NoorishLife

JUICING!!!!!!


A few months ago, I was researching ways to get my daily required intake of fruits and vegetables. I definitely wasn't going to be able to eat 5 full servings of vegetables and 4 full servings of fruit, every single day. That's just crazy!! Especially for someone working in my industry. It sounds crazy, since I cook for a living, doesn't it?!?! I mean, I'm around food all day. But it's just not that simple. When I'm working, I hardly even think about making any food for myself. I just concentrate on getting food to the hungry customers.

Here's a sample of what I'd usually eat on my working days:

A spoonful of soup that my co-worker made (you know, to see if it's good)
An extra jalapeno popper from the fryer
A drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette that I made for a salad
Half of a hotdog (because I got busy and forgot to eat the rest)

Yup, that about does it!! And when I get home I don't want to cook anything. So I just put my pajamas on and go to sleep, without eating dinner.

So, as you can see, I need a little help getting my nutrients in.

Well, this brings me to JUICING!!!! I don't know if I'm late, but I've recently discovered the magical wonders of juicing!! I absolutely love juicing. I've juiced just about everyday since Thanksgiving 2009 (I bought my juicer on Blackout Friday). I can say with certainty that juicing has helped me tremendously. When I juice consistently, I don't feel as tired as I usually do. I've been getting less migraines (and from someone who get migraines EVERY SINGLE DAY, this is a beautiful thing)! It also tastes great, contrary to what a lot of other people say, including my boyfriend!!! I just made a juice about 15 minutes ago, and I will share with you all what I put it in. It is recommended that you drink 24 ounces of fruit/vegetable juice a day (5 vegetable and 4 fruit). Some people drink 8 oz three times a day. I usually just knock the whole 24 oz out at one time. So here's a little of what I put in my juice:



1 lemon
1 orange
1 cup of spinach
3 carrots
some pineapple
some strawberries
1 green pepper


Sometimes I'll add a beet in there, but let me warn you that it will definitely overpower the drink. It's not that bad, but it's very strong. I will also add broccoli, some mesclun salad mix, or celery too. I'm not ready to start putting kale and collard greens in my juice yet (these are 2 things that are highly recommended to juice for their high nutritional value)!!

Here's what it looks like



YUMMY!!!

Don't be put off by the green color. The spinach makes it green, but you can't even taste the spinach. And don't listen to the ANTI-JUICERS that say juicing isn't good for you because you don't get the fiber from the fruits and veggies. You can get your daily fiber from other sources. Juicing shouldn't replace meals, they should be added to them. Have a Fiber One Bar with your juice and BAM....you've got your fiber!!

I'm no nutritionist, but I think if you eat your 3-Squares a day, drink your 24oz of fresh fruit/vegetable juice, take multi-vitamins, and eat a couple fiber bars, you're off to a great healthy start!!!