raw cacoa
• Maca powder
• and some other stuff I’ve researched

I will not totally cut out all the snacks I love, but I will be cutting them waaaayyyy down. I may have something once a week, if that.

We’ll see how it goes. I’m pretty gung-ho about it right now and I hope that feeling lasts.

I’ll keep you posted and see how I’m making out and feeling in a week or two on this subject.

And just a reminder, this is just info I’m sharing, nothing more. I’m not saying to do this for yourself so if you do, make sure it’s your own decision and check with your medical practitioner before you go off and start doing anything crazy!

Any one have experiences to share? Please do! Or any inspirations will help too

Inhale~Enjoy~Exhale,

Gina

image by lindaaslund via flickr

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