5 Healthy Snacks to Fire Up Your Creative Juices

11/06/2019 1 Comment

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Choosing the right kinds of snacks to eat during the day can be tricky. We are bombarded with the unhealthy, caffeine induced, sugary items each and every day, which makes them hard to avoid. It’s important to choose the right kinds of foods and snacks in order to maintain our health. Certain foods can help boost our brain power and get those creative juices flowing, especially when you need to rely on creativity and sharp thinking skills to get the job done. Here are a few snack ideas that will give your brain the fuel necessary to fire up your creative process.

Oatmeal – This healthy snack is an ideal way to start the day. Oatmeal is a superfood that gives your brain power a boost and promotes cardiovascular health. The soluble fiber, protein and healthy carbohydrates contained in oatmeal will sustain you and help you avoid snacking in between meals. Oatmeal also helps to fight cholesterol, and it’s a quick and easy snack that is perfect for any time of the day.

Blueberries – This is a powerful snack that can help protect the brain against oxidative stress, which in turn will enhance your brain activity and get those innovative juices flowing. Blueberries are extremely rich in antioxidants, which help to support the immune system and overall health. You can consume them by the handful or mix them in with other fruits and make a smoothie. Either way, you are getting the benefits of one of the best brain foods out there. It’s also been said that blueberries are one of the best anti-stress foods that you can eat.

Walnuts – One of the best snacks containing Omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts. Omega 3’s are excellent for boosting brain power and also promote optimal cardiovascular health. You can eat walnuts by themselves, put them in a smoothie, or eat them on a salad. This is definitely one snack you can make a part of your daily routine.

Sunflower Seeds – This tiny snack is full of the nutrients necessary for high-level brain power. These seeds are packed with Vitamin E and have been known to lower cholesterol. As with walnuts, you can eat these on a salad or simply by the handful. The Vitamin E contained in sunflower seeds can also help reduce the anti-inflammatory symptoms that come along with asthma, joint pain, ulcers, etc.

Whole Grains – When you choose to make whole grains a part of your daily snacking routine, you’ve already put yourself on a path to a healthier lifestyle. Whole grains are packed with nutrients including fiber, protein, antioxidants, B vitamins, and trace minerals (e.g. zinc, copper, magnesium and iron). Brown cereals, rice, pasta, and bread are all on the list of smart whole grain brain boosters. These foods have been linked in preventing certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer, and allow us the steady supply of energy we need to get through the day.

With all the unhealthy choices we face each day, it’s hard to pick those snacks that will give us the steady energy we need to get through the day. Find a way to get in the routine of making better and healthier choices when it comes to the fuel we give our bodies. The right kinds of foods will jump-start our brain activity and give us the creative spark we need to accomplish our goals and be one step closer to the success we desire.

 

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Try These Nutritious Snacks to Stay Full Between Meals

11/06/2019 1 Comment

Whether you are trying to drop a few pounds or simply eat healthfully for longevity, you’ll love these nutritious and filling snack ideas.

Fatty Acids Get You Going

Not all fat is bad. Healthy fats, the monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids found in foods such as nuts, olives, fish, eggs, avocados and dark chocolate have several powerful health benefits. These healthy fats are especially beneficial for overall brain health and memory, according to livescience.com.

Monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids can also lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. As a result, they reduce the risk of vascular disease, heart disease and stroke.

Healthy-fat snacks to try:

Olives 

Black, green and Kalamata olives are all high in monounsaturated fats. Add them to salads or use on whole wheat crackers with low fat cream cheese.

Avocados 

Because avocados are high in healthy, monounsaturated fats, you can feel good about that guacamole!

For a healthy, filling breakfast high in monounsaturated fats, try spreading avocado on wholegrain bread or having a few slices of the fruit alongside a fried egg.

Trail Mix

Trail mix that has a high nut and seed content can be a healthy choice. If your trail mix contains candy, try to choose one with dark chocolate. The nuts and seeds found in many trail mixes are high in monounsaturated fats as well as other nutrients like fiber and protein.

Nuts 

Walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews and pecans are great choices for monounsaturated fats. Add them to salads, or toss a few into your morning oatmeal or yogurt.

