Juicing 101 [Video]

If you are looking to change your health, juicing is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I will readily admit that I am a juicing addict and I'm super excited to get you juicing as well! In today's video I'll show you how to make a basic juice at home, but first, let's talk about some important benefits:

• Drinking fresh vegetable juice allows you to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, which we all know are full of good things like vitamins, minerals, and (since you are consuming them raw) beneficial enzymes. Fresh juice is also loaded with antioxidants that bind to toxins and help remove them from the body.
• Fresh vegetable juice is very alkalizing, meaning that it helps to restore the body to its proper pH and  assist the body in detoxing. 
• Most of the foods in the Standard American Diet cause the body to be too acidic (e.g. animal products, sugar, fried foods, bread, alcohol, etc) and this acidity builds up over time causing inflammation and creating stress for our organs and tissues. 
• On the other hand, eating fresh, alkaline-forming foods like vegetables, vegetable juice, nuts, seeds, most legumes, water and some fruits, helps to strengthen the body and keep it healthy. 
• Since the juicer extracts the insoluable fiber from the fruits and veggies, fresh juice is very easy on the digestive track (making it perfect for anyone with digestive issues) and it makes the nutrients easy to absorb. Plus, since your digestive system doesn't have to expend as much energy to break down juice, your body can spend that energy on healing your cells. 

Drinking fresh vegetable juice is one of the best ways to increase your energy and detox your system! 

I know from personal experience that I feel more energized when I drink fresh juice on a regular basis. It's basically like a supercharged liquid vitamin for your cells! I have also found that drinking fresh vegetable juice helps to curb sugar cravings!

Cantaloupe and Beet Juice

Ginger Orange Carrot Juice

Green Lemonade

So, what should you juice?  For daily juicing, I recommend drinking 100% vegetable juice or including low-sugar fruits in your juice, such as green apples, lemon, lime, berries, and grapefruit. Since juicing extracts the insoluable fiber, this makes the natural sugars in fruit absorb more quickly causing your blood sugar to spike. And since juice is easy to drink (compared to eating the fruit or vegetable), it's very easy to consume more sugar than you realize by drinking fruit juice. 

Of course, if you are new to juicing or are drinking juice as a treat, it's really fun to add fruit to mix it up a bit.  When you are just getting started, you might want to try adding half of a sweet fruit (like pears or red apples), then switching to low-sugar fruits as you get used to the taste. You can also "sweeten" your juice by including naturally-sweet vegetables like beets and carrots. You'll find a variety of juice recipes throughout this post for some healthy inspiration!

For more information about juicing, you can also check out my Vegetable Juice 101 post.

Rainbow Carrot Immune Booster

Beet Detox Juice

Bok Choy Green Juice

If you are ready to get juicing, check out my Juicing 101 video above and leave me a comment below telling me what you're going to juice!

Green Smoothie 101 [Video]

I'm a big fan of drinking green smoothies and if there is one thing I could get you to start doing today to change your health, it would be loading up on these healthy green drinks. Today I'm doing something a bit different and sharing a video with you to help inspire you to jump start your health with a green smoothie!

Green smoothies have a ton of benefits, such as:

• Green smoothies are perfect for enhancing the immune system, purifying the blood, and rejuvenating the body. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll, and many other micronutrients. Since you are consuming the greens raw, you are also getting the full nutritional value of the greens as well as their digestive enzymes.  
• Green smoothies are really easy to digest.  Since the greens are blended up, your body doesn’t have to work as hard in order to extract the nutrients and it is much easier on your digestive system. So, if you are someone that has digestive issues, this is a perfect way to add more fruits and veggies into your diet. 
• Green smoothies are fabulous for kids! If you have children or teenagers, I highly encourage you to make a green smoothie with them.  The key is to get them involved and let them help make the smoothie so they feel like they are part of the process (rather than being pressured into drinking something unfamiliar). I have honestly make this smoothie with well over 300 children over the last two years and it always amazes parents what kids will drink when they get to be involved in the process.
• Green smoothies reduce your cravings! When I work with clients in my health coaching practice one of the first things I will get them to do is start drinking green smoothies.  Most of them will immediately notice a decrease in sugar cravings because they are crowding out those less-healthy foods and their body will naturally start to crave fresh foods.  

If you are ready to have more energy and change your health, start with a green smoothie.  

Regardless of the benefits of a green smoothie, if you think that green smoothies are going to taste like liquid barnyard, I’m sure you are not very psyched to get blending.  Today, I’m here to dispel the gross green smoothie myth and show you how to make a delicious smoothie that won’t traumatize you for life!

