Here’s a healthy healing tonic to start the New Year off right, and two movies that will help you keep your resolutions. Read on for which one I recommend and why. Here’s a teaser: A heart attack costs $56,424. Post-heart-attack medications = $571/month. A juice fast = $420/month.
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
If you want to change your eating habits, get inspired, and probably go buy a juicer, this is the one to watch. I was completely engrossed by this movie, which is funny, informative and completely inspiring. Joe Cross, a successful Australian entrepreneur, was way overweight and had a chronic immune disease. He spent two months drinking nothing but fresh raw juice and water, crossing the U.S., talking to people, and inspiring great change along the way. A chance meeting at a truckstop provides the heart for this movie. There is a ton of great nutrition information hidden here, and the entertaining and irreverent animation makes it go down easy.
Highly recommended.
I had heard a lot of buzz about this movie in the vegan and health community, and so was surprised to be disappointed. The basic message is this: research has shown again and again that a vegan diet will cure or prevent most diseases. We fast forwarded a lot through this movie; they just kept repeating the same information. Well-meaning, but much better as part of a course on nutrition than for inspiration.
If you are currently challenged by cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, it’s worth watching.
Here’s my recipe for a green healing tonic inspired by Joe Cross. I’ve been starting my day with these. If you’re not used to raw juice with greens, add more fruits in the beginning. Otherwise, it does kinda taste like you’re “drinking grass” to quote one woman from Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, migraine, paleo, low-tyramine, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium diets
Healing tonic
Ingredients
- 1-2 handfuls spinach
- 6-8 leaves kale
- 2 carrots
- 2 ribs celery (leaves and all)
- 4-6 strawberries tops on
- 1 apples
- 2-4 ounces kombucha (omit for low-tyramine and migraine diets)
Instructions
- Wash all the produce, removing any rotten or moldy parts. Leave the greens wet, it helps when juicing. Turn on the juicer, and add the produce starting with the greens. (The other produce will help push it through.) [People following low-tyramine or migraine diets should only use absolutely fresh produce.]
- If you're using a Breville juice fountain, make sure you keep an eye on the juice container, as sometimes it slips forward while doing greens.
- Add the kombucha (if using) and stir.
Notes
- 108 calories
- 1 g fat
- 0 g saturated fat
- 0 g monounsaturated fat
- 0 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 129 mg sodium
- 788 mg potassium
- 25 g carbohydrate
- 5 g fiber
- 12 g sugars
- 4 g protein
- 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Someone just recommended Fat, Sick, and nearly Dead to me, so it’s nice to read your review about it. I will have to watch it soon.
Also, i’ve been drinking a lot of ‘smoothies’ this year, from a blender. Will see about adding celery into my green smoothie mix–sounds good! I’ve also been drinking a lot of a yummy cherry-beet smoothie, too!
Regarding Forks Over Knives,
I’d like to suggest taking a look at the movie again as if you know nothing about nutrition and health.
Many people I know are turned off by the hard-hitting documentaries. Forks Over Knives presented strong evidence in an easy to understand way. Although I am a vegan, I found it compelling and people, to whom I have referred this movie, also liked it.
Thanks for your good work.
Steve
Hi Steve!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I appreciated the earnestness of Forks Over Knives, and think the information presented is really helpful. I just didn’t find it inspiring in the way that Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead was. I was expecting to really like it, and was surprised at how often we fast forwarded, due to them repeating information. But you’re right, maybe if someone was completely new to the benefits of veganism, it would be a good starting point. I did feel like I was taking a class, whereas with FSAND I felt both entertained and inspired.