Getting Juiced! Day 1

No, I'm not talking about the latest Major League Baseball players getting caught shooting up with anabolic steroids if that's what first came to mind.  This is a whole different kind of juicing.  One that promises better health and lots of energy to go with it.  After being inspired by the documentary Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead  I decided to take the 7 day juicing challenge!

I won't be juicing 100% of the time for the seven day period but I will be on a liquid fast for the full 7 days.  I will be juicing as much as possible and throwing in a smoothie every once in a while for a treat.  I know what you're probably thinking.... "Seven days and not a single bite of food to eat!  That's crazy!"  Well, it may sound crazy but it actually gives your digestive tract a break and helps clean out any crap (literally!) that you've been shoving down the old hatch.

A Plant Based Odyssey

I grew up in the Central Valley of California in the 60's and 70's, and had a Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer sort of a childhood, filled with adventures in an area of the country known at that time as "The Fruit Basket of America." Thousands of acres of peach, almond, walnut, and olive groves stretched for miles in all directions, and I and my best friend often hiked out along the railroad tracks or canal banks into the country to catch lizards, snakes, and frogs or just explore and play in and around the orchards on the blistering hot, summer days we often had.

The son of a small business owner and an 8th grade English teacher, my early diet was filled with economically conservative-type meals like tuna casserole, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, pork chops, and other generally meat heavy bills of fare, some of which I resisted like it was deadly poison, much to my mother's aggravation. In retrospect, perhaps I wasn't too far off in my early assessment of this kind of food.

One good habit that I can really thank my mom for was that she always insisted that I eat some fruit every day, and was always happy to cut up an apple or an orange for me as an afternoon or evening snack, as well as making sure she sent me to school with something packed in my lunch pail or brown bag. Of all the dietary advice I received in my early years, that has been one that has stuck with me, and one that I have tried to pass along to my kids as well.

Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal

There's nothing better than starting your day off with a delicious, healthy breakfast!  And there's nothing more delicious or healthy than a good old fashion bowl of oatmeal.  It's nature's cholesterol fighting food and it can help lower yours too.


To get all the health benefits without sacrificing taste you've got to get back to the basics when it comes to all those rolled oats.  That means no ripping open a paper packet of sugar laden, processed oats that resemble more of a chemistry experiment than actual food.  But don't worry because the following recipe takes just as little effort and tastes much better than that packet of pseudo oatmeal from old man Quaker.


Ingredients
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
fresh blueberries
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg (optional)
dash of stevia (optional)


Directions
Place oats in bowl and add water.  Cover with paper towel and let sit overnight.  The next morning drain remaining water out of bowl.  Crush walnuts and add to oats.  Add dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stevia and mix.  Top with fresh blueberries and a fresh strawberry.  Enjoy until your hearts content!

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by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com. 

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!

P90x - The Ultimate Body Workout

If you're looking for a new workout challenge or just want to get into better overall shape then look no further - P90x does just that!  This program will transform your body over a 90 day period and leave you feeling great and full of energy.

What Is P90x?

P90x is a home fitness program coupled with a nutritional program to help get you into phenomenal shape in just 13 weeks.  Before you start the program it's always best to seek a thorough strength, balance, and flexibility assessment from a qualified professional  so you can avoid any unwanted injuries.  Once you're cleared let the good times begin!

Fitness Program

The workouts are approximately 45-60 minutes long and you do them 6 days per week.  Three days a week you add in 15 minutes of abdominal exercises after you workout which really helps transform your stomach into that 6 pack that you always wanted.

There are various workout regimens that you'll rotate between so you can rest assured that you won't get bored.  You'll go between the following as you work your way through the program:

1)  Strength/Resistance Training
2)  Cardio
3)  Yoga
4)  Plyometrics - "Jump training"
5)  Stretching
6)  Abdominal exercises
7)  Martial Arts

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit

Beans, beans, the musical fruit

The more you eat, the more you toot

The more you toot, the better you feel

So let's eat beans with every meal!

I'm sure that short, little tune takes you back to your playground days like it does me.  I remember growing up and having a few laughs over one of nature's most smelly culprits.  As goofy and childlike as the song may be it has a lot of truth beneath the verses within it.

