A Toast to Eleanor Romney!

I have a confession: I’ve never even been to a movie by myself.

I’ve really never been alone.

I was married for 20 years since I was very young. I was always in a relationship, from 16 onward, until a couple of years ago when my career swallowed me whole.

But even at that, I’m always surrounded by kids, employees, and friends.

So it was weird to have Nikki fly home from San Diego after we ran 4 classes together in three states.

Then I went to Hope 4 Cancer in Tijuana by myself. Came back to fetch my car and drive 12 hours home by myself. That song that Brian Regan sings dramatically in his famous comedy routine comes to mind:

“ALL BY MYSEEEEEEELF…..”

What?! I have to ENTERTAIN MYSELF for a full day?! I couldn’t do Kristin’s and my usual Whole Foods Market program. Here it is:

I drive, she finds the nearest WFM on the GPS, and then we take turns driving and eating our giant salads. They often last lunch and dinner.

So I GPS’d it, but without my Wingman, the only one around here who knows how to use electronic gadgets…..I screwed it up.

I veered off I-15 and drove all the way to Henderson instead of the WFM right off the freeway in Vegas. I bought a shot of wheat grass, and a 32 oz. green juice to sip on all day. Since I can’t drive and eat a salad. I also got a tub of roasted beet and fennel salad, and some raw cookies.

Dr. Tony Jimenez at Hope 4 Cancer has staff who make green juice 4 times a day for the patients. If you don’t come for it, they chase you around with it.

He says 35 percent of your body’s energy goes to digestion. Juice from fresh, organic vegetables plus an apple is instantly useable, almost no digestion needed. It gives your body a rest. You already know it has the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, of several POUNDS of the world’s most nutritious foods, in just one tall glass.

Resting the digestive system is great for everyone. But it’s imperative, if you have cancer and need to devote your resources to fighting mutated cells that are actively building a scrappy little vascular system in an acidic, oxygen-deprived swamp.

Funny that Dr. Jimenez said that, because just the day before, I made a couple of videos with juicing guru Drew Canole. He’s a superhot, superfit 30-ish internet celebrity with a huge following. He’s a friend of mine who teaches people to get ripped the HEALTHY way. With vegetable juices, not garbage whey protein. He’s called Juicing Vegetables on facebook, and FitLifeTV.com on the web.

He’s way cooler than I am. Says stuff like ‘cray-cray’ instead of “crazy.”

His flat in San Diego where his show is filmed is stacked high with juicers people send him. Companies want him to evaluate and sell their product. Just like my home office is piled up with natural self-care products and nutrition products people ask me to try.

As I was there, a Chinese torture-device yoga mat arrived via UPS, supposed to stimulate your acupuncture points or something. I tried to do a crow pose on it and almost passed out from the pointy things stabbing me in more than just my energy meridians, I think.

My kids think the Squatty Potty in our guest bathroom is the weirdest thing I’ve been sent to evaluate. I think Torture Yoga Mat wins, though.

Anyway, Drew said the same thing Dr. Jimenez did. That one of the nice things about JUICING is the rest it gives your body, from the work of digesting. We did a JUICING VERSUS BLENDING showdown video. I’ll share it with you soon.

But I’m actually a big fan of juicing. I’ve been doing it myself, regularly, since I started my cancer research 18 months ago. Studying at all these clinics reminds me how powerful organic, raw vegetable juice is for cancer prevention and treatment.

I just feel that blending is, first, more sustainable as a habit, since it takes far less time; and second, retains all the fiber (the whole food). So, the two habits serve different functions.

I love that the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (available on Netflix) has revived juicing. I’m sure Omega and Champion and Breville and Norwalk love that guy, Joe Cross, who dropped, like, one million pounds and ditched some scary diagnoses, by juice fasting.

GSG reader Jeremy, in Dallas, has been diagnosed in his 30’s with Fatty liver Disease. He’s on a 90-day juice feast so he can regenerate his liver. That’s because your liver completely regenerates itself, a totally new organ in just 90 days. Fatty Liver Disease is a silent epidemic, with young children 10 years old increasingly being diagnosed with it.

When I was at Hope 4 Cancer, I met with all the patients. At lunch, I’d told them the story of my grandmother. (Cancer patients LOVE hearing positive outcomes from the therapies THEY are doing! Often they haven’t ever met a single person who healed of awful diseases with juicing and a vegan diet. I’ve met hundreds of them, so I love to share!)

Breast cancer patient Carol, from rural Indiana, broke out in a huge grin when I told her the best part.

That my grandmother, Eleanor Romney, kept all her parts, and her vitality, after her Stage III cancer diagnosis. And went on to be a huge, pivotal part of my life, well into my adulthood. Until I’d had all my children, all four of whom she held in her arms. (I have photos to prove it.) That my grandmother got 25 more years of health, and a beautiful life.

Carol picked up her glass of green juice and crowed:

“A TOAST! A TOAST TO ELEANOR ROMNEY!”

I’ll raise a glass to that.

Posted in: Detox, Relationships