Jen’s Stimulating Juice

I just made a new juice recipe discovery this week and feel compelled to share it. Being a relatively new blogger, I need to give a little background first. My current diet has evolved over the last 3 years, through a series of fairly small and simple changes, which en masse, create a pretty radical shift in my daily intake. Three years ago I ate like my idea of the average American: fast food for convenience and processed, packaged foods for the same reason, plus some sweet and salty snack foods just because they were fun.

Today I’m mostly vegan, fresh and raw, which is evident by the fact that I now produce about 1/2 of a small white kitchen trash bag of garbage each week. I do still occasionally eat half a burger, or some turkey or a bowl of ice cream because, well, I am alive and sometimes that’s fun, but I find that by maintaining my current diet I just plain feel good.

I grew up blessed with a high metabolism and the slender build of my grandmother, so I never much worried about diet. But rounding the decade into my thirties I started paying more attention to my health, something I realized was far more encompassing than just physique.

My first major change was substituting tofu for chicken/steak, introduced to me by my “hippie” vegetarian friend, who lived with me for a few months after returning from the Peace Corps. I tried it and liked it so it stuck. I developed my “tofu spinach salad” during this time and found that the meal, as I prepare it leaves me feeling sated, and holds me until the next meal. I used to get violent swings in blood sugar where, I’d eat a huge meal and less than an hour later feel like crap again. I began to put together other meals like this, but the tofu spinach salad is my core meal, and it’s very hearty.

So over the years lots of other little changes like this have created a much healthier me and I feel great pretty much all the time. I don’t get sick anymore and can’t remember the last time I went to the doctor. Last year, one such change was the addition of “juicing.” I found a free juicer through Craig’s List (who doesn’t love THAT site) and started experimenting.

I am fortunate to have an awesome farmer’s market at the end of my street, a place my dog Hayley and I walk to at least once every couple of days. I love being able to walk down there (with my own bags!) and come home with 3 full grocery bags of fruits and veggies for under $15, like I did yesterday!

But I digress. I approached juicing with the same utility and efficiency I use to approach life in general. I wanted to get the valuable minerals and nutrients from bulky items I wouldn’t otherwise have room to eat and/or simply don’t like the taste of in whole form. My goal was not to create a great tasting drink, but rather one that I COULD drink without gagging.

Basically, I pull together vegetables that I feel I need and then I add as many fruits as I feel are needed to overcome the taste of the veggies. People often ask me for recipes and I have to say that I approach juicing like I approach meals. If it’s something my body needs or can benefit from and I like the taste, then I will put items together and try them. More often than not, this just works out.

It’s going on a year of juicing now, and Mom gave me a nice, fancy new juicer for Christmas so I’m getting far better results on the process. Recently, I added beets to the mix for the first time and have since incorporated them. I just think that deep, rich, red color has got to be good for me (I subscribe to the eat by colors ideal).

This next part it getting personal but hey, it really worked and so I have to share it. I ate semi-poorly over the weekend out of town and my body was a little unhappy with me when I juiced yesterday. I made enough to drink this concoction last night and have another round for this morning. This mix proved VERY effective in stimulating the (ahem) bowels (which was an unexpected result), if you know what I mean. Given I’ve heard the average adult carries around between 5 and 25 pounds of well… you know… in their colons at any given time, movement at any time is a great thing! (I won’t comment here on the dietary practices that lead to these high amounts.)

So, here’s what I put in it (all amounts are approximate and all foods organic, where possible). I think I shall call this – Jen’s Stimulating Juice:

• 5 stalks celery
• 2 large beets
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 large carrots
• 3/4 pineapple
• 1 navel orange

Drink to your health!