The main goal was to detox; to get rid of all the nasty free radicals roaming around, along with the mucus (sorry, gross) that is formed by the body to try to isolate the toxins. I feel great, as Dr. Junger promised. My achy knees are happier, I’m sleeping much better, I have better energy and mental clarity, and I feel calmer. I can’t explain it all, but it’s all documented in Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself, and everything that Dr. Junger said would happen, did happen.

The only problem is, I want to stay on this program forever! I love it. One of the things I love most about it is the Raw Green Soup I had for dinner almost every night, and am now totally addicted to. I’m still making it a couple of times a week even though the cleanse has been officially over for a week. SisMama said she would upchuck if she had to eat this, but I promise it’s delicious. It does take a slightly adventurous palate to try it for the first time, but after the first taste I think you’ll agree. It’s yummy and addictive.

I based my soup on a recipe from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier, but I tweaked the flavors quite a bit since I like a little zippety-do-dah in my food. It’s essentially spinach blended with water, avocado, lemon, protein powder and some seasonings. I know, I know, I know! It’s sounds like it would be horrible. I can’t explain it, just trust me. Here’s my version.

Raw Green Soup

1/2 large avocado (or 1 whole small one)
2 cups baby spinach, very tightly packed
3 cups water
2 tblsp hemp protein powder
1 tblsp hemp oil
2 tblsp raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 raw garlic clove
1/8 to 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or to taste; I use a lot)
2 tblsp fresh chives
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce to taste
Dash sea salt
Dash black pepper

Pile all ingredients into a blender and whirl around until it looks creamy and you don’t see any dark green spinach bits spinning by.

This recipe makes 2 servings. Store leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge and use the next day if possible. It doesn’t darken, but the avocado will start to take on that old guacamole taste.

Note: I use my KitchenAid blender to make this and it works like a champ.You don’t need an expensive Vitamix to pull this off. A good blender or food processor should be fine.

~BigSis

Anyway, the main bugaboo in my life for the last few weeks has been devouring things I don’t usually eat, in addition to getting less rest, and succumbing to a lot of holiday stress. You know what that all adds up to…time to detox!

I personally love a good cleanse, and have done several over the years. The detox of choice this year is the Clean Program. It’s a 21-day nutritional cleanse based on the best-selling book Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself by Dr. Alejandro Junger.

You might have heard Gwyneth Paltrow talk about this book, like I did. I’ve had the book for a while but just pulled it out on New Years Eve as I was deciding on which cleanse route to take. I know; I’m quite the party animal, right?

I’m not gonna lie; the Clean Program is not for the faint of heart. I’m wrapping up my first week, and it’s going surprisingly well, but you have to get your mojo on before you start. I absolutely believe that this program is at least 50% mental, if not more!

Here is my amateur paraphrasing of the rules:

• Eat none of this bad stuff: dairy, eggs, soy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten, evening nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers), strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, grapes, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pork, beef, veal, processed oils, etc, etc, etc. The list is long and a little daunting!

• Have liquid meals for breakfast and dinner: soup (preferably raw to maintain the healthy enzymes), fresh juices (from allowed fruits and veggies), or smoothies.

• Enjoy one solid meal each day at lunch. That’s right; I said ONE.

• There must be a twelve-hour fast between dinner and breakfast.

• Additional goodies: eat a raw garlic clove each day, take two tablespoons of olive oil before bed, brush your skin each day (exfoliation helps the toxins exit), drink a TON of water, and exercise moderately every day if you can (walking’s great). You also have to make sure you do a #2 every day (make SURE you do, even if you need some “help” with it. You know what I mean.). If the released toxins linger in your system, you could re-absorb them, and you definitely don’t want to do that!

• If you haven’t purchased the official Clean kit ($425), you’ll need to purchase some supplements to help your body with the detox. I already had a lot of this stuff so I didn’t buy it. I’m using ground flaxseed, rice and pea protein powders, Maca, Chlorella, a powerful probiotic, Milk Thistle, PGX and Oil of Oregano.

What’s the POINT of all that and what CAN you actually eat?  Good questions!

