Do You Hate Vegetables? Tips On Resetting Those Taste Buds!

An issue that stops many people that are eating a Standard American Diet from beginning a new dietary lifestyle is often the fact that they greatly dislike the taste of fruits and vegetables. 

Oftentimes the very fact that there is a strong distaste for vegetables and fruits prevents people from even considering or being open to ways of eating that don't involve processed chemical laden foods. Add to that the fact that sometimes when people who don't like vegetables see others seemingly adding vegetables to their diet easily and reaching a level of "success" and they personally find it impossible and you have a recipe for self-esteem disaster. 

It makes me sad to see anyone stuck where they are and feeling like they are in a state of powerlessness when that is not the case at all.  You have the power to bring new experiences into your life! 

Here are a few tips and some encouragement in dealing with the issue of being repulsed by the tastes and textures in vegetables when you are wanting to gravitate to a more healing and life giving diet.

Some suggestions that I talk about in the video are:

1. You can fast.  Fasting is probably the quickest way to reset those tasters but is sometimes a bit more extreme for people who are wanting a slower approach to a lifestyle change.  However, to someone who is currently battling an acute or chronic serious health illness fasting is a wonderful way to give the digestive system a break and allow the body to delegate more energy to the healing at hand.  There are many, many different ways to fast and so if this feels harmonious with you I encourage you to look into methods that you can make work for you.


2. Cut out all added salts and chemicals and eat fresh natural foods.  I totally get the fact that this  can be tricky for those with little will power because you don't like the things that I am telling you to eat!  However, you can just start with a few foods that you do like and make it a point to not take in any chemicals.  In a very short period of time you pallete that stays saturated with salts and chemicals will begin to change and your taste for foods will begin to get real. 


3. Another fast way to help the taste buds to reset is JUICING.  Start with the fruits and very mild vegetables.  Drink your juice every day and gradually increase the amount of vegetables in your juices.  This will help to tackle your cravings and give your body the nourishment it is asking for while priming those little taste buds for some better for ya foods!

You CAN do this!  I promise that you are so worth the effort.  Give it a chance.  Don't compare your journey to the journey of others.  And just like most things in life this is something that you are going to have to walk out.  I have said it before and I will say it again, there is NO MAGIC PILL!!  I wish there were, but that is just not the way it is. 

Keep on trying and babystepping your way to your goals and don't forget to be kind and give yourself grace along the way.  You are probably doing better than you think!

Blessings to you and don't forget to smile a lot today!

Favorite Juices of the Week!

I absolutely love to juice.  I believe that it is one of the most amazing things that I have ever done for myself and I am so grateful every single day to have been introduced to this amazing healthy habit. 

I get messages all the time asking for some juicing recipes to the juices that I regularly make.  So in no particular order here are my top 5 juices of the week:

 



Happy Juice: 
6 to 8 carrots, 1 cucumber, 4 celery stalks, 2 red delicious or gala apples

Green Gatorade:
1 large cucumber, 4 stalks of celery, 2 golden delicious apples

Kale Kicker:
5 to 8 leaves of kale (depending on the size of the leaves), 1/2 lemon with rind, 6 to 8 carrots, 1 gala apple

Sorbet:
1 lemon with rind, 2 golden delicious apples, 2 handfulls of spinach

Dessert Juice:
1/4 cantaloupe, 3 handfulls spinach

The juice combinations that you can make are endless.  Experiment.  Try new foods!  Try a new green every week.  And know that with every sip you are doing something amazing for your body and you are totally worth it!

Is Juicing Dangerous?

Is there danger in drinking freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juices?

This is the question that I am talking about in today's video.  This past week there have been a couple of times that either people were asking me if some aspect of juicing is dangerous for the body or where I witnessed someone trying to warn other people of how dangerous juicing is. 

I want to set the record straight - don't blame it on the juice!  I will freely admit that there are certain circumstances where it is very difficult for the body to handle certain foods, especially when food allergies or intolerances are present.  In these types of situations even the juices of certain foods can cause a reaction in the body.  That does not, however, mean that juicing is dangerous.

Juicing is one of the most beautiful and gentle methods of cleansing, healing and rebuilding the body that I know.  I attribute a large amount of my own personal healing to the drinking in of nature's most perfect medicine. 

If you or someone that you know is having or has had issues with juicing that is an indicator that there are underlying issues with the digestive system or elsewhere in the body that need addressing.  And juice is one of the best ways to do that! 

As I mention in the video, you may just want to work with tweaking what kinds of juices that you take in and put your foods on a type of rotation diet while you work on healing the digestive system. 

You do not have to be afraid of juicing.  It is one of the best things that you can do for your body and your mind! 

Go make yourself some juice today!

Steve Crider lost over 100 lbs in 1 year using fruits and vegetables

Today I sat down with Steve Crider and talked with him about his journey over the past year.  Steve went from dealing with obesity and other debilitating ailments to finding a lifestyle of balance and beauty. 

