Organic Lifestyle | Healthy Juicing Tips

I get a lot of questions about juicing. I started juicing on August 1, 2013 and I've lost 25 lbs. Not only does my body have amazing energy it's also made my mind so clear. There's nothing healthier or sexier than a body that feels good!!

Now onto questions I've been getting...

1. Why juice?

Juicing is an amazing way to get nutrients into your body that you wouldn't ordinarily get. Some of us don't like eating that many veggies, so this is a way to get them into your body in a quick and efficient way.

2. What's the difference between juicing and blending?

Blending just grinding up the fiber and keeps it in the juice which is great if you want to feel full longer. Blending is good if that's all you've got, but juicing is way better for your body. Juicing extracts nutrients and water from vegetables making it easier to ingest. This is better for your digestive system, particularly if you have a sensitive digestive tract. If you want to feel full longer, then I suggest adding chia seeds to your juice after you've used your juicer. You don't want those chia seeds to burn up your juicer.

Warning: If you are juicing you extracting the essential nutrients from a fruit or vegetable and for that reason I recommend only using one fruit in your juice. If you juiced a lot of fruits then that would be a sugar overload for ill patients.

3. What kind of juicer should I buy?

That's the best question to ask. I recommend the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer and Breville juicers. Both are excellent juicers. If you buy a cheap juicer it's apt to die on you in just a few juicings. You need a powerful motor because you'll be juicing like crazy once you see how good your body feels.

4. What do I juice?

I like to juice everything from kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, swiss chard (in any variety), cilantro, carrots, cucumbers (absolutely essential), celery, beets and their greens, parsley, and ONE large apple. Of course, you don't juice all this at once, but I buy all of this for one week of juicing.

Here's a sample recipe:

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale

4 handfuls of baby spinach

5 carrots

1 large cucumber

1 large apple

ginger

Makes 4 c. of juice.

5. What should I buy for one week of juicing?

Here's an example of my shopping list:
7 cucumbers
7 large apples
1 lb. bag of carrots
1 stalk of celery
1 bunch of beets
1 bunch of cilantro
4 bunches of kale
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 lb. baby spinach
hand size of ginger

6. How do I prepare my veggies?

First, clean your veggies. Fill your sink with water. Add 1/3 c. Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Add in your veggies and leave to soak for 10-15 min. Empty the water and then rinse them.

Next, slice the ends of your cucumbers and then down the middle lengthwise. Cut your apple in fours and cut out the seeds. Seeds aren't good for you or your juicer.

7. How do I juice?

Start with the kale or the greens. Gently push it into the juicer, one stalk at a time. If the green is too big, then cut it and put it in. I usually do celery next since the water in that vegetable pushes out the rest of the bits of kale. Then I do the carrots, the apple, and the ginger and then I do the cucumber last. The cucumber will clean out your juicer of all the nutrients that are still lingering in there.

8. Do you have any juicing tips?

I have three very important ones to remember. ONE: JUICE IN THE MORNING BEFORE YOU EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING ELSE. The nutrients get absorbed into your body faster and that's the very best thing you can do for your body. You've already taken the step to learn that juicing is essential for your health, but it's even better if you follow this particular tip.

TWO: ONLY MAKE WHAT YOU THINK YOU'LL DRINK. YOU SHOULDN'T SAVE YOUR JUICE. The nutrients from juicing are on a time frame. You can't put it into your refrigerator and expect it to have the same benefits as it does Right after you juice. Here's more about the topic.

THREE: ONLY BUY ORGANIC. Most people know about genetically modified organisms. There's absolutely no nutrition in them, but some people forget to remind you that conventional produce is almost as bad for you because it contains harmful pesticides that can't be washed off even with the method described in this post. I'm assuming that you're thinking about juicing because it's healthy, but if you're going to juice conventional vegetables then you might as well not juice at all.

9. Do you recommend juicing for weight loss?

Yes and no. Yes, juicing will help you lose weight, but if you're doing it to lose weight then that's not the only reason to do it. My number one reason for juicing was that it made me feel healthier. A smaller waistline will do that, too, but your focus should be on increasing your vitality. Weight loss will come with that goal, too.

