Cup of health!

I Love Lucy - Vitameatavegamin!

Do you find that you're feeling tired, run down, listless?  Do you poop out at parties?  Are you unpopular? Well folks...it's not Vitameatavegamin, but the answer to all your problems can be found in this little juicer.

http://www.omegajuicers.com/juicers/vert350-juicer.html

I am not being endorsed by Omega...but I wouldn't be opposed to it.  These are costly little machines, but the benefits outweigh the cost hands down.  My savvy hubby and I saw Joe Cross's "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" a few months back and we have been juicing ever since.  I like to have one glass a day and my hubby drinks it far more often than I do.  

The taste is something that needs some getting used to, but I have developed a few tricks that kill the bitter and help us enjoy our cup of health.  One essential step with this particular Omega juicer is to strain the pulp from the juice.  Indeed, the machine does separate the juice from the pulp but even with the fine strainer attached there is a fair amount of pulp in the juice itself.  So as I am pouring it into my container I run it through another small strainer.  This produces juice as smooth as silk.  My friend's husband tried a glass, for the first time, and his initial response was, "WOW!  This is great!  There's no pulp."  I had to laugh (to myself) because men just don't dig pulp.  My savvy hubby nearly choked the first time I used our Omega juicer.  It was gross, we were chewing our juice...BLEK!

Juicing has numerous benefits.

• Rapid micronutrient absorption
• Fantastic way to bring more RAW fruits and veggies into your diet.  I mean with all the produce I put into my juicer there is no way I would be able to eat the same amount if it were just sitting on a plate.
• Clearer complexion
• Clearer thought process
• Better sleep
• More energy
• You feel healthy!  I was feeling awful one day, I had a glass and VOILA!  I told my best friend and she said, "Oh!  All you needed was a cup of health!"  We had a good laugh, but she was right.  My body obviously craves health.

Those are just a few I can tell you, off the top of my head.  Now you may be asking, 'what to put into your juice?'.

Spinach, kale, cucumbers, ginger, mint leaves, parsley leaves, apple, orange, pear, celery, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, bok choy, green pepper, broccoli, brussel sprouts, blueberries and lemons.  I find by adding lemons and mint it helps cut down on the bitter taste of the greens.  

If you're seriously into your leafy greens, make sure your juicer can handle them.  Because of their natural courseness, it's critical to invest in a higher quality juicer to tackle them.  I have also found that by following your leafy greens with carrots is very helpful in getting the juice to come out.  Again, I have the Omega and this is true for my juicer.  There are many out there, but I must tell you...YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.  The cheaper the juicer, the lower the quality.  Do your homework before purchasing your juicer. 

If you store your juice in the refrigerator (which honestly is the only way to store it) and the juice turns brown...this means all the good nutrients of the fruits and veggies have died and renders the juice inefficient.  The cheaper the juicer, the less amount of time you'll have with your juice.  

It's quite a time commitment, so my advice is to get a juicer that will allow for a 72 hour window of storage so you won't find yourself juicing everyday.

Produce is pricey and organic can be a bit outrageous.  Please don't let this deter you.  I don't buy ALL organic.  My principle rule - if it can be skinned it doesn't have to be organic.  But if I plop my fruit and veg into the juicer without peeling or skinning, it has got to be organic.

Here's a video from Joe Cross demonstrating a juicer that William Sonoma carries.  Again, I'm not being endorsed by this company either.

It's a time comittment, but I'd rather invest my time in money in my health NOW as opposed to dealing with doctor's and their bills later in my life when my body is falling apart.  Just something to chew on ;)

Positive not punitive!

When you were a kiddo how many times do you remember hearing, "You'll like this when you grow up"?  I'm not referring to spirits, although remembering my first sip of my dad's beer was enough to make me question his taste buds.

What I'm referring to are healthy foods!  My mother used to take me to the health food store and pick out things like Papaya juice and 'Oaties O's' (the healthy alternative to cheerios).


Most of my friends were drinking apple juice and eating Cherrios.  I was quite envious, at the time.  My mother did not allow me to eat overly sweet cereals or juices.  She diluted apple juice with water when I was at an age when that was all I wanted.  We did not have soda or things like 'Hawaiian Punch' (there's a blast from the past).  At the time I thought I was being punished.  My mother was attempting to install positive food choices.  She was being positive, not punitive!!

