The Whole Kale



Kale Chip with cashew cheez.  Yummy!

I know that it may appear difficult eat vegan, but only if you look at it from a “Whole Hog” or the “Whole Kale” point of view.  Veganism is a practice.  Each day a person must consciously choose to eat a plant based diet, which may include as much fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, and grains that she wants to consume.  Let go of the "difficult" thought.  There is a new way to see your transition to a vegan diet, which is to think about all of the foods that you can consume, and to think about the bounty the earth provides for her creatures (yes, you are a creature of the earth) .  Put yourself in the space of gratitude and abundance rather than the space of lack and missing. In other words, think about the good stuff you can eat!

New Path for Eating Vegan

Emails fill my inbox, and the same question or subject keeps coming up.  The subject is Transitioning Tips to Eating Vegan. At this time in space, everyone seems to want to know how they can incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets and how to consume less animal products. Because of all the emails I received requesting Transitioning Tips to Eating Vegan, it has been decide by you the reader the path this blog will take for the next few months. 

I know that eating vegan can seem daunting at first because everywhere we look there are advertisements for Steak & Lobsters, Double Pattie with Extra Cheese 100% Angus Beef Burgers, or Carne Asada Tacos, or some type of food that contains meat.  In the current society we live in, it is impossible to escape the meat culture.  It seems strange to many of us to have a meatless meal.  Popular media tells us that we may suffer from a lack of protein and become weak and die!  Okay, now that previous sentence is an exaggeration, but you get my point.  Somewhere in our consciousness we are programmed to believe that we need to eat meat to survive.  The key word that I am hitting on is “programmed.”  If one can be “programmed” to eat meat, one can be “programmed” not to eat meat.  What if we take control and decide to consciously eat.  Consciously eating means to be aware, pay attention to the foods that we put in our mouths and how these foods make us feel. 

Juice Fast Day 12--Beet Liver Cleanse

Today, I made a straight beet juice and drank it all in one go.  Beets are great if you are constipated, or if you want to rid your liver of toxins.  Please be aware that the beets will turn your urine and feces red, so do not freak out when you go the the bathroom.  It is just the beets. 

I have been dreading taking the red beets since I bought them.  The last time I had beet juice, I mixed it with carrot juice and tried to drink on it during the day.  I felt nauseated, and the experience put me off of beets. 

So, why the beet juice liver cleanse?  I feel like I have some stuff in my body that needs moving and I know that the beets will do the trick.  My body feels constipated even though I eliminated (solid) yesterday.      

Juice Fast Day 10--Maca Powder

Since I've been doing this juice fast, and I don't have any food in my body.  I decided that I would start incorporating maca powder into my morning juices to see if maca really works.  Maca is a Peruvian root that is suppose to give one energy if consumed.  It is suppose to regulate hormones.  I tried maca powder about four or five months ago, but I could not be consistent with it.  I could not tell if the maca was given me energy because I was consuming large quantities of smoothies, occasionally drinking white wine, and eating huge meals.  I mostly felt tired.  It seemed like I could not get enough sleep at that time. 

When I opened the cabinet yesterday to look at my food ( I do that sometimes.  I just look.), my eyes fell upon the maca powder, so I decide to put in my morning juice.  I don't know if I had energy yesterday.

This morning, I added a teaspoon and a half of maca to my orange juice.  That was about five hours ago. Since then, I've showered, checked my email, gone shopping, juiced, and cleaned up. 

Right now, I do feel motivated to write.  I feel warmth in my chest.  We shall see if the maca works. 

Juice Fast Day 8--Opening Throat Chakra

The throat chakra is on my mind lately.  It is because I feel like I need some kind of divine intervention to help me get my thoughts organized in to a coherent string that others can understand?  The throat is all about communication with self and with others.  It is about words.

My words are not coming to me.  I have to much chatter in my head from the tv.  I also feel a pressure on my throat.  An opening of the throat chakra is what I need. 

I attempted to do two meditations, and I still feel like I am mute.  The pressure is still there.  Maybe instead of riding myself of the pressure on my throat, I should embrace it--learn to accept it. 

It might be a good idea to start a meditation practice while I do this juice fast.  I want to develop some good personal habits of mind. 

The Juice of the day Pear, Apple and Watermelon.  The melon is not show in the photo below, but if you really want to see it, go to my videos

Juice Fast Continues Day 7

It is the end of the day and a time for reflection.  I told myself at the beginning of this juice fast I would not push myself beyond my limits, and  I would set a goal for seven days.  After the seven days, I would decide if I will continue an additional seven days or stop.  The decision is to continue with the juice fast. 