Fiber Fills You Up for Longer

Fiber is a nutrient that aids in digestion, but it also helps you feel full longer when you are trying to lose weight. Foods that are naturally high in fiber include: whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

A small or medium banana is only 80-110 calories and can both satisfy your sweet tooth and fill you up. Another high fiber snack that’s healthy and low in calories is a piece of wholegrain crisp bread or whole wheat toast spread with one tablespoon of peanut butter or hummus.

High water content foods, such as fruit and soup, are also likely to fill you up. The double impact of having a large volume and low-calorie content, as well as being high in fiber makes fruits and veggies the ideal solution for a snack attack.

Protein Keeps You Moving

Protein is important to maintaining general health, but more than that, you need complete proteins to keep your muscles strong and your brain functioning at high capacity.

Meat, dairy products and other animal products, such as grilled chicken, string cheese and eggs, are complete proteins that will keep you full and alert.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll need to create complete protein meals by combining wholegrain with nuts or pulses. For instance, you can combine whole-wheat bread with peanut butter or eat chick pea curry served over brown rice.

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Easy Snacks for Kids to Eat at School or Home

01/23/2018 Leave a comment

Easy snacks for kids.

Coming up with quick and easy snacks for kids can become an arduous task as your children grow up and become bored of the snack options at home. However, there are a wide range of choices available when it comes to putting together snacks for kids, some of which can even be prepared with their participation. Here are some simple snacks for kids that will tickle their taste buds and provide them with the nutrition they need for growth.

Get Creative with Healthy Options

Interesting salad bowls, open sandwiches, and frozen yogurt are just a few examples of delicious, filling, and healthy snack options. Salad may not sound very appealing, especially to a child who is accustomed to junk food; however, you can always blend fun elements such as colored fruit and vegetables in order to attract their attention. In the same way, easy snacks such as frozen yogurt combined with a variety of chopped fruit would make excellent after school snacks since they are both a snack as well as a dessert option.

Try to create snacks for kids that are mostly healthy, as it will help them to develop a taste for healthy food as opposed to unhealthy food in the future. Some healthy easy snacks that you can have fun preparing with your child include open sandwiches with grilled turkey and cheese, which your child can help make; a fun way to involve them in the snack-making process would be to let them decorate their sandwiches with condiments.

Indulge Once in a While

It is okay to treat children to easy snacks that are not high on the nutrition factor once in a while. Kids will constantly crave the less healthy snack options, and rather than depriving them of their treats, it is okay to let them indulge once in a while with easy snacks that are tastier and incorporate more flavor.

There are ways to add a healthy twist to the most popular and simple snacks for kids. Slider burgers and pizzas are universal favorites and can easily be made healthier by incorporating whole wheat bread and pizza base, and fresh vegetables for toppings rather than processed meat.

By balancing the kind of snacks you feed your kids, you are not only enabling them to lead healthier lives, but are also helping them in developing a taste for making healthier meal choices as they grow older. By enabling them to participate in the snack preparation process from a young age, you are also enabling them to become more independent when it comes to making their own meals.

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Make Exercise and Good Nutrition a Family Affair

11/14/2016 Leave a comment

Family exercising together.

Have you ever noticed that it’s much easier to stick to a exercise or diet plan if you have someone in the trenches with you? Have you ever been the person eating carrot sticks and celery while watching someone else eat fat-drenched carbs with sugar on top? Why not make exercise and good nutrition a family affair?

Get Rid of the Junk Food

Starting with food, which is often the most difficult part of the willpower bandwagon, if the whole family is working on eating healthy foods, you can just keep those sinful temptations out of the house. Consider avoiding the junk food aisle all together and purchasing healthy alternatives for snacks.

Whole grain crackers, pretzels, yogurt, string cheese, nuts, apples, carrots, celery, kale, berries, bananas and other fruits are healthy alternatives that often cost less in the long run and are chock-full of vitamins, dietary fiber and low in calories and fat. Experts recommend placing the healthy alternatives at eye-level in the cupboards or refrigerator so that the healthy items are the first thing a person sees when they look for a snack.

