Juicing

So, I have recently started juicing. Almost every morning I wake up, and make juice for my household. It is pretty delicious. I am writing a few things I have learned here:

1. Ripe fruits make the most juice. When you have fruit that is not quite ripe it doesn't make the same amount of juice as a soft, fruit does. So, while bananas may taste better when they aren't over ripe, they juice better when they are over ripe.

2. Don't put nuts into your $350 juicer. Seems obvious right? Well I tried this just to see. The motor shut off. It was scary but no damage accrued (thank god!).

3. Get a masticating juicer! I know masticating juicers cost much more than centrifugal juicers but they make 45% more juice. If you have juice everyday, or even 3 times a week, it will be worth the added expenditure up front. Also, Omega and Hurom are made in THE SAME FACTORY but Omega is much cheaper and it comes with a 10 year warranty. I have an Omega, I LOVE it.

4. Dandelion Greens. Okay, so I started using these daily because they are good for you, detoxify your liver, etc. They are not as kind as kale is. If you use them, make sure you use a strong fruit flavor with them, like oranges (or any citrus), berries (I like strawberries), etc. Otherwise, your juice will be very bitter :( And it will make you sad.

5. Kale. You cannot use too much kale in juice. I swear it! I use SO MUCH kale everyday and it doesn't make my juice taste like kale. It is GREAT. Also, use organic kale only! Non-organic kale has VERY HIGH pesticide residues. Just sayin.'

6. Celery. If you get am Omega juicer, PLEASE use celery in MODERATION. Otherwise it will overpower your juice and you will be so disappointed. I only use 1/2 of a stalk and can STILL barely stand it.

7. Recipes. You don't need them. Seriously, I have only ever once made a juice that wasn't amazing and it was DUE TO USING A RECIPE. I used too much celery (see #6). Recipes are dumb because everyone's juicer is different and thus the juice will taste different. Veggies & fruit generally mix well. Even adding garlic and things that you may think are gross are not noticed if you add fruit too. I use carrots in my juice often and you can't even taste them. Throw recipes out the window and experiment!

8. Bosc pears. I have tried many kinds of apples, pears, oranges, etc. For the most part Bosc pears are the BEST way to go. They make your juice the most pear-like. I love pears. They go well with strawberries too, I drink this often.

9. Granny Smith Apples. These are the only apples that actually have a distinct flavor. Otherwise, just purchase the cheapest, organic, apples you can find. Granny Smith Apples make for delicious juice but other good apples like Honeycrisp don't juice any differently from the not as good Red delicious. Keep this in mind as Honeycrisp apples cost much more per pound.

10.  Spinach. Spinach is good in juice but it does make your juice a bit chunky. I am okay with that but just a warning, if you don't like chewing down your morning juice, don't use spinach.

11. Citrus Fruits. The only thing that isn't so great about masticating juicers is that they don't juice citrus as well as centrifugal juicers do. We still juice with oranges, but, you can tell that not all of the juice comes out. Sad, but true.

12. Compost! With all of your leftover fruit debris, you should compost! We don't have a yard or we would. Don't waste valuable compost if you have a means to use it!

13. Tomatoes. If you want tomato juice use a lot of tomatoes. Their flavor is easily washed out if you add too many other veggies/fruit.

14. Don't overdo it! Juicing is very good for you but, it is high in natural sugars (and therefore calories) so if you are like me, and trying to be healthier (and lose weight) don't drink a lot of juice everyday. I stick to approximately 12 oz. and that alone is around 200 calories. If you are active, need the calories, etc. by all means drink up, BUT, if you are trying to lose a bit of fat-don't drink too much juice!

15. Prevent Hunger. One thing I notice is that on days I don't juice I am hungrier all day. This is because I didn't get my daily nutrient filler in the morning. Juicing decreases my hunger. It could decrease yours too!

16. Ginger. I don't usually add this to my juice but I do add it to my roommates' juice frequently. A little ginger goes A LONG WAY. Just a warning.

17. Cost. Now that we never buy store made juice, we buy a ton of fruits and veggies. But, with 3 people juicing in our house we never spend over $25 a week in fresh fruit/veggies and we all get juice everyday now. It doesn't cost all that much. For example: 12 oz. of kale, pear, strawberry, & dandelion green juice only has 1 pear, 5 strawberries, 5 kale leaves, & 8 dandelion green leaves. The costs really isn't a big deal.