The point is to take as much stress as you can off your body, including the work of processing a bunch of stuff that gets in the way of effective digestion and elimination. You want your body to spend that energy getting rid of the toxic garbage that causes a host of problems like fatigue, joint pain, constipation, and food cravings.

The supplements help your body to release the toxins and get them out of your system as efficiently and completely as possible. Did you know that a water or juice fast can help release toxins, but the nasty little buggers are best whisked out of your system when they can bind to (take a ride on) protein? I didn’t.

Another bit of news to me is that the olive oil helps your liver release bile, which is really helpful since your poor stressed liver is going to be working overtime to process all these toxins that are hopefully taking the fast track out of your bod.

So what can you actually EAT, you ask, for cryin’ out loud?

• Gluten-free grains (sometimes called pseudo grains), like amaranth, teff, millet, quinoa and brown rice
• Fruits with exceptions noted above
• Vegetables with the exception of corn and nightshade family
• Dairy substitutes like almond milk
• Vegetable proteins: split peas, lentils, beans, spirulina, blue-green algae
• Water, water, water!

As I said, the Clean Program isn’t a walk in the park. It’s serious about doing some seriously important work for your health. You’re eating pretty darn CLEAN for three weeks, and you have to be extremely motivated for better health, otherwise you’re going to be resentful and feel deprived. I was hoping to get a jump-start on losing some holiday poundage that crept up on my backside. More than that though, I wanted to get away from the sugar and salt cravings I’d given in to during the holidays, as well as getting back to only one cup of coffee a day rather than two or three. A little extra energy would be nice too.

To be fair, eating this way isn’t as hard for me as it might be for some folks since I’ve been vegetarian for over seventeen years and vegan for two years. I already do a morning smoothie and make fresh juices, and I try to eat intentionally. But even so, I still have LOTS of room for improvement. I eat too much processed stuff, too much soy, too much faux meat, too many crackers, too much caffeine, and during the holidays/bake sale time I consume too much sugar. And I can always improve on the amount of fresh veggies and fruits in my diet. Plus I’m exposed to toxins like everyone else from pesticides, exhaust fumes, smog, chemicals, stress; you name it.

So how’s the cleanse going, you ask?  The first three days I had a pretty bad headache, but surprisingly I haven’t been hungry at all, even at night when I tend to snack on crackers and nuts and whatever else I can get my tired hands on after work and a workout. I’ve definitely experienced some detox symptoms like tiredness, a mouth sore, and an inflamed/coated tongue and roof of mouth.

Some signs are good though!  I’m starting to feel clearer and strangely calm. My scale needs a new battery so I can’t quantify it, but I absolutely feel like I’ve lost some weight; probably a lot of bloaty water and maybe a pound of fat. I hope, I hope! I don’t have any cravings, even though I haven’t had a cracker or a single piece of bread in a week. Cool, huh? I feel very in control of what I eat right now, and not at the mercy of every bon bon or chip I walk by. That’s a huge improvement!

I still have fifteen more days to go, and I’m excited to see how it shakes out!  So far, I’m feeling pretty good about it and feel like I can go the distance. I’ll report back on the events of the next two weeks!

Note from BigSis added on 1-10-12: At the end of week one, I lost 4 pounds!  Yippee!  Hopefully more to come…

~BigSis

I’ve mentioned several times that the Komen Race for the Cure is one of my favorite charity 5K races and it’s one that I try to participate in every year. Three years ago we formed a team of about 25 friends and neighbors and in addition to having a great time walking together, we were able to raise over $3000.00.

Since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to get a few friends together to walk or run in your local Komen Race for the Cure.

For our Dallas readers, I thought I’d post this reminder that the Dallas Komen Race for the Cure is this Saturday, October 15th. For our San Diego friends, the San Diego Komen Race for the Cure is Sunday, November 6th. And for anyone interested in participating in the Global Race for the Cure, that race is scheduled for June 2, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

There are still races scheduled all over the country this month and in November, so if you’ve decided to participate this year, just go to the Komen site to find the local race near you. Every dollar you raise can make a difference.

