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About a month ago I started to get these nasty migraines out of nowhere. For four to six hours every evening I was laying in bed, whining mean things at my boyfriend just hoping to ride out the pain. I started carrying Excedrin in my purse all the time. Because it was so out of the blue, I was pretty nervous about what the cause was. I remembered that in the past, I had gotten migraines if I had ever skipped a meal but I was eating three square meals plus snacks so I was completely baffled.

I decided that despite my unchanged diet, that perhaps I was missing out on some nutrients in my diet. I had recently put on a lot of weight and was feeling worn down, lazy and sluggish. One thing led to another and I eventually convinced my boyfriend to find my old dusty juicer, which I might have used twice in the last eight years, and I looked up some juicing recipes online.

I have to preface this with: I am NOT a Dr. Oz fan! But the first juice recipe I tried was his Green Drink, which you can find the recipe to if you want to Google it (or Bing it, if you’re an Internet progressive). I have been drinking this thing several times a week whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up and I feel SO good afterwards. It helps fight the brain numbing effects of studying for nursing school and gives me a little zing like a shot of coffee. Plus, I really like the taste (although my mom, boyfriend, and future-mother-in-law are not fans).

I can’t recommend this juicing thing enough! There are a ton of recipes available that I can’t wait to try (and tweak because I’m picky ).

I know I didn’t give the flavor of this drink a ringing endorsement from my family, but I really love it and I prefer it to soda and store bought fruit juice in flavor. So without further ado, here’s my appended Dr. Oz Green Drink recipe.

Nicki’s Dr. Oz Green Drink

• 1/2 head of celery
• 1 cucumber
• 2 large handfuls spinach
• 1/2 – 1″ ginger root (to taste)
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• 2 cored apples
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 lime

Add all of the ingredients (please wash them first!) to a juicer (I use an old Jack Lalanne). Drink with a straw! If you find the flavor to be a little too “earthy” which is how my family referred to it, I suggest either adding more apples or adding less parsley to start. You’ll like the way it makes you feel!

Just a heads up to those of you who don’t normally get your regular dose of fiber, this will do it for you!

Since I’ve changed my diet to healthy eating in general, juicing is just one part of the changes I have made, I have lost 5 lbs. this month, my skin is clear, I have no more IBS, no more cramps (I used to take Codine and Vicodin for menstrual pain), I drink half the caffeine, feel well rested in the morning and can ALMOST fit back into my skinny jeans!!