There are all kinds of things we can do to get healthy and stay in shape, including getting plenty of exercise and rest, and of course, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. Often, we do not get all of the nutrition we need from our diets, for many reasons, including not having time to cook, or having to eat on the run. One good way to get plenty of nutrition quickly and easily is to have a healthy glass of wheatgrass juice, which is easy when you use the Healthy Juicer – Manual Wheatgrass Juicer by Lexen Products.

Easy to Use and Easy to Clean

The Healthy Juicer is not only a wheatgrass juicer. You can make all kinds of different delicious juice from many fruits and vegetables. This is great for people who do not like the taste of vegetables or wheatgrass, because these juices can be masked by the many tasty fruits you use to make your juices. Plus, when you combine fruits and vegetables, you are getting even more nutritional value. The Healthy Juicer is really easy to use, and instead of grinding the fruits and vegetables, it crushes them, to extract the most juice possible. There is less heat build-up with this juicer than with other juicers, so using the Healthy Juicer doesn’t destroy certain enzymes and other nutrients.

The Healthy Juicer – Manual Wheatgrass Juicer is also really easy to set up and clean. It only takes a couple of minutes to take the whole juicer apart, and the parts clean easily with a little bit of warm, soapy water. When you are juicing, all of the pulp and other waste is expelled, so the machine is not clogged up, making it more difficult to clean.

The Manual Wheatgrass Juicer Is Great for Traveling, Too

One of the best ways to kill a healthy diet is by going on vacation. Often, when we are away, we throw caution to the wind, and eat out the entire time. This is all right if you are eating healthy foods, but more often than not, the food we eat on vacation is not healthy, especially when we take advantage of low-priced meals at fast food restaurants, which a lot of us do while away. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to bring along your own food. It doesn’t take up much space to have a cooler with some healthy foods it in it, and of course, healthy, fresh juice. You can make sure that your juice is always fresh, even while on vacation, with the Healthy Juicer – Manual Wheatgrass Juicer. Because it is so portable and lightweight, this juicer can be taken with you just about anywhere. And, since it needs no electricity, this is the ideal juicer to take on camping trips, too.

According to Wikipedia, “The lymphatic system….is a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid called lymph.  It also includes the lymphoid tissue through which the lymph travels….Lymphoid tissue defends the body against infections and the spread of tumors….Lymphoid tissue is found in many organs, particularly the lymph nodes.”  The body has between 500-600 lymph nodes.  The heaviest concentration of lymph nodes exist in the neck, groin, chest, abdomen and underarms and in association with the blood vessels of the intestines. 

Lymph nodes are about the size and shape of a bean and have a honeycomb structure.  They play an extremely important role in maintaining health by filtering bodily fluids and trapping foreign particles.  They also fight disease and house lymphocytes which are critical at fighting off disease.  The lymphocytes pass through the nodes and if pathogens are detected, antigens from the pathogen bind to the lymphocytes and produce antibodies.  Other types of lymphocytes contain a toxic compound and destroy invading pathogens.  Macrophages are another pathogen component that trap the intruder.  Lymph nodes can swell due to an increase of lymphocytes, antibodies and macrophages. 

The disease of the lymphatic system is called lymphedema.  It is the swelling or bloating caused by the accumulation of lymph fluid in our skin tissue in the arms or legs.  This condition will occur if the lymphatic system is damaged or has malformations.  The swelling is usually in the limbs.  Some causes of swollen lymph nodes are cancer, infections and infectious mononucleosis.  Lymph nodes act as filters.  They contain many lymphocytes or white blood cells and they will destroy bacteria and viruses in the lymph.  While fighting the infection, the node becomes swollen and tender.  You may have noticed swollen lymph nodes in your neck, but not experience any other symptoms.  I often get pain or swelling in my lymph nodes in my neck.  I believe it’s a flushing out of toxins or that my body is trying to flush out an infection.  This could be emotional or physical.  I believe that all chronic pain, suffering and diseases are caused by lack of oxygen at the cellular level.  This is what they teach at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL.  Wheatgrass and living foods are wonderful ways to get healing oxygen into your body and cells.  Dr. Guyton wrote, “The importance of this function of the lymphatics cannot be stressed too strongly, for there is no other route besides the lymphatics through which excess proteins can return to the circulatory system.”