Look for Healthy Alternatives to Family Favorites

If your whole family is working on good nutrition, you can look for healthy alternatives to your favorite dishes. Enjoy baking? Often substituting pumpkin or applesauce for the butter or oil can work well in muffin, cake or brownie recipes. It replaces the fat, adds flavor and vitamins and is an easy swap.

Use cooking spray instead of high calorie oils in your cooking, and add more green leafy items, more vegetables and fruits to your meals, which can make a big difference as well. Does your family enjoy spaghetti dinners? Consider swapping the heavy pasta for lighter alternatives – spaghetti squash is a vitamin-rich alternative. Eight minutes in the microwave, top with your favorite marinara sauce and you’d hardly know the difference. Yet the difference between them is huge — 31 calories in spaghetti squash versus 158 in spaghetti per serving.

Family Fitness

Why head out to the gym on your own if you can bring the whole family? Often a gym will offer a substantial discount for a whole family membership, and many gyms even provide childcare and play rooms for smaller children. Older children will enjoy shooting baskets, running around the track, and your pre-teens and teens will enjoy learning to use the weight machines and free weights.

Exercise doesn’t have to stop at the gym. Gearing up for a 5K? Why not register the spouse and kids as well? They’re likely to be there to cheer you on anyway, but if you’re all in it together you can prep for it together and eat healthy in preparation together.

Maybe you’re not a runner. Family walks after dinner are a nice way to wind down and hear about each others day. Weekend hikes, skiing, biking or paddling trips are excellent ways to commune with nature and create memories your kids will have with them forever.

What is the best thing about involving the whole family in healthy eating and exercise? Making healthy choices now will make all of you healthier in the long run and will help to establish wonderful fitness and eating habits in your children that they will continue throughout their lives. Studies show that children who are active do better in school, have more confidence and even do better on some tests. With the multitude of benefits for everyone, why not get everyone involved?

 

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Yummy Vegetable Recipes will Encourage Your Kids to Eat Healthy

10/09/2015 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Malakwal City (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0]

Preparing yummy vegetable recipes for children is not as arduous a task as it is made out to be, especially since there are considerable options pertaining to the varieties of cuisines and seasonings available in the market. Vegetables for kids are considered to be less tasty as compared with the processed, high-fat food available, so the way in which to win over a fussy child is to make their vegetable dish fun, creative, and as tasty as the junk food they crave.

Stick with Their Favorites

Vegetable recipes that are based on the child’s favorite food will encourage them to eat more of it. If your child is particularly fond of a particular meal, consider making a vegetable version of it with the same flavors used in the original dish, but leave out any oil, fat, and other unhealthy accompaniments that you can.

For instance, if they like macaroni and cheese, you could come up with your own yummy vegetable recipes based around the dish and include whole wheat macaroni, a variety of vegetables, and less fattening varieties of cheese.

If your child is a fan of burgers, you could construct your own healthy version of them by layering lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, and coleslaw between multigrain buns, and adding a vegetable patty or using lean turkey burgers as opposed to a beef patty. This dish served with sweet potato fries will look exactly like a fast food meal, but will be much lower in calorie content, and will contain at least two servings of vegetables.

Vegetables for Kids will be Eaten Faster When they Look Good

Kids will be more likely to form a lasting relationship with vegetables and other healthy foods if they are presented in a manner that is fun and aesthetically pleasing. There are plenty of yummy vegetable recipes available that will help vegetables taste delicious.

Adding fun and simple touches to meals, such as decorating a salad to make it look like a smiley face or their favorite cartoon character, is likely to please your child and will enable him or her to enjoy their healthy serving of vegetables rather than forcing them to eat boring, uninspiring meals.

It is okay to offer them a few condiments on the side, such as limited servings of ketchup or mayonnaise, but it is also a good idea to introduce them to the more healthy condiments such as mustard. Introducing your child to a healthy and balanced diet early in life will ensure that they are getting their daily nutritional requirements and will enable them to avoid obesity and other illnesses as they get older.