18. Looks can be deceiving. The juice I drink is a very dark green color. People usually think it looks pretty gross. Often juice does look pretty gross. But, it is still FUCKING DELICIOUS. So, keep that in mind when juicing!

19. Try not to store juice. When you make juice for a few days in a row, it oxidizes and the amount of nutrients in it decreases. So, while planning in advance may save you some time, it isn't as good for you!  Juice, then drink up!

20. Rejuice! Citrus & berries can often be rejuiced. Take the pulp out of the container and run it through again. You will be surprised!

Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes

So, I have always had issues drinking milk, even when I was a child. Now, I don't like the taste of sugar or milk. But, anyway, the point is I have been drinking soy milk, almond milk, & coconut milk for over a decade now. I am going to write my reviews here.

Milks to avoid:

This may be So Delicious Brand but let me tell you-it is so disgusting. I never would have tried this milk were it not out of desperation because in Lafayette, LA, stores cannot seem ORDER MORE of items that run out EVERY WEEK. (I am definitely a bit bitter about this having been a retail worker for 10+ years). If you always run out-ORDER MORE-it is so SIMPLE. But, anyway, this 'coconut milk beverage' literally tastes JUST LIKE WATER and it made my usually pleasant superfood grass in the morning terrible. I stomached it for 3 days and then poured it out. It is just terrible.

Soy milk is never good. I mean, before almond milk I had convinced myself that soy milk was good. But it isn't. It just isn't that good. Original flavors always taste like cardboard and vanilla is just merely acceptable.

This may be a but paranoid sounding but any 'milk' product that doesn't require refrigeration just freaks me out. I like things with expiration dates. I fear that without those expiration dates come exponentially increasing numbers of preservatives. This is totally unsubstantiated but it is only my opinion so I am allowed to blog about it. Haha.

Milks that are okay:

Okay, in desperation I tried this too. I actually tried the unsweetened one. I have also had the dark chocolate one. The dark chocolate one is divine (but 120 calories/8 oz.) but the original is only alright. It has a flavor and it is drinkable, but not the best. If you cannot find the best (which I will reveal in the end) then getting this is an option-just not the best option.

Have you ever tried this? It is definitely delicious, however, it is not particular good for you. It is very high calorie (130 calories/8 oz.) and high sugar. It is mainly sugar, water, and soy milk. It may be good if you need the calories or the protein but you are really better off having real juice and better milk.

 Rice milk is okay. It doesn't thrill or disgust me. Almond milk will always be my baby. Rice milk is also a bit higher calorie for less flavor.

Flax milk sounds absolutely disgusting. I never would have ever purchased it ever based on the name. I got to sample it the other day at the grocery store and I was impressed in that it didn't taste like complete garbage, however, it isn't amazing.

The best milk EVER:

This milk is so rare it had to scroll Google to get a good picture of it. Target sells out of it EVERY FUCKING WEEK. Drug Emporium sells out of it EVERY FUCKING WEEK. Rouses' Market refuses to carry it and Albertson's has the world's worst selection of everything always so it BREAKS MY TINY HEART when I can't have this amazing milk. To me, this is the holy grail of non-dairy milk. This exact one. The lower calorie vanilla version is okay. I have never tried the sweetened versions. But this is DELICIOUS. It makes my green superfood taste ah-mazing.  I had to go to 3 grocery stores this week just to find it, there were only 4 left and I BOUGHT THEM ALL. Because it is THAT GOOD. Now, if you usually like that gross lactose-like milk flavor milk has, you may not like this because it just tastes like delicious almonds and coconuts, but I think it is the bees knees. So, if you want good milk that is lactose-free-this is the way to go.

Feeling Fat :(

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

 This is the issue at hand. Everyone says it is so great I have lost 32 pounds. Set little goals and reach them. Be happy and proud for what you have done. Blah blah blah. I have 118 pounds to lose STILL. That is STILL an entire person of weight. It makes me feel completely disgusting. How do I kick this feeling? 120 days worth of dieting and 32 pounds later I feel just as bad if not worse about myself as  did in the first place.

