Juice and jokes (Day 8 & 9 of my detox)

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Well, I made it through Saturday night with my friends and their cheese, wine, marinated artichokes and some sort of bean that Christina called, “Big Beans.”

They made some jokes, such as Jeff when he asked, holding up his bottle of fine red wine, “Want some juice Laura? Isn’t this juice?”

Everyone laughed. It was funny. Although they joke around with me, my friends are very supportive. One girlfriend, Nancy, and her mother decided to try juicing after she told her mom about it.

“Can we have coffee” Nancy’s mom asked.

“No mom, no coffee.”

“What about tea?”

“No mom, tea has caffeine. Just juice.” (Herbal, non-caffeinated tea is actually okay.)

“Well, I’m making menudo tomorrow, we can’t start tomorrow. First menudo then on Monday we start.”

I didn’t get into it then with Nancy, but I will send her a link  to the Reboot program (joingthereboot.com) where it explains you have to prepare a week in advance before you do any variation of the program. First thing to go is coffee and alcohol. Then you start to reduce the amount of animal proteins–beef, chicken, fish–as well as slowly start eliminating all processed foods, including pasta and bread, and all dairy two days before you start the program. That way your body won’t go into shock when you starting eating fruits and vegetables–at least that’s my take on it.

Sunday morning, or afternoon rather, which was Day 8 of my quest, I blended an apple, grapefruit, three carrots, and some honeydew melon for starters, and took a bottle of blended red cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, honeydew melon, Italian parsley and beets, as well as a can of coconut water, with me to meet some friends at LACMA for a movie screening (LACMA has a great free film series). Afterward, we went to Marie Calendars so my two girlfriends could eat and have some wine.

I assured them I was fine with this arrangement, I had my bottle of juice and my coconut water.  I was okay until after they consumed their dishes of ahi tuna served on a bed of noodles and fish tacos and one of my friends ordered a pizza. The pizza was so freshly made its tomatoes were steaming as the waiter brought it to the table. Then, with the pizza next to me, the waiter grated fresh parmesan on top and as he moved it over to Christina, the smell wafted up and filled my senses.

Wow, I had to go I thought to myself or I will break down. But I didn’t. I stayed, finished my juice and then finally told them I had to go because I was hungry. I needed to go home and juice.

Now it is Day 9 as I write this, and so far it has been the best day of my juice fast and detox.

I did yoga for 20 minutes in the morning, made a delicious juice blend of apples, carrots, grapefruit and red cabbage and took another blend of vegetables with me on the road for my appointments.

Here’s a partial list of vegetables and their benefits from my list on Day 8, courtesy of Reboot Your Life:

• Apples contain antioxidants that help protect “good” HDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
• Beets are potent antioxidants with liver-protective properties.
• Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that promotes natural detoxification in the liver. It is high in sulfur and iodine.
• Carrots are the richest plant source of vitamin A, good source of potassium.
• Cucumbers contain potassium and phytosterols, which help lower blood cholesterol levels.
• Grapefruits provide a rich source of vitamin C, and are a good source of lycopene (a carotene with prostate cancer-protective properties).
• Kale is an especially nutrient-dense vegetable with many potent micronutrients. Rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein, another potent carotene. Kale is part of the cruciferous vegetable family, making it a good source of the phytonutrient indole-3-carbinol. Research shows I3C has many anti-cancer actions, such as promoting estrogen ratios in the blood that are weak, but needed to discourage breast cancer tumor growth. Crucifers are also potent detoxifiers.
• Parsley is a good source of folic acid, which may help lower the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. It also promotes fresh breath.
• Swiss chard tastes sweeter in juices than spinach. It is rich in vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. Foods rich in potassium have been shown to lower blood pressure and heart disease risk.