I'm Officially A Juice Head!

So, here it is Labor Day 2013! I've been making Juices and Smoothies all week!

You may or may not know that I've been making Fresh Extracted Juices for over a year now and haven't really ventured into the Smoothie realm, but over the last week I've been a Juice/Smoothie Crazy Person!

I started making Raw Vegetable Smoothies as I've found that when I go out locally and purchase smoothies, they offer either Extracted Juice (which I already do at home and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ) or Fruit Smoothies.  Not having really ventured beyond the RAW VEGETABLE extraction practice, I decided to try all of the FRUIT Smoothies from other Juice Shops in our area.  What I noticed is that they make their Smoothies with either Soy Milk, Almond Milk or "Fruit Juice" (bought)  ice and/or water.    I found the addition of  Fruit Juice to a "Fruit Smoothie" kind of strange, but I suppose in a commercial environment it helps keep costs down. But what about calories I wondered..

After a week of trying every Fruit Smoothie I could buy I decided that this is way to much sugar for me (I'm sure I put on some poundage doing my research), and I was missing the basic Green Vegetable Superfood that I've been making for over a year and half now.    Sooooo, I came home and started practicing making my own "Blended Extractions" using my VitaMix (which if you can afford it puts everything else out there to shame when it comes to Blender Extractors, but it's pricey).  I've been coming up with Vegetable Extractions and Fruit Smoothies that are quite delicious.   And all of them only Ice or Water and/or Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (I tried Soy Milk but after doing research on the benefits of all, I found Almond Milk to be my personal preference).

 I'd decided that while making Vegetable Extractions in the VitaMix retains all the pulp, I've grown very accustomed to a Juice Extractor for my Raw Vegetable intake. I do have one that I would compare to the super C and I call it BEEEET- Energized  -  Beet/Carrot/Red Bell/Orange/Water/Ice - LOTS of pulp and a more earthy flavor.

BEET-Energized

But for me having the choice of either EXTRACTED JUICE or a SMOOTHIE, I'll save the SMOOTHIE for the Fruit based drinks- Again, only using Water, Ice or Almond Milk (or coconut milk). Why add the additional sugar from fruit juice base when the fruit you are using has plenty of natural sugar already!

For example, my Go-Green Juice - I buy fruit fresh and freeze it - but since I don't eat Peaches  I bought some organic frozen peaches (and used about a handful). I wanted to Try Soy Milk since I use Almond Milk most of the time, so I added  about 1/2 cup, then I added about a handful of Spinach, a 1/2 Granny Smith Apple and some ice.  DELICIOUS!  (Next time I'll use Almond Milk which I prefer).

The Go Green

 So, there are just a couple of my Blended Smoothies that I've made this weekend.  I'm working on  a "The Daily Juicer" Menu ... I'll keep you posted... Well, seeing it is LABOR day, I think I'll go relax a little.     Happy Juicing!

Why Juice?

To Juice Is To Be Healthy!

Every day we are hearing more and more about how important it is to include vegetables and fruit into our daily diets, and how eating a "plant strong" diet can change the course of our lives.  This really isn't NEWS, but it's been elevated to very high levels in our everyday media thanks in part to the **Internet and a documentary that was put out a couple of years ago.  "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" defies the traditional documentary format and presents an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them is themselves and they both use "Juicing" as a means to begin their own personal journey to better health.

For some people, change takes time and one thing  that we would most likely agree on is that if we put more vegetables and fruits into our daily lives we would all be a healthier bunch! But how much do we actually need on a daily basis? 

According to the CDC* (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) the RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES amount you should eat everyday depends on your age, gender and activity level. For example, a female of 18 years who exercises more than 60 minutes a day would require 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of veggies per day (based on a 2400 calorie a day diet).  A less active 18 year old female (who's active less than 30 minutes a day) would require only 1.5 cups of fruit, and 2.5 cups of veggies (based on 1800 calories a day diet).

OK that doesn't seem like much does it, and it should be pretty easy to do.

To illustrate here are some individual examples of what would equal one cup: 1 Small Apple (remember "an apple a day"...), 1 Large banana, 1 medium grapefruit,1 large orange, 1 medium pear, 1 small wedge of watermelon, 8 large strawberries, 2 large plums, 1 large bell pepper, 1 medium potato, 2 large stalks of celery, 2 medium carrots, 1 large sweet potato, 1 large ear of corn.  

And here are some individual examples of what makes up 1/2 cup:  16 grapes, 1 medium cantaloupe wedge, 1/2 medium grapefruit, 4 large strawberries, 5 broccoli florets, 6 baby carrots, 1 large plum, 1 small box of raisins.

Do you know what your daily recommended requirements are*?  

Well one way to not have to worry whether or not you are getting your daily dose of vegetables and fruit is to "Juice".   Juicing "extracts" the insoluble fiber (don't worry there is plenty of fiber remaining in the juice) from the food so that when it is consumed, it is absorbed into the system quickly.  Drinking extracted juice also cuts down on the energy the body has to expend for digestion, thus allowing the body to perform other important tasks like cleansing and repairing the body. Plus Fresh Raw Juice taste Great!  Granted if your diet has consisted of highly processed, fat and sugar rich foods, it may take a few glasses to get use to the wonderful flavors of fresh juice.

You'll find that when you start juicing, just the act of juicing itself creates a positive mindset that you are doing something good and healthy for your body. And If you juice just twice a day you will be making an investment in your health that you will appreciate in just a few short weeks.  You will see results in how you feel and look very quickly!  And to think eating your vegetables could be this easy.

You can purchase an inexpensive Juicer for as little as $70.00 or spend upwards of $2000 depending on the type of juicing you plan to do. For the type of juicing we do (juicing a combination of soft and hard vegetables and selected fruits as well a juicing when we don't have a lot of time), we use a centrifugal juice extractor. The brand you end up with should be based on how you plan to use it. So  If you are thinking about juicing you might want to check out some of the reviews that have already been done before you make your decision.  Here are a couple of links to some good reviews.  http://www.consumersearch.com/juicers/how-to-buy-a-juicer ,

  
And here is a good video review   of 4 popular juicers (Including the Breville Juicer which Joe Cross used in Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead).   What ever you decide to use, making an investment in a Juicer is like putting money away for a rainy day, you are investing in your overall health!

*If you want to know what your daily requirements for vegetables and fruit are  click here to use the CDC handy calculator to figure that out.

** A couple of other documentaries that have had a real impact on the awareness of plant strong consuming are  "Forks Over Knives"  and "Food Matters" The Daily Juicer-

(If you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, it is recommended you consult with your personal nutritionist or health care professional prior to making any changes to your diet).