Competing with myself

I find myself competing with myself. Like, I want to see how long I can go without eating and while being hungry. I see if I can eat less calories than the day before. I still eat healthy food-which is a step in the right direction-but for two days I have avoided my chia seed and yogurt regimen on the sole basis of not wanting to eat anymore calories despite the fact that I was able to eat them.  My restrictions are placed on me. I chose to count calories. No one tells me that I eat too much. I just feel like I must eat too much because I am fat. Fat people eat too much, right? Wrong. It is a stereotype I try so hard to get people to ignore yet when it comes to myself I believe it whole-hardheartedly. Just like fat people are lazy. I exercise every day. Still-I feel lazy. I must be lazy, as I am fat. NO. Johanna, you aren't lazy. Johanna, you don't eat too much. Stop this.

But I cannot tell what hunger is. I am not avoiding eating more while being actively hungry, which is good. My doctor told me to eat if I am hungry. But the issue is, I don't know when I am hungry. I eat the meals that I preordained to be consumed that morning when I planned my daily food. I don't understand the feeling of hunger anymore. I eat when I think I should. Sometimes when I think I am hungry I am really just tired or thirsty, right? I really don't know.

I then start wondering why I am this way. Normal people aren't this way are they? Why am I so preoccupied by this? Well, I can think of a few reasons why from a parental standpoint but I am an adult and am therefore responsible for my own thoughts, feelings, & mindset. I should be mature enough to figure this out, stop being weird, and move on from this. What is the deal?

Alas, I must continue the journey. Healthy mind, body, & soul.

Natural Deodorant

I am trying to avoid using regular deodorant. Aluminum has been linked the Alzheimer's Disease & Breast Cancer. Especially for women who don't have underarm hair to protect them and the close proximity of aluminum antiperspirants to breast tissue. Here has been my experience thus far:

Tom's Apricot - Smells good but is DEODORANT not and antiperspirant. It does not prevent you from sweating. I used it two days in a row. Both times I had horrible heat rash and it took 3 days to recover from. I would NOT recommend using this product, it was completely ineffective.

Nature's Gate Herbal Blend - Lavender & Aloe - Smells good and is also deodorant, not antiperspirant. It does not cause heat rash or prevent odor and is less ineffective but still not ideal.

Crystal - This is a solid, hard, stick that you must put on right out of the shower when your pits are still wet OR add water to the stick before use. I used this today. It works! Now, it does contain Ammonium Aluminum, which is not harmful (supposedly). I will continue using this as it seems pretty good although I am still interested in trying to make my own.

Conclusions: Try crystal or homemade. Avoid Tom's. Nature's Gate is okay.

What isn't in my food logs.

If you know me at all you know that I used to have an eating disorder. I still struggle with it. Daily. I had a bad day today and I tend to avoid food when depressed. I ate enough today. Even if it was forced.

But, I bought a scale yesterday. I bought a scale that I am absolutely terrified of. I bought a scale that I have already started obsessing over and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. I remember when I was 16 and I was dieting for the first time. My starting weight was 192 pounds. In 3 months I weighed less than 125. Weight just fell off. I felt fat and disgusting. That is the problem.

Right now I am trying to reshape thought. I am trying to convince myself that perfection isn't the goal, health is. I am trying to deal with the fact that no matter what I will never be perfect. I have to accept that NOW. I have to like myself now. Otherwise, when I do weigh my 'goal' weight it won't be enough. And then it will never be enough. Just like it wasn't ever enough when I was 16. How do I start thinking that I am pretty? I have always been so honest with myself. How do I lie to myself? And if it isn't a lie, how do I inherently convince myself that this 'lie' is indeed a 'truth?'

I weighed myself today. I lost two pounds since yesterday. That is pretty good. I am terrified every time I step on that scale. I step on it over and over to make sure it is telling the truth. I stepped on it twice today. Both times it read 244.0. On September 28th, 2012 I weighed 275 pounds. Most people would be happy about this but I live in fear that one day I will step on this scale and the number will go up. I don't care if it is that time of the month, or if I have water weight, or any of that. I want that number to decrease. It needs to decrease every time I step on it until I weigh 140 pounds. That is 104 pounds away. I step on the scale to make sure that number isn't increasing. I step on that scale to make sure I am going down.

I have to figure this out. I really want to be healthy but I have an obsessive personality. I am consulting a doctor and I am being healthy but my mind isn't healthy. I am working on it.