10. How many times a week should I juice?

I juice every single morning, but sometimes I even juice twice a day if I feel like my body needs it. There are some that suggest juicing as a detox program at first and that's a good idea if you can do it. Honestly, at first, your body will be full from juicing 4 cups at a time. If you decide to juice for three days then you'll need a lot of vegetables. You'll probably juice three times a day and I suggest eating raw vegetables only to aid in your detox. I haven't done a three day fast yet, but it's next on my list.

Happy juicing, folks. I hope you'll give it a chance. Give it one week and if you don't feel better then at least you've tried it!!!

Eat to Live. Don't live to eat.

Recipe | Homemade GMO Free Bread

The smell of this bread is AMAZEballs!!! Every single time I bake it my entire family goes crazy including my kitten, Charlie. ❤
The smell is so intoxicating we can't wait until it cools for a slice!

Homemade GMO Free Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

Ingredients

As always...buy local, organic, or grow your own!

7 c. Unbleached organic whole wheat bread flour (see below for other kinds of flour)

4 tsp Fine sea salt

2 c. Almond milk, warmed

2/3 c. Purified water, warmed

4 TB Butter, melted

3 TB Raw honey

2.5 tsp ActiveDry yeast

1 TB Olive oil

1 c. Boiling Water

Instructions

Place the racks in the bottom portion of your oven. Place a small cake pan on the bottom rack. Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Warm milk, purified water and melt butter. Pour into a small mixing bowl over honey and whisk. Sprinkle yeast on the top. Place a towel over bowl and set aside for five minutes.

Mix the flour and salt with a whisk.

Turn the oven off after it's been on for ten minutes.

Sprinkle .5 c. Flour on a big, flat surface.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together with a spatula. Once they're together dump the dough onto the floured surface. Knead the dough by flattening it, folding it, and repeating until the dough does not feel sticky. Tuck the sides and then the ends under.

Pour oil into a large mixing bowl. Place dough into the oil. Turn over and lightly coat oil onto all the dough. Set the dough with tucked ends in the bottom of the bowl. Place into the oven and let the dough rise until it doubles, 40-50 min.

Take the dough out. Separate down the middle with a chef's knife. Fold the dough into thirds, flip upside down, and tuck the ends. Place into the loaf pans. Place the loaf pans into the oven for 30 minutes to rise.

Five minutes before the thirty minutes has ended, boil some water. When the water is boiling, turn on your oven to 350. Pour water to the top of the cake pan that you placed in the bottom rack of your oven (don't skip this part! It keeps your bread moist while baking!). 

Bake for 30 minutes. Let your bread cool completely for a couple of hours (if your family lets you!) before you cut it with a serrated knife. I like to use an electric knife to slice thinner, straighter slices.

NOTE: I recommend King Arthur's Organic Unbleached Bread Flour. This bread contains gluten. If you'd like a gluten free version, you could try using King Arthur's Glutenfree Bread Flour!

Enjoy!

Organic Lifestyle | What are GMOs?

Let's begin with a thorough understanding of what genetically modified organisms really are...

One thing to note off the bat is that GMOs are not to be confused with cross-breeding. Cross-breeding in dogs is easy to understand. We mate dogs with different dogs to get the result we desire, but we don't go into the gene and alter it to create human cells to create a fetus. Cross breeding does not alter genes. It is merely a mating of plants to make a different species.

Genetic modification means the scientist alters the DNA sequence to create a life not normally found in nature. Genetic modifications can occur when splicing open a plant gene by either inserting a bT toxin into the DNA, combining the splices together, creating plant cells to create a "seed" which is grown OR by splicing in another trait like cells from a cold hardy plant into a warm weather plant to help it grow. The second type of genetic modification is preferable than the first because no bacterial toxin is inserted into the gene.

The advantage for scientists, for the GMO with bT toxin, is that heavier pesticides can be sprayed down onto the plant. The pesticides are so heavy that when it's sprayed it covers the area with so much toxicity that it kills absolutely everything including the weeds and the insects. Insects eat a tiny bite of the plant and they die or they evolve into superbugs. Weeds begin to resist and then evolve into super weeds.