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Health Benefits of Breakfast: 3 Reasons Not To Skip Your Morning Meal

11/20/2014 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Matt @ PEK from Taipei, Taiwan [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

How many times have you woke up in a hurry, got ready, and rushed out the door without a second thought to eating breakfast? We’ve all been there and have suffered the consequences when mid-morning hits and we are starving and ready to eat the first unhealthy thing we come across. Avoiding this trap and making breakfast a part of your daily routine can not only add to the success and productivity of your day, but also begin your path to a healthier lifestyle. Here are just a few benefits of this important daily meal.

Increased energy level – You will find that by eating a healthy breakfast your energy level is much higher throughout the day. You will be more productive and less inclined to eat that unhealthy bag of chips calling your name. Breakfast provides the right kind of nutrients our body needs to get through the day and be the best version of ourselves. We will be much more likely to focus on productivity when we routinely give our bodies the fuel it needs to carry on.

Weight Control – It’s been said that those who tend to eat breakfast in the mornings are more likely to lose weight or simply not weigh as much. That being said, it makes sense because we don’t find ourselves bogged down with those nasty cravings that come with not eating anything in the morning. We tend to make healthier choices throughout the day when we aren’t starving and looking for anything to satisfy us. You need breakfast to get give your metabolism a boost so you can burn more calories throughout the day.

Happier and Healthier – Eating breakfast routinely every morning will not only start you on the path to a healthier life but also cause you to have a better, happier attitude. We are mentally and physically able to focus on things that matter when we give our bodies the right kind of nutrition. This means staying away from sugar and caffeine and consuming more whole grains, dairy, and fruit. Studies have shown that people who skip breakfast tend to be grouchier throughout the day. When you deprive your body of the fuel it needs, it affects all aspects of your life.

There are huge benefits to getting into a routine each morning and eating a healthy breakfast. This one meal sets the tone for the entire day and our mood and physical well-being is affected by it. You will not only be more productive but your overall health will improve by just making a few changes to your daily routine. Rather than rushing through those early morning hours give yourself a little more time in the morning to plan a healthy meal. The success of your day depends on how you start it out.

 

 

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3 Healthy & Delicious Fruit Desserts That Will Have Your Kids Begging For More

10/24/2014 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Vegan Feast Catering [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

When you think of the word “dessert” what comes to mind?

More than likely you immediately think of pies, cakes, cookies – all the unhealthy things that most people associate with the word desserts. But did you know there are healthier versions available? And healthier doesn’t mean boring and bland! Things like fruit desserts can be healthy, full of flavor and a great way to help ensure that you and your family are getting more fruits in your daily diet!

What exactly do these desserts have to do with getting more fruits into your daily diet?

First, if you have a hard time getting picky eaters to snack on plain fruit, these desserts offer a delicious flavorful alternative to eating it plain. Sometimes all it takes to get a picky kid to eat fruit is to add it to something else and label it a dessert. After all, what kid doesn’t like dessert? And two, sometimes eating fruit is just plain ole boring and fruit desserts add enough variety and more flavor to ‘spice’ things up.

Want to try it on your own kids? Here are three quick and easy fruit desserts that are healthy and packed full of flavor and are sure to have your family asking for more! And best of all, you can give them more knowing it’s healthy and helping them get more of the vitamins and minerals they need that fruit provides.

Fruit Dessert Recipes

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
(Makes about 4 servings)

1/2 cup sugar
1 package (16 ounces) unsweetened strawberries
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a food processor, add the sugar and strawberries. Pulse until chopped coarsely. Slowly add the yogurt and lemon juice with the food processor still running. Process until smooth and serve immediately.

Banana Bites

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 large bananas
Coconut flakes

Tear a decent sized peace of wax paper off and put on counter top (or working surface). Cut bananas into bit sized chunks. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in microwave (about 1 minute). Dip banana pieces until well coated. Sprinkle coconut flakes on them and let harden (about 1 hour).

Broiled Pineapple

1/2 lb. pineapple
Nonstick cooking spray

While preheating oven, coat broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Core pineapple and cut wedges lengthwise to make 8 spears. Put pineapple spears on broiler pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and tender. You can even serve this with a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you wish.

As you can see, from the three recipes shared, fruit desserts are a quick and easy way to ensure that you and your family are adding more fruits to your diet. Another way, not mentioned in the recipes above, to make a fruit dessert is as simple as putting some berries in a bowl and adding some cool whip on top.

