Who says Valentine’s gifts have to be chocolate?!   I mean, the heart shaped boxes are nice and all, but one pound of chocolate is all too predictable.  It’s also discouraging to those who are following a healthy juice cleanse or weight loss plan.

Ignite the Passion

Shhh! I’m going to share with you an exclusive new juice recipe that will be featured in my upcoming juice cleansing book!

Go make it now for a healthy and memorable gift that is sure to get you a great big thank you kiss!

Purple Passion Juice

2 cups red grapes
1 cup blueberries
1/2 red (purple) cabbage
4 celery stalks
8 oz sparkling water (or filtered water)

Wash fruits and vegetables.  Push through juicer.  Add sparkling water to your pitcher of juice and pour into two decorative and romantic glasses.  Makes 24 oz

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When taking certain medications, your doctor or pharmacist may warn you to be careful about mixing it with other products which may adversely interfere with effectiveness of the medication or even cause serious side effects.  Grapefruit Juice is one such substance that is known to interact with many prescription drugs and according to a survey one in five Americans consume the juice every day for breakfast.

Researchers discovered this interaction by accident while investigating whether alcohol (masked with grapefruit juice) would interact with the drug that was under testing at the time.   They instead realized that the grapefruit juice caused higher levels of the drug to be absorbed several times more than in previous tests.  After the discovery, further research found that an active compound (called bergamottin) found in grapefruit juice was the cause for the drug interactions.

This compound in grapefruit juice interferes with crucial enzymes inside your body which are relied upon by many medications to allow their active ingredients to be absorbed by the body in a controlled fashion.  The absence of these special enzymes often makes it easy for these active ingredients to enter the blood stream at a faster rate than intended.  The danger then comes about as high levels of certain drugs can lead to severe side effects or fatal overdose.

Interactions With Medications

The following popular medications are known to interact adversely with grapefruit juice:

• Statin medications such Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor;
• Drugs used to treat high blood pressure such Lisinopril;
• Psychiatric and anti-anxiety treatments such as Zoloft, Valium, and Abilify;
• Prescription strength pain relievers;
• Various Anti-HIV medications

For a more complete list of medications, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_drug_interactions

Should You Stop Using Grapefruit Juice?

If any of your medications belong to the class of drugs listed above, then you should talk with your health care provider so that he/she can provide proper confirmation and advice.  If your treatment is known to be severely affected by Grapefruit, your doctor may prescribe an alternate drug which doesn’t interact with the juice.  While alternatives for many of these drugs are available, in most cases, it might be best to cut back on your consumption of grapefruit while on your drug treatment regimen.

If your treatment does not interact adversely with Grapefruit then there is no reason stop consuming it, especially since grapefruit juice is a great source of Vitamin C and can improve your heart health.

Always consult with your doctor or pharmacist before starting or making changes to your treatment plan.

About the author:
Kevin Clarke is a pharmacist and publisher of Side Effects Hub.

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Related posts:

1. Fruit Juice Cleanse

There is a lot written these days about the rising levels of obesity and accompanying epidemic of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Less than 10-15% of Americans and Australians are consuming the recommended 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day.

Instead our bodies are bombarded with processed food packed with fat, sugar
and salt, deliberately engineered to make us crave more of the same.

Millions of people in the developed and developing world are fat, sick and nearly
dead, like Joe Cross was before his juice fast. Instead he turned his life around
and that of many others with juicing.

Whether you are undertaking a full-on juice cleanse or simply adding juices
into your life gradually, smooth out the bumps on your journey to better health
through juicing with the following tips.

1. PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.

This includes simple day to day practicalities such as working out the
juices you are going to have and making sure all ingredients are to hand.
Carey’s fantastic eBook “25 Healthy Juice Recipes” makes this easy.

Think about anything that might come up that could push you off track.
How can you go up, over or around the obstacle?

I had an ‘aha’ moment the other day when I realized that I could accept an
obstacle (and wallow around feeling sorry for myself) or choose to move
past it.

What obstacles are you coming up against in your juicing journey? How
can you move around them?

2. Identify, assemble and surround yourself with a support team.

Set up some accountability. Now is not the time to be shy. This could be
friends or family and these days with technology they may live in the
same town or be on the other side of the world. Forums, blogs and
facebook communities can also be a wonderful source of support and
encouragement.

3. Identify saboteurs.

Unfortunately this may include your nearest and dearest. You may be
able to transform them into your supporters simply by telling them what
you need and how they can hep you. They may be unaware of how they
are undermining your efforts, have the best of intentions and are really
happy to support you. If this is not the case, can you minimise their
impact? Aim to have your supporters far outnumber your saboteurs.

4. Redefine normal.

In our society today it has become the norm to have a diet high in
processed food, fat, sugar and salt. Similarly with weight, our view of
what is a healthy weight has changed (upwards) over the last 20 years.
Remind yourself that normal for you now is nourishing your body with
micronutrients from beautiful juices.

5. Enjoy the feeling!

Focus on what you’re gaining, not what you’re giving up. Revel in the sparkle in your eyes, your clear skin and that gorgeous feeling of lightness. Relish that feeling of accomplishment.

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About the author:
Claire Kerslake is a diabetes educator and founder of Loving Life with
Diabetes, a website and blog for anybody at risk of diabetes, with
prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. She believes that good health is essential
for us to live a life that makes our hearts sing.

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It’s the question everyone is just dying to know.  “How much juice should I drink on a juice cleanse?”

I’ll get to the answer in a later in the post, but let’s just look for a moment at the reason for asking this question.

Before you considered cleansing I’ll bet you never asked the question, “How much food should I eat in a day?”  You just ate until the point at which you felt full (or sometimes beyond that point).  It’s interesting isn’t it?

