Something horrible happened to me yesterday- there was a great loss. I woke up, ready to juice a magical morning concoction to start my day- a ritual in my home; I set up my Jack Lalanne Power Juicer, prepped my oranges, blueberries and carrots- the perfect morning drink or hangover cure. I placed them in the juicer, powered the machine on- and nothing. My panic level at this point was at a manageable level two- I hurriedly deduced that it was electrical outlet. I plugged it into another outlet- sure that I would hear the lovely hum I had become accustomed to; and, again, nothing. Panic level 4. I took the juicer apart, convinced that I could remedy this problem- I had to; I wouldn’t allow the thought that my juicer was dead creep into my mind. Sadly after thirty minutes, a barrage of expletives and even some tears, I called it- I pronounced my Jack Lalanne Power Juicer dead at 8:45 am. I was late for work having spent my precious morning minutes trying to revive my dead juicer. Epic fail.

I mourned for a full afternoon; and I then decided that I could sit wallow, or find a suitable replacement. Although I am very familiar with the Jack Lalanne family of products, as my deceased juicer was a Power Juicer; I wanted to see what else was out there- a lot has changed since I received my juicer three years ago. And, in my short and relatively brief research into the land of juicers, I have found that there are ever so many options.

Let’s start with Breville; what I like about Breville was they had a variety price ranges  and the designs looked rather sleek- sleek is very important, as counter space is at a premium in my home. However, I could only find models that came in silver and/or chrome colors; and my kitchen isn’t accessorized to match- and yes that matters. And even at the lower end, Breville was still almost $100 more than a Jack Lalanne Power Juicer.

The Lalanne line on the other hand comes in a number of colors and styles- the most sleek being the Power Juicer Express to the mack daddy Power Juicer Pro, which is definitely beastly in size. Instantly the red Power Juicer Express stood out to me- the price ($100) was in line with what I could afford; and due to aforementioned premium for counter space, I liked the sleeker design.

I could also change directions and try another style of juicer. There are another style of juicers known as masticators- which use the process of mastication to chew the fibers of the food and extract juice from them. Currently being featured on 877myjuicer.com is the  Healthy Juicer electric which is a multipurpose unit. Unlike many of the other units I’d had in mind, this unit can be used for juicing wheatgrass as well as fruits and vegetables. And although it is bigger in size, it eliminates the need for a stand alone wheat grass juicers- and in this competitive game of juicers that is huge plus.

There was so much to choose from and so many decisions to make- so many factors that I needed to consider; size over unit features, or whether to go with something familiar or try something new. I was over the hunt, I hadn’t had fresh juice in days; and by this point I really wanted a juicer. I loved my Power Juicer and had it not kicked the bucket I would still be using it, but the competition was starting to make a great case for itself; I ended using the Healing Juicer Electric and boy, does it feel good!

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We all know how important it is to make sure that we are getting the proper nutrition from our diets. Unfortunately, there are many times when we are not getting what we need from our diets. Sometimes this is because we don’t have time to eat and end up skipping meals. Other times it is because many of us have a junk food diet, which provides little to no nutrition. For those of you who are not getting the proper nutrition from your diets, there is still hope. You can get many of the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables, and you can turn your fruits and vegetables into delicious juices when you use home juicers.

Using Juicers to Make Quick and Easy Meal Replacements

If you are one of these people who tends to skip a lot of meals, especially breakfast, you can benefit from healthy juices that you make at home using juicers for both fruits and vegetables. You can combine fruits and vegetables to get the best of both worlds. Don’t worry—you won’t taste the vegetables at all.

The taste of fruit is much stronger than that of vegetables, so the fruits you use are going to overpower the flavor from the vegetables. And you can even turn your juices into meal replacements. All you need to do is add a bit of protein powder to your juices, and you will have a drink that provides all of the nutrients you need, without having to take the time to cook and eat a meal. Or you can add yogurt or soy milk to get the same protein you would from supplements.

