To Life!

Right behind my computer on a counter top sits a large aquarium inhabited by two, very small desert tortoises.  In September they started scratching endlessly in the sand and then they disappeared into a little burrow for a long winter nap.  But winter is busy winding itself up, so we helped them wake up with a bath in some slightly warm water to help them rehydrate right away.  Another sign of the season change is the jasmine bushes someone had the foresight to plant next to the trash cans on the side of our house. Once a year it is an absolute delight to go hang out by the trash cans and breath in their magnificent perfume mingling with the sweet smell of orange blossoms budding on the trees.  Lacrosse practice has started, my cumquat tree is covered with almost ripe fruit and the little sticks left on the pruned rose bushes are blooming with dark green and red leaves.  Spring is coming!

JUICING VEGETABLES TO GET MORE ENZYMES
Another lively thing I’ve noticed lately is the benefits of juicing vegetables.  My standard drink has been a combination of (in order of volume) carrots, celery, green apples, beets and radish.  I was inspired by the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” to take advantage of this very efficient way to ingest a massive amount of vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes instead of relying on a less absorbable multivitamin. Result?  I’ve been using these drinks to replace a meal here and there for the past 6 weeks, and after paying very close attention to how it makes me feel I can honestly say- Energized!  Along with an increased amount of energy I have also noticed that my complexion seem clearer than ever. I’m thinking that the abundance of digestive enzymes in raw food, and then juiced into my cup, may be my benefactors.

WHAT KILLS ENZYMES
Do you know what an enzyme is and what it does?  First, you have them inside because you were born with the potential to make a certain amount of them, and what they do is break down everything you eat into small, usable parts.  Food also has them for the purpose of helping us to digest the food we are eating, but unfortunately,  the normal temperatures we use to cook food kill all of them in the food.  If you eat very little raw food, then your natural stores of enzymes are constantly being depleted to digest the cooked and processed food you eat.

WHAT ENZYMES DO WHEN NOT DIGESTING
So juicing gives a mega dose of intact enzymes which are ready to do their work in the digestive system without using the body’s reserves. Apparently there are other jobs those enzymes can get busy doing whenever they are not needed for digestion, kind of like a mother out doing errands while someone else takes care of her children.

One exciting job that you might want your enzymes to be about is the elimination from your body of damaged cells which can no longer do their job yet they still use the nutrients you eat to sustain their life.  An accumulation of these free loader cells is thought to accelerate the aging process, and none of us want to support that! (1)

The coming of spring reminds me of new life in the form of flowers, turtles, new sports seasons and so many other things that you will see too if you start to look for them. My experience with the accelerated amount of enzymes I have gotten through juicing vegetables is a feeling of greater energy and smoother skin, both signs of life and vitality within. 

TO LIFE!
This week’s menu will help get fresh vegetables on your table in a few ways.  First the kale salad recipe shows you how to soften this tougher green without applying any heat, fresh Beet and Walnut Salad with bleu cheese also isn’t heated but is a real crowd pleaser. Lastly, one of our extra recipes this week is a three ingredient, fresh vegetable tray that will go before or with any of the entrees.

JUICING INSPIRATION
If you are interested in trying it yourself to get the benefit of greater vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes, check out the site from the documentary I mentioned here. 

Molly

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409781-digestive-enzymes-to-slow-aging/#ixzz1nG3bwuXE