Herbicides and pesticides have been scientifically proven to cause cancer and a lot of other diseases. Monsanto owns approximately 80% of the world’s seeds. Currently, there are heavy amounts of GMOs in corn, soy, sugar beets and canola. There are many other varieties that have been introduced but, over 90% of the above mentioned are GMO and it is advisable only to purchase these organically. GMOs are not new and have been grown in the Hawaiian islands and elsewhere since the 1980's.

Glyphosate, the main herbicide used in Roundup, is a deathly toxin. Glyphosate was quickly adopted by farmers, even more so when Monsanto introduced glyphosate-resistant crops, enabling farmers to kill weeds without killing their crops. In 2007, glyphosate was the most used herbicide in the United States agricultural sector and the second most used in home and garden market. With its heavy use in agriculture, weed resistance to glyphosate is a growing problem. While glyphosate has been approved by regulatory bodies in the United States, and is widely used, concerns about its effects on humans and the environment persist.

In 2013, the United States' EPA raised the amount of allowable pesticides due to the super weeds and super bugs that have become resistant to the previously allowed amounts of pesticides. Monsanto has since developed a 2, 4-D GMO strain which uses the same toxin sprayed in the jungles of Vietnam as Agent Orange and is more effective at combating super weeds. This should give us all severe cause for concern if you've seen the pictures of children who are still severely crippled with birth defects in Vietnam.

GMOs are bad for us because the pesticides and herbicides are creating disease in our bodies. Our bodies do not recognize the plant because it is a foreign substance. Our bodies resist anything that is unnatural in our bodies and, therefore diseases like gastrointestinal disorders, Parkinson's, Autism, Alzheimers, Cancer and many more have been directly linked to GMO consumption.

Points to Consider:

• Research studies have shown that Monsanto’s genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects.

• In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives, and we feel that’s a questionable conflict of interests and explains the lack of government-lead research on the long-term effects of GMO products.

• Last year the U.S. Congress and president collectively passed the nicknamed “Monsanto Protection Act” that, among other things, bans courts from halting the sale of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds.

• For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.

• Monsanto's GMO seeds are harmful to the environment; for example, scientists have indicated they have caused colony collapse among the world's bee population.

What are solutions we advocate?

• Voting with your dollar by buying organic and boycotting Monsanto-owned companies that use GMOs in their products.

• Labeling of GMOs so that consumers can make those informed decisions easier.

• Demanding GMO labeling in your state.

• Calling for further scientific research on the health effects of GMOs.

• Holding Monsanto executives and Monsanto-supporting politicians accountable through direct communication, grassroots journalism, social media, etc.

• Continuing to inform the public about Monsanto's secrets.

• Taking to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we won't take these injustices quietly.

(1) Download an App for Your Smart Phone!
Non-GMO Project's Shopping Guide App
Fooducate App

Center for Food Safety's True Food App

(2) Look for the Non-GMO Product Seal at the Grocery Store!

(3) Use this Produce Decoder at the Grocery Store!

(4) Shop Local!

FAQs:

“Why can’t we just eat organic?“

The problem is that...let’s say there’s a hill. At the top of the hill Monsanto is cultivating GMO corn. At the bottom of the hill there is an organic corn farm. At night Monsanto employees spray their GMO corn with pesticides. A little later on it rains. The rain comes down on the GMO corn and then streams down the hill to the organic farm and into the soil where the organic corn is growing. Scientists have tested that organic corn. It is no longer organic. It is a GMO.

That’s where we’re at concerning fruits and vegetables. Now, let’s add the GMO soy into the mix. 90% of the soy purchased is used for animal consumption. When ranchers feed their cattle, chicken and pigs they feed them that soy. Then they butcher them and put them in our super markets. Then we eat them without knowing because the food is not labeled. We’ve just eaten what that cow ate. Our bodies have just ingested chemicals that were not made for us. 

“We can just eat grass-fed animals.”