The Benefits of Wheat Grass Juice

We are hearing more and more about the benefits of wheat grass these days, and for good reason. Wheat grass is pretty much a complete food, as it has 98 out of 102 of the earth’s elements. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, enzymes, and chlorophyll. Wheat grass is also full of antioxidants, which can help to treat and prevent a number of health problems.

Wheat grass is safe for everyone to eat, including those who are allergic to wheat, because it is still in the grass stages and not full grown wheat. This is a food that activates the white blood cells, which is great for the immune system and is even good for people who are trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, wheat grass doesn’t taste all that great, but you can overcome this. All you need to do is make sure that you get a wheat grass juicer that juices fruits and other vegetables as well. Then, you can create a cocktail that contains fruit juice and wheat grass juice. Just like with vegetables, fruit flavors will overpower the flavor of the wheat grass.

It can often be extremely difficult to make sure that your family is getting the proper nutrition, especially when you have kids who are fussy eaters and absolutely refuse to eat their vegetables. You can try to hide the vegetables in with other food, but many times kids notice this and refuse to eat their meals. This can be extremely frustrating, but there are ways that you can get around it. Most kids do love a lot of different fruits, and you can combine fruits and vegetables to make delicious juices that your kids will love.

Masking the Vegetable Flavor

When you mix fruit juice with vegetable juice, the strong flavors of the fruits will overpower the vegetables, so all you will taste is the fruit juice. This is great when you have kids who hate vegetables. You can make them delicious, healthy fruit and vegetable juices, and they will never have any idea that they are getting their vegetables with every drink they take. Some great combinations you can try are orange/carrot, apple broccoli, or pineapple/turnip.

You can always get creative and try all kinds of new combinations, so you can always have something different to keep your kids from getting bored with the same old juice every day. You can also use wheat grass, which is extremely nutritious and loaded with antioxidants. There are many different juicers available that can juice not only fruit and vegetables, but leafy greens such as wheat grass, too.

Letting Them Pitch In

If you are brave, you can let your kids know what you are doing, and let them in on the process. Kids love to help out in the kitchen, and they feel very proud to eat or drink the things they have created. There are many juicers available that are extremely easy to use, and even younger children can use them, as long as they are supervised. Let them choose which fruits and vegetables they want to use, and help them use the machine until you are sure that they can do it without any help from you at all. This in itself is a great accomplishment, and one that will make your kids want to make and drink their own juices. While they are making their juices, it is a great time to teach them about nutrition, and why they need to have fruits and vegetables in their diets.

It is a well known fact that fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients that we all need, and it is essential that we have them in our diets. When it comes to fruits, there are all kinds that we love to eat. But, this is not exactly the same with vegetables. In fact, it is not just children who don’t like eating their vegetables. There are thousands and thousands of people who just don’t like them, and therefore are not getting everything they need from their diets. One way to overcome this is to drink juices that are a combination of fruits and vegetables. Believe it or not, the fruits will mask the taste of the vegetables, so all you will taste is delicious fruit juice. Now, you can find all kinds of fruit and vegetable cocktails at your local supermarket for a pretty hefty price. Or you can get yourself a juicer and make all kinds of delicious fruit and vegetable combinations that even your kids will love.

What Type of Juicer Is Best for Your Juicing Needs?

As far as the types of juicers that are available, you have plenty of options. You can get juicers that only make wheatgrass juice and juice from other leafy greens, or you can get juicers that make juices from all sorts of fruits and vegetables. In fact, there are even juicers available that can be used to make pasta and sauces, so you can even have a complete meal ready in no time at all, and made from all healthy, fresh ingredients.

Another thing to think about when you are choosing a juicer is whether you want an electric or a manual model. If you want to do as little work as possible, an electric model may be the one for you. But remember that one of these can often be bulky and heavy, so you will want to have a permanent place for it, rather than storing it and having to bring it out every time you need to make juice. Check the specifications of the models you look at to see how large they are and how much they weigh. Or you may be looking for a manual juicer, one that is portable and light weight, and can even be taken with you on vacation or on camping trips where there is no access to electricity. With a manual juicer, you will always be able to have homemade juice made with the freshest of ingredients.

