Recipe of the Week: Juice!

I broke my soda ban today. On December 31^st, I promised myself that for an entire year, I would not touch a drop of soda. For almost five months, I kept that promise.

Let me explain. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately (more than usual if you can imagine it), and it’s been far more difficult to make my own meals. The result? Absolute chaos. I’ve resorted to the typical college diet because I almost stopped caring. The only time I actually make my own meal is when it’s for th

is blog! So in a way, this blog is my only salvation. Why do I torture my stomach so? Healthy food, junk food, healthy food, junk food…my stomach is screaming: make up your mind!

Back to the story: I’ve been too lazy to go supermarket shopping on my own so when I’m at my dorm, there’s nothing in my fridge for me to eat. Basically, I’ve resorted to chewing on a piece of gum for breakfast, eating a pop-tart for lunch, and splurging with a few apples for dinner to make up for it when I’m not at home.

I’m moving backwards!

Interestingly enough, I didn’t drink soda (gingerale to be more specific) because I cracked. I drank gingerale to help me with the nausea and bloating I felt after eating all the processed goodies (the apples obviously did nothing – the processed opposition was too much to handle). I was in so much pain and misery from stomach cramps that I couldn’t even move. So I drank some gingerale to ease the pain. Somehow drinking the carbonated processed drink helped me defeat the nausea I felt after eating processed foods. Ironic? Very.

In any case, I won’t make the same mistake again. For real this time. I swear.

I began looking up recipes that contained the greatest amount of nutrients possible and with the shortest prep time possible and came up with interesting results: juicing!

Imagine forcing yourself to eat all of this in one day.

Overwhelming? That’s only half the veggies. I wasn’t able to fit both bowls in the picture.

All this comfortably serves about 4 very tall glasses (or about eight to ten small cups). It may only be juice, but it’s the most filling meal I’ve had in days. It doesn’t take long to prepare, and one could comfortably drink only juice all day and be full. Granted, you would need a juicer to make these juices, but if you lack one, no worries! Many organic restaurants are beginning to serve raw and natural juices straight from the juicer!

 

Possible Ingredients (modify according to preference):

-Kale

-Parsley

-Cilantro

-Beats

-Celery

-Apples

-Oranges

The list goes on really. You can put create virtually any combination of fruits and vegetables using the juicer.

I won’t cut out solid food entirely, but I’m definitely going to give juicing a try. If anyone is interested in the subject, I recommend the documentary: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. The movie explains the journey an overweight and sick man takes when he does the juicing diet. The transformation he undergoes is incredible and I’d highly recommend the documentary to anyone interested in holistic health and natural dieting.