National Heart Month

I promised I would share my cholesterol blood work results with you, and I will. But first, I wanted to share one of the many testimonials that has kept me from breaking my one-a-day raw juice commitment.

A quick recap for those who haven’t read my previous posts. I first heard about the benefits of juicing and detoxing from a friend. She and her husband were amazed with the results in a short time. They originally began juicing for weight loss and were impressed by how much better they felt physically and mentally.

After seeing my friends outcome, I did my own research by reading many articles and books.  Juicing, Fasting and Detoxing for Life was the first one I read. It made such an impression on me I purchased a juicer and gave raw green juicing a try. This choice only came after exhausting all other attempts at lowering my extremely “high risk” numbers.

I have read how juicing cures about every ailment there is, and I thought that to be a bit to fantastic.  My only wish was to lower my cholesterol numbers, even a tiny bit for incentive to stay off prescribed medications.

Below is one testimony from a lady with the same problems I have.

Linda’s Heartwarming Story (Taken from the February 7th, Juice Lady’s weekly email letters.)

“I just returned from my cardiologist’s office and went over the results of my blood tests taken two days ago.  He was grinning ear to ear and said I was in his “Hall of Fame”!  Before and after: Total Cholesterol 241, now l58; Triglycerides 89, now 78, HDL 55, now 48, LDL 160, now …94. (ratio, 3.2) Then he said, ok, now sit down and tell me, what in the world did you do?  I’m not on statins, won’t take them, but wanted to see how much my lipids responded to a really good way to cleanse and then eat nourishing meals. After accomplishing the Trinity Wellness Retreat, we are all sooo on the right track to health and we should all be so proud of ourselves and talk about the retreat to our friends.  Five years ago, I was so scared and today my heart is happy and calm. In fact, I’m smiling right now, Father John! ~ Linda” (Note, Father John is the Juice Ladies husband)

NOW FOR MEL’S HEARTWARMING STORY

Here are my facts and figures since February 8, 2014.

I began juicing raw vegetables on Oct 2, 2013 (one 10-16 oz a day) in place of lunch. I would have a granola bar or crackers and humus if I still felt hungry. (I eat my normal solid meals for breakfast and dinner)

Four months later, DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . .  my total cholesterol dropped not 10, not 20, or even 50 points, but dropped exactly a miraculous 100 points from where it was in April of 2013. That’s ONE HUNDRED points without taking any drugs! (Yes! Yes! Yes!  I haven’t stopped doing the happy dance since last Saturday.)

My good cholesterol increased from 66 to 80. It’s recommended for females to be higher than 50, males higher than 40.

And my Triglyceride levels that were out of control in the past . . . they are now within a  healthy range at (3.2)             Recommended = Less than 5 is desirable, less than 3.5 optimal. MINE ARE ABOVE OPTIMAL! Whew Hoo!

*Another added benefit since October 2nd is, I’m now nine pounds lighter.    click here   > Song bite

I’m so blown away with these results! I was hopeful, but still skeptical, considering all the struggles my mother went through trying to lower her cholesterol without ever succeeding, even taking the statins didn’t help her.

It’s official! This is no longer an experiment, but a definite LIFE CHANGE!

If you are interested in knowing more about raw juicing …  click the  Juice Lady’s name here  (Cherie Calbom) She has written over twenty books and is passionate to help people live a healthier lifestyle. She has quite a story. Worth the read! We have several of her books at the library. (hint!)

WISHING EVERYONE A HEALTHY HAPPY HEART MONTH AND LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE

Update on Juicing For Cholesterol

What has been happening since my previous post titled, Got Veggies, Why Yes I do?

In an effort to lower my cholesterol I’ve been consuming at least ten to sixteen ounces of raw veggie juice daily since October 2, 2013. I do this at lunch and rarely eat anything else. I’ll snack on a granola bar if I feel hungry or maybe eat a handful of nuts. This works for me until dinner time between five and six.

Since I began this endeavor, I’ve discovered there are some recipes more tolerable than others, but mostly, to be completely honest, I just suck it down through a straw as quickly as possible. These juices are not appealing in color and the veggies that are recommended for heart health are strong flavored and have never been my favorite. (Beets especially) Although I’m still determined to do juicing for my health, it is not something I consider fun and I would certainly rather have something that tastes like a Sander’s chocolate malt.