Helpful tips for beginners:

• It's okay to start slow. If you have never had dark, leafy greens before or are nervous about adding them to the smoothie, start with a small amount.  You can always add more later and there is no reason to overload your drink in the beginning and then gross yourself out! For beginners, I recommend starting with a 3:1 ratio of fruit to greens. 
• The key to making the smoothie delicious (besides the ratio of ingredients) is having the right texture. It's definitely easier to make a green smoothie properly if you have a high-speed blender with a powerful motor (I use a Vitamix 5200), but if you don't have a high-speed blender, start by blending your greens and liquid completely before adding any fruit.  This will ensure that your greens are completely liquefied and there are no green chunks left in the smoothie!
• Use frozen fruit instead of ice to make it cold and creamy! Frozen bananas, frozen mango, frozen berries, and other frozen fruit make the texture smoother than using non-frozen fruit and adding ice. 

Basic Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of raw greens (kale, chard, collards, spinach, etc)
• 1.5 cups liquid (non-dairy milk, fresh juice, coconut water, green tea, or water)
• 1 frozen banana (remove the peel, cut into 1-inch slices, and freeze overnight)
• 1 cup of frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries)

Directions: 

Remove any tough stems from the greens. Blend greens and liquid for 15 seconds - 1 minute (depending on your blender) on high. Add fruits and blend for 15 - 30 seconds, or longer as needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Drink up!

You can also try my advanced Green Smoothie 2.0 recipe and my Kale Smoothie for Kids. 

In the comments below, tell me what your favorite green smoothie recipe is or, if you've never made a green smoothie before, let me know when you'll be trying it!  

(And don't forget about our 2013 Health Revolution! I'd love for you to share your smoothie photos with me via Twitter and Facebook!)

2013 Health Revolution

Hey friends,

Throughout December I spent some time getting in touch with my core desired feelings (a la Danielle LaPorte) and the feeling that kept coming up for me again and again is healthy.  I want to feel healthy. I want my mind to feel energized and my body to feel vibrant. I want to radiate health each and every moment in my day.  And I want to inspire others to feel this way too.

Since its inception in 2010, this blog has been near and dear to my heart. Every recipe, every post, every photograph that I share with you is a piece of my life. And you, my blog community, have inspired me so much. I am so grateful to each and every one of you for every comment, email, tweet, and Facebook post.  

What I realized is that I want this blog to be a place that you come to for inspiration and information about living your fullest, happiest, and healthiest life. I want you to feel inspired by delicious, seasonal dishes that nourish your body, fresh drinks that energize your taste buds, and information about living healthfully and sustainably that changes your life. I hope that you already come here and feel inspired, but my intention is to make this even stronger this year.

So, I hope you will join me in kicking off the New Year with a Health Revolution! I want to see you and this amazing blog community feel our best and help inspire others to feel their best.  So, this month here on the blog we’re going to be juicing it up, guzzling green smoothies like there’s no tomorrow, and incorporating more fresh, seasonal recipes into our routine! It’s going to be a blast and I hope you’ll join me! 

AND, I really want YOUR help in making an impact. I want us to reach as many people and change as many lives as possible. This is a Health Revolution, after all. It’s going to take quite a few of us to pull this off!

Here’s how to get involved in this awesome Health Revolution:

• Twitter: Each time you make a fresh juice or smoothie, tweet me a picture! Let’s inspire each other and build some momentum together! I'll be sharing the pictures you send me so if you're not already following me on Twitter, make sure to do so. 

• Facebook: Share your favorite fresh juice and smoothie recipes and photos with me on For The Love of Food's Facebook page. I can’t wait to see what you’re making! (I'll also be updating this page with lots of inspirational recipes so if you want this to show up in your Facebook feed, make sure to like the page.)

• Pinterest: Pinterest is an awesome way to share cool food photos and get inspired about eating healthy, delicious food. I've started a special community board, Health Revolution Community, for us to pin fresh juice and smoothie recipes that we are making this month! I'm super excited! If you want to pin to our community board, please email me at fortheloveoffoodblog@gmail.com and I will add you to the list!

• Invite others: I want us to inspire people to eat better and feel better. When I changed my diet six years ago and began eating real food, my entire body and health changed. My constant digestive problems and headaches went away, I cured my gallbladder pain, and I had more energy. I want everyone to feel this good. If you know anyone who is trying to eat healthier, wants to have more energy, is looking to lose weight, or is trying to change their health, please share this blog with them.  This blog has become an amazing community and source of support and I want us to inspire others, share resources, and make an impact together!

Looking forward to a healthy and happy New Year together!

Sonnet