There is a need to release more.  Maybe I am release more than weight?  I feel like I am release old attitudes, or thought patterns that no longer serve me. There is more time to spend examining my thoughts and my relation to others because I am not spending time preparing foods, or obsessing about those comfort items that help me numb my self to the world around me.

I dreaded this day because this was the day that I would take my brother to the Social Security office (SSI) to replace his lost card.  Who wants to spend the day ( a hot day) in a bureaucratic web of lines and numbers?  I don't.  I barely slept last night because I had the TV on (another one of those no-nos that I do when I know I shouldn't). 

I made orange juice and gave some to my brother.  Actually, he asked for it after smelling the aroma of fresh orange in the air.  My body worked on 8 oz of orange juice and 32 oz of water.  I could not believe that there was no headache, and I was relatively tolerant to the other humans waiting at SSI to take care of the business of being counted.  While we sat and waited for my brother's name to be called, I guzzled almost a whole bottle of water.  I immediately felt fresh.  My eye sight seemed to come in focus.  

The amazing part of the day was that I was able to drive in a relaxed manner without any anxiety.  I even drove on the freeway, and felt completely secure in my abilities to manipulate my car (Red Daughter).

I want to move, so I was looking at neighbors that I'd like to live in.  I got to see it before it can happen.

Juice of the Day--Tropical Cotton Candy

Tropical Cotton Candy is a juice that consist of cantaloupe, pineapple, and watermelon.  When I first tasted it, the flavor was so intense that I called it candy in a glass.  While on this juice fast I have to mix up my juices.  I do not want to consume only green juices that will get tired quick.  So, to spice it up, I came up with Tropical Cotton Candy.  Make sure that this is not the only juice you have during the day.  Remember, we have to get our healing greens, so have Tropical Cotton Candy as a supplement to your juicing diet.

Tropical Cotton Candy Ingredients:

1 cantaloupe

1 pineapple

3 cups of watermelon

(note: you can add a bit of the watermelon rind)

Juice of the day--Green Jeans

I call this juice Green Jeans because after I drank it I felt like trying on my skinny jeans.  Not!  I call this juice Green Jeans because it is the first think that popped in my mind when I thought about naming it.  This juice is delicious and has a vibrant color.

This juice makes about 64 oz in a Jack La lane Power Juicer.  You quantity of juice may vary depending upon the juicer you use.

Ingredients for Green Jeans Juice:

3 stalks of celery

2 tomatoes

2 cucumbers

1 jalapeno
1/2 a crown of broccoli

2 lemons with the rind removed

2 apples with the seeds removed

1 bunch of parsley

1 bunch of mint

1 bunch of spinach

Juice Fast Day 4--Cleanse the Colon with Chia Seeds

According to Steven Meyerwitz in his book, Juice Fasting, chia seeds are good to use to cleanse the colon if you don't want to (or cannot) get a colonic.  Right now, I am broke and cannot spend $100 on a colonic, and I do not see myself giving myself a enema, so I'm going with the chia seeds.  I don't have to buy them; I already have chia seeds in my refrigerator. 

Do the chia seeds work?  I took a teaspoon full with 16 oz of water about an hour ago, and I have eliminated twice.  From my experience, I can say that chia seeds work to cleanse the colon, which is extremely important on a fast.  The body is gathering all the waste from your cells, and it needs to rid itself of this waste.  Because one is not consuming fiber on a juice fast, it is difficult for the body to eliminate; therefore, the body needs help.  This is where the chia seeds come in handy. 

Slimy Chinese Spinach

I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday, and got a bunch of produce.  I wanted some greens, but I didn't see any that looked good.  I went to this one vegetable stand, and I saw this plant that had beautiful flat leaves.  I asked the girl behind the table what it was.  She told me, "It is Chinese spinach." 
"Does it taste like spinach?" I ask.
"yeah, just saute it.  What are you going to do with it?" she responses with a inquisitive look on her face.  Her  eyes were wide and her mouth was open with the slightest hint of a smile.  I did notice that her teeth were brown on top; it reminded me off my yellow teeth when I was teenager.

I smiled at her told her in a matter of fact tone, as if it is obvious, doesn't she know I'm on a juice fast, "I'm going to juice it."

