MY JUICING PROGRESS UPDATE. Raynaud's and Scleroderma Association summer newsletter 2014

MY JUICING PROGRESS UPDATE

Further to my ‘juicing epiphany’ being printed at the beginning of last year, here is an update as to my progress.

It is now 18 months since I started on my juicing routine and changing my diet to raw fruits and vegetables, and I feel sooooo much better.

I am not yet 100% diagnosis free but I am certainly back on the path to well being!

Having lived with the diffuse systemic sclerosis and Raynaud’s diagnosis since 1997, along with years of immunosuppressants, steroids and antibiotics, my GI system had almost gone into lock down, accompanied with the constant lethargy and tiredness, my body felt so heavy and clothes had to be baggy and loose, prompting a juicer purchase as a desperate last resort.

I noticed a difference within the first few days of drinking the vitamin packed fresh juices, which I documented in my last article.

I am now delighted to share the amazing results over the last 18 months, which I have had by being mindful to my diet and the extra nutrition requirements demanded by the disease.

I have reduced my acid attacks by avoiding certain trigger foods as well as I have reduced my constant bloated feeling by cutting out starch (bread / pasta / rice / potatoes), caffeine, milk, alcohol and meat.

At first this was quite difficult – changing my dietary habits, but the desire to feel better, kept me going.

I still indulge in a few ‘naughty’ treats, as I can not imagine a life without cake, but all in all, I am more disciplined with the food I am putting into my body, and can see and feel the results on a daily basis.

I feel brighter as well as lighter, and the little tasks are not as daunting as they used to be.

My constant desire to ‘feel good’ again, spurs me on with my dedicated daily routine for well being.

A typical day for me is: juice of a squeezed half lemon with warm boiled water to start.

I then go and indulge in my mermaid duties to moisturise my skin, warm my joints and kick start my circulation.

I will then have a bowl of unsweetened muesli with almond milk and half a banana.

At lunch time I will juice ¼ grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 inch thick slice of pineapple and strawberries or blueberries, and then mix this juice with ½ banana and organic natural yoghurt to make a smoothie.

I use the yoghurt to neutralise the acid from the vitamin c packed juice as well as to control my internal candida – a result of years of antibiotic consumption.

Mid afternoon I will juice pineapple, 2 golden and delicious apples (they are the juiciest), cucumber, ½ lime, and then mix this juice with 1tspoon of spirulina, 1tspoon of wheatgrass and a probiotic capsule.

Then later on for my evening meal I will have salmon or a vegetarian option with steamed vegetables, or a fresh salad, including avocado a few times a week.

Not only have I noticed a welcome increase in my energy, but an improvement in my skin elasticity and an improvement in my pain management.

I was hoping to be at the world congress in Rome, but unfortunately my Raynaud’s symptoms remain a challenge, and so I had to stay at home in my eskimo outfit!

I hope my experience can help anyone else who may be feeling as I did, before I turned my kitchen into a mini pharmacy.

I have written my personal experience survival guide where I include in more detail as to my day to day routine.  

This article was written for The Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association summer newsletter 2014.  

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