Green Goodness | Juicing 101

sufey

In Juices, Taste Posted December 01, 2012

“Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.” – Hippocrates

Our bodies are truly magnificent creations.

We are made to survive. We have epic armies fighting battles in our bods to keep us happy and healthy. And these hard-workin’ germ-whoopin’ wellness warriors need our support!

Our greatest responsibility is to keep ourselves bright, inspired and ablaze with life, because our energy affects everyone around us. After all, we can only give to others if we give to ourselves!

So take some time today to check in with yourself: physically, mentally and emotionally. Listen carefully to the signals sent to you by those on the front lines. Dis-ease is a sign of imbalance in the body, and prevention is the best cure!

Nourish your body with nature’s best. Sleep well. Soak up sunshine. Smile!

One ritual that empowers me is starting off every day with thoughts of gratitude, meditation, yoga, hot ginger tea and a fresh green juice (recipe below!).

Personally, I love juicing. It’s a fabulous way to get an abundance of nutrients that we may not consume otherwise, and it makes me feel fresh and clear. I could rave about this forever, but try it for yourself and see how you feel over the course of a few weeks! 😀

Think of this superjuice as the ultimate multivitamin, courtesy of dear mama earth. All you need is a juicer, fresh greens, and an honest heart-to-heart with your inner guru about how you want to live the best life for you.

And regardless of whether you decide to juice or not, just make time to re-connect with your beautiful bodies. That’s the most important thing!

Wishing you health and happiness, from the bottom of my heart to yours. <3

Sufey

INGREDIENTS:

I like to mix and match from:

• cucumbers
• celery
• kale
• broccoli stems
• lettuce
• spinach
• dandelion greens
• asparagus
• cabbage
• bok choy
• parsley
• cilantro
• ginger
• small piece fruit if needed (lemon, green apple, pear or cranberries)

Sample combination:

• 1-2 cucumbers
• 3-4 stalks kale
• 2 broccoli stems
• 1 apple
• ginger
• a kick-ass attitude!

**Note: My staple juice is made purely out of green veggies and ginger. But if you don’t typically consume a lot of raw veggies, I recommend starting with a pure cucumber juice or a cucumber/ apple mix (which is deliciously refreshing) and slowly adding darker greens as you go to get used to the taste. You may also want to dilute the juices with filtered water if they are too strong to begin with. Always listen to how your body feels!

Lemons cut bitterness and apples and pears add sweetness to juices. But keep your juices mostly green to prevent sugar overload from sweet fruit juices. Also, as juicing removes the fiber, which concentrates both nutrients and pesticides, be sure to buy organic and rinse well!

For optimal results, consume immediately on an empty stomach. Let’s get started! 😀

DIRECTIONS:

Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

Cut thick veggies in half or thirds lengthwise if needed (depending on the size of your juicer’s mouth).

Push all produce through juicer slowly, alternating different types of veggies. To make it easier, push loose leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach) in at the same time as another firmer vegetable (e.g. cucumber).

Drink up delicious vitality, a delicious day! 😀

**Note: Clean the juicer immediately to make it easier for yourself. I push my lemon through last to pre-clean, rinse all the pieces right away, and use dish sponges or old toothbrushes to scrub the filter well!

PS. Thank you to beautiful Éva for inspiring this piece by asking me about juicing. I am certainly not a health expert of any kind, but I am always open to questions and happy to share the little I do know. So feel free to ask me anything, and I’d love to learn from you too!

CHEERS to our healthy, wealthy lives! <3