Beans are part of the legume family which also include lentils, peas, soy, and peanuts.  While beans may be the butt of many flatulent jokes they have some incredible health benefits and should be included in one's diet if you're looking to lose weight and feel great.

Michelle, it's time to tell the world about "meat & dairy."

Dear Michelle,

I love what you're trying to do regarding the health of the children. I am just wondering when you think you might be ready to tell the world the truth about the "low-fat dairy" and "healthier meats" that you mention in your Forward Motion article in the Amtrak magazine? If you want to achieve your "one big goal to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation," you're going to need to tell their parents exactly what they should feed those children -- and exactly what they should not be feeding them.

I also like what you say about the "salad bars and more fruits & vegetables," but when are you going to tell the citizens of America what they deserve to know about our food supply? For example, when are you going to tell the world that the casein in cow's milk is a carcinogen?

Michelle tossing an apple on the cover of the "Arrive" magazine on Amtrak this month

From your article, it appears that you may not have read The China Study, and may not yet be aware of our harmful, wasteful and unsustainable diet-style of meat and dairy three meals a day. It is admirable that you are promoting better school lunches and healthier foods in WalMart; yet at the same time, you say nothing at all in your article about the harmful meat and dairy products that are promoting cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes and driving our outrageously high cost of health care.

Thrive In 30 Program - Brendan Brazier

Ever wish you could find yourself waking up every morning feeling like a world class athlete?  Where every part of your body just oozes with an abundance of energy, health, and vitality.  A lifestyle where you jump out of bed ready to take on the world.  Sounds like everyone's perfect way of living right?

Well, if this is your goal then you're in luck because anyone can achieve this lifestyle no matter who you are.  Brendan Brazier, a world class athlete, has launched an amazing program called Thrive In 30 that is bound to send you down this very path.

So what is Thrive In 30 all about?  Let's take a look...

Understanding The Ups And Downs Of Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a growing problem for many men in today's world and has inevitably found its way into the punch line of many jokes as we've found ways to make light of what those little blue pills can do for you.  But joking aside, this condition can cause of lot of anxiety and psychological stress for men as fear of failure and inadequacy with their sexual health takes hold.  Not only does this cause problems for a man's sexual health and the ensuing intimate relationships with their respective partners but it also leads to a decline in their overall health as well.

As it turns out, ED can be just as much of a predictor of developing chronic diseases as high cholesterol or smoking or family history can be.  As a matter of fact, ED has been linked to coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, peripheral arterial disease, diabetic retinopathy, and chronic kidney disease [1-5,8].   One shocking statistic is that two thirds of all men with clinically evident coronary artery disease also have ED [1].  What's more, the signs and symptoms of ED frequently show up in these men approximately 2-3 years before the consequences of coronary atherosclerosis.  Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, as you may know, increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Forks Over Knives - Movie Review

There are several documentaries produced that will capture your curiosity and attention for an hour or two on a lazy, summer day but their message is usually long forgotten by the time you hit your pillow that night.  Forks Over Knives defies this status quo as it leaves you thinking twice about everything you've ever grown up on and makes you question your future choices regarding the foods that you eat as it brings to light the outspoken lessons of how nutritional excellence is the key to a healthier nation and a better quality of life for all.

Forks Over Knives is the brilliant work of two legendary pioneers in our modern day healthcare system.  One American biochemist, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, has over 50 years of distinguished work in the field of nutrition and health and one American surgeon, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, has worked tirelessly for decades at the world famous Cleveland Clinic to rid his patients of heart disease.  These two men have teamed up to share their life long experiences in the fields of health and nutrition to educate the world on how to prevent and reverse chronic diseases with a plant-based diet.

Big Money, Special Interests, & The American Healthcare Crisis

Is there such a thing as having people's best interest in mind when it comes to their overall health anymore?  Last week you learned how your tax dollars are making America sick, literally, as the USDA provides 97%-98% of its subsidies to promote the production of foods that are linked to the gluttony of chronic diseases that people are suffering from in this country.  Then the USDA turns around and publishes dietary guidelines telling us to eat these same foods in our everyday diets.  This week you'll learn how money changes hands between special interest groups and the world of politics and industry when it comes to our health, our food, and our attempts to "fix" the American healthcare crisis.