One of the functions of the lymphatic system is removing impurities, dead cells, bacteria, unwanted organisms or toxins from the body.  Another is the absorption of fats and proteins from our diet through the intestinal lacteals.  This gives the lymph fluid its milky color.  The lymph fluid is circulated by our muscles moving.  It also helps get oxygen and nutrients to cells by removing the dead cells, toxins, poison, and excess water from around the cells.  Intestinal tract cleansing helps with the absorption of nutrients and fats needed for good lymphatic system function.  A diet high in fresh veggies and fruit will help raise your oxygen, energy and nutrient levels.  And drinking plenty of water will flush your system and hydrate your body.

A lymph system cleanse is a wonderful thing.  The lymph system is filled with waste that has built up over your lifetime.  A cleanse will help to clean every organ and system you have.  It will effect every part of your body.  You can purchase lymph system cleanses online or ask your local health food store what they recommend.

So here we are again…..back to diet.  It’s common sense.  We need fresh foods and the nutrients they provide for our energy.  This brings life to our cells.  Junk food uses up more oxygen and we need that oxygen to heal.  Fats and proteins are low in oxygen content.  They also require extra oxygen.  Processed sugar, white flour, alcohol, coffee and soda, are other foods that require precious oxygen and take it away from our cells.

Here are a few easy things to try:

Breathing…just breathing.  Breathing helps move the lymph fluid.  Take some deep breaths.  In yoga it’s called pranayama.  Take a deep breath into your belly and hold it for a couple of heartbeats.  Exhale slowly.  Exhaling toxins out.  Massage is great too.  Check with your local massage therapist to see if they offer lymphatic massage.  Don’t forget to drink water after your massage.  This will increase lymphatic flow and release toxins.  Also, try a rebounder or inversion table.  Jumping on a mini trampoline is a great form of exercise for the lymph system.  This will help the fluid pump around the body.  Cycling, walking and running are also good.  Sweating is good.  This is releasing toxins. 

Take in some good breaths and flush out the old!

Throughout this year we’ve talked about everything from an aching back to wheatgrass.  I’ve asked you to have a good cry, think twice about your non-dairy creamer, and made you wonder about your energy drinks.  There have been recipes for smoothies, raw ice cream, living foods and lots of other things you can make and juice with your juicer or blender.  We’ve talked about feelings (a lot) and I gave you alternatives to help you heal heartburn, warts, constipation, insomnia, cancer, stress, PMS, lyme disease and diabetes, to name a few.  Looking back at your year in health, how have you fared?  Has this information been helpful to you?  I certainly hope so. 

In just a few days, a new year will begin.  I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions.  I take life a day at a time.  So instead of beating yourself up for not keeping last year’s “things to do in the new year” list, how about starting today with just a small change.  A small step.  It doesn’t have to be on the first of the month.  It doesn’t have to be in the morning.  It doesn’t have to be on a Monday.  Today.  Today is the day you will make one small change in your life.  It could be your diet.  Is it time for a fast or a cleanse?  Maybe your exercise routine.  Maybe you will call that friend you haven’t seen in a long time.  Today is the day to do it.  Today is the day to make a change.

I write about health, but there are many other resolutions you could make.  How about volunteering?  Check out your local hospital, animal shelter, nonprofit organization, food shelf or local YMCA.  Volunteering is a great way to be of service.  Did you know there are many volunteer programs abroad?  It’s also a great way to meet new friends.  Mentoring is also another way to volunteer.  Look into mentoring at your local grammar or high school or if you are in a larger city, the local Youth Service organizations.

Thinking of going back to school to get that degree or maybe you just want to take a class?  There are many opportunities for online course taking.  Of course, you won’t meet any new people online, so how about at the local community college?   Maybe you just want to learn a new language.  Start by putting an ad in the paper or craigslist and see if there are others wanting the same thing.  Then you might be able to find a local person to take a class with. 

The library is a great place to start for clubs.  Join the book club or the camera club.  It’s all just a click away!  What a wonderful way to connect with people.  Making new friends and trying out different things is a great way to stay healthy.  It can make you smile more, laugh more and breathe more! 

So get out there.  It’s not just about exercise and healthy eating anymore.  It’s the whole package.  Life for all it’s worth.  Getting the most out of you. 

Keep me posted on your endeavors.  Every day is a new day!  Peace.