There are many health benefits to drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juice, and when you make your own from fresh ingredients, you know you are getting all of the nutrients you need to get healthy, one glass of juice at a time

It never fails. You want to drink fresh and healthy juice but when you go to use the juicer to make your favorite wheatgrass blend, you find that someone has forgotten to clean the juicer once again. That means that before you can make a glass of refreshing juice, you have to take the entire machine apart, clean it thoroughly and then put it all back together. By the time you are finished doing all of that, you will probably be less than interested in making any juice at all. It is time to consider what your best course of action is. You can either give that lecture about cleaning the juicer again, or you can choose to find a new juicer. If the latter sounds like the easiest route to take, there are several things you should consider.

Everyone knows that a juicer has to be effective in making juices from a number of different fruits and vegetables so the number one factor should be a powerful motor. From crunching up carrots and other tough foods, to fully juicing everything that is put into it, the juicer’s motor has to run hard and run well.

Another factor to consider for your new juicer choice is the number of parts. Is putting the thing together going to be an absolute nightmare every time you use it? Think of how often you use your juicer or how much you would use it if it were easier to use. The more parts that have to be taken off for cleaning, the more parts that will need to be put back on afterward. Finding a juicer that does not have a million loose parts is a very important factor to consider.

What do other people think about the juicer? Before you make a purchase, you should do research on the various available juicers, reading the reviews from people who bought the same model. A word of caution though: Make sure that you go to third party review sites before reading these reviews because if you only read glowing reviews posted on the juicer’s site, are you really getting the honest information that you need?

Price is a factor that should be considered, too. Setting a budget and sticking to it will prevent you from being mesmerized by accessories and attachments that you really do not need. During your research you will get a good idea of what a reasonable price range might be.

Finally, back to the cleaning of the juicer. Look for an easy-to-clean juicer that does not need to be broken down every time so that maybe the other people in your household will take a stab at cleaning the thing as well. The Omega VRT Vertical Juicer is a good option to consider, easy to clean, powerful, and reasonably priced. You do not have to take the whole thing apart to clean it. You simply run water through the hopper after you have juiced your foods and that’s it.

The juicing craze! After all of the hype and strict regimens of the raw and juiced diet fads, the whole idea may leave a bad taste in your mouth. But you do not have to learn how to cover up the taste of juiced beets or start watching infomercials with Jack LaLanne revving up his “Juice Tiger.” There is an easy, and yes, tasty way to drink your vitamins and boost your intake of the good stuff.

For starters, you may be wondering why juiced foods are so fantastic to begin with. Simply put, it’s because they are living, unprocessed foods that enter your body in their purest form, with their vitamins and nutrients intact. When you drink a glass of fruit juice from the bottle, you are most likely getting additives and additional sugar to enhance the flavor and appeal. The problem here is that you could have downed a soda if you wanted empty calories, and all for a fraction of the nutrients you could have received if you stuck to au-natural. So great. Now you know you can toss your fruits and veggies into a blender and delicious, nutritious nectar will appear, solving all of your ache and pains, as well as restoring your body to age 21 perfection. Not quite. The concoction you get might taste a bit more like a punishment than a treat. But comparing the thick, amateur juice of a novice to the real deal is like comparing apples to oranges. In order to get into your body, it’s got to taste good. So how do we get from bravery to savory?

First of all, start with what you know. What fruits do you like? Bananas make a fantastic “base” fruit, and your body will thank you for the potassium, not to mention the gram of protein and three grams of fiber. Bananas also tend to help neutralize the tartness of some fruits, so it can be a nice place to start. Not bananas over bananas? No problem! After a few tries at the old blender, you’ll figure out which fruit combination you like best. But what about veggies? How do we make that taste good? Well, right off the bat you will want a fairly decent juicer. Introducing veggies into your juice regimen is going to require a bit more “juice” than a typical blender can pack. But even when you’re armed with the right equipment, certain vegetables need some help from that spoonful of something to help the medicine go down. Your sweeter fruits and vegetables (pineapple, carrots, etc.) can also be used as a moderator to help tone down the all too unpleasant overpowering vegetable taste. Tomato and celery with a pinch of lemon juice makes a great foundation juice, as most people tend to like this health conscious knock off of a Bloody Mary. From here you can add cucumber, spices, carrots, or even a bit of apple juice.

