How I Failed & Won at Juicing

It all began on a Sunday afternoon. Visiting my parents home for dinner had become something of a tradition, and once again I found myself sitting at our kitchen table talking about new things while my mother prepared dinner. This futuristic machine lay on the counter and as I casually glanced at it in confusion, my mother proceeded to explain to me that she had taken up what sounded like the ‘chore’ of juicing.

For her, it had begun a week prior where after stumbling through the endless vortex of Netflix, she came across the documentary, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It wasn’t long into her explanation of what she had viewed before she had piqued my interest, and I caught myself lounging on the family room couch, feet upon the ottoman, and clicking play.

I couldn’t take my eyes away, and to be honest didn’t even want to get up to enjoy my dad’s infamous grilled creations by the backyard fire.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead followed the 60 day journey of Australian native Joe Cross as he travels the United States armed with a Breville juicer in search of a thinner waistline and more positive attitude. The expedition seemed impossible to me. Only drinking juice for 60 days? I could feel my teeth weeping as the thought occurred. I would certainly miss CHEWING food way too much, wouldn’t I?

It wasn’t until later that evening, as my sister and I tossed a Frisbee in the front yard that my mother came out with one of her first juicing creations and offered me a sip. She called it ‘green lemonade’. I took a swig from a cup and wasn’t completely disappointed. It could use some ice I thought, but hey it wasn’t completely unbearable.

I scurried home, staying up late into the evening to finish the documentary and research what others had to say about this thing called ‘juicing’. I pitched the idea to my editors, and everyone I told commended me for my bravery. I got this, I thought.

I spent what seemed like an hour the following day at Buck a Bag in Penndel, filling baskets of fresh fruit and veggies and lots and lots of kale. I worked diligently in my kitchen well into the early morning, like a mad scientist in their laboratory, mixing concoctions and portioning them, “If I have plenty of juice to drink, this thing will last,” I thought.

I went to bed that night excited for this new adventure, something I thought would be a whole new beginning to a healthier and happier me.

During the day I am an early childhood educator, so my juicing adventure would have to travel; to circle time, snack time and even recess. The looks upon the children’s faces as I swigged chunky juice from a bottle was priceless. I was afraid to look like a fool and give up so early, but I just couldn’t do this.

My teeth and belly screamed for a cheeseburger, a peanut, I would have settled for something pureed at that point, anything but kale.

This juicing craze meant not only ditching all my beloved foods, but my beloved drinks as well, and the thought of not making a stop at a coffee shop every morning was starting to make me sweat and cringe.

I have to eat, I thought, just something, anything. And just like that I gave into temptation, and ditched all my hopes and dreams that came with the juicing craze. My good friend, Kristin, a nutrition and psychology student, acted as my mentor, telling me I couldn’t stick with a diet that made me unhappy, and truth be told, I was EXTREMELY UNHAPPY.

I have never been one to try dieting crazes or fads, I have always been in search of what I love and what will keep me generally ‘happy’. I run because I like it, but I also eat mashed potatoes, because I like it. That has always been my philosophy.

Giving up on juicing after one day seems extremely pathetic, I know that’s what you all are thinking; but I knew that what I was in search for was something quite deeper than juicing could solve. Here is the health benefit of juice and how juicing vegetables can make you healthier.

My body had become tired of working, tired of never sleeping well, tired of always having aches and pains. I wanted to wake up feeling rejuvenated again, feeling like myself, not like I was being controlled by the foods I ate and the drinks I poured. Then I had an epiphany, I have to give up coffee.

I had become a slave to coffee.

It was almost as if I had gotten hooked on it like a drug, irritable without it, and increasing the dosage periodically.

Driving past coffee shops on my way to and from work, and having a coffee maker in my kitchen served as daily reminders as to how hooked I had gotten.

The first three days were absolute torture. I hated myself and everyone around me. All I wanted to do was inject my veins with sugar and lay in my bed feeling sorry for myself. I even tried to justify having a cup, by saying, “what kind of journalist doesn’t drink coffee?”

By day 4 and on, I woke up feeling like I had just taken a deep sigh. I felt relaxed, I felt natural. There was no mid-afternoon crash, and I was genuinely tired at bed time, like its supposed to be.

It may sound pretty silly, but giving up coffee changed me, it took me back to normalcy, it gave me a reality check as to just how addicted I had become to caffeine. My chronic headaches, gone.

Now I enjoy the casual cup, and I feel like I can actually taste it again. Chock full o’Nuts never tasted so good!