Well, that’s an interesting theory. My response is two-fold. One, remember the hill? Those GMOs will seep into the grass that the animals eat. Two, who is going to guarantee that the animals we eat are grass-fed? We also now have to be concerned with the type of grass that the cow is eating. Is it GMO free? GMO grass is now a reality.

“Then I’ll eat fish.”

Sounds good, except that they created genetically modified salmon. These salmon grow at an unnatural rate so that they will be big enough to harvest. Now we can only eat wild fish. But, remember that hill? That same water that contaminated the organic corn will stream into the oceans. How long before all fish are inedible?

“Won’t the USFDA label them so I know which ones are GMOs?“

Probably. And we will pay more for it and buy it. But, there is no guarantee that it is what it’s labeled. Remember the hill? Plus the USFDA can’t be trusted because Monsanto owns the USFDA. Yes, the deputy commissioner of the USFDA was a previous VP for Monsanto. And Hillary Clinton, a candidate for President in 2016, was formerly on Monsanto's payroll. The government is not going to stop promoting big corporations unless we start voting out the politicians that like to be paid big bucks.

“The President of the United States will do something, right?”

Actually, President Obama, that I trusted enough to vote for, signed The Monsanto Protection Act guaranteeing that they will never be sued. They will not be held accountable for poisoning a world full of people. President Obama is gong out of office soon and we need someone strong enough to stand up to business. That isn't going to be Hillary Clinton who has come out publicly with support for GMOs.

Read MORE ==>

What are 2, 4-D GMOs? *Note: This is from Wikipedia for ease of reading. Please feel free to research it further.

OCA: Tell the USDA: Don't approve new GMO crop (petition)

USDA Gives Green Light to 2,4-D Resistant GM Crops

A Photographer's Journey Through Vietnam Orphanages full of Disabled Children

Activist Notes | Why I March Against Monsanto and YOU Should, Too

I March Against Monsanto. 

I would like to share with you why I have taken such an adamant stance. 

I am passionately against Monsanto, and other biotech companies, and I am marching for good reasons: (1) I want to protect the environment and (2) I want my children and their children to be alive for a very long time.

Monsanto is one extremely dangerous corporation. 

They have taken over our FDA. Yes, I know I may sound like a right wing conspirator, but I'm just a concerned mother who wanted to know what her children were eating. Although I have three plus years of college under my belt, I never graduated from college. I do not consider myself smarter than a scientist. I just do the research. Period.

How GMOs affect humans and the environment.

Genetically Modified Organisms by nature must contain a bacterial virus in order to transform a normal gene. This type of modification, whether it's to insert a pesticide or another gene to make the food hardier, is unnatural and it has unnatural consequences to both the human body and our environment. If we allow GMO seeds of disease to be produced then they will contaminate every natural living organism and there will be no more food for our future generations. Cross pollination is a powerful tool and makes it possible for GMO traits to be passed onto natural organisms. Whether that trait is pollinated or eaten is no matter. Either way, GMOs will genetically modify a plant, an animal and, yes, even humans.

These Bt toxins are making the organs in our bodies process them in an unnatural fashion. I've been diagnosed with diabetes, kidney problems and liver disease and I attribute it to the food that I have been eating. It wasn't until six months ago that I heard the term "GMOs" and I was quick to discount the term because I was afraid that it was too scientific for me to understand. When I became ill last year I started paying more attention and I started researching. The more I researched the more concerned I became. Not only for myself, but also for my children. I have only been ingesting these chemicals for the last twenty years, but my children have been ingesting them for their entire lives.

I urge you all to go home and watch A Silent Forest on YouTube. The film talks about how GMO trees have been created. These unnatural trees soak up more water than usual from the ground, creating a dry soil shattered with cracks. Because the pesticide does not work adequately enough they rain more pesticides on them and kill everything on the earth around them but the herbicide resistant trees. They have genetically modified them to be less hardy and, therefore, they rot on the ground and release carbon monoxide into our biosphere. Not the least of this is the water that the chemicals contaminate. They found these chemicals in the water supply in Denmark and banned all GMOs because of it. If it can contaminate the water supply, what will it do to the water in our oceans? We are all in this together, human and environment. If we let Monsanto and the government win this fight against GMOs, then we destroy our children's futures.

