Hello Juicing Friends!
I am writing this from my home-office in sunny South Africa's Western Cape. Spring is in the air, and the countryside is lush and green, thanks to good rains during our past winter season. The photograph below will show you just how lucky I am to be living in such a beautiful part of South Africa.
The view from my office...
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I hope you will enjoy your visits with me. My interest in and research about healthy nutrition began many years ago, when I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue And Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, also known as CFIDS, CFS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or ME. I have been living with the illness for 27 years now.
Although I am housebound to a large extent as a result of the CFIDS, I feel extremely privileged to be able to reach beyond my physical boundaries with the help of the Internet. This is such an amazing tool, expanding the world of people with specific physical limitations and challenges! It is possible to make friends all over the world, without moving from the comfort of an easy chair!
Although it isn't always easy to live with a chronic illness, five factors serve as footholds for me on my journey with CFIDS.
1. Faith
My strong faith is first and foremost; the one constant presence that carries me through every day, no matter how many challenges present themselves.
2. Family
I cannot imagine coping without my supportive family. My dad is a retired minister, and he and my mom have been there for me through all the most challenging years, always displaying caring and patient spirits. My brothers also support me wonderfully. In addition I have the precious gifts of loving, laughter-generating god-children.
3. Positive Mindset
The fourth important factor is working on retaining optimism and developing a positive mindset. That this aspect should get attention each and every day, is non-negotiable. I make sure I am in a positive frame of mind before I go to sleep every night, no matter how exhausted I am. I do this by reading something uplifting, listening to an inspirational book on cassette, or enjoying a beautiful music CD. That enables me to wake up feeling positive, and looking forward to a new day. As they say, it is the thought that counts!
I firmly believe that being disciplined about this practice, contributes significantly to the fact that I don't struggle with depression - a very real challenge for many people with CFIDS.
4. Humor
Being able to laugh and to focus on the lighter side of life, isn't just important to make things easier for myself and the people around me. It has been shown to have real physiological benefits as far as the release of pain-relieving endorphins and other helpful hormones are concerned. Without a doubt, this has healing implications!
5. Personal Care And Grooming
The fifth important factor is that I try to take good care of myself, and this is where healthy nutrition comes in. With an illness like CFIDS, all the basic stuff involves such an effort that it is easy to slowly begin to neglect oneself. Because of the inactivity brought about by the illness, it is easy to give up as far as weight management and personal grooming is concerned.
I believe that it is vital for anyone with a chronic illness to take personal care seriously. If you don't have the energy to do this, get help with it. But to keep morale up, the importance of this aspect should never be underestimated.
For me, my vegetable juicer is one way of ensuring that I get all the nutrients my body needs, especially when I am not feeling like eating. It also gives my digestive system a break when it isn't functioning as it should be. It doesn't matter if you are using a Breville Juicer, Jack Lalanne Juicer, Champion or Omega Juicer. As long as you incorporate using a juice extractor into your daily diet and nutrition program.
If you are struggling with your weight, juicing may very well deserve a place in a healthy, natural weight loss plan. More about this in the article on juicing for weight loss.
I enjoy writing about health and nutrition. I hope that you will enjoy reading the articles, have a giggle or two here and there, that you will join our juicing community, and contribute to the site in time.
May your vegetable juicer become as indispensable as mine is! I look forward to hearing from you.
Rika Susan
Best-Juicing.com
PS: Tell me what you like about the site, what you miss, and what you would enjoy if I could add it to the site. You are welcome to contact me with article requests. If there is enough of a demand for a particular article, I will be happy to oblige.