Last time I talked about fasting.  A great way to allow the body to rest.  Our bodies use so much energy digesting food, that a one day fast a few times a month, can certainly help with healing, not to mention you could learn a lot about yourself.  What’s the difference between a fast and a cleanse?  Here’s what Wikipedia says about a cleanse…”Body cleansing or detoxification is a treatment in alternative medicine which proponents claim rid the body of accumulated harmful substances that exert a negative effect on individual health.  Critics argue that such cleansings are often unnecessary, and are based on questionable or disproved scientific claims.”  Do I think they are necessary?  Read on………

Certainly the object is to relieve the body of the stuff that accumulates over the years.  I’ve heard stories of not just waste product, but one woman said she released a crayon that she had swallowed as a child during a cleanse.  Not convinced?  Here’s more…..My parents and brother were working at a well known health retreat where detoxing with raw food, wheatgrass and green drinks, is the first step to healing.  My Dad tells a story about a woman who was diagnosed with a tumor in her uterus and before surgery; she was going to give this process a try.  One day my Dad is walking by her room and she comes running out screaming “I passed the tumor!  I passed the tumor!”  Sure enough, that’s what she actually had done.  She took the mass to her doctor for diagnosis.  Get ready for this…..not for the squeamish……The mass was a tampon that had remained in her body for probably years and the body was protecting itself from this foreign body the only way it knew how.  Hence, the tumor.  Ok, so now you may be ready to set an intention for your cleanse or fast, right?

There are many forms of cleansing.  I chose the raw food way.  It took about three months.  Eating living food for three months, I believe, totally cleaned out any leftover waste product that was in my colon.  It also cleans out the emotional “crap” in your body.  Again, the body needs the rest from digestion in order to start the healing process.  Toxins like undigested food, left in the body, will start to look for something to feed off of.  These toxins also give off waste product of their own, and cancer cells in your body will feed off this waste product.   

There are many varieties of cleansing from dietary restriction to supplements.  Herbs and supplements can speed up the process of detox.  You can also buy products that are for specific areas of the body, such as the colon, liver or kidneys.  You can use teas, drops, pills or liquid for your cleanse.  Wheatgrass juice is intended for rapid detoxification and well as general health.  It is a living food.  It will immediately go to where it is needed in the body.  When I did my wheatgrass cleanse, I expelled mucous that was the color and scent of a common household cleaner.  I have a cleaning business and was inhaling way too much of this product over a ten year span.  Cleansing can also reduce and eliminate cravings from food to tobacco.  It can help with weight loss, increase your energy and alleviate some chronic diseases. 

I’ve seen in my reading, many medical doctors saying that cleansing is totally unnecessary because the human body can maintain itself.  I certainly would’ve agreed to that a long time ago.  However, now humans smoke, drink, abuse drugs and take in more processed and genetically engineered food than ever before.  Faster is better.  The faster chickens grow…..the faster tomatoes grow….well you know the rest.

So back to can the body heal itself? Absolutely, that is what it is intended to do!  But not if we continue to abuse it.  A cleanse is the perfect way to give your body a break.  Taking out processed foods, sugars, caffeine and alcohol are just for starters.  Does that mean you can never have a drink or eat a cookie?  Of course not, everything in moderation…..harmony.  Start to wonder.  What is it that you need?  What could be building up inside of you?  Are you attached to it?  Are you ready to release and start healing today?

Today, I wish you release of the physical as well as the emotional stuff that is holding you back from total health.

As always, please consult your primary health care physician if you suffer from any serious medical condition.  These statements are for informational purposes only.

Stress……some of us deal with it better than others, some have more stress than the rest of us, and some have stress thrust upon them!  Stress can show up in many different ways; upset stomach, tension headache, acid reflux, neck pain, eye strain, panic attacks, feeling frazzled, high blood pressure, forgetfulness, sadness, anger, overeating, undereating, increased smoking or drinking, worry, depression, skin disorders, sleep problems and ultimately heart disease and autoimmune disorders.

“Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response”, says healthguide.org.  We all have some version of stress.  Some is ok, stress can help you in times of emergency or when life requires you to be on your toes.  Chronic stress and emotional stress are the triggers for health problems.  The body doesn’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress, so it will react the same way to everyday stress as it would to a life or death situation.  

