Aloe-ha!

Not this Aloha.....

But this aloe-ha!

I have added aloe vera gel to my diet, along with the juicing, and the chia seeds.   Something I would have NEVER known about had I not watched Hungry for Change. (If you didn't get a chance to watch this documentary while they were offering it for free, I'm sorry. You totally missed out.  Hungry for Change)  I wanted to try the aloe....but what was I supposed to DO with it????   I associate aloe (as I'm sure a lot you do) with sunburn.

Sure enough, aloe has amazing healing effects on sunburn, and other serious skin conditions.  But what it can do for the outside of you, is matched to what it can do to your insides.   The extensive list is shared here:  The Aloe Vera Miracle.   Just to name a few so you don't have to leave and go over there quite yet:  Halts the growth of cancer tumors, lowers high cholesterol, eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain, prevents kidney stones, cures ulcers, IBS and Crohn's, reduces high blood pressure naturally, halts colon cancer, ends constipation, stabilizes blood sugar in diabetics, hydrates the skin and accelerates skin repair.

That's a pretty impressive list!   It says it relieves constipation, but several places I've read warn that it REALLY relieves constipation so until you know how your body will react to it, start with small amounts.  

Juicing is a big weapon in the war our bodies fight against free radicals.  Introducing the antioxidants into our systems in such a way that they are absorbed into the bloodstream quickly helps deliver these radical fighting machines to fight the good fight.  

What are free radicals?  What are antioxidants?  I can't really tell you all in a coherent manner, so I found some people who COULD explain it :)  

Or more specifically:

Some molecules are unstable. They do not have an even number of electrons, so they are always searching for an extra electron they can "steal" to become stable. Out in the world, this is a normal process, but in the body, it can result in unnecessary and unwanted damage.

Free radicals are "free" because they float around until they stabilize, and "radical" in the sense that there are a wide variety of molecules from which they can take an electron. The damage doesn't stop there, however, as the new molecule, say a piece of a cell wall, is now also missing an electron and has become another free radical. This snowball effect can wreak havoc on healthy tissue.

• What Are Free Radicals

And what are the antioxidants for that we are getting from our diet (and absorbing a lot of them through juicing) supposed to do?

Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. In doing so, the antioxidants themselves become oxidized. That is why there is a constant need to replenish our antioxidant resources.

How they work can be classified in one of two ways: 

Chain-breaking - When a free radical releases or steals an electron, a second radical is formed. This molecule then turns around and does the same thing to a third molecule, continuing to generate more unstable products. The process continues until termination occurs -- either the radical is stabilized by a chain-breaking antioxidant such as beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, or it simply decays into a harmless product.

Preventive - Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase prevent oxidation by reducing the rate of chain initiation. That is, by scavenging initiating radicals, such antioxidants can thwart an oxidation chain from ever setting in motion. They can also prevent oxidation by stabilizing transition metal radicals such as copper and iron.

• Antioxidants - What You Need to Know

So with all this new information, I wanted to get some of this gel into my insides.  But again, what was I supposed to DO with it?  How do I get to the gel out of that huge leaf?    The answer of what to do with it was to put it in a smoothie so you can mask any weird taste you might experience.   How do I get the gel out of the leaf?  Well, the most helpful tutorial was this page:  How to Get the Aloe Gel from an Aloe Plant   Here is a little montage of my first gel extraction.

I found my leaf at Winco for $4.79

And when you are done with the leaf, you turn it cut side up in a container it can stand in.  

It will heal ITSELF. Of COURSE it will!!!

Dealing with the gel was like handling a live fish!!!!  Well, what I assume would be like handling a live fish - I'm not real big on doing that sort of thing.  While rinsing the gel before I put it in my smoothie, I dropped the slippery little sucker about 2,834 times.  Helpful tip not mentioned in her instructions on extracting the gel -  before you rinse, plug your sink :)


I have been juicing, then using the juice for the aloe smoothie - with chia seeds of course!  I've had it twice now, so I can't really report on what it's doing for me - but I sure hope it makes my face radiant!!!  I would love that - oh, and make my free radicals leave the building.