How I reversed my gray hair – without being 100% raw

I went 70% raw vegan overnight from being a SAD eater, eating maybe 5% raw. Maybe less.

Over the first year, I noticed tremendous benefits: self esteem shooting up, weight loss, a mysterious lump in my back disappeared which had been there since I was 10.

But I still had grays. I would pull them out when I found’em.

Then I started drinking 1 litre of green juice every day. Here’s what happened in 4 weeks:

• My hair grew at double the rate (I calculated the measurement given the time)
• My hair became visibly shinier
• A half-inch of my grays were my natural chestnut brown at the root.
• Between the gray tip and the brown root was an orange/copper inch. Perhaps a transitional period?
• Since then, every time I find a gray, it is followed by a dark root growing in

I’m not 100% raw all the time. In fact, all of this happened when I was still eating cooked vegan food.

Here’s an example of what I put into organic green juice:

• 1 whole bunch of dark leafy greens. Ex. Kale, spinach, chard, etc.
• 1 english cucumber (interchanged with celery)
• 1 apple or orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 thumb ginger

Here’s a shot of a hair in transition I found last week:

Gray strand growing in brown

We can help you with your grays too – join Philip McCluskey‘s juice feast at the House of Verona in Blue Mountain, Ontario, in May 2011.

Book this retreat before December 25th and receive a complimentary $30 gift card to The Big Carrot or Whole Foods – a perfect stocking stuffer – call 1-800-252-2826.

How to kill junk food cravings I

Most of our clients do not eat 100% purely – they usually are 80% healthy, and the other 20% comprises of things they just can’t give up yet. Although moderation is a virtue, when that 20% consists of junk foods, it can result in a rough struggle.

I’ve definitely been in these trenches before, and it took me years to finally climb out. Here’s how I was able to eliminate junk food cravings for good.

The top causes

1.    Nutritional deficiencies
2.    Unresolved emotional issues
3.    Being unaware of the real damage that junk food can do

The solutions

1.    Organic green smoothies and juices
2.    Solving emotional issues
3.    Learning the specific scientific details about what junk food does to your cells

This week, we’ll focus on #1: nutrient deficiencies.

Nutritional Deficiencies

We always stress to clients that caving in to junk food is not necessarily a willpower failure. In fact, that’s the least likely reason why you are reaching for that item.

It’s much more likely to be a result of a nutritional deficiency (Sources: Gillian McKeith RHN; Dr Russell Martino, PhD). That’s part of the reason why obese individuals report an inability to stop eating: their bodies are literally malnourished from a nutrient standpoint, and are putting out constant signals for them to find nourishment.

The quickest & easiest way to fill up on nutrients

Guzzle down juices or shakes with organic dark leafy greens as the main ingredient:

-    kale
-    collard
-    swiss chard
-    spinach
-    dark romaine leaves
-    bok choy
-    arugula
-    watercress leaves
-    carrot greens (the tops that we usually cut off – keep it!)
-    beet greens (the tops)
-    turnip greens (the tops)
-    dandelion
-    purslane

Mix in low-sugar foods to dilute the bitter taste of the greens:

-    cucumbers
-    lemons or limes
-    avocadoes
-    celery
-    green apples
-    stevia

Make sure that the foods you mix in are low in sugar: the juice of oranges, carrots, beets, and other higher-sugar items would spike your insulin and could lead to more sugar cravings later on.

Aim to drink 1 to 2 litres of green liquid (smoothies or juices) every day – that means 1 to 2 bunches of greens. Consider this drink to be medicine – just down it. It’ll get better as time goes on.

It is of critical importance to always rotate the type of greens you consume, so that you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients.

This worked for me every single time I fell off the wagon. When I skip this routine for a few days, I feel cravings starting to creep back.

Other foods that help to kill cravings include wheatgrass shots and sprouts. These are both loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. If you’re serious about killing cravings, aim for 3 to 6 wheatgrass shots per day, or ¼ lb to ½ lb of sprouts in salads, shakes, or juices.

What if I can’t afford a juicer?

Juice bars usually have some form of leafy greens that you can juice for about $5 for 1 litre. Some staff members will actually let you bring your own greens and juice them for you.

Try this for a couple days and you’ll really understand why “eating healthy requires willpower” is quite a myth: it’s amazing how you will not even feel any urge to eat pizza, doughnuts, or freshly baked bread when your blood is nutrient-rich.

Next week, we’ll tackle the other top causes of junk food cravings.

Why we love wheatgrass

Wikipedia tells us that Charles F. Schnabel, an agricultural chemist, conducted experiments with young grasses in 1930, when he used freshly cut grass in an attempt to nurse dying hens back to health. The hens not only recovered, but they produced eggs at a higher rate than healthy hens.

Encouraged by his results, he began drying and powdering grass for his family and neighbors to supplement their diets. The following year, Schnabel reproduced his experiment and achieved the same results. Hens consuming rations supplemented with grass doubled their egg production.

Wonderful.

Src: Meyerowitz, Steve (April 1999). “Nutrition in Grass”. Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine: The Complete Guide to Using Grass Foods & Juices to Revitalize Your Health (6th Edition ed.). Book Publishing Company. p. 53. ISBN 1878736973.