Bezalel Juices!

  https://youtu.be/W-n9VaaIVXk Well I told you I'd update you on how our juicing is going. Firsts thing you should know - I finished my juice fast. I was on it for Wed, Thurs, and Fri and after light Shabbos eating, I was on it for Sunday and part of Monday. It's been awesome. Over Pesach I weaned myself from Splenda, that used to go in my coffee twice a day. I also started making my coffee half decaf to prepare so the withdrawal wouldn't be so hard. The basic idea of juicing is that  1)it floods your body with vitamins and minerals and brings health and nutrition to your cells at the deepest level. 2) it gives your other organs a chance to detox and heal. they're "on vacation" from digestion. The actual detox reminds me of a trip I took long ago. I had to be out of the country with my three kids by myself for a month. I managed okay. I really thought I was doing great.  But when I got home, I walked into my apartment and burst into tears. All that pent up emotion just burst through. Our bodies, they manage - even when we're rough on them. But when we give them a break, when we stop masking thecompromised state - it bursts into tears. And out comes all the bad stuff.                                                           Day 1 - Felt great. (My husband, had a crashing headache by the end of the day though..) Day 2 - Had a headache, my eyes were hurting, I climbed into bed a few times during the day. It was tough. I was really detoxing. Day 3 - Felt good. My energy was steady and light. My eyes got more clear. I started seeing in HD! Not at all hungry - slight ache in my legs but overall had nice energy. No midday slump! Day 4 - I felt amazing! Alive! It was Shabbos so I had to eat. I had matzah and chicken soup and some veggie's and a small portion of fruit.  I walked an easy two miles. Day 5 - My energy was so great. It filled me with lightness and motivation. I started my day at 7:30 am, ran around with the kids all day and still felt amazing! In terms of hunger though, it was a harder day because my body got used to food over Shabbos. But I was told to expect it so it was ok Day 6  - I felt amazing.... but hungry. Midday I ate. I think if I would have held out until the day was over, the hunger would have passed and my body would have adjusted. I feel ok with it though.                                                     Today is Day 7. Today is where the real work begins, making better food choices. I have been avoiding flour and sugar (aside from Shabbos matzah) for about 3 years, but my body was still not responding well to the foods I was eating. Even a meal of cooked veggie's could sometimes exhaust me, sending me for a nap midday or a slump after dinner. When we were putting back the food in the pantry after Passover, the foods that were highly processed and had chemicals or white flour I just didn't want. It's an interesting thing and its teaching me a lot about how people work. My own neighbor has spoken to me about Diet Coke and other products, but it was just a conversation - nothing I was ready to hear. I wanted my Diet Coke! Its only now that I'm ready that I can make  changes. And even now - I'm not fully open. I know that there are many levels of clean and healthful eating, but I'm taking it one step at a time. What stuck with me from the video's that  I watched (Fat, Sick and Nearly dead and Hungry For Change) was two bits of info that I had never really integrated. First of all, the idea that every single fruit and vegetable has tremendous nutritional value. though I'm stating the obvious, it wasn't until I saw the vitamin chart that I realized that even something as light and humble as a piece of celery or an onion gives us so much. http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/eating/a-z-fruit-veggies/ Secondly, the idea of chemicals and  how they sit in our body potentially   messing around with our cells and our well  bring; their link to cancer. I learned that aloe and chia seeds are some of the few things that will bind to the chemicals and release them from your body. I was pleasantly surprised to find that shopper's, a local supermarket sells individual aloe leaves. So what did I eat today? I ate lightly, an orange, peanuts, and 2 Juices, later on I had 2 healthy granola - date bars. (Each juice is like a large salad) The interesting part is that I've dieted before and I've  been on a no flour, no sugar food plan for a while, but this is a whole new message for my brain. It's not at all about deprivation or limits. Eating smaller quantities and raw fruits and veggies is a way of taking care of myself, because I want to feel good. And digesting your food takes a lot of energy for your body! that's energy that I really want to have. Having felt what it was like I don't want to lose it. My friend Leah came over and made a video with me which I'll put up soon. One thing she said to me that struck me was "People are often vegetarians because they care so much about animals. Isn't caring about ourselves important too?"                                                              Side benefits - 1.My son who would rather starve than eat something thats not pizza has started taking apples to school (as he proudly tells me.) 2.No guilt about what I buy in the supermarket. 3.I walked into the office and my friend Vicki said "you lost weight!" that's always nice :) 4. My eyesight is incredible - the world is just so pretty. 5. I'm off of caffeine and I'm liking this calmer person that I am.                                                        