My mother was trying her best to make sure we were not hyped up on sugar, like many of our friends.  Sugar and kids can be a crazy combination.  My mother was not trying to suck out all the fun in our lives, she was trying to get us (I have a partner in crime that I call brother) used to food that was not doused in sugar.  I'm 33 years old and still do not have a single cavity...thanks mom!

A friend of mine is trying to ween her little guy off of milk.  It's not as easy as she had hoped.  He isn't buying the almond milk for milk.

You may be asking, what's so bad about milk?  Milk is used for growth - be it human or animal.  We, as humans, are the only species that continue to drink milk beyond infancy.  What the dairy industry has done to cattle (and humans) is absolutely deplorable!!

The farmers hook the cows up to machines and tug away at their udders.  What happens is sores develop around the udder and the machine keeps pulling away and opens the sores.  Thus allowing puss from the sore to drop into the same container as the milk!!!  (Go ahead and re-read that last sentence just to make sure you did so correctly)  So, may I offer you a nice glass of puss with your milk?

Check out this article from PETA - http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/dairy-industry.aspx

I'll wait....no seriously....read it....see I didn't go anywhere, I just found some more cute baby pics....ok, now that we've got that cleared up I'll continue.

Not only is milk not necessary it's down right disgusting.
Had I been raised as a vegan or vegetarian as a youngster I would not know any different.  That would be so completely amazing!  Babies eat what their parents (or care takers) GIVE them.  By not allowing your little one to grow up on sugar, dairy, meat, whatever...they'll never know life with it!

I love to see little ones devouring fruits and veggies.  I love seeing kids asking, "is this healthy?"  BRAVO!  Our society is producing over indulged children with parents who are more concerned with being their friend rather than their parent.  We have parents with despicable eating patterns (fast food for breakfast/lunch/dinner) and they're passing along their habits.

Don't be afraid to challenge the 'norm'.  Don't eat what everyone is eating.  Please be a savvy foodie and educate yourself about what you're deciding to put into your body or anyone else's, if you're a savvy mommy or daddy ;)
God gave us the most wonderful gift of all...life.  We need to safe guard it and make sure we're nourishing our bodies with what He provided - fruits and veggies.  I hate to say it, but the FDA does NOT have our backs.  They have our wallets.

Side note about the YouTube clip - I do not condone giving babies lemons or other sour fruits, but this video was simply hilarious.  You or your little one may have similar (initial) reactions to new foods, but don't worry it won't kill you.  You may just make a super funny face.

Toss your cookies!

Roses are red, violets are blue, get me something sweet or we're through!  High caloric "gifts" surround us.  Why this trend?  No one says 'be my valentine' by offering broccoli, do they?  It would go over like a tootsie roll in a punch bowl!!  

And if you're sweetie brought you healthy treats, they may offend.  As if to say, "I've noticed you're still carrying some Holiday weight, so no sweets for you."  After all, we're only 6 weeks into our New Year's resolution to lose those pesky pounds.

It's almost absurd to think of purchasing healthy alternatives to the popular gifts wrapped in the pretty red heart shaped boxes.  I saw (food) Valentine's gifts in the gas station yesterday. It's all over the place and relatively easy to find.

If you do a simple google search for Valentine's Day gifts this is what pops up:

 


It's all sunshine and jelly beans until you realize you've become a type II diabetic!!!  Thanks a lot, Valentine.  Our society is so freaking obsessed with gifting sugar!   Does your Valentine also offer to help you with your monthly gym membership fee?  Now that's a thoughtful gift!

Here are some savvy alternative to the norm:

All you need is a cookie cutter and some fruits and veggies.  Sure, fruits have their fair share of fructose.  Ok, but at least you are offering vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (sexy isn't it!!) instead of just processed sugar!!

Your sweetie won't feel like an over-indulgded fat cow afterwards.  Fruits and veggies have a positive effect on moods, too.  So it's a win-win situation!!  Say you love them with a savvy gift!