My Story
I fell really sick in the second half of 2020. I lost a significant chunk of my cognitive abilities, had terrible sleep apnea (waking up 20 times/hour) and was tormented with brain fog. The body of a 26 year old was shutting down - working as an equity research analyst and trading US market hours took a debilitating toll on my human body.
It really wasn't a choice for me - I submitted my resignation in Sep 2020 to intentionally take time off to prioritize my health. It was excruciating - the weekly visits to the doctors/specialist, undergoing surgery, sleeping with a BiPAP and countless diagnostic tests.
Growing up, I was conditioned to be disciplined, to chase the beautiful horizon that awaits, and to put in the necessary hours to hone my craft. Working 100 hours work-weeks enabled me to condense what people do in 2.5 years in under a year. This pursuit of efficiency, maximizing life, or what we call biophilia was all I knew.
After tendering my resignation, I slowed down. My life was simple - waking up, exercising, meditating, cooking and sleeping - with zero worries or deliverables. My singular focus was to recover - and huge gratitude to my parents for their support.
Anyways, I healed after consuming raw celery juice for 41 days straight alongside an upper airway surgery (Dr Kenny Pang @Asia Sleep Centre). I drank 0.5 litres of celery juice every morning - a specific healing practice and somehow got a second chance in life. My energy levels and clarity spiked.
I went on to be the founder of Cold Press Index. My thought process was "Stop trying to run faster, and focus on one thing that had the biggest impact" - that was, without a doubt, cold-pressed juices.
Some of my observations:
There is healing power in raw celery juice - experiential knowledge
Plant based diet has a profound effect and has been healing millions worldwide
Cold pressed juices condenses a huge volume of plants, extracts liquid nutrients into a bottle - convenient to human consumption
I spent my entire 2021 trying to understand how 0.5 litres of celery juice facilitated my healing - and these are some of my thoughts:
Celery Juice is powerful when drank solo on an empty stomach - contains alkaline properties which help to neutralize the acidic load in our gastrointestinal tracts. Fun fact - the ideal PH in the human body is slightly alkaline at 7.4
Celery Juice contains natural sodium mineral salts that help to break down pathogens, flush out viruses/bacteria/neurotoxins from the crevice of the body.
Fasting is an age old tradition that is rooted in our history (Hippocrates - 5th Century BC). Going on a juice cleanse is a form of fasting that can refresh and reinvigorate.
Nutrition in the form of a vegetarian diet is the key to human health and our modern diet/overconsumption of meat is the leading cause of premature death and disability.
Remember that what I don't know is much greater than what I know.
In trying to understand some of my thoughts and observations, I felt like an ant trying to understand the universe. I had more questions than answers, and I knew that I was delving into subject matters that others have devoted their lives to studying (Michael Greger, Anthony Williams, T. Colin Campbell). Reading their literature, synthesising and triangulating has led me to push harder with Cold Press Index.
I believe in the mission of nationalizing cold-pressed juices in Singapore.
In 2021, we sold more than 10,000 bottles of Cold Pressed Juices and fuelled corporate partners such as Amazon, Shopee, Hermes, Balenciaga, Accenture, Garmin, Salesforce, SGAG and Maplebear. My intuition tells me that we are just scratching the surface.
Remember that what I don't know is much greater than what I know.
"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." - Henry David Thoreau
I can't be sure that I'm right about this - but my main objective with Cold Press Index is to convey to you my model for what proper nutrition is. I noticed that what most of us think about proper nutrition isn't. As such, I hope to make use of social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Google - to help you and others make better nutrition decisions so that we all can thrive and be truly happy.
My gut tells me that nationalizing plant-based nutrition via Cold Pressed Juices can improve and alleviate healthcare systems - in both preventive medicine and public health in Singapore.
To my loved ones, family, friends and customers who will participants in this story:
May the Force of Evolution & Nutrition be with you,
Caleb (Founder of Cold Press Index)