~LilSis

Since it was started over 27 years ago, most of us are aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, if you haven’t already noticed, there are pink products popping up in retail stores everywhere to raise funds for this cause.

Over the past few years, we’ve talked a lot about breast cancer awareness and the importance of annual mammograms and monthly self exams. Today we want to take this opportunity to round up some of our previous posts on this important issue.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2010)

• Breast Cancer Awareness: Not Just a Pink Party

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Shop For the Cure

• Clarisonic in Pink! Yes, please!

• Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Pink Products

• October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2009)

• Bake Sale/Rummage Sale for Komen Race for the Cure

• Nancy Brinker wins Medal of Freedom

• October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2008)

One of my favorite charities that has been helping to raise breast cancer awareness for almost 30 years is Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  In case you’ve never visited the site, it’s worth taking a few minutes to read the story about Susan G. Komen and how her sister, Nancy Brinker promised her that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

Nancy Brinker has proven that one person can make a difference. In 1982, that promise became Komen for the Cure and a global breast cancer movement was launched.

Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, Komen for the Cure has invested more than $1.9 billion to fulfill that promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

We are now more aware that ever that early detection is the key to a higher survival rate so the single most important thing we can do as women is to have our annual mammogram. I’m writing this today as a friendly reminder to anyone who may be behind on their annual mammogram; please call and make an appointment today.

~LilSis

Kale, cucumber, spinach, parsley, pears, and lime

with this:

Breville Ikon Juicer

You get this!

Green Juice!

My very first green juice!  I finally gave in to my desire for a juicer, and bought the Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor. There are worse things to wish for, right?

I’m reading Kris Carr’s book Crazy Sexy Diet right now, which I highly recommend by the way!  This is one of the juicers she suggests, and I think her opinion on the subject is pretty credible, so I went for it.

I started out slowly; juicing carrots with apples and carrots with oranges.  I knew I wanted to go green, but I also knew I couldn’t jump into the green pond right away.  You have to work up to these things!

After a couple of weeks I dove in…green juice.  Greens are full of all kinds of nutrients including vitamin A and iron, plus they have an alkalizing effect on your body.  You’ve probably heard the buzz about how diseases love an acidic environment, so maintaining a balanced pH is one thing you can do to help minimize your risk.

I bet you’re wondering how this lovely greenness tasted!  It actually wasn’t bad.  I expected a thick sludgy drink with all the personality of pureed spinach, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I did toss in a small lime and a slice of ginger to cut through some of the blandness, and I think it helped.

I’m not gonna lie and say that this was scrumptiously delicious, but I was able to get the whole drink down without making a face.  I think my palate will grow to appreciate a nice glass of green juice, and until then, I’ll just think about the good things I’m doing for my body as I’m drinking it!

~BigSis

We’ve been talking so much about Valentine’s goodies these last two weeks that we haven’t yet mentioned that February is Heart Healthy Month. Heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the United States and a major cause of disability.

Even though heart disease is sometimes thought of as a “man’s disease”, women make up almost 50% of heart disease deaths. This fact from the CDC is pretty alarming.

“Heart disease is often perceived as an ‘older woman’s disease’, and it is the leading cause of death among women aged 65 years and older. However, heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged 25–44 years and the second leading cause of death among women aged 45–64 years.”

The CDC also states that nine out of ten heart disease patients have at least one risk factor. Several conditions and lifestyle choices can put women at a higher risk, including:

• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cigarette smoking
• Overweight and obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Alcohol use

Most of us know that our leading weapon against heart disease is a healthy diet and routine exercise. Heart disease is rampant in my hubby’s family so cooking heart-healthy recipes is always on my mind when I plan our menus.

Last year, our physician recommended that my hubby get this book.

The DASH Diet Action Plan: Based on the National Institutes of Health Research: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension

We did buy the book and found it to be very informative and helpful, so I would suggest it to anyone who may not know where to begin trying to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure.

And, this is an excellent cookbook from the American Heart Association.

American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol

Here are Life’s Simple Seven, seven heart health factors from the American Heart Association. You can get your assessment on Life’s Simple Seven simply by taking seven minutes to answer a few questions to learn the state of your heart and what you can do to live a better life.