Ok. So you have read this blog, dusted off your juicer (or purchased one), made a resolution, and now you are standing in the produce aisle at Grocer’s Gala and have not a clue what to buy, or why you even wanted to try this in the first place. Before you resign and head over to aisle five to pick up a jug of V8, hear me out. Grab a piece of paper and quickly jot down some health issues that you have that you want to resolve. Next, log on to the internet and do a quick Google search to learn which vitamins serve as an anecdote to your problem. As an example, if you suffer from fatigue than you may be lacking vitamins B12 and B6. Mangos and Kiwi’s have each of these B’s, so get them on your list. Is the common cold a little too common for your comfort level? Well than I am sure you are aware that vitamin C is key. Stock up on your friends in the citrus family. Have you noticed that you are squinting at the menu at your local fast food joint? Than stop eating burgers and fries and pick up some carrots! Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, which morphs into vitamin A, which gets an A+ when it comes to your eyes. Have allergies? Try Mandarin Tangerines. Upset stomach? Pick up some pectin and grab some grapefruit. You may have to search a bit, but some Noni juice added to your blend can act quite like serotonin on your brain, and some believe it can relieve headaches. Aloe and cabbage have been rumored to do the same, and as you experiment you will find what works best for you.

So you have the idea. Now you have your fruits and veggies at home and you are ready to juice! As you are playing scientist and experimenting, remember to balance your sweets with your not-so-sweets and see what you can get. If you do not mind wandering off the beaten path every now and again, start trying fun additions like cinnamon, maple syrup, parsnip, or other spices. Juicers note: The natural sugar in fruit will raise insulin levels, so keep this in mind when you head into juicing mode. Too much of the sweet stuff can upset your blood sugar levels, causing you to feel hungry too soon. No worries, though. Soon you will have your “recipes” down, just keep experimenting and tasting.

One final note. “Smoothies,” although not as healthful as the juices we discussed above, can be an excellent alternative to typical desserts laden with fat and excess sugar. Dessert smoothies can end up containing a lot of calories, but watching your portion size can be the perfect way to treat your sweet tooth without trying to trick your diet. One of my special blends uses chocolate soymilk as a base. I then add a banana and a few tablespoons of organic, vanilla yogurt. Divide in two glasses and you and the person lucky enough to be dining with you are in for a “milkshake” that won’t leave you with a twist of guilt.

So go forth and juice! Your mind and body will thank you.

Whether you are sitting in front of your computer looking for a job like me, or sitting in front of your computer doing your job, read on for some much needed stress relief.  I’m in Vermont and I just had to turn the heat on.  My mouse hand was freezing.  Whatever you are doing right now, thanks for taking the time to read my latest blog. 

All of us are under some sort of stress.  We can’t know peace without chaos.  Let’s start with a deep breath.  Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth letting out a big sigh.  One more time and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.  Press your sit bones (the sharp bones that hurt when you ride your bike too much) into your chair and lengthen up through your spine and the top of your head.  Tuck your tailbone down and under while doing this.  Squeeze your shoulder blades and draw them together and down your back.  Keep breathing. 

Draw your arms out in front of you, circle your wrists in both directions.  Slow circles.  Interlace your fingers and turn your hands outward and stretch your arms and drop your shoulders.  On the inhale, bring your arms up over your head.  On the exhale, release your hands and drop your arms to your side.  One more time.  As you exhale, let out a long sigh. 

Sit at the edge of your chair.  Hold the arms and on the inhale, open your heart and slowly arch your back, lifting your head and lengthening your throat.  On the exhale, tuck your tailbone, start to round your back and tuck your chin into your chest and lengthen the back of your neck.  Two more times and don’t forget to sigh on the exhale.  Go ahead, no one is watching you.

While still holding your chair, start to twist your torso to the right, allowing your gaze to follow your body.  Take your eyes even further than your torso.  Hold and breathe.  Go to the other side slowly, breathe and hold.

