A little over five years ago I suffered a series of health catastrophes which resulted in several strokes and the eventual diagnosis of my chronic illness, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Although this was devastating at the time, getting sick was the catalyst for the change, in my life, that I needed. It gave me the gumption to start my company, reevaluate my relationships and take control of my health and wellness.
Taking control and accountability for the way I feel both inside and out has been a bumpy journey. Through all of its ups and downs, it has taught me about myself in a way that has opened my eyes to the correlation between what I eat and how I feel. How I can fuel my body to prepare myself for being physically active, calming down and relaxing as well as recuperating from my bi-weekly infusions.
I have learned to approach my health and wellness from a 360 point-of-view. For me to feel “healthy” and balanced, I realized that I need to address not just my physical health, but my mental and emotion health as well. I needed to redefine what “healthy” is to me, in the context of being chronically ill and having very real limitations.
With that in mind, I thought, I would start sharing my journey to wellness along with tips, tricks, links and recipes that are easy to incorporate into your busy and hectic schedules. So to kick things off, I thought I would share with you my recipe for a green detox machine juice. It’s earthy and sweet with a hint of spice. The lemon, pineapple, parsley and ginger help to detoxify and alkalize your body. While the kale provides you with with a much needed hit of nutrients such as vitamin K, potassium and calcium. The cucumber hydrates and also gives you your dose of vitamin C, magnesium and biotin. Asian pear and apple add that touch of sweetness which helps the green stuff go down easier.
Detox Green Machine (yield 48oz):
1 cucumber
1 knob ginger
1 bunch parsley
1 large bunch kale
1 lemon, skinned
1/4 quarter of a pineapple (2 spears, or 1 cup diced)
1 apple, quartered
1 asian pear, cut into eighths
Start by rinsing all your fruits and vegetables. Load your juicer, first, with the parsley, ginger and lemon. Turn on your juicer and push those through, followed by the kale, pineapple, asian pear, apple and finally the cucumber. This recipe makes about 48oz of green juice and can be stored up to 3 days in an airtight container in your refrigerator. I love to drink this 2-3 times a week as an alternative to my beet, carrot and apple juice.
Mondays are all about hitting the reset button and taking charge of the week ahead. This juice will definitely help you bounce back from the weekend and get you in the mood to exercise, eat right and say yes to positive change and no to negativity. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Monday!