When I march I will be marching for your future, my children's futures, your children's futures and the futures of all people who are too scared or too downtrodden or not knowledgeable enough to speak up for themselves. 

I fight for my right to live. I fight for the people's rights to a chemical free future. I fight for the land that has given us life. I ask you to announce to the world that we are united, regardless of our political stances, regardless of our religious views. I believe that, in solidarity, our voices are STRONG!

Editorial | GMOs, a Tool, to Aid in Killing the 'Poor Problem'

One of the biggest things that has bothered me the most about GMOs is that the government knew when they were introduced into our food supply and they did nothing to stop it. The people were the last to know about what we were being fed.

I find it hard to swallow that a government that I believed in has abused my trust. If the US government hadn't been in bed with Monsanto then this never would have happened. Like the industrial age, the US government has allowed itself to become intertwined with big business. And, like that age, I find that the corporations, aka monopolies, also have a huge amount of power. This leads to a corrupt government and corrupt business practices.

We worked so hard to get rid of these things. We got rid of child laborers, sweatshops, and even allowing hard drugs to be included in things we eat and drink. We made some great strides as a country in that age. However, I feel like we're quickly moving back into that play yard again.

A Nation Divided by Wealth

Like that era, we are becoming a poorer nation. The rich have remained rich and we allow them to have the power. Rather than striving forward with a strong middle class society, we find ourselves in a cataclysm between the very rich and the very poor. It is on the backs of the working class poor that these wealthy people stride forward.

Inequality is at its ugliest for the hungriest people. While food support was being targeted for cuts, just  20 rich Americans made as much from their 2012 investments as the entire 2012 SNAP (food assistance) budget, which serves 47 million people. 

And as Congress continues to cut life-sustaining programs, its members should note that their 400 friends on the  Forbes list made more from their stock market gains last year than the total amount of the  food, housing, and education budgets combined. -The Salon

The Poor Problem in the United States

This situation begs the question of why the government is doing this to it's constituents. The answer is not so difficult to ascertain. The answer lies in our history. From the beginning of time we have had a poor problem in this country. Social workers began working with the immigrant poor and offering them programs in the 1900's, but the government didn't start backing them until the Great Depression. As we know more and more programs have cut back what the poor receive--welfare reform has been a huge platform for the wealthy Republicans. Have they finally found a way to strike back at the poor?

Based on wage figures from the IRS, half of Americans are below or near the poverty lines. The IRS reports that the highest wage in the bottom half of earners is about $34,000. To be eligible for food assistance, a family can earn up to 130% of the federal poverty line, or about $30,000 for a family of four. Even the Census Bureau recognizes that its own figures under-represent the number of people in poverty. -The Salon

Did the U.S. aid in creating GMOs as an answer to the 'poor problem'?

Monsanto has given the tool to the US government to get rid of the poor problem. While the wealthy continue to get wealthier and more powerful, the poor are falling due to economic crises, and lack of funding for social welfare. While Monsanto may have created the tool, the US government has taken the ball and run with it by getting in bed with Monsanto. Too many government officials, including the former Secretary of Defense Hillary Clinton and Social Justice Clarence Thomas have been employed by Monsanto. The Food and Drug Administration has had so many people come and go from Monsanto that it is impossible to tell who exactly is running that agency. 

GMOs are a tool for the United States to eliminate the poor problem. The poor are uneducated. Does that make them easily led? Their lack of education is not entirely their fault since the US is just now being awakened by the March Against Monsanto and the wool is just now being lifted from our eyes.  While the poor are dining on Chef Boyardee and Natural Light, President Obama and Hugh Grant, the CEO of Monsanto, are dining on non-processed food and organic wine. The poor must settle for chemical ridden food that will either lead to their demise or to their sterility, therefore creating a loophole for wealthy Americans to stand tall on a bridge upheld by the backs of the world's poor.

Until next time, keep watch on what you eat and remember to vote with your dollar!