Sick and trying juicing

[gardenlover]

Hi all,
I'm new here. I have been sick for a long time and have had several autoimmune disorders. I am trying to change my life in hopes of becoming healthy.
I have started juicing a few times a week and hope to get to a point of doing it 50 - 75% of the time. The problem is now I'm so sick I have to go to my mom's during the day because I can't be alone and she's funny, would fuss about me bringing my juicer and vegies.
I want to know how many of you were healed and what illnesses you had before juicing? My biggest complain about it is the timeconsuming cleaning the fruits and vegies and then the juicer only to have to use it again a little while later. Any suggestions? Also, I came across a bag of POWER GREENS in the store consisting of swiss chard, tat soi and spinach. I was going to juice but then the bag read as though it had to be cooked. Have any of you juiced this? I have juiced kale, find I have to use only a couple of leaves or get a bit of an upset stomach.
Any suggestions would be fabulous.

[Aleesha Sattva]

What kind of juicer do you have? That makes a huge difference in what people can suggest to you.

Bottom line: If you want to do this... you can. (((hugs)))

[streetsurfer]

I think you will do well by juicing, to help sort out your health issues. Beyond that try and maintain a raw lifestyle.

I used juicing and water fasting to help me discover causes of my feeling ill all the time. Many food sensitivities, wheat intolerance, IBS, leaky gut were later discovered, as a direct result of me feeling great while on juice fasts. It was other testing (Elisa, blood work, CDSA) that revealed the hidden issues, but the fasting helped get me headed in the right direction. Feeling better while on a juice fast cleared my thinking and allowed me to find answers through research, and the appropriate doctor who understood and treated the conditions.
You might research Cherie Cabolm-the juice lady, for more information.

and not to distract from Alissa Cohen, founder of this site; you will learn a lot through her forum here and I can only imagine a great deal of helpful information from her books as well. Pour through the juicing threads, as well as the fasting ones.

I can't imagine your mother not allowing you to bring a juicer and foods, if she is concerned enough that she doesn't want you to be alone during the days.

As for cleaning, I found that keeping the preparation area clean and ready, and making the sink ready with dish water before juicing, then immersing the parts as soon as possible makes for the easiest and quickest clean up. A good brush aids in clean up as well. something like a sturdy bottle or vegetable brush. Staining on juicer parts (such as from carrots) can usually be removed with a food grade oil wiped on and allowed to soak a bit. Do not scrub your plastic parts with an abrasive powder or pad.

I hope you find this info helpful. I finally burned out my braun juicer and your post has inspired me to begin searching for a replacement.

Keep you head up and shoulders back. You will find the answers you need, and I'm confident that through the restorative nutritional powers within raw foods, you'll begin to heal and recover, in time. I trust you are also working with medical professionals of the appropriate type to help uncover the causes.

[Arky]

Hi all,
I'm new here. I have been sick for a long time and have had several autoimmune disorders. I am trying to change my life in hopes of becoming healthy.

I'm sorry to hear you've been having such a rough time of things.

Would you care to explain a little more about your symptoms etc.? (I completely understand if not, it's just that people might be better able to offer you suggestions, that's all)


Arky.

[soulvibe]

I have juiced kale, find I have to use only a couple of leaves or get a bit of an upset stomach.

Sorry to hear you are feeling unwell buddy. First of all, I've found kale to be one of the best greens you can use for juicing, especially where healing is concerned. That said, it is also a powerful detoxifier and has one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any vegetable. With this in mind, and what you have mentioned about your upset stomach - These symptoms are most likely a result of the detoxification process. Feelings of sickness, etc. can usually worsen for a short while until the body has flushed itself of the toxins. Don't worry, this is a good sign! Although it would be quite helpful to know what illness you are dealing with. Anyway, if you're really wanting to see this through, my advice is to just roll with it, and give your body the foods/juices it needs to cleanse and repair itself. This is a great time to develop trust in your body to heal itself, as you will gradually begin to see the amazing transformations and healing it creates when you give it the space and fuel to do so.

Sending best wishes to you, hope you start feeling better soon my friend! :)

[Emiliana]

Gardenlover, visit the fasting threads. Most people are doing juice fasts and you can learn a lot about juicing there.

I found that powerful greens like kale take some getting used to. I mix them with things like apple, zucchini, and cucumber. I've also found that a bit of lemon juice allows me to drink much more dark green juice. Start slow and build up.

Any edible green can be juiced rather than cooked. When you buy the mixes though, especially when you're new to all this, make sure they don't have too many bitter greens like mustard and arugula. Spinach, chard, kale, and collards are all non-bitter.

I would disagree that your stomach pains are detox--dark green juice just takes a bit of getting used to. Go slow, toss in some spinach, and listen to your body. You'll be tossing down the kale juice before you know it!