Back to face the front and open your eyes wide.  Move them clockwise and then counterclockwise.  Rub your hands briskly until you feel heat.  Place your palms on your eyes and breathe.  OK?  Take the time at least once an hour to do one or more of these relaxation and stretching techniques.  And don’t forget to breathe.

On to the emotional side of our life that has such a huge impact on our physical health.  Some things we believe about ourselves or our situations are just old childhood patterns.  Just as the things we chose to eat as a child may no longer “nourish” us, so are some of the thoughts we had as children no longer serving us.  Take a moment to actually “hear” what you are thinking about.  Each moment is a new beginning.  Each thought is shaping your life right now.

It’s the perfect day to start to take better care of ourselves, emotionally and physically.  Yoga, meditation, eating healthier, having healthy thoughts; all ways to start your transformation. 

Here’s to all of you who are SURVIVORS of the economy.  This following is from Louise Hay:

“I am totally open and receptive to a wonderful new position, one that uses all my talents and abilities, and allows me to express creatively in ways that are fulfilling to me.  I work with and for people whom I love, and who love me and respect me, in a wonderful location and earning good money.”

I’m putting that one up on my computer!

I get many calls about how you guys can’t afford a wheatgrass juicer PLUS a juicer to juice your greens.  And I always suggest the Lexen Manual Healthy Juicer.  When I was at Hippocrates visting my brother Michael, we decided to do a test with two popular juicers.  The Healthy Juicer Manual won out every time for amount of juice, ease and clean up.  Check out our experiment on my brother’s website. 

This Lexen juicer is the ultimate for wheatgrass juicing.  Let’s talk about putting it together.  Even I didn’t have to read the directions.  My partner’s 4 year old was putting it together for her and actually doing the juicing.  Because of the ease of putting it together, there’s also the ease of taking it apart.  Not a lot of parts and so easy to clean.  Rinse and dry.  And durable.  Did I say a 4 year old was putting it together?  And with that, it did fall on the floor a few times.  No worries.  This makes it the perfect traveling companion.  So many of us find it hard to stay healthy on the road.  But it is easy to find lettuce and veggies on the road.  The Lexen Manual Healthy Juicer is small, compact, light weight and very easy to take with you. 

Now let’s juice some wheatgrass and greens.  The wheatgrass pulp never has to be put through a second time.  This juicer will get the most amount of juice out of each run through.  Don’t forget to use the pulp for other things.  Greens? I like spinach the best. Kale, collards, chard, are all great too.  If your blender doesn’t whip greens to juice, use the manual juicer for your greens and put your fruit through your blender or your juicer, then mix.  This juicer is affordable, remember?  Quiet too?  Yes.  You can juice in the morning and not wake up the rest of the family.  How many times have you had your daughter complain that the juicer woke her up? Oh….that’s me. 

Simple, easy to use, easy to clean, great juice.  Have I convinced you yet?  Stop spending your money buying expensive prepared juice.  You can juice your own.   Start saving money and start eating and drinking healthier.  This is a great first step juicer to buy.  Take your first step.  This is the beginning of your new life.  This is the day.  

Today I wish you strength on your first step.  And if you’ve already made your first step, then I congratulate you.  Help someone else make their first step.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

It’s certainly easier to go for fast food, already cut up, already washed items while you’re grocery shopping or looking for that quick lunch idea……BUT…. is that really the healthier choice?

Let’s start with baby carrots.  In whole carrots, most of the nutrition is contained in or just below the skin.  In order to make baby carrots, this healthy portion is removed.   Then the carrots are washed in chlorinated water and some are even dipped in a stronger chlorine solution to keep their looks once in your local store.  If you believe labels,  “baby carrots” are carrots harvested while the vegetables are still small.  “Baby Cut Carrots” are made by the process explained above.  Which would you rather on your table?  Personally, I’ll take organic whole carrots when I can get them.  These you don’t have to wash.  If they aren’t organic, wash and peel your carrots.  Then you can eat or juice them.