Steve has dealt with his depression, anger and emotional instability, sleep apnea, painful joints, chronic dehydration, obesity and high blood pressure all by using fruits and vegetables.

Listen to his inspiring story and realize that where ever you are and whatever your current state you can experience profound shifts in all areas of your life by incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet and removing all of the processed foods and chemicals.

Remember, you have the ability to bring new experiences into your life.

 

VLOG10 - Juicing, Paddleboarding, Gratitude and Guild Wars 2

My somewhat daily VLOG :)
Today I talk transitioning from my juice fast, getting back into mountain biking and starting paddleboarding. I am reading The Magic by Phyllis Byrne and playing in the Guild Wars 2 Beta event, even though I suck. :)

Juice Feasting vs. Juice Fasting vs. Modified Juice Feasting

In this video I am answering some questions about the differences between different terms to describe juicing. 

Juice Fail

For your viewing pleasure :)

VLOG7 - Juice Fast Day 7 is Here! Emotional Detox

We seem to have a pattern emerging!  I have had a lot of emotional detox going on lately!  Here is my vlog about how my physical and emotional symptoms are going.

VLOG6 - Juice Fast Day 5 and the Consequences of Being Unprepared

Day 5 is here already and today I pay the price of not planning ahead!

VLOG5 - Juice Fast Day 4 - Multitasking & Emotional Detox

Yay!  I made it to day 4.  This juice fast is going very well.  I am still feeling great and have so much energy.  I am having some detox symptoms creeping in but I know what to do to keep myself feeling good during the detox, and I am so thankful for that. 

Today is going to be a busy day so I'm keeping the juice close at hand to keep my energy up!

Choose to have a wonderful day and keep smiling!

VLOG4 - Juice Fast Day 3 - Breaking out the neti-pot

Day 3 of this detox was awesome!  Great juices, great smoothies, good energy levels, mental clarity and emotional stability is what I call a wonderful start to this fast.  But as this is not my first rodeo, I also know that in the next day or 2 it's inevitable that I have some major detox symptoms setting in.  Today I had some minor sinus drainage so I decided to go ahead and start using the neti pot. 

I am enjoying the possibilities of all of the great things that are going to happen during this detox.

Everyone have a wonderful week and remember to keep smiling!

VLOG3 - Juice Feast Day 2 - It's Not Just About the Juice!

Juicing is a rare opportunity to totally rewrite the way we are interacting with our own lives.   Not only are we stepping aside from one of the main focuses of our lives - EATING - but we are also removing an emotional crutch, or a distraction at a minimum for most of us.

I look at juicing  as this wonderful gift and I try to approach it with wonder and excitement because I have never come out of a juice feast not changed on the other side!  Sometimes the changes are an almost miraculous physical healing, sometimes changes are a revelation about myself that I didn't know or a new way of looking at some aspect of my life.  Sometimes I am able to let go of something that has been an emotional sore point for decades, or I am able to look at and consider forgiveness when this was a subject that was unapproachable prior to my juice feast. 

I love to press in to the hard spots and heal what needs to be healed and move out the negativity and limiting beliefs that are not serving me anymore.

I find that I also get to be a great problem solver in my own life the deeper into my juicing that I go. I am able to look at situations with more clarity and objectivity.  Sometimes the change is in me and sometimes the change is in the situation.  I love that!

So when I juice I try to shake up my routines a bit.  I make connecting with myself a priority, and I make it a priority early on in my detox even though I usually get the most growth a lot further into my fasts.  I journal a whole lot more.  I find that my thoughts and insights might just pass me by if I don't write them down, so I keep a listening ear to what I find on my heart and I journal those.

I also make sure that I have time to myself during the day.  My time is in the morning before the other humans in my life are out of bed.  :) I really put a focus on looking at my life and looking at what is working and what isn't.  I look at why it's not working, not projecting blame or negativity on others, and what I can do to shift or change that.

I love being in the beginning of a juice feast where the growth theme hasn't necessarily presented itself yet and there is so much possibility. 

So if you feel so inclined make the most of your time juicing and make sure you aren't missing this opportunity to create positive and lasting change in your life.  It's not just about what you are putting in your mouth.  If that is what you are focusing on you are going to miss out on the bigger blessing.

Everyone enjoy your juicy day and remember to Keep Smiling!

VLOG2 - Starting a Juice Cleanse with Steve Crider Juice Club

I am just so glad that a girl can change her mind! 

Just a couple of days ago I posted that I was doing a cleanse and just could not swing doing a full on juice feast but 'lo and behold the time has come.  I came home from the mountains determined to kick my cleanse up a notch and found out the amazing Steve Crider had formed a Juice Club while I was away.  The fun part of this is that they started a juice detox the day I started mine and so I have a whole gaggle of people to juice with now!!  How exciting.

The group is called Juice Club (fight for your life) and is located on Facebook.  It is a wonderful group filled with lively discussion and amazing people. 

This video is my intro to the group and a layout of day 1.

I hope that everyone has chosen to have an absolutely fabulous day and that you remember to keep smiling!