I'm on a green juice kick! And I hope it never ends!!
Aran and I recently watched the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead - yes, it's an ominous title, but the message isincredibly positive and the story is in every way inspiring (...watch the trailer and check out the website here). Joe Cross, a successful Aussi financier and businessman, realizes that he has let himself go. He is severely overweight and has developed a serious and rare skin condition. Unfortunately, living without any self-control and without a good sense for moderation, for many of us, eventually leads to cancer, heart attacks, heart disease, and hundreds of other debilitating ailments that make us prisoners to the pharmaceutical industry and our own bodies.
Coming to this realization Joe decides to fly over to NYC - the land of 99 cent pizza slices, delicious street food, and unforgettable dining experiences to taunt him on every corner! - and go on a 60 day green juice fast! He begins the first month of the fast in NYC and then sets off, with his juicer hooked up to an outlet in the back of the car, on a roadtrip cross-country to share the magic of juicing. He interviews people along the way and tries to make them more mindful about their own health. Some take to the green juices and others resist, but regardless of whether their taste buds are pleased, he awoke in their minds - and especially in one particular man whose life changed forever - the thought of making more careful food choices for themselves and their loved ones. While I am mindful about how I eat, I'm even more knowledgavle having seen the amazing results backed up by medicine of a lifestyle change toward more greens, exercise and moderation and away from general excess, too much animal protein and complacency.
So what exactly is a green juice? It's a juice made from any green veggies and plants that you can possibly think of. The standard - some call it the green champagne! - is made of kale, parsley, celery, swiss chard, cucumber, and apple, lemon and ginger. Have one before breakfast or right after a yoga session or workout. I promise you will excite and nourish every single cell of your body! Since watching this movie, I'm not only grabbing a green juice to go whenever I can, but I'm also eating more greens and being mindful about eating more plants.
And speaking of plants, eating more of them, as Mark Bittman of the NYTimes puts it in his recent op-ed, No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem, is simply a smart way to go if you're trying to "eat better" or want to improve your health. You can't go wrong by adding more plants and veggies into your daily regimen. Plants create an alkalizing environment in your body, which gives your immune system more ammunition to fight bad bacteria which thrive when you're body's pH is on the acidic side of the balance. So while it's fine to enjoy animal proteins, sweets, coffee, etc., it's also important to be mindful about making sure to balance your diet with plenty of alkalizing foods. (For a more in depth explanation of balancing between acid and alkaline foods check out this link).
If I'm on the go and I'm hungry or just in need of a pick me up I Yelp the nearest green juice bar and I head that way! Here are a few places that have green juice bars in NYC that I love. If you know of any other good ones, feel free to share with the community!
Health Nuts
835 2nd Ave (between 44th St & 45th St)
Lifethyme Natural Foods Store
410 Ave of the Americas (between 8th St & 9th St)
Jus
at Coffeeshop
16th Street & Union Square West
If you're intrigued Joe Cross has developed a website called Reboot Your Life (currently under further construction due to an increasing surge of traffic) that provides some detail on different levels of the green juice program. Before taking on any radical change in your diet and even before cleanses and detoxing, please talk to your doctor or a trained healthcare progressional.