Self-Care Reboot II – Take the 14-Day Juice Challenge

Nurture Yourself at the Cellular Level with the 14-day Juice Challenge!

Pamela Christy, Certified IIN Health and Wellness Coach

Let’s be real. Making your own juice is a bit of a chore. There’s the shopping, then the chopping and the buckets of composting.

However, if you’re willing to take the time and do what it takes, you just might find that juicing ushers in a whole new, revitalized chapter of your life. I have found the benefits far outweigh any downsides.

Here is what I recommend:

Drink a glass of fresh-squeezed, raw (unpasteurized) juice for 14 days straight.

Guess what? If you have the means, you don’t have to make the juice yourself.

You can buy fresh-squeezed juice at various places in the Rogue Valley:

1. Your best option is the Ashland Food Co-op Kitchen https://ashlandfood.coop/, located at 237 N First Street. They have a wide variety of menu selections, including custom orders such as pure organic Apple-Cucumber juice.
2. Another great option is NW Raw Organic Juice Bar and Restaurant https://nwraw.com/ located at 370 East Main Street in downtown Ashland. Hands down, they offer the highest quality, most varied juices, and juice blends, not to mention other delicious salads, desserts and more. Check out their Juice Cleanse package too, here,
   https://nwraw.com/cleanse/.
3. If you can stand the taste of wild, wonderful wheatgrass juice, you can get one or two-ounce shots of this beverage at Extreme Juice at 950 N Phoenix Road, Suite 104, in east Medford https://www.facebook.com/Extreme-Juice-328724446262/
4. There is a small Mexican restaurant near Central Medford High School, Taqueria El Gallo, that sells fresh squeezed natural juices. Offerings include carrot, orange, apple, pineapple, celery, and beet. They sell quick bites, smoothies, and raw juices, and are located at 401-B S Oakdale Ave. https://www.facebook.com/El-Gallo-Taqueria-195378443809437/
5. Try this new business in Phoenix: Glory’s Organic. It offers fresh-pressed organic “Build Your Own Garden Juice” (https://www.yelp.com/menu/glorys-organic-natural-delight-phoenix-2) along with many lunch and dinner options. Glory’s Organic is located in the Phoenix shopping center at 721 Main St C3, Phoenix, OR 97535; tel#: (541) 897-4455 (This information could be plugged into the second self care article on the juicing reboot.

Your most affordable option is juicing at home. What supplies do you need? You need the fruit, a sharp knife, and a cutting board, plus a juicer. What kind of juicer is needed? You don’t have to spend a fortune on a fancy juice extractor. I’ve found acceptable second-hand juicers available on Craigslist or at thrift stores for under $20.00. I recently found an older Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor on offerup.com for $15.00. Or, here is an example link to a brand new juicer for less than $30.00: https://www.target.com/p/hamilton-beach-ealthsmart-juice-extractor-black-67801/-/A-17342721

Whether you’re feeling sick and tired, or fantastic and ready to seize the day, this 14-day-juice-challenge is going to move you forward health-wise.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber, organic if possible
• 3 medium-sized apples, organic if possible

Instructions:

• On a daily basis, make a 16 oz. glass of apple-cucumber juice using the ingredients above. If you are drinking wheatgrass juice instead, start with one ounce and build up to two.
• Drink it fresh, on an empty stomach, at least 15 minutes before a meal for optimal digestion.
• Juicing organic cucumbers is practically effortless; all you have to do is slice it once, lengthwise, down the middle, then slide each half down the chute of the juicer.
• Cut apple slices into chunks that fit into the juicer chute; any kind of organic apple is fine.

FAQs:

• What about juice off the shelf? Only FRESH extracted whole fruit juice will do. Nothing pasteurized. Nothing from a grocery store shelf. No added sugars or preservatives. Nothing out of a can. No frozen concentrates.
• What about smoothies? Smoothies are fine to consume but do not replace the JUICE.
  Why organic? Buy organic 1) so you save time because you won’t have to peel the skins off; 2) to avoid the harmful pesticides and fungicides. 3) it supports the environment, clean water, and sustainability of life.
• Which fruits/vegetables are important to eat organic? Please refer to the “Dirty Dozen” list: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php.
• What if the prices are too high for these items? Shop around at places like Grocery Outlet for the best price; look for sales and bargains. You can find organic produce at a good price with a little perseverance.
• Isn’t clean up a lot of mess and trouble? For best results, immediately rinse all juicer parts with hot water – this makes clean-up a total breeze and you’re ready for the next day’s batch.
• What about water? Drink plenty of water throughout the day, since the idea is to HYDRATE and gently cleanse and nourish your cells, from skin cells to brain cells and everything in between.

Now get to juicing! If you have any other questions or problems, please seek the advice of a trusted health care professional or holistic health coach, someone with knowledge and experience in plant-based nutrition and a whole foods diet.