My juicing routine

A new friend asked me to email her my juicing routine, so I thought I should put it up here too :) (Whoo hoo Blaire!!)

So my juicing routine starts with a big produce trip- the following will last you about 4-5 days, depending on how much water you drink- the more water you drink the less hungry you will become and then your supplies last about a day or two longer:

8 cucumbers,
3 or 4 bunches celery
12 lemons
4 limes
A big piece of ginger
a few tomatoes
garlic
1 bunch beets
2 or 3 heads of kale
2 or 3 heads of spinach
a dozen or so apples
a pineapple or watermelon- anything for a sweet juice when you need a 'dessert' juice
a grapefruit
a head (?) of fennel
carrots!! a 2 pound bag (you will have extra)
2 heads of parsley

This sounds like A LOT but if you go to a place where you know the price and value are right then this really is what you might spend in 4-5 days of eating anyway, especially if you eat out. And you will have leftover produce, trust me.

Also you will need some mason jars (about 3 or 4, you'll rotate them) you can make them by ripping the label off any big jars like pickle jars.
And the following:
Bee Pollen
Organic cold-pressed coconut oil
MSM
Spirulina
Chlorella tablets
Maybe blue green algea if you want even more green
Cayenne pepper (to make your lips tingle :) )

Basically, when I wake up I have about 2 cups of filtered water with the juice of 1 lemon and MSM (I use 1/2 teaspoon) and 2 dashes of cayenne- usually I also put in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon blue-green algae and 1/2 tsp - 1 Tb (depends on my mood for that flavor) spirulina in it also- then if I don't get those 2 green supplements in later I know I didn't forget them for the day. I don't like to put those in my juice. And I don't like to water down my juice at all, although I do put ice cubes in my juice before drinking it. I know it is best to drink things at room temp (don't know why- it's just what the hard-core raw foodies say) but I like the juice to stay cool/cold so I don't have to drink it as fast.
OKAY, so I drink that while I make juice! This is on a morning when I have to go to the hospital/work. If I'm going to the gym I grab the leftover juice from the night before (I ALWAYS make extra and put it in a smaller mason jar as a back up stash)

The juicing lifestyle is different depending on what your day entails. If you are going to work or meetings/traveling all day then you have to get up about an hour early to really give yourself the time to prepare all that you need until you get home. Having a little too much is okay- you will probably drink it. Otherwise, if you'll be stopping in periodically at home then you can do 2 batches. I don't like to juice more than 2x/day b/c it gets too labor intensive. HOWEVER, that said, if you wash/cut stuff up beforehand and put it in a big tubuware container after your grocery run then it is much quicker. To make juice for 3 drink sessions takes me about 30-40 minutes, including clean up. I drink juice about 3-5 times per day when juicing, depending on how much water I am also drinking and of course how much activity I need to be fueled for.

The bee pollen and coconut oil are your best BEST friends when juicing. WOW! I've heard the hard-core raw ones say it's best to eat coconut oil on it's own but I love the two together- taste like chocolate to me when juicing, and raw chocolate is one of my favorite things.

So how much bee pollen and coconut oil? I typically have about 1-2 Tbs bee pollen and about 1 Tbsp coconut oil each day. I try and spread that out to be about 2-3 times a day of bliss- and sit down for it! I also like to have it just before or just after juice so the fat helps me absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E, and K. Otherwise it is a really good idea to put a little (maybe1-2 tsp, some people put more) hemp oil or other cold-pressed oil in your juice.

Also, you need TEA!!!! Try to only do organic herbal tea- get the good stuff, I go for Teavana's products. Mmmmmmmm! You can sweeten up tea with lemon juice, stevia, allspice, cinnamon- get creative.

A nice candle scent or insense is also nice some evenings, just don't go overboard- it is a treat for the senses, not a replacement for a piece of raw pie.

Lastly, get out there and EXERCISE! Keep those muscles working so your metabolism does not slow down.

If for some reason wake up late one day and you absolutely cannot make the time to juice and you will be out of the house all day then just do a quick big green smoothie- throw some spinach, apple, pineapple, frozen banana, whatever you choose (high greens though) in the blender, pour into a few mason jars, and hit the road. Drink tons of water that day and juice when you can that evening. The next morning keep to your plan and juice!

And definitely get connected to people juicing on-line (if not in your personal life). I got a good friend of mine into juicing and we often synchronize our fasts/feasts. She is amazing at it and helps me to be too! Great support= great success!

Check out global juice feasters .com for recipes and just google for recipes. I can also send you some! All of mine come from everything in this email. I try to keep my feasts low-sugar, so I really don't do much fruit. You can definitly do higher fruit though! You will see that you'll have your own personal style of juicing. My friend uses about 12 apples in 2 days, while 12 last me all week- it's totally a matter of preference.

And above all, LISTEN to your body. Rest more when you feel you need to, and rest less when you don't feel you need to. And be prepared for some emotional detox- we all have some emotional baggage, whether it be from the past or present. Be prepared to deal with it and just know you are stronger when juicing then on any other way of existing and that you can face anything. Emotions come up because as you detox your body your spiritual self awakens and attenpts to let go of 'stuff' too. Let it!

Email me anytime- rchriss@aecom.yu.edu. I SO look forward to your juicy journey!!

All my best!
Rachel