 

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Feel Full and Lose Weight with these Five Natural Foods

09/16/2014 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Cajsa Lilliehook [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in the United States. There are pills, potions, mixtures and lotions. You can even find vibrating belts and fat melting shakes. Some of these weight loss aids are gimmicks and some might actually help you lose weight in the short-term, but usually you gain the weight back in a few weeks. For long-lasting, permanent weight loss you have to eat right and exercise. The right foods combined with exercise can help you lose weight and keep it off while providing your body with essential nutrients and elements necessary for good health. Natural foods help stimulate your metabolism, boost your energy and make you feel good.

A delicious way to get your daily fruit and veggie fix is to enjoy a cool, crisp salad. Salads with light green, dark green, orange, red and yellow vegetables will provide color, aroma and flavor to any ordinary salad. Vegetables are fat free, loaded with fiber and full of nutrients your body needs. The fiber will fill you up and keep you feeling fuller longer. Vegetables are naturally low in calories, but salad dressings can be high in both fat and calories. Choose no salad dressing or a low-fat dressing. Chop up and dice some fresh fruits to satisfy your sweet tooth or to get an extra boost of energy in the late afternoon between meals. Try some fresh fruit mixed with low-fat yogurt for a delicious pick-me-up loaded with nutrients and healthy carbohydrates.

What’s not to love about chicken soup? It’s good for the soul and the perfect food to comfort your body when you have a cold. Chicken soup not only boosts your immune system, it also helps you lose weight. A bowl of chicken soup with a variety of vegetables, such as carrots, celery and yellow squash, is rich in nutrients and fiber to help you feel full and satisfied for hours. Vegetables in chicken soup contain antioxidants to help stave off cell damage. The bits of white meat chicken are low in fat and high in protein. Enjoy a bowl of chicken soup to feel full, while adding important nutrients to your diet without adding calories.

Lean beef is a good choice to help promote weight loss by adding fiber and protein to your diet. You should not sacrifice muscle mass when trying to lose fat. Lean beef and other protein-rich foods combined with regular exercise can help maintain muscle mass while burning fat. Amino acids found in lean beef are necessary to the production of muscle cells. You can also add cooked lean beef to other healthy meals, such as salads.

Whole grains, including oats and wheat and wild rice, are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. A small serving of whole grains helps you feel fuller faster so that you eat less than you normally would eat. Choose grains that have not been processed for maximum benefit. Warm oatmeal with low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast will stimulate your metabolism for fat burning all morning long. Beans, rice, lentils and peas are also a good source of fiber and nutrients. You can eat beans or lentils and wild rice as a side dish or combine them with other foods, such as soups and stews, for flavor and fiber.

 

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Add More Whole Foods to Your Diet

08/21/2014 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe phrase “whole foods” refers to foods that are raw, unprocessed or as close to nature as possible. Whole foods include whole grains, whole raw fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed chicken and meats. It is easier to improve your diet by replacing processed foods with natural, whole foods than you might think. Whole foods are generally lower in calories and carbohydrates than highly processed foods such as frozen dinners and fast food. Switching from processed to whole foods means meal preparation will take a little more planning, but your health and your waist line will thank you.

Add more whole foods to your regular diet by replacing highly processed white flour with whole grains. Instead of white bread, choose whole wheat, oat and bran breads. Opt for fresh or frozen whole fruits and vegetables instead of canned. The canning process includes cooking and adding preservatives. Many canned fruits and vegetables have added sugar or sodium. The canning process also removes beneficial phytochemicals and nutrients that your body needs for good health. Buy fresh or frozen as opposed to canned vegetables and fruits, so that you can enjoy all the benefits of eating vegetables.

Pass by the convenience foods, such as frozen macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and frozen meatloaf in the freezer section. These foods are usually high in calories, carbohydrates and are loaded with sodium and preservatives. Fresh, skinless chicken breasts baked or grilled with whole wheat rolls, fresh vegetables or a salad makes an excellent whole food dinner. Forget the instant mashed potatoes that are loaded with preservatives and other chemicals. Choosing long grain and wild rice as a side dish is another way to add whole foods to your diet.

