Just Dandy - Day Seventeen

Since the first week of my juice feast I've been enjoying dandelion greens in my juices. Until recent years, I had no idea that dandelion greens and their roots were edible. I always loved them as a child but I also remember them being a pesky addition to my parent's expertly manicured lawn. For those of you who may not realize, dandelion greens pack a powerful punch of nutrition. They are high in Vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid and vitamin C. They contain good amounts of calcium and potassium and they may be useful in treating jaundice, cirrhosis, edema due to high blood pressure, gout, eczema and acne. Dandelion is also used to treat and prevent breast and lung tumors as well as premenstrual bloating. Adding dandelion to ones diet is beneficial to digestion and is an antiviral that may be useful in the treatment of AIDS and herpes. And finally, dandelion root contains inulin, which lowers blood sugar in diabetics.

Personally, dandelions greens are somewhat tough to stomach alone due to their bitterness, but thrown into a mixture of other veggies or fruit-especially citrus, they are a welcome addition. If you are lucky enough to have dandelions coming up in your yard, don't become irritated this year, just go out and harvest them, then begin juicing them or mixing them into your salads. If you don't have luck finding any patches of this common weed around your area, most Whole Foods carry them in their produce section, which is where I've been getting mine.

So now before I drink my dandelion juice, I have started making a wish. Just like the good old days, only better!

Monday's Daily Juice:
water-MSM-lemon
vanilla creme herbal tea
2 qt. celery, dandelion, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, apple, lime, ginger
1 qt. blackberries, lemon, orange, coconut water
1 qt. romaine, carrot, asparagus, red bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalepeno, lime, garlic, salt
1 tbsp. hemp oil
1 tbsp. bee pollen