I remember whining one night because I didn't want to eat my lima beans and my older brother whispered to me, "just put them in your napkin when they aren't looking and throw it in the trash." I was excited that my brother gave me a brilliant idea and after I did it - he told my parents I didn't eat them and they were in the trash. UGH - Brothers! I ended up getting an extra scoop that I had to sit there and finish.
My parents weren't super strict with us when it came to eating. I mean, we would have a tub of Betty Crocker icing in the pantry or raw cookie dough in the fridge that we would take a scoop and eat. I learned this by watching my mom. She would bake a lot and I would be right there waiting to lick the bowl of batter clean. She would keep an endless supply of tasty cakes in the house and of course 5 different boxes of cereal. But when it came to dinner, we had to eat what was served - like it or not.
Surprisingly I was never a chubby kid. I was pretty active and while I did eat some bad things, it wasn't everyday. I continued my eating habits through adulthood. I mean, store bought pre-made cookie dough is not for baking - it is for eating!
My turning point in my eating habits changed slowly. My brother was on a non dairy kick for a while and told me to watch Food, Inc. After seeing that, I decided to cut out milk for a while. I did this pretty successfully for a month or two, I wasn't a big milk drinker to begin with so it really wasn't a big deal.
I think the major turning point was after my mom passed away from lung cancer and my husband was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjogrens. For my mom, I remember focusing so much on how to get rid of the cancer - not so much about how to stop it from growing. I think many times we focus on the immediate - instead of looking back to the root of the cause.
What causes cancer? Smoking, Drinking, Smog, Sun, etc. These are the environmental things that we can easily blame. But I am not sure that these are the root of the cause. I mean think about it, not every person who smokes gets lung cancer and not everyone who tans (or burns) gets skin cancer.
It took doctors nearly a year to come up with my husbands diagnosis of Sjogrens, and even today they are still unsure how to treat it.
That is when I watched another documentary Forks over Knives. This film takes an in depth look at how we eat. Food can be used to heal or it can be used to feed disease. I began researching more about food and why we are being hit with cancer and diseases. I also watched another documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead...that is when I decided to purchase a juicer for my husband to try to help with his Sjogrens.
We spent the next four years juicing on a regular basis and it has helped with many symptoms that he has. We now are members of the "clean glass" club - and so are our children. The kids will get their daily dose of Kale, parsley, cilantro, cucumber, celery, ginger and apple first thing before they eat a bowl of Coco Puffs or Captain Crunch.
Juicing has helped our family with battling sickness, allergies and has helped my husband's joints.
If you are thinking about getting a juicer, I highly recommend it. It is a great way to get all of the vitamins and minerals into your body. It will change your life.
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