How do you react to everyday stress?  Do you hold it in, you know, way down in your stomach, do you react or do you respond to the situation?  There is a difference between reacting and responding.  Reaction is just the way it sounds….you react.  That could be with anger, frustration, yelling, blame, or any of the symptoms listed above.  A response is a conscious solution to the problem.  When something frustrating happens, taking a deep breath, looking at the problem and thinking…”OK, this just happened.  What am I going to do now”? 

But it doesn’t always work that way, does it?  The body responds to stress quickly.  Negative thoughts creap in, the tension starts.  So how about some alternatives for the moments when the answer isn’t there right away?  Here are some things that I always work for me for those “life’s uncertain” moments. 

Change your mind:  Change your mind, change your life.  Positive thinking can go a long way.  Fake it till you make it.  Change the negative thoughts in your head to positive ones.  Yes, you can!

Laughter:  Watch a classic comedy movie.  Laughter can stimulate your organs, soothe tension and stomachaches and activate and relieve your stress response.

Have a good social support: Friends and family who are there to give you a sense of belonging, self worth and your friends can be there to alert you to potential stress situations.  Be grateful to your friends and family for “being there” for you.

Relaxation techniques: Yoga, meditation, and tai chi can slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow, improve concentration and reduce anger and frustration.  If you can’t make the time for a class, just sitting still and closing your eyes and counting will help. That old saying, “count to ten” when you are ready to explode, is a great way to go.

Exercise:  A simple 20 minute walk can go a long way to relieve stress and its effects.  I just got back from my walk and my mind is fresh for writing. 

Healthy eating: Wheatgrass juice will clear the mind, clear the fog of the day.  Eating a living food diet gives the body the energy to heal. 

Understanding your sources of stress can lead you to the solution.  Will the above work for you or do you need something more?  Seek help from a physician or therapist when it seems life’s ups and downs are just too much for you to handle alone. 

Here are some natural alternatives to take for stress relief:

Nux Vomica: can help with irritability, sleeplessness and headaches.

Bach’s Rescue Remedy:  Natural stress relief.  I always have this on hand.

Find out what works for you.  Daily stress can be reduced in intensity.   Listening to a stress reducing cd in your car on the way to and from work can help to alleviate the stressors of the day.  When you arrive home, changing out of your work clothes and just spending 5 minutes or more sitting and breathing. 

Relax, breathe….I wish you peace

I talked a little in my last blog about how we absorb toxins through the skin, the largest organ in the body.  Anything you put on your skin, will get into your body.  A general rule would be…if you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your body.  The FDA warns you of chemicals that are for external use only.  So yes, I wouldn’t eat it, but even if we put these toxins on our skin, they will enter our bloodstream.  A Swiss study concluded that five of the most common chemicals in sunscreen cause cancer.  Several other studies actually show that appropriate sun exposure may prevent skin cancer.  That’s another blog….back to how toxins can get in your body.

The nose.  What are you inhaling in your work and home environment?   Air fresheners, smoke, cleaning chemicals, mold, dust, pollens, and the fumes that come out of the carpeting.  Air fresheners only mask the odor. They are filled with deadly, poisonous chemicals.  For many years I inhaled a common cleaning chemical (I have a cleaning business).  When I started a wheatgrass routine, I expelled mucous the color and smell of this chemical!  Anything that you can smell, is going into your body.  Today we are inhaling toxins on a daily basis.  Get yourself out into nature where the only thing you inhale is the air, the smell of trees and grass.  Reducing the toxins you inhale can have a dramatic effect on your health, helping you with depression, anxiety, irritability, appetite, digestion and sleep.

The eyes.  Through the eyes, solar energy penetrates the body.  The sun is not a toxin.  Lack of sun creates deficiencies and leads to imbalance and disease.  Images entering the eyes are toxic.  Violence from all forms of the media can create bad emotions, causing the body to become acidic.  Remember, we want our bodies to be more alkaline.

The ears.  Things that you put in your ears as well as sound that enter your ears can be toxic.  Sounds are vibration and frequency.  My brother has done tests on growing wheatgrass.  Classical music had a positive effect on the growth of wheatgrass.  Certain music has been know to cause plants to wither and die.  Repetitive sound can cause stress.  Certain frequencies can enter through the ear and cause every cell to be stressed.  This in turn causing dis-ease in the body.  Toxic words from someone, can also enter your body.  Stress and the body?  We already know that’s a bad idea.  Walk in nature and listen to all the sounds.  How about chirping birds and insects, running water and the sound of the wind for stress relief?