Picture yourself in charge of finding a solution to our current healthcare crisis.  What would you do?  Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes, osteoporosis, obesity, and the list goes on and on and on.  That's a big task to say the least!  And I'm sure you would agree that the most logical and successful way to approach these issues would be to allocate as much of our nation's financial resources as possible towards the methods proven to be the most effective, safest, and least costly when it comes to treating these diseases.  To do this, you first need to know which methods of treatments are the most effective, safest, and least costly.  Second, you need to know where the money goes and how this money influences what treatments end up being talked about when you're sitting in the exam room of your doctor's office.

Our Taxes - Are They Making Us Sick?

When it comes to spending money, you're making a conscious decision on whether or not the goods and services you're purchasing are worth your hard earned dollars.  You want to feel like you've made a smart decision that contains some sort of value.

I'm sure you would find this same concept true when it comes to your overall health.  In essence, you want to make good decisions and investments which help you feel better, live longer, and avoid the chronic diseases that plague most of our society.  And the most important investment you can make, when it comes to determining how healthy you are, is in the form of the foods that you purchase and consume on a regular basis.  So how are the prices of various foods determined?

You may or may not realize that this is largely determined by how our tax dollars are spent with respect to the different subsidies paid to the food and agriculture industries.  Common sense would tell us that we would want our government to subsidize the foods that increase and promote overall health the most.  However, in reality the exact opposite is true.  In fact, the rise in obesity and decline in public health is directly correlated to the increasing availability of low-nutrient, inexpensive food that is high in fat, sugar, and refined grains [1].  On the contrary, foods found to have the highest amount of nutrients per calorie (fruits and vegetables) cost much more per calorie than their lower nutrient counterparts [2] even though they play a vital role in promoting health and wellness.

So how exactly does this all fit together?  And what does the breakdown look like when it comes to our tax dollars being divvied up to their respective recipients in the food and ag industries?  Let's find out as we take a deeper look into these very issues.

EarthSave's "Meals For Health" Program - Changing The Lives Of Those In Need

America is living in a state of emergency when it comes to our overall health.  This heartbreaking picture can be seen in some of the startling statistics that reveal the rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer just to name a few of the chronic diseases we see here in the U.S.

As a matter of fact, cardiovascular disease takes the life of an individual every 38 seconds in our country [1].  Diabetes is no better as a little over 5,200 people are diagnosed with this disease every single day in America, and this only includes those over the age of 20 who are diagnosed with diabetes [2].  And lastly, according to estimates from the American Cancer Society roughly 65 people die every hour from a cancer related death in the U.S. [3]  These painful statistics are even worse for those individuals and families who live in poverty.  But there is hope.

Music To Soothe The Soul

You just reached the end to what has to have been one of the worst days of your life and the stress of it all has you at your wits end!  You need something to go from frantic and frazzled to calm and relaxed.  But what do you do?  Since a quick trip to your favorite tropical island isn't exactly in order why not try music.  That's right, if you're like the rest of the 6+ billion people on this earth then you know the pure happiness that can come from the perfect song.  It makes your troubles just float away like they never existed and that's exactly what you need to put all those struggles behind you.

Growing Old Wrinkle Free

Oh no!  What's that staring you back as you look into the mirror this morning?  It couldn't be yet another tiny crinkle in your forehead determined to push you into senility could it?!  Wrinkles... the one thing that nobody wants more of especially in our modern day culture.  But is there anything we can do about it?  Why don't we find out as we turn you into an expert on the topic of wrinkles and how to prevent them.

The Food Industry - Behind The Scenes With Robin O'Brien

It's funny how something so simple in life can lead to such a huge change for that person.  And it's even more incredible when that simple event ends up having a profound impact on hundreds, if not thousands, of other people.  That's exactly what an ordinary breakfast of Eggo waffles, scrambled eggs, and a tube of blue yogurt did for Robin O'Brien and her family.

That breakfast turned into an urgent trip to their pediatrician's office as Robin's youngest child had an allergic reaction to the food she ate that morning.  This event completely changed not only the lives of Robin and her family but also the lives of countless numbers of other parents and their children as the truth behind our food industry was about to be unveiled.