Juicing Diet: Diet or Way of Life?

I recently watched a documentary that I would recommend called, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” by an Australian CEO named Joe Cross, who blogs for MyJuicer on occasion. I don’t work for the movie, I’m not getting paid to endorse the movie- I just think you should flat-out watch the movie.

Joe is just a regular, working guy. He drinks too much, eats too much, has a lot of weight to lose, and the pounds just snuck up on him. He knows it’s his fault, but it takes him being just sick and tired of being sick and tired to make a difference. So he decides to go on a juice only fast for 60 days, and film his adventures. To make it interesting, he flies from Australia to New York City for the first 30 days, and then drives cross country for the remaining 30 days. He also decides to film the entire process.

First of all, I could never do a juice diet in New York. I’ve been there twice, but I do remember the street carts with food, the pizza, the smell of the town and the food. I think I might pick a less populated area with fewer snack places- but- Joe decides NY is a great place to start his juice diet. He got a juicer on this cold pressed juicer site. It’s not really a fast, it’s not entirely a diet- to be honest- it’s how our bodies are meant to take in nutrition. I’m not talking about store-bought apple and orange juice, the guy is literally juicing up any fresh produce he can get his hands on out of a juicer in the back of his car hooked up to a portable battery.

He comes across lots of people on the streets of NY who think he’s downright crazy, yet at the same time are very honest is saying, “Why am I fat and on 10 prescription drugs, and suffering from heart burn? My diet! And I know it’s my fault! But it’s just too darn hard to change anything.”

Now the movie isn’t saying we all need a drastic change, but maybe a little kick-start. The part of the movie that really moving is a truck driver Joe meets in his journeys and inspires. I won’t reveal much more so you can enjoy the movie yourself. But the next day after I saw this movie (it was 4th of July, so not the best day to start a juice only diet- but I did!) I immediately went to the Farmer’s Market and bought a bunch of veggies and fruits, and started juicing. I’m down 10 pounds and feel amazing. Some of my friends think I’m crazy, a lot of them call it a “cleanse,” which actually kind of offends me.

Because for me, this is a way of life. I will continue to have fresh juice for breakfast- and maybe even lunch- once I decide I’m done with this. But the funny things is, I’ve been doing this since July 4, juice for every meal and then maybe some light veggies for dinner, and I just don’t feel like stopping! Every time I eat something from my “old” diet, or have a burger- even a veggie burger- my system erupts in protest! My body loves this new diet, cleanse, way of life- whatever you want to call it. In contrast to both the new & old diet, nutrisystem vs jenny craig diet in prodiets.org doesn’t lead to much contradiction, as both almost lead one to the same conclusion.  My bank account also likes it; it’s cheaper and easier than the way I used to eat. I’m not endorsing a diet, or changing the way you do things in your life. I’m just telling you that, juicing fresh veggies and fruits has been eye opening for me. My husband also lost 9 pounds on this diet- and he has even had the occasional beer (darn him). If you try it out for 6 or 10 days, let me know how it goes! We can all share our stories together. Another interesting fact? I have not taken an allergy pill since July 5. And I’m someone who was popping prescription strength allergy medicine once a day every day since I can remember. Who knew? Nature made the perfect ingredients for our bodies all along! All we had to do was stop processing them, and eat them as nature intended. Pure, simple, delicious. To your health!

– Maggie Palmer, Marketing Director

ps. This diet has not been approved or endorsed by The Dragontree’s medical professionals – it’s just my experience 🙂