Okay, so toxins are out there.  And not just in the air or at the local nuclear power plant.  Consider not only the carbs, calories and fats that are in your food, but the chemicals in processed foods that also enter your bloodstream and organs.  Address the toxins in your life today.  What are you eating? What are you breathing?  What and who are you listening to?   

Unnatural electromagnetic energy is attacking our bodies every day.  Satellites, radar, cell phones, cell phone towers, high tension power lines, electric wiring, computers, microwave ovens and even people emit electromagnetic energy.  Negatively charged ions have a positive effect on the body.  These life-enhancing ions are in the running water of the stream, waterfalls or the ocean.  Wind blowing through the trees also emit these ions.

What are you going to do today to feel good?  Go outside and find some fresh air.  Breathe deeply.  Eliminate the amount of television, computer, and microwave use as much as you can.  Speak positively.  Meditate.  Eat slowly.  Love life.

I get many calls about how you guys can’t afford a wheatgrass juicer PLUS a juicer to juice your greens.  And I always suggest the Lexen Manual Healthy Juicer.  When I was at Hippocrates visting my brother Michael, we decided to do a test with two popular juicers.  The Healthy Juicer Manual won out every time for amount of juice, ease and clean up.  Check out our experiment on my brother’s website. 

This Lexen juicer is the ultimate for wheatgrass juicing.  Let’s talk about putting it together.  Even I didn’t have to read the directions.  My partner’s 4 year old was putting it together for her and actually doing the juicing.  Because of the ease of putting it together, there’s also the ease of taking it apart.  Not a lot of parts and so easy to clean.  Rinse and dry.  And durable.  Did I say a 4 year old was putting it together?  And with that, it did fall on the floor a few times.  No worries.  This makes it the perfect traveling companion.  So many of us find it hard to stay healthy on the road.  But it is easy to find lettuce and veggies on the road.  The Lexen Manual Healthy Juicer is small, compact, light weight and very easy to take with you. 

Now let’s juice some wheatgrass and greens.  The wheatgrass pulp never has to be put through a second time.  This juicer will get the most amount of juice out of each run through.  Don’t forget to use the pulp for other things.  Greens? I like spinach the best. Kale, collards, chard, are all great too.  If your blender doesn’t whip greens to juice, use the manual juicer for your greens and put your fruit through your blender or your juicer, then mix.  This juicer is affordable, remember?  Quiet too?  Yes.  You can juice in the morning and not wake up the rest of the family.  How many times have you had your daughter complain that the juicer woke her up? Oh….that’s me. 

Simple, easy to use, easy to clean, great juice.  Have I convinced you yet?  Stop spending your money buying expensive prepared juice.  You can juice your own.   Start saving money and start eating and drinking healthier.  This is a great first step juicer to buy.  Take your first step.  This is the beginning of your new life.  This is the day.  

Today I wish you strength on your first step.  And if you’ve already made your first step, then I congratulate you.  Help someone else make their first step.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

It’s certainly easier to go for fast food, already cut up, already washed items while you’re grocery shopping or looking for that quick lunch idea……BUT…. is that really the healthier choice?

Let’s start with baby carrots.  In whole carrots, most of the nutrition is contained in or just below the skin.  In order to make baby carrots, this healthy portion is removed.   Then the carrots are washed in chlorinated water and some are even dipped in a stronger chlorine solution to keep their looks once in your local store.  If you believe labels,  “baby carrots” are carrots harvested while the vegetables are still small.  “Baby Cut Carrots” are made by the process explained above.  Which would you rather on your table?  Personally, I’ll take organic whole carrots when I can get them.  These you don’t have to wash.  If they aren’t organic, wash and peel your carrots.  Then you can eat or juice them.

Carrots are a great source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of pro-vitamin A carotenes.  Antioxidant compounds help to protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and beta-carotene helps to protect good vision, especially night vision that affects most of us over the age of…ahem…..40.  Carrots should be stored in a plastic or “green bag“, or wrapped in a paper towel to reduce the amount of condensation.  When storing in green bags, only store one type fruit or veggie per bag.  If the carrots you buy have their tops attached, cut these before storing, as they will pull moisture from the carrot itself causing it to wilt prematurely.

What else can you do with those fresh, whole, organic carrots?  Breakfast anyone?  Dip anyone?  Did you just call me a dip, madam?

