Greens Greens and More Greens!

Yesterday I had posted about my juice that was mostly greens with a little bit of grapefruit.  It wasn't the most pretty thing on the planet::

This juice included a ton of greens like I said.  A lot of time (in my neck of the woods) people have no idea what you're talking about beyond cabbage, spinach and lettuce.  Greens are a great source of Vitamin K.  K is the Vitamin that helps regulate blood clotting, as well as helping to protect from osteoporosis, diabetes, and  inflammatory diseases.   They are important for your normal diet as well as to stick into your juice every once in a while.  You may not like the strong taste of these veggies but with any juice, just add a few apples and it'll just taste like apples.  And some good news for those of you who love your dressings (unlike the standard iceberg lettuce) these are actually better for you if you eat them with some kind of oil.  What?!?!  Yes, Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin which means it's absorbed better by your body if it's taken in with a fat source. 

So for those of you who are a little concerned about the 6lb weightloss I reported today in my Day 5 blog, add some olive oil or some avocado oil to your juice to beef up the calories and absorb more of that awesome vitamin K. 

Some common dark leafy greens in my juices::

Spinach:  I love this leafy green.  I like it on my Subway sandwhiches better, I like it to add some texture to my homemade pasta sauces, I like to put it into about anything.  It's not a really strong flavor, but it's got good texture and holds up a lot better than lettuce.  Also to be noted, when I went to a breakfast for the American Cancer Society in August, spinach was on the list of foods that are known to be part of the cancer fighting diet and thus served to us at the breakfast.

Kale:  This has kind of a tough texture and a strong flavor.  It holds up really well in stew.  I used to combine roasted tomatoes, tomato juice, corn, black beans, seasonings and kale to make a hearty winter stew.  To me the flavor is too strong to be the only leafy base in a salad, but in juice, you don't really notice it.

Swiss Chard.  This is one that I've never seen or tried before The Juice.  It's what made the deep purple color of my Green Juice.  This is regarded to be amoung the healthiest veggies available to incorporate into your diet.  It's loaded with vitamins K, C, and A, protein, fiber, and minerals.

Watercress.  This is very high in Vitamin C, amoung a ton of other vitamins and minerals making it a great antioxidant and seen as a veggie that benefits has tons of health benefits, one of them being cancer defense.

Keeping your greens fresh::

There are two ways to keep greens fresh.  The first is to wrap them in a dish towel and then refrigerate them.

The Second is to treat it like any other plant and stick it in water::

So go ahead and stick some greens in your diet, I know that it will be an effort I will undertake even after The Juice is over.

What About Day 31?

(thanks for the pic)

I've been thinking, already, about what food I am going to use to break my fast on Day 31. 

     In the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Joe breaks his fast with a fresh green apple.  Up in a hot air balloon.  It made a point, and to him it symbolized a commitment to continue to eat healthy and not go back to his unhealthy eating habits.  But he was also trying to make a film.
    For me, and the 5 people who read this, it's not going to be a huge deal if I crunch into an apple in a hot air balloon, or bite into a veggie burger in my own dining room, but one thing's for sure, I am not going to be headed for the pizza first thing.  "But why, Stephanie? You love pizza more than any other food on this planet," you may ask.

     Well let me tell you a story:
 Once apon a time in Bloomington my group of best friends (who are, decidedly, hippies and proud of it) all went on this cleansing diet.  Essentially in the same way I am doing now, eating very restricted healthy meals.  Only this one was a little less severe: no sugar, no alcohol, no wheat, no dairy. So I did it with them  This diet introduced me to vegan cheese and wheatless bread.  It also reduced my lactase enzyme and made me lactose intolerant (though I usually ignore it).  The end of this particular 15 days was actually my 20th birthday, a day in which I asked for my dad to bring me a homemade birthday favorite of mine (simple yellow cake with chocolate fudge icing) and ordered my all-time favorite Bloomington pizza Mother Bear's Spinoccoli at dinner.  And made myself absolutely ill.  Stomach cramps and bloating and whatnot.

Okay, so there weren't many plot twists in that story.  But my point is clear.  No matter how much you may want the bad food when you're eating the good food, it's not great for you, and your body will tell you as much.  I'm not saying: Never ever have the treat of your favorite meal ever again.  I'm just saying to wait a bit.  Ease into it.  Or your stomach will hate you.

I do think that I will most likely eat something cooked.  Everytime I open the pantry to grab a plastic bag for the stuff left over after the juice is made, I am spying a can of Campbell's Garden Vegetable Soup.  When I went to babysit the other day, my boss had made a heaping pot of cabbage soup. 

If day 31 was tomorrow, veggie soup it would be.