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5 Documentaries on Health, Wellness + the Importance of Eating Real Food

April 9, 2013 2

I have been receiving a lot of emails and questions from friends and family wondering where we got the idea of doing a juice detox. It happened by accident really – a good friend of mine had sent me an email a few months back telling me that he and his wife had become juicing converts. When I finally found some time to sit down and check out his website, I found that his juicing revelation had all started with a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I didn’t think much more about it after that. Then, one week I started to watch all of the documentaries on Netflix that related to health, wellness and food.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead was one of my favorites! I also found 4 other documentaries that really had me thinking about my health and the health of my family. I started to chat with the mister about what I had learned while watching all of these documentaries. At first he was hesitant, then he was intrigued, so we watched some of the documentaries together. The next thing I know we are purchasing an Omega 8600 juicer, filling our fridge with produce and jumping right in.

During this 30-60 day juice fast, we have been purging our cabinets and are putting together a new way of eating for when we are finished. We are planning to eat a mostly plant-based organic diet, free of GMO’s, and anything artificial – we will also be removing gluten (since I have major stomach issues resulting from it) and cutting our intake of poultry, fish and dairy to a minimum.

I thought you might be interested in learning more yourself, so I put together my 5 favorite documentaries that may inspire you to take your health into your own hands. We only get one life, and I think that we should live it to the fullest, healthiest, happiness potential possible. Here you go:

1. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
2. Forks Over Knives
3. Food Matters
4. Average Joe on the Raw
5. Hungry for Change

How about you dear readers, do you have a life changing documentary to share? I would love to hear your suggestions.

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P.S. I remember the first time that the mister and I completely revamped our diets was after watching Super Size Me. That was about a year before I started Sweet Greens – it had a huge impact on the items that we purchased and was when we went fully organic!

Juice Detox Day 16 + A Typical Day of Juicing Recipes

April 8, 2013 9

Hello, Friends! How was your weekend? Mine started on the awful side, Friday morning I had what could only be called a mini-meltdown. I had a lot on my mental plate with decisions surrounding family and work and to top it off I was tired of the juice detox. I only lost a single pound last week, while the mister lost a ton! I spent the morning in tears and the afternoon taking a well-needed nap. I have to admit, I was about a second away from breaking the detox. It has been a much harder process for me – the mister is always a trooper and seems to adapt well to any situation. I am different – much different, I thought I couldn’t do it anymore.

I called the mister in tears and thankfully he carefully talked me down and I didn’t break the fast. Whew! That is a good thing too, because the next day, my headaches (that were coming and going) went away for good. I felt much better during the weekend and was even able to spend Saturday at the golfcouse. I think I am ready to push through until at least the end of the month. This has to be one of the hardest things that I have ever done – I didn’t realize how important food was in my life, besides the obvious. It seems that our family spends a ton of time together, having great conversations all the while eating! And I know that I am an emotional eater – if something goes wrong, before this fast, I was quick to grab a snack to feel better! This is one of the habits that I am trying to break with this detox – hopefully it will get me on my way. I am down 13.1 pounds, the mister has lost 21.5 – and while I still feel tired and cold most of the time, I am looking forward to a clean start with a clean body. I really, truely believe this will be a great thing for my phsyical and mental health.

I have received a ton of emails asking what a juice fast is and what exactly I have been drinking for the past 16 days. I will start sharing the recipes here, remember you need a juicer to make these. To get started, here are the juices that I typically drink each day:

 Breakfast Juice

  • 5 carrots
  • 1 green apple
  • 1 large orange

Lunch Juice

  • 2 celery stalks
  • 3 carrots
  • 1/2 head of romaine lettuce (or a different lettuce depending on what we have on hand)
  • 3 huge handfuls of spinach
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 apple

Dinner Juice

  • 2 huge handfuls of spinach
  • 1/2 head of lettuce, chard or another green
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1/2 zucchini
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 apple

If you can believe it – that is all that I have been consuming. I feel a little hungry at night and right before meals, but overall I don’t feel like I am starving. That is a good thing.

I hope this gives you a better idea of what I have been drinking – if you have further questions, leave them below or send me an email or note via Facebook. Also, I have been collecting juicing recipes, you can find them on Pinterest. Hope this helps!

Earth Month Mamas: Soleil Moon Frye + Jennie Lyon Share Sustainability Tips

April 4, 2013 1

Target has been celebrating Earth Day since its inception in 1970. While Earth Day takes place on April 22 this year, Target believes Mother Earth deserves an entire month of celebration, so they will  be sharing a look at what sustainability means to Target throughout April.

What better way to start off the month and celebrate than by making your home more sustainable? As a Target Inner Circle member  I featured an Earth Month makeover for your pantry using items that can be found at Target.

As part of this simple, sustainable and healthy pantry makeover, I caught up with Target Mommy Ambassador Soleil Moon Frye on how she integrates sustainability into her home and her family’s lifestyle. Jump over to Target’s A Bullseye View for the Q & A.

Deck Specks: Handmade Sunglasses from Recycled Skateboards

April 4, 2013 3

Living in Florida, I am a huge fan of sunglasses – I never leave home without a pair! Not only are they perfect for protecting your eyes, they are great at reducing wrinkles since you won’t be squinting all of the time. I was so excited to find Deck Specks, this Atlanta based company, started by a group of skateboarders takes broken skateboards and recycles the decks into sunglasses. Aren’t the colors and patterns fantastic! How would I choose just one?

Speaking of sunglasses, I still love these bio-based sunglasses from Knockaround.
Do you have a favorite?

Ask Sweet Greens: What is a Juice Detox? How Can I Get Started?

April 3, 2013 6

Question:
Hi Jennie, I know you have mentioned that you and your husband are on a juice detox. What exactly is a juice detox? Why not just eat the whole fruit or vegetable? What do I need to get started? I would love to give it a try.

Thanks for your help!
Julie

P.S. Congratulations on the 10 lb. weight loss!

Answer:
Hi Julie, Thank you, I am feeling fantastic! This is a question that has been flooding my inbox the past week, so let’s get to it. A juice detox is a period of time when you only consume fresh fruit and vegetable juices, water and caffeine-free tea. When you juice fruits and vegetables you are left with a nutrient rich liquid that is easily absorbed by your system. Fresh juice is easier for your body to metabolize, allowing it to focus on healing and giving you an opportunity to adopt healthier eating habits. A juice detox can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of months – depending weight and health goals.

Why not just whole fruits and vegetables? The amount of vegetables and fruit that go into one juice is probably more than you could sit down to eat. For example, my morning juice usually contains; 6 kale or lettuce leaves, a large handful of spinach, 3 carrots and 2 apples — that is a lot of fruits and vegetables, much more than I have ever consumed in one meal!

To get started, I recommend that you watch the documentary: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead – it is super inspiring and will make you want to get started! Then, you need to purchase a juicer, we decided on the . You will also want to hit the farmer’s market or your local farm to stock up on fresh vegetables and fruits. The mister and I are super easy-going and have just been putting juices together based on what sounds good to us. We usually start with a heaping amount of greens (kale, lettuce, spinach, chard), then add whatever we feel like (carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc;) and then a piece of fruit! You can find a ton of great recipes here.

I hope this helps! Happy Juicing!

P.S. If you are interested in the actual recipes that we are using, leave a comment and I will start to post our recipes for you too! 

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