Beans, rice and legumes can replace high-calorie side dishes, such as macaroni and cheese and instant mashed potatoes. As for potatoes, they are an excellent whole food. If you don’t have time to peel, cook and whip your own potatoes, a baked (sweet) potato is just as delicious and takes less preparation time. Top your baked potato with low-fat sour cream and some fresh chopped green onions for delicious side dish. Many supermarkets offer fresh fish and other seafood. Select local fish or fish that is flown in daily. Fresh fish can be a little more expensive than the fish in the freezer, but one taste of fresh grilled perch or shrimp will convince you it’s worth the price. A salad with a mixture of lettuces, spinach, radishes, carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes is the perfect way to start any whole foods meal.

Many of the preservatives we consume come from snack foods and sodas. Rather than potato chips and snack crackers, satisfy your snack urge with fresh sliced apples, bananas, grapes and berries. You can also enjoy raisins, nuts and other dried fruits. Keep some banana and apple chips in your desk for a quick, naturally sweet snack. Blend up a berry smoothie with fresh berries, ice and 100 percent fruit juice for a refreshing whole foods treat. Keep a bowl of fresh apples, oranges, and bananas on the counter for a healthy, quick after work or after school snack. Tea, especially green tea, is a refreshing alternative to sugary soda. Toss the cold breakfast cereals and fill your pantry with whole grain cereals instead. Whole oats, wheat germ and quinoa are healthy, whole food breakfast choices. Add fresh fruit for extra flavor and nutrients. Avoid using processed sugar. Sweeten your morning oats with honey or natural maple syrup.

 

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Juicing Your Way to Weight Loss

06/20/2014 2 Comments

Photo credit: Ashlyn Paulsen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

It seems that each new day brings a new weight-loss fad, and you can usually spot the fakes. They promote a pill, a powder or a belt that promises rapid weight loss without actually changing your diet or your lifestyle. Some of these fads may result in some weight loss in the short term, but you will most likely re-gain the weight you lost and then some more. You have to change your diet, get more exercise and drink healthier beverages if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits is one way to change your diet to promote weight loss. If raw vegetables are unappetizing to you, consider getting more veggies in your diet by juicing. Juicing vegetables and fruits is one way to get all the benefits of raw, whole foods.

Juicing is not just squeezing fruit juice into a glass. A juicer blends raw fruits and vegetables into a cool, smooth drink that tastes great. Even if you don’t like vegetables, such as kale, spinach, or broccoli, you can combine these healthy greens with bananas, strawberries and apples for a delicious, refreshing and healthy drink.

Drinking your fruits and vegetables can help you to get more fiber and nutrients into your diet. Raw fruits and vegetables are the best way to get the nutrients, trace minerals and antioxidants your body needs to stay healthy. The raw fiber in fresh fruits and vegetables can help you feel full so that you do not overeat. Fiber also helps to regulate your digestive system and stimulate your metabolism for additional weight loss.

Invest in a high quality juicer for the best juicing. You don’t want your juice to be lumpy or contain chunks of raw vegetables. Find one that produces a smooth textured juice. Try juicing only the fruits and vegetables that you already love if you are new to juicing. Start with some sweet red apples, strawberries and a banana. You can blend these fruits with a cup of ice for a refreshing smoothie. Mix and match sweet fruits to find your favorite combination. Once you settle on a favorite flavor, add one green vegetable, such as a few kale or spinach leaves or one carrot. The rich flavor of the blended fruits will cover the taste of the carrot, spinach and kale, but you will still get all the benefits of these nutrient-rich vegetables.

Juice whole, unpeeled vegetables and fruit. Much of the taste and many of the nutrients are found in the skin. Replace your bacon, eggs and white toast with butter and enjoy a breakfast juice instead. Drinking juiced vegetables and fruits on an empty stomach will help you feel full faster and will keep you from getting hungry for hours. Take a thermos of juice to work for your lunch instead of a fast food burger. Your body will get the nutrients and energy it needs without the empty calories and bad carbohydrates found in most fast food. Even people who refuse to eat vegetables will enjoy a cold, fresh glass of juiced fruits and veggies.

 

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