Getting rid of the build up of energy-zapping sludge in your body is key to functioning at top level
Brent Rodgers
Tyler Curry | Contributing Writer
Anyone trying to live a healthy lifestyle knows how we duck and dive during the holiday months, doing our best to avoid the dietary land mines. Whether it’s an office kitchen full of cakes and pies or a holiday party stocked with cream cheese and mayonnaise dips, even the most militant health nut is bound to crack. And as we all know, once you start, you can’t stop. A few pastries here and a small slice of cake there often lead to midnight kitchen raids with not a vegetable in sight.
Although we’re conscious of the effects those shame foods have on our waistlines, we rarely mention the impact a poor diet can have on our mental health. While a fatty, carb-rich diet is extremely taxing on our digestive system, it also will have our minds working as sluggishly as our bodies.
You know what I’m talking about. The afternoon “sleepy eyes,” the foggy-headed feeling you get at your desk or the sloth-like exit from your house in the morning. Those aren’t solely the effects of late nights, long hours and not being 22 years old anymore. If you’re looking for something to blame for your lethargy, it may be as easy as taking a look at the nutrient-devoid plate sitting in front of you.
Not only will a healthy diet strengthened with fruits and vegetables restore the body to fighting shape, it also will release our minds from the sugar and carb sludge it has been mired in. No matter how many vitamins you take or how long you torture yourself on a treadmill, nothing can replace the benefits of a diet that is consistently topped with fruits and veggies.
Sometimes, though, it can seem impossible to fill your plate daily with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Or maybe a giant kale salad every morning, noon and night feels more like torture than healthy living. Brent Rodgers, out owner of Dallas-based Roots Juices, understands that quandry.
When Rodgers was working as a stockbroker in Los Angeles, Calif., the juicing trend had become popular there, and he noticed its benefits. Unhappy with his corporate job, he quit and took off for a year-long vacation filled with travel, culture and — juice.
Rodgers found that people in other countries had embraced the use of juicing as a way to gain essential nutrients and cleanse the body of the toxins that are rampant in today’s foods. Inspired, he returned to his parents’ home in the Dallas suburbs in 2012 and started his company out of their garage.
Roots Juices started to grow. The company quickly moved from the suburbs to the city, and the online delivery orders came rolling in. Shortly after, popular gyms like Equinox began carrying the juices and Rodgers recently opened up his store front on Oak Lawn Avenue.
When I learned about Roots Juices three-day cleanse, I was interested and intimidated. Rodgers described the cleansing process to be like pressing the reset button on your body. Since you aren’t eating, your body is able to absorb the nutrients directly into the blood stream, and your digestive system gets a rest. At six juices a day, your body is taking in 18 pounds of fruits and vegetables and pushing out toxins.
Although I considered myself to be a relatively healthy eater, holiday temptations turned me into a certified sugar addict. When I wasn’t craving sugar, I was stuffing my face with some fried salty delicacy. I was out of control, and, although wary of a fast, I was in need of sugar rehab.
During day one, I didn’t experience any negative side effects except for hunger. The juices were delicious, and the idea of the process was exciting. So what if I could only think of cheese steak, I was committed.
By day two, I no longer was battling my hunger. I was surprised how fast my body adapted to the fluids-only diet. But I was most definitely battling something else — a big, pounding headache due to a lack of caffeine. Did I mention this was an alcohol and caffeine detox as well? As a four-cup-a-day kind of guy, this was my biggest challenge.
Day three was met with a rush of energy that, to my surprise, came without cream and sugar. My mind felt sharp and my body felt light. It was then that I realized just how badly my previous food habits were affecting me, both mentally and physically. Most importantly, I was no longer craving sugar.
Whether you want to dive into a cleanse or just introduce a daily juice into your diet, the impact of micro nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is irrefutable. In a city known for it’s variety of incredible restaurants, decadent foods and Southern fried culture, Roots Juices is a welcome addition to the line-up.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 24, 2014.