A NEW YEAR. A NEW YOU.

To quote the movie Forrest Gump, "Don't you just love new years?? Everybody gets a second chance . . . "

One suggestion I have for you and your beautiful new year is to start juicing. Try it and decide for yourself. I started juicing about 6 years ago and I recommend it to everyone. It gives me energy, makes my skin glow, and I can almost feel all the vitamins bursting into my body!

BENEFITS OF JUICING

Vitamins, minerals and enzymes absorb immediately into the bloodstream.

Juicing helps you absorb ALL the nutrients from the vegetables.
Juicing allows you to consume an OPTIMAL amount of vegetables in an EFFICIENT manner.
You can add a WIDER VARIETY of vegetables in your diet.

The latest dietary guidelines recommend five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (2.5 to 6.5 cups per day), depending on a person’s caloric intake. Juicing can assist you to meet these recommendations if you are unable to meet these goals through eating alone!

JUICING TIPS

Choose organic, pesticide free veggies. AND make sure to wash your veggies!
Drink juice on an empty stomach.
Wait at least 20 minutes to eat after your juice. Not only will your body be optimized for mineral and nutrient absorption, but the juice will also help reduce cravings you may have for sweets, carbs and other bad stuff.
If you choose to drink coffee, drink it at least an hour before or after your juice (the acidity of which will negate the juice's alkalizing effects).
Rotate the greens in your juice. Too much of the same greens like kale and spinach could eventually lead to a buildup of oxalic acid in your body. So change up your dark, leafy greens, there are plenty out there!
For maximum results, drink juice immediately. Enzymes in the juice begin to degrade immediately after the juice is exposed to air. If you need to make juice ahead of time, store juice in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Try to drink juice within 24 hours.
"Chew" or "swish" your juice. Digestion actually begins in your mouth with your saliva. If your digestive enzymes in your spit do not come in contact with your food, you’ll miss out on some key nutrients from what you’re eating. If you “chew” or "swish" it around your mouth a little bit before you swallow, those enzymes in your saliva have time to begin working.
Include only one - two types of fruit or sugary vegetable in your drink per juice (apple, pear, carrot, etc). Try not to use too many sugary fruits & veggies. Even though natural sugar is much better for you than processed sugars, too much sugar of any kind may cause your insulin levels to spike. Natural sugar can still cause cravings and weight gain just like artificial sugar. Whole fruits (non-juiced) have the added fiber and are digested slower in a way that will not spike blood sugar as quickly.
Vegetable juice is not a complete meal. Vegetable juice should be used in addition to your meals, not a place of them. Think of juicing as more of a health supplement, unless you are undergoing a special fast or detoxification program. Vegetable juice has very little protein and virtually no fat, so by itself, it is not really a complete meal.

TO JUICE OR TO BLEND. THAT IS THE QUESTION . . .

The truth is, "blending" and "juicing" just have different benefits and there's plenty of room for both! YES, fiber is healthy for your body and essential in a healthy digestive system. When you "blend" fruits and vegetables you keep the fiber. Juicing provides a different type of benefit as it separates the fiber from the critical energy of the plant. The energy part of the plant or juice is live in enzymes, chlorophyll, and organic water. Remove the fiber and you remove the need to break down the juice; the energy goes straight to our bloodstream (why we juice primarily vegetables rather than fruit)! This may be especially beneficial for individuals with impaired digestion from years of less-than-optimal food choices. Impaired digestion will limit the body's ability to absorb all the nutrients from fruits and vegetables and juicing may be a good way to improve your nutrient absorption. When juicing, the body removes the need to break down the juice, so MORE nutrients are absorbed FASTER.

TFC JUICE RECIPES

THE GREENS

THE ROOTS

GREENS, PINEAPPLE + MINT

DAILY JUICE

What are your New Year Resolutions?

Before you start making your list, make sure to read this article: 6 ways to make your resolutions stick.

Here's to a new year and second chances!

RESOURCES:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/13/benefits-of-juicing.aspx
http://www.undergroundhealth.com/drink-green-juice-avoid-these-common-mistakes/
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-04/diet/31200484_1_juices-calcium-greens
http://www.bodyenlightenment.me/blog/2013/05/5-benefits-of-green-vegetable-juices-and-how-green-juices-could-turn-your-health-around/