Juice Recipes

Green Dream

1 bunch kale 1 apple 1 lemon 1 zuchinni (optional) small slice of ginger  

 Sunny Day

2 carrots 1 orange 1 lemon 1 celery (optional) slice of aloe vera For tons of juice recipes,  salads and great articles to get started on eating healthier, click HERE Thanks to all my Fb friends for your advice and encouragement!               Read more...

Trying to Get Healthy

 

This is the original email from Leah that prompted me to ask her to make this video with me. Her conviction shines through in her writing. Keep scrolling down to see her helpful tips and delicious recipes.

Hi Rivka, I just watched your video on how the "secret" is affecting you. It really hit home for me. We've been working on our health for the past year, and now it's time to work on our thoughts. I can't wait to watch "The Secret" documentary after Shabbos.

I wanted to write to you because a lot of what you've said that you felt, I felt too when we decided that health was important to us. About a year ago, I was talking to a woman in shul, and she told me how her mother died of cancer and her father became vegan and she did too. She said that it prevents cancer among many other deceases. She recommended that I watch "Forks over Knives". I didn't believe her at the time, and really didn't want to watch it. Deep down I knew that if there was a validity to it, I and my whole family would have to change.

That documentary changed our lives, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It led us to many other documentaries and and websites, and to make many changes in our lives. We changed how we think about food, health, and our government. Meanwhile, we saw many people we know die from  preventable diseases and it was so painful to watch and know that we couldn't help them.

We see it all over. Many f us would rather suffer terrible health problems, and undergo surgeries, than to change what they eat. The desire for food is just way too strong.

We've seen so many improvements in my family and really hope that more people will awaken to a better diet. It's helped us with all of our physical issues and gave us  more alert and clear heads and more energy. I also believe that the more control you have over your tiavas (base desires) in food will help you with all the other tiavas,The better we eat, the healthier, longer, and more productive our lives will be to do mitzvos and study Torah 'til 120 IY"H.

I'm sorry for such a long e-mail. I have lots of tips to transition to a healthier diet, and a google doc with healthy recipes that we liked, if you're interested.

-Leah

Amazing info from Leah below! Including her recipes!

Some tips on Plant-based living:

The key is to change your thinking from how to get just full, to how can I maximize nutrition in everything I eat.  The best thing is you never have to count calories or restrict the amount of food you eat. I buy nutritional yeast (whole foods where they have loose grains), It has complete protein and vitamin B's and B12 which is important for vegetarians. I put in in everything. It gives a cheesy flavour. Flax or chia seeds are great egg substitute and full of omega 3's . just mix with water. We drink mostly almond milk, but there are also, soy, hemp, rice coconut, and oat milks out there. They have same amount of calcium, but it doesn't create acidosis in your system and doesn't leach calcium from your bones like regular milk does. It has fiber, but no cholesterol or saturated fat. The best tasting vegan cheese imho is Daiya cheese, it comes shredded or spreadable. It melts, stretches, and has a good flavour. Try out some new plant superfoods – Amla, Flax seeds, Chia seeds, Hemp seeds, Kale. Instead of soda or juices, try drinking iced hibiscus tea. We eat stews, quessadillas, pizza, soups, rice and tofu or beans, tempeh sandwiches, lentil burgers, pasta, cashew cheese is amazing, pancakes, use lots of mushrooms, seitan, KALE CHIPS, zucchini chips. The list is endless.

http://nutritionfacts.org is a great website with hundreds of short videos by Dr. Gregger, who talks about what food does to your body, which food is the most nutritious, and the benefits of a plant-based diet looking at the leading studies. Also watch Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death for for an all encompassing lecture by Dr. GreggerLink to my meal/recipes and google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TBFTIpr7w2XeM7jR9jFTgOeW4wp7EbiXHDqvuKJKq-0/edit?usp=sharingWatch some documentaries and videos on youtube or hulu: Fork over knives Genetic Roulette Food Inc Fat, sick, and nearly dead

Poor Nutrition: A Weapon Of Mass Destruction Monsanto

Hungry For Change

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