CARROT DRINKS

Try these combinations in your juicer tomorrow morning.

Carrot and apple

Carrot, apple and celery

Carrot all by itself

CARROT AVOCADO DRESSING

1/2 avocado                                 1/2 cup celery juice

1 clove garlic                                1/4 cup water, if needed

cayenne to taste                          1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup carrot juice                        1/4 cup chopped scallion

Combine all ingredients except the scallion in your blender.  Stir in the scallion and season to taste.  This could be used as a dressing for your salad or a dip for your fresh veggies.

How about frozen wheatgrass?  That’s convenient, right?  Ah, but not as healthy and nutritious as the real thing.  Most of the wheatgrass grown for frozen juice or dried wheatgrass powders is grown outside on acres of land.  It is also usually second cut wheatgrass too.  To get optimum benefit from wheatgrass, you want baby grass, first cut grass.  There is a lot to say about frozen vs. fresh that I just don’t have the space for here.  Make your own choice.  You can grow your own wheatgrass. You don’t have to settle for the easy way out.

Next time you’re at the grocery store, don’t take the easy way out.  Get involved with your food.  It matters.  It’s healthier.  Take the time.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

What? You grow grass?  Isn’t that illegal?  Common words I hear when I tell people that I’ve been growing grass for the last 15 years.   They start to walk away from me when I tell them my Dad turned me on to it!

I first saw that beautiful grass at The Optimum Health Institute in CA. My parents were working there and my brother Michael had just started there too.  He designed and built the greenhouse along with my Dad, and also built up his reputation as being one of the master wheatgrass growers in the country.  A greenhouse filled with grass and sprouts is a site to behold.  The energy, the oxygen, the green!  Just breathe and be healed!  Why do we hold our breath?  I have been a practitioner of yoga for over 15 years and I know why. Breathing takes you into the present moment.  You cannot be in the present moment without the willingness to feel hurt.  That is a tough statement to comprehend, let alone “feel”.  But I’ll go into that in another excerpt.  Let’s get back to growing grass….

I watched and listened to my Dad and brother.  “When is my turn”?  I continued to ask myself that. I knew I would get there someday.  With their advice I was able to grow grass in my small apartment some 15 years ago.  Then there was a time I just didn’t have it in me to grow but wanted to drink wheatgrass juice, so I ordered it online.   I never knew when they harvested it.  It just didn’t taste like what I was used to.  I would occasionally be at a juice café and order a shot.  And again, I’d say, “Is this what these people think wheatgrass juice is supposed to taste like”?   Ok, that’s enough of this…..it’s time to start another business.  My reasons?  I wanted fresh cut, organic wheatgrass juice every day and I figured if I did, then someone else out there does too.  It’s easy enough.  I have my Dad and my brother, right?   And Michael even has a DVD with all the directions for growing wheatgrass and sprouts!  I can do this!

For a year I grew wheatgrass and sprouts and delivered an exceptional product to as many customers as I could.   Now I grow on my kitchen counter.  I grow on my dining room table.  I grow and sprout wherever I can, as much as I can.   Sprouting seed and growing wheatgrass may take some time to figure out.  Your environment has a lot to do with all the problems you may encounter.  I’ve learned that airflow is the biggest issue surrounding the mold problem.  Living in the northeast is challenging to say the least.  I now grow pea shoots in my sprouter.  No soil!  I know, that’s crazy.    Don’t tell my brother.

I can’t live without my sprouter, sprout bag, my colander, my green bags(to keep all my produce fresh longer), and some great trays for growing my sprouts and wheatgrass.  I keep a kitchen stocked with seed and a library stocked with books about sprouts and live food.  Because of the size of my kitchen and winter being upon us, I grow one thing at a time.   But there is no reason, with all the new sprouters and tray holders out there, that you can’t grow more than one sprout.  The hardest part is just getting started.  Sprout one thing at a time at first. Get really good at it and then start something else.  The theory behind sprouting and growing is basically the same with a lot of seed and bean.  The principals are the same too.   Keep good air circulation, don’t let the seed dry out, and keep it out of too much direct sunlight (sounds like the directions on how to keep a gremlin)!   Wheatgrass is baby grass. It needs to be nurtured.   And for goodness sake, keep your grass away from the pets!  You’ll have to grow a separate tray for them. My cat loves to chew it right out of the tray. I also juice it for him and give it to him in a dropper.  He loves it!  I’ve seen a dog totally tear a tray of wheatgrass apart, like it was catnip.  What a treat for them!  And during the long winter months, when dogs can’t get outside to chew grass, this is the perfect substitute for them. Wheatgrass juice, it’s not just for humans!  Keep on growing, folks!