This is an article from the Juice Lady, Cherie Calbom that has inspired me to keep juicing for my health and well-being, no matter what I think of all the weird flavors that I’m not accustomed to eating. I’ve also included a link through Juice Lady below for a free all around online health seminar.

I’ve come to enjoy the quickness more than the flavors of these juices. I am ingesting super-foods  into my body, in a short time, every single day, and I can honestly say, my body is loving me for it! I feel good inside and without a doubt know it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself in an extremely long time.

The positives so far…shiny hair, weight loss, better skin, and more energy, my nails are growing stronger and quicker than they used to, also. I’m hoping on February 8, 2014, I can add another positive in saying that my cholesterol numbers have fallen. ( I will post either way) I’ve already decided rather they do or not, I will continue juicing at least once a day. It’s something next to exercise that I feel will make a difference long-term in my quality of life. It already has.

To answer those of you who have asked about cleaning the machine, and if running to the store to shop for fresh and organic veggies all the time is a pain, here’s my answer.

It’s routine for me now. I usually make enough juice to last two days. They recommend you drink them within two hours of juicing for the highest benefit, but they retain most of their nutrients for up to twenty-four hours.  I figure, hey, I’m still way a head of my one canned veggie a day meals from the past and it’s a whole lot better than store-bought juices.

The juicer is fairly easy to clean. (five minutes tops) The fine mesh part where the veggies are pressed through, is the worst. Between my handy-dandy spud vegetable scrubber (perfect size) and the faucet hose spray, it is really quite painless. Most parts are dishwasher safe but I prefer to wash them in the sink.

My favorite stores to purchase fresh and organic produce are; Whole Foods, Better Health, and Kroger’s. I buy enough for juicing two times, equaling four lunches.

This special offer came through my email-Free on-line seminar with Cherie and her guests, titled the, Winter of Wellness  Check it out, it’s FREE.

Is anyone else juicing? Leave in comments below. I would love to hear about your experiences.

Juicing

Juicing for Cholesterol

Lunch

Juiced Lunch

November Challenges!

November Challenge 2013

PiBoIdMo = Picture Book Idea Month = Thirty ideas in thirty days!

Thank you, to Tara Lazar for pulling this challenge and hundreds of children’s writers together. You are super fabulous as is your blog and all the support you have provided us with through the month.  I enjoyed the daily inspirational posts from all your talented, amazing writing friends.

I came up with fifty-five  headings. After that, each day I would highlight one and try to come up with characters, plot, and settings. I love writing daily and will continue to work through my list and hopefully something, like maybe, a picture book will evolve and get published.

Writing For Kids (while raising them)  blog by Tara Lazar

My Continuing Challenge of Juicing (Lunches) 64 days!

Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor has been the highlight of my juicing experience, thus far. I love the city, and the store. I have per-ma grin all the way through until check-out. There is so much to experience, but mostly it is their line of organics that jump-start my adrenalin. I feel like I’m getting the best ingredients for the money. If I’m going to continue juicing on a daily basis, I want to put top quality raw foods in my body.

For a snack we sampled roasted root vegetables, white fish, and grass-fed beef pepper steak, along with assorted Greek olives, from the all natural buffet bar.  The array of flavors were absolutely scrumptious. To wrap up our day, we ended with a stop at several of the many surrounding shops and two more Christmas presents purchased. A totally fun, productive, healthy day.

The Last and Most Difficult Challenge of November

This was my first Thanksgiving without either of my parents. The month came, even though I didn’t want it to. I didn’t want to cook, I didn’t want to eat out at a restaurant and I certainly didn’t want to go anywhere-except to Mom and Dad’s house like we have the past thirty-two years. Nothing was the same or would it  ever be again for the holidays. The first couple of weeks of November I struggled with what to do about dinner. My thoughts kept going to my mom. This was her favorite holiday. It’s so hard to believe she has missed this meal for three years now. She loved turkey and everything that goes with it, the preparations, parades, and most of all, the time spent with family. I made up my mind to dedicate this holiday to her and I would cook as she taught me to. And I did! The meal came out close to perfect, the only thing missing . . . Mom and Dad.