I took the assessment and it didn’t even take five minutes. You can spare five minutes, can’t you?

~LilSis

The I Believe in Pink design, created by stationery and graphic design studio Southern Fried Paper, was inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s quote stating her love of pink and all things feminine.

20% of the retail price for all “I Believe in Pink” cards, boxed sets, and prints sold online and in participating stores during the month of October will benefit the Dallas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The cards are $3.25 if purchased individually, but the boxed set of 12 cards and envelopes retails for $17.95; making each card just under $1.50 each. That’s a great price for such an adorable, high quality, note card!  I love this quote so much, I think I’ll frame one to hang in my office.

It’s a nice little reminder to laugh, kiss, and be HAPPY!

~LilSis

I love pink more than most people, so I’m totally in my zone during the October pink frenzy in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.

I thought this article by Heather Moore titled “Beware Corporate Pinkwashing” was so on target though.  It reminds us that many companies have good intentions, but there are also companies who will take advantage of the “pinkwashing” trend, and are actually selling products that are dangerous or harmful to us.  For example, the article notes that “Earlier this year, KFC even sold its Kentucky Grilled Chicken, which is known to contain carcinogens, in pretty pink buckets.”

Besides reminding us to be aware that not all “pinkwashed” products are pretty and good for us, I think it’s really important that the article reminds us to focus on what the risk factors are for breast cancer, and how we should keep that in the front of our minds right now; as much as we love pink and love supporting the pink cause.  Here’s what Heather says:

~BigSis

If you’ve been reading BigSisLilSis for awhile, you know that I’ve talked about the story of two sisters, Nancy G. Brinker and Susan G. Komen and why their story has always been close to my heart. What Nancy Brinker has accomplished in her life after making her sister a promise is truly amazing. I think she’s more than proven that one person can make a difference.

Last year, I also mentioned that Nancy G. Brinker was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work as a cancer advocate. I was glad to find out that she’s written a book, Promise Me, about their story and how her promise to her sister launched the global breast cancer movement.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is an event that I participate in whenever possible and in 2008, the 25th anniversary of the Race for the Cure, I was the Team Captain of a team for the San Diego Race for the Cure. It was a great experience and one that I’ll never forget.

During the month of October, we like to feature pink products that are being offered by companies who contribute a portion of their profits to breast cancer research. Here are a few to get us started.

Look at this cute pj short set from Susan G. Komen for only $15.00

And I love this Elizabeth Hurley Lip Gloss with the pink-croc print clutch, which retails for $25.00.There are literally thousands of pink products being sold in stores and online this month to benefit a variety of breast cancer awareness charities. Stay tuned…We’ll be back with more of our favorites!

~LilSis

I bet we would all agree that Alzheimers and cancer are two of the most dreaded diseases we can imagine. What if your diet alone could help prevent them from attacking you and your loved ones?

According to these two episodes of Dr. Oz, there are foods that can do exactly that.  Read on!

Dr. Oz said that when autopsies are done on 40 year old women who die in car accidents, 40% are found to have microscopic breast cancer cells. By the time we’re 70, 100% of us have cancer cells in our bodies.

So, what makes those common microscopic cells grow into a menacing tumor? Blood supply. It’s called angiogenesis; when blood capillaries grow and feed the cells so they can multiply at a sometimes alarming rate.

A study conducted by Dr.William Li has shown that certain foods do have the ability to impair angiogenesis.  The anti-angiogenesis foods include:

• Bok Choy

• Cooked Tomatoes

• Artichokes

• Flounder

• Strawberries

• Green Tea

• Chocolate

• Cinnamon

• Soybeans

Now how about Alzheimers disease?  It runs in our family, and LilSis and I will do just about anything to keep it from attacking us. Dr Oz says that we need to add these brain-boosting Alzheimers-fighting foods to our diet:

• Lentils

• Chia Seeds

• Brazil Nuts

• Coffee

I already eat most of these things, but the rest are going to be integrated into my diet (except for flounder since I’m not a critter eater).  Now…how do you cook bok choy?

~BigSis