When you decide to get healthy or lose weight, you begin to examine your life and your past behaviors.  Sometimes this isn’t pretty.  And when you realize you’ve been overeating or eating the wrong foods for a number of years you begin to question every thought and every action.  You begin to distrust yourself and you seek help.  That’s okay.  That’s a great place to begin again.

How Much Juice Should You Drink?

When you are on a juice cleanse, that’s drinking only juice for a set number of days, the juice becomes your meal.  So think of it that way.  Spread your juice “meals” throughout the day and aim for four juices per day.

It’s important to realize the function of the juice.  It loads your body with nutrition and flushes your system of toxins.  You want to drink enough to feel full.  If you are getting hungry it is a sign that you need more juice.

So here it is:

A good place to start is by drinking 16 oz, four times per day.  That gives you 64 oz.  You may drink more or less depending on your situation and needs.  For example if you are very active during the day, your body requires more fuel.  Drink more.  If you are hungry or feeling healing reactions (headache, body aches) drink more.

Your body knows how much juice it needs.  It will tell you.  Take a quiet moment and listen.  You will begin to learn the ways your body communicates with you and you can begin to start trusting yourself again.  Happy Juicing!

Your Turn

Are you trusting your body?  How much juice are you drinking on your juice cleanse?  Let us know in the comments below.

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Does a the thought of doing a 10 day juice fast seem like more than you can handle?  Why not try a modified juice fast!

The modified juice fast or modified juice cleanse is a great way to test the waters and gain some confidence in starting a new healthy eating routine.

So what is a modified juice fast?  Basically the concept involves changing the juice fast to fit your nutritional and emotional needs by adding some solid foods and/or supplements.  This type of cleansing also modifies the rate at which your body will detox and eliminate toxins.

I’ll explain the details of this cleanse below but first….

Who should do a modified juice fast?

Are you wondering if this might be for you?  Have you wanted to start a juice cleanse but keep putting it off?  Do you think you are too busy to do a long term fast?  Is your situation on this list?

• Procrastination in getting started
• Too busy to fit anything more into your schedule
• Worried about not getting enough calories on a juice cleanse
• Have a weakened immune system
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Emotionally not ready to handle the detox process

Are any of these situations familiar to you?  If you want to begin a healthy lifestyle but any of these apply to you, you may be a good candidate for the Modified Juice Fast.  Keep reading.

Keep Juicing

Juicing is still the basis for this cleanse.  I recommend you drink juice first thing in the morning just like a regular juice cleanse. Depending on your situation you may modify the cleanse in any one of these ways.

1. Continue drinking juice throughout the day until dinner.  For dinner eat simple, whole, and natural foods.  Fresh steamed vegetables, brown rice and a green salad (no store bought dressing) are good choices.  Do not eat dairy, meats, or caffeine on this cleanse.  Keep portions small.
2. Drink a combination of juices and smoothies.  The same ingredients can go into your smoothies as in your juice.  You’ll need a blender.  Peel all your vegetables and fruits.  The skins will wear down your blade unless you have a heavy duty blender such as a Vitamix.  You may need to add filtered water to make the consistency drinkable.
3. Add supplements to your juices.  There are many powdered supplements available such as green whole food supplements, protein powders, ground chia or flax seeds which you can add to your juices for additional nutrition and calorie boosts.  Some people don’t consider this a modification of the juice fast but rather an essential part of a cleanse.

Is It Right For You?

But wait.  You may be asking yourself, “Isn’t this cheating?” or “Will I really get results from this?” or “Is this really detoxing?”  The real answer to these questions sits only within each person.  You will gain some healthy benefits from any of these modifications though perhaps not as noticeable, as with a full juice cleanse.  You may not lose as much weight for instance.

The point of modifying the process is to make cleansing achievable for anyone.  If you are still on the fence about starting a juice fast you should consider this.

Your turn

Would you ever try a modified juice cleanse, especially if it was your first time?  Let us know in the comments below.  And please share this article with a friend who may find it useful.

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Question: What does a log cabin in the wilderness have to do with juice cleansing the body?
Answer: Detoxification.

I’m writing this post as I sit inside a cozy A-frame log cabin in a canyon north of Santa Barbara California. My family and I have come here, to this wilderness location to get away from the city for a few days and in essence we are here to detox from our modern lives. We have limited access to phone and internet connections as well as modern cooking equipment.

What are we doing?

To outsiders it might seem that we are giving up a lot. In fact we are even paying money to the cabin owner for this natural experience. But we are also beginning to notice the simple things that we never would have noticed without taking a break from our hectic schedules. And it’s making a great improvement in our lives.

Simplicity

In just a few short days we’ve noticed a bluebird on our picnic table, the fresh scent of California lavender, and the sound of a single falling leaf. These all remind us to slow down the pace, practice being in the moment, and cleanse our souls.  Juice cleansing is also based on this same simple detox principle. Your body needs a break from the hectic routine of eating on the go and often eating the wrong kinds of foods.

Slow down and practice being in the moment. Drink fresh juices to recharge your physical (and spiritual) health. As you do this you will begin to notice the little things too. Here’s a list of five benefits you might experience on a juice fast cleanse:

Five Benefits of a Juice Fasting Cleanse

1. increased energy
2. better skin tone
3. reduced cravings for junk food
4. improvement in chronic conditions
5. clearer mental focus

Detox Naturally

At first it might seem like you are giving up a lot but your body knows how to heal itself if you give it a vacation. After juice cleansing for a few days the gastrointestinal tract will begin to clear itself of the residue accumulated from a busy lifestyle and unhealthy eating. It’s so amazing that such simple actions can help you recharge quickly and greatly improve your life.

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