January's Transition to Plant Predominance. JUICE FAST!

So, I have been a sodaholic since I can remember.  There is nothing better than a cold can of Pepsi.  Food-wise, I we never a "hungry" person.  I could get through the afternoon and realize I forgot to eat (however I would have have a couple sodas or coffees by this point - those I never forgot!)  When I ate, it was when I was hungry and it was usually cereal or something fast and easy - or a good 'ol trip to a restaurant.  I could take or leave meat (mostly take though if I had the opportunity) and I was legendary for my favorite dinner, which consisted of 2 Raspberry Toaster Strudels, with icing, a Pepsi and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish (my college favorite).

The past few years, there has been a lot of turkey sandwiches, salads, soda, pastas, restaurant food and convenient processed foods.  I play ice hockey very regularly, which I am sure has helped keep me fit and going, but I am really starting to feel the effects.  Even thought I don't classify my eating habits as "bad" (i.e. Ho Hos and McDoubles), it's definitely not good and my body is suffering.

 I decided I needed to change.  After watching Fat Sick and Nearly Dead with Tommy, we decided to go on juice fasts, for different reasons.  His, for mainly weight loss, mine, for detox and health.  Juicing, then switching to a plant predominant lifestyle was going to be the answer!  Finally a solution THAT MADE SENSE TO ME.  I decided to juice for a week straight then incorporate whole plant foods back into my diet.  Please watch the juicing video.  It just makes so much sense.  You can get EVERYTHING your body needs out of a glass of juice.  Juice - being fresh fruits and vegetables juiced into a concentrated form.  For example a lot of leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, beets, fruits etc.  This high powered drink packs a punch for sure.  Essentially you can eat 2 packages of spinach in one sitting by juicing it.  PLUS when you body is finally receiving the nutrients it is supposed to have, it starts reversing; any ailments you may have, the aging process and so on.  It has the power to rebuild all of your cells and prevent illness and even reverse some MAJOR illnesses.  I will get more into Juicing in our next blog - so make sure you check back as we will have a lot of information about it.

My new lifestyle:  Juicing regularly, after my 7-10 day detox and being plant predominant.  Myself and Tommy (Leo) will be reporting on changeover from the normal American diet and we will be testing out recipes, doing TONS of research, reading, writing watching and so much more. 

I am 5'5, 118 lbs., so weight is not an issue per se, but here is a list of some of the problems I have been having.  As the weeks go by, I will blog my results and what has changed from this list below.

• chronic fatigue - always tired, dark circles under my eyes
• skin problems - icky skin, dried out, psorisis, pimples, pale, non-radiant, wrinkles
• gall bladder issues - put me in the hospital once
• foggy mental being - forgetfulness, cloudiness, motivation issues
• weird vision things - one day I think I need glasses the next I don't
• back issues - muscle pain, cramping
• HEADACHES.  Holy cow, I get headaches almost daily as well as usual cluster headaches and migraines - the type that I can't even leave a dark room.
• Stamina and energy - overall, even though I exercise, I find recovery harder and I find it harder for me to expend energy (especially when playing hockey) and not get tired way too quick.

So there we go some of the physical reasons I am switching to vegan and juicing.  The above list, including the motivation I got to cut out meat by watching the documentary Forks Over Knives.  Amazing information on animal proteins and how bad they are for you if you are eating them more than 5-10% of the time.  It just makes sense.  Plus I'd much rather snuggle an animal than eat it.  And I'll get more into that later as well!

LET THE TEST BEGIN!  JUICE FAST AND VEGAN DIET TO CURE THE ABOVE LIST.

I will keep reporting back on my list as things get better and change.

***  Also!  We have influenced about 15 of our friends to change their lifestyle (with no forcing either, all we did was just talk about what we were doing!).  I have asked each of them to share their story on our blog as well.  You will get to hear those positive results too!