Carrots are a great source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of pro-vitamin A carotenes.  Antioxidant compounds help to protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and beta-carotene helps to protect good vision, especially night vision that affects most of us over the age of…ahem…..40.  Carrots should be stored in a plastic or “green bag“, or wrapped in a paper towel to reduce the amount of condensation.  When storing in green bags, only store one type fruit or veggie per bag.  If the carrots you buy have their tops attached, cut these before storing, as they will pull moisture from the carrot itself causing it to wilt prematurely.

What else can you do with those fresh, whole, organic carrots?  Breakfast anyone?  Dip anyone?  Did you just call me a dip, madam?

CARROT DRINKS

Try these combinations in your juicer tomorrow morning.

Carrot and apple

Carrot, apple and celery

Carrot all by itself

CARROT AVOCADO DRESSING

1/2 avocado                                 1/2 cup celery juice

1 clove garlic                                1/4 cup water, if needed

cayenne to taste                          1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup carrot juice                        1/4 cup chopped scallion

Combine all ingredients except the scallion in your blender.  Stir in the scallion and season to taste.  This could be used as a dressing for your salad or a dip for your fresh veggies.

How about frozen wheatgrass?  That’s convenient, right?  Ah, but not as healthy and nutritious as the real thing.  Most of the wheatgrass grown for frozen juice or dried wheatgrass powders is grown outside on acres of land.  It is also usually second cut wheatgrass too.  To get optimum benefit from wheatgrass, you want baby grass, first cut grass.  There is a lot to say about frozen vs. fresh that I just don’t have the space for here.  Make your own choice.  You can grow your own wheatgrass. You don’t have to settle for the easy way out.

Next time you’re at the grocery store, don’t take the easy way out.  Get involved with your food.  It matters.  It’s healthier.  Take the time.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle

The saying “Less is more” means that when something is understated or done in a low-key manner it is much more effective.  Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, furniture designer and architect, is often associated with the phrase and a proponent of simplicity and clarity leading to good design.   Let’s first get out of the way when less is definitely NOT more….like love, kindness and gratitude.

Seven years ago I was just about half way into a month long yoga teacher training.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner consisted of a wonderful buffet line of healthy food options.  I was practicing yoga about 5 hours a day and participating in experiential workshops the rest of the day. So why was I feeling bloated and most certainly not healthy? Not to mention, my physical body was saying “stop working me so hard”!  I made an appointment with a wonderful body healer and his words to me were “Stop eating so much”.  What? Don’t I have to eat three meals a day?  “Try this”, he said, “Instead of a tray, two plates, and fork, knife and spoon, just take a small bowl and one utensil”.  So I believe I put people in front of me that I’m meant to learn from and I took his advice.  And yes, you guessed it, it worked.  I felt 100% better in no time.  My first experience with “less is more”.  The less I ate, the more my body could use its energy to help me get through this very long month of yoga and learning.  I not only ate less, I ate slower, allowing my body to digest, assimilate and eliminate to its optimum efficiency.

I’ll explain why this works.  Eating less allows your body to spend less energy digesting food and more energy healing.  It’s what your body wants to do…HEAL ITSELF!  Taking this one step further, digesting cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food.  Raw foods contain enzymes which aid in digestion, giving the body’s own enzymes a better chance to regulate the body’s metabolic processes.  Cooked foods deplete these enzymes, making digestion more difficult, which could lead to toxic build up in the body, obesity and chronic disease.   Raw food is not only good for physical body healing, but also for emotional body healing.  Having that extra energy gave me time and clarity to hear my own voice.   It wasn’t always a kind voice, that voice inside my head.  But at least now I could hear it and do something about it.

I’m a very bland raw foodist.  Simple and less is what’s best and what works for me.  I do eat some cooked food, but I don’t need or want as much as I used to.  And when I start to feel bad, physically or emotionally, the first thing I look at is what I’m eating.

Another lesson I learned at my month long training was the one of silence.  An extreme example in “less is more.”  At anytime you could choose to spend the day in silence.  There’s not enough space here to explain to you what happens when you do not speak.

I use “less is more” often during the course of my day.  I ask you to try it too the next time you are having a “discussion” with a loved one or with yourself.

Donna Bergonzi-Boyle