This is my story on my journey into wheatgrass juicing!

If you’ve never heard of wheatgrass juice, you’re not alone.  There are a few entries here about it and one from my brother Michael!

Don’t underestimate the healing properties of wheatgrass and wheatgrass juice.  Growing wheatgrass in my apartment and drinking wheatgrass juice may have saved my life when carbon monoxide leaked inside due to an improperly installed gas heater.   Drinking wheatgrass for maintenance also helped me expel a chemical that I’d been using for way too many years  AND a poultice I made from the pulp of wheatgrass cured my six month old daughter of the croup overnight!

I credit my parents for starting me on my journey with wheatgrass and living food.  Over 20 years ago, they both checked into Optimum Health Institute in CA and changed the direction of their lives as well as mine.  They started working there along with my brother and later moved on to Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, where my brother Michael is now a Master Wheatgrass Grower and manages their greenhouse.

While visiting my parents in CA at Optimum, my 6 month old daughter came down with a horrible cough.  My Mom suggested a poultice.   This was 17 years ago and I knew about wheatgrass juice, but not what I could do with the pulp.  Sure, why not.   So we put a poultice made of wheatgrass pulp dipped in the juice, directly on her chest.  And yes, you guessed it, the next morning she was free of her cough completely.   I wish I could say, at that moment, I was totally hooked on wheatgrass and living food.  It took me a few more years.  I was vegetarian at that time and was juicing wheatgrass and attempting to grow it in my house.

My first juicer was an electric Miracle Juicer.  I took it right off the kitchen counter of my parent’s house.  (Hey, I wasn’t the only one. My sister and brother stole the next two)!  It was what I used for many years.  Wheatgrass was the only thing I was juicing at the time.  I grew it in my small apartment and did the best I could.  Some days I could drink it and others I just couldn’t get it down.  I drank it for maintenance….I drank it for healing. And I continued to make poultices.   But I was still working on emotional issues and I was avoiding turning to a living food lifestyle.

Fifteen years later, because of my connections with Hippocrates Health Institute, I was fortunate to have the director, Brian Clement, come to speak in my small town in Vermont.  I certainly listened, but I wasn’t ready to hear it.  So I continued to juice wheatgrass.  Not finding the space or time to grow it, I ordered it online.   I drank it for 4 months straight, feeling better and better.  Then one day I just couldn’t get it past my lips.  I called my parents.  My Mom, said “Just drink it any way you can get it down.”  My Dad said, “It’s all emotional.”   He was absolutely right.  The emotion that I wanted to “share” with my Dad at that moment, convinced me even more to at least attempt a living food lifestyIe.  I certainly had come to a point in my life where conventional treatments weren’t working anymore.  So again, Brian Clement came for a visit.  And this time I heard it.

The next day I emptied my kitchen cabinets and started juicing and eating more living food.  I was now eating better than I had my whole life.  I still have that Miracle juicer and I brought out my Vitamix (I hadn’t used it since I bought it years ago) and I purchased a Champion Juicer, a food processor and a spiral slicer.  I juiced every fruit and green I could get my hands on.  I made green smoothies.  I made raw ice cream, raw treats, raw foods. I was hooked.

A year later, when I started growing wheatgrass in my business, I purchased the Manual Healthy Juicer for wheatgrass and greens.  With my manual Healthy Juicer, I could juice up to 100 shots for tasting at our local Health Expo without getting tired.   If you don’t want to wake up the family with the sound of an electric juicer, this is the one for you.  They’ll wake up to the smell of fresh squeezed wheat grass.

Don’t hesitate getting started growing your own wheat grass. Growing grass is one of those things you just have to start doing.  It may take a couple of tries to get it right, but you will get it right.  Don’t forget about making a poultice.   Placing it on everything from your gums to your toes, is just another way to heal using wheatgrass.  The pulp can be used on any skin irritation, from rashes to warts, scars to ingrown toenails.  Think drawing out toxins, think oxygen, think alive, think GREEN!  Again, don’t underestimate it.  Try it for yourself.

Donna, Yep, I really juiced that, Bergonzi-Boyle