The girls eyes almost popped out of her head.  "Juice it," she said. 

"Yes, juice it." I replied as I handed her two dollars. 

The girl was giving me a sign.  If only  I had read the road map of her face a lot better, I would have known that juicing Chinese spinach is not a good idea.

However, I did listen to my inner voice earlier today when it told me to taste the Chinese spinach before I added it to my juice.  It did taste like spinach, but it produced a fair amount of slime in my mouth as I chewed it (yes, I did swallow).

I decided to juice a bit of it to see if it had a thick slimy quality.  OMG, when I put the Chinese spinach in the juicer, it started to come out like long, strings, of wet, sticky greenness.  It looked like a giant bugger entered my juicer.  I immediately stopped juicing. 

I had to clean every bit of the juicer of this sticky, yucky, mess that seemed to plaster itself against any surface.  It was like touching a raw egg, but 20 times worse.   I had scrub the fluid of Chinese spinach off, and it was not going away easy.

Juice Fast Day 3--I made a nasty juice

I thought that a juice fast would be easier than the Master Cleanse.  In some respects juice fasting is easier.  I don't crave food all the time like I did with the Master Cleanse.  I am full after I drink a juice.  I don't have to take the poop tea (smooth move).  I don't feel cold or lethargic.  All of these things are easier.

What I did not expect is that I would eliminate (poop) so much on a juice fast.  I thought that I would be constipated.  I did not expect that my tummy would gargle and grumble.  I'm not sure if it is the heat from the weather that is making me hot (feverish), or if it is the juice fast that is causing toxins to run through my body. 

Another thing that I am finding not easy is when I make a juice that totally sucks.  Today, I made a red chard, parsley, lemon, celery, cantaloupe, kiwi, apple, and pineapple juice.  This juice in theory should be delicious, but I don't like it.  There is definitely an earthy taste that I associate with beets (even though there aren't any beets in this juice).   It could be the celery mixed with the fruit that is putting me off, but what ever the cause I still have to drink this juice.

Juice Fast Day Two

The energy that I had yesterday was not there today.  I stayed in bed until 10am.  I wanted to stay in bed and let the day happen without me, but if I didn't get up I would not have any juice to drink for the day.  Finally, I got up to make orange juice, watermelon juice, and green juice. 

Basically, I spent the day in bed or on the toilet, or in bed as you can see from my photos.  My stomach gruggled and bubbled all day.  I could actually here it grumbling.  I also had a lot of gas that caused me some pain in my abdomin, which went away with each trip to the bathroom.  This is what the juice fasting book calls dextox symptoms.

I fantasized about eating pizza (vegan pizza of course! Hahah).  I thought about making kale chips, but decided against it because I'd have to taste the faux cheese.  I even craved cauliflower with nutrional yeast sprinkled on it. 

Start Juice Fast

Today is the day that I began the juice fast.  I am consuming nothing but juices.  As for the length of the juice fast, I decided to do day by day.  I'd like to do 31 days, but I will start with saying, "I intend to juice fast for 7 days."  If I set a goal date and I don't meet it, I don't want to be disappointed in myself.

Why are you doing a Juice Fast Nicole?

1. I need to reset myself.  By "reset" I mean clear out all of the junk (french fries, potato chips, caffeine) that I have put inside of my body.  For the last month and a half, I have exercised maybe twice.  I've just been in a fog.  Now, is the time to clear the fog out and let the sunshine.
2. I want to lose some weight.  I am tired of being fat.  Although, I am not as fat as I was or have been, I still want to drop some weight.  How much weight do I want to release ( the new word is release--because if you lose something you might find it, and I don't want to find weight).

Two Hours of Exercise

Today was a triumph.  I got up at 6 am, and I sat at my computer.  I did not write, but I made it to my computer.  I looked at a blank word document for a long time then I checked my email.  I hung out on facebook--commenting and friending.  I watched a few videos on youtube.  I printed my resume and cv, so I can update them. 

I had breakfast ( a bean burrito) and drank tea.  At 10:15, I went to the gym where I did two hours of exercise.  I did zumba and yoga.  The yoga tore me up.  I had to rest in the child pose for a little bit.  I might have been worn out from the zumba. 

I came home took a hot shower, started my laundry, watched Goonies (in English and Spanish at the same time). 

Yes, today was a productive day.  The major accomplishment was getting to my computer before the world awoke, and I did that.  Now, tomorrow, hopefully I will write.