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• Carrots
• Celery
• Spinach
• Bell peppers
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Sunflower seeds
• Almonds
• Beets
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Wheatgrass
• Parsley sprouts
• Fenugreek sprouts
• Sardines
• Wild-caught salmon
• Avocado
• Wheat germ
• Walnut oil
• Soybean oil
• Flaxseed oil
• Cold-pressed, unrefined oils
SOURCES
juices & smoothies BENEFITS healthy hair growth. For strong bones, teeth and nails, and els, which in turn helps burn calories. Increases metabolic rate and energy lev- function, and blood clotting. Controls blood pressure, heart and kidney swelling. For resisting inflammation, pain, and MINERAL VITAMIN/ SILICON OMEGA-6) (OMEGA-3, FATTY ACIDS ESSENTIAL TRY THIS... Whole wheat pasta, rice noodles, or corn, kamut, or spelt past
Add Energy to Your Day
here is a certain fresh and alive feeling you get when you and legumes, you’re getting plenty. Juicing is only a supple-
Tsee the wide array of nature’s best in the produce aisle of ment to a whole-food diet that already contains a generous
your local supermarket: deep green spinach leaves, glisten- amount of fiber.
ing moist berries, and vivid slender carrots are some of the If you want to get the benefits of fiber in a drink, use
vibrant fruits and vegetables you’ll find. There’s something your blender instead and make a smoothie. After blend-
about them that makes you feel energized, invigorated, and ing, the fiber remains part of the final product, which acts
revitalized just from the sight of them. This is even more true as a broom to clean the intestines. This is ideal for people
when you eat fresh produce: your body gets flooded with with dental problems, digestive concerns, and for babies
life-giving nutrition, enzymes, vibrancy, and good health. whose digestive systems are still immature. Since the high
A sure way to tap into the nutritional benefits of the veg- speed of blending causes rapid nutrient destruction, oxida-
etable kingdom is by whipping up green juices, smoothies, tion, and enzyme loss, it’s ideal to consume your smoothies
and raw soups (see pp. 217–27 for raw soup recipes). They’re soon after blending.
a “fast food” and are qualified to be a meal in themselves. For juicing, invest in a quality juicer specifically de-
signed for green leafy vegetables, or, better yet, for wheat- SUPERFOODS! • Seeds
JUICING VERSUS BLENDING grass and sprouts. You’re looking for a twin-gear juicer, not Superfoods, as opposed to vitamins or supplements, are • Avocado
The processes of juicing and blending are not at all alike. a centrifugal one. The twin-gear juicer uses two slowly foods that naturally concentrate important nutrients. • Sprouts (such as alfalfa, mung bean, sunflower, buck-
True, they both yield a liquid, but there is a nutritional dif- spinning gears to squeeze and press juice gently from Do we need superfoods? In theory, if our diet is bal- wheat, broccoli, radish, onion, and pea green sprouts)
ference. When juicing, the liquid portion of the produce is fruits and leafy vegetables and allows for the longer reten- anced, we should need nothing more to supplement it. • Garlic
squeezed out and separated from the solid, fibrous por- tion of vitamins. Centrifugal juicers have a spinning blade Nevertheless, with the depletion of our soils, the wide- In general, the more intense the food’s color, the richer it
tion—the pulp—and only the liquid portion is consumed. that chop the produce, which destroys nutrients and en- spread use of additives, and the prevalence of refined car- is in nutrients and phytochemicals. Deep-colored foods are
By separating the juices of fruits or vegetables from the zymes rapidly. bohydrates, rancid vegetable oils, and sugar, can even the usually the most delicious, too!
fibers, we are able to absorb more of the nutrients in the For smoothies, invest in a good smoothie maker (which most conscientious among us say that his or her diet is per-
food. On top of that, we are able to assimilate them more is essentially a high-speed blender). A high-quality machine fect? To ensure we’re getting all the nutrients we need, a BECOME A LABEL READER
rapidly and easily; less digestive work for the body means will produce smoother and creamier smoothies in less time. daily supply of superfoods is essential. Now that you know what to look for and what to avoid,
energy is being conserved for other metabolic processes. Feel free to try a variety of vegetable or fruit combina- Be sure to include some (or all) of the following disease- make sure to cultivate the label-reading habit when you’re
Some say, “We are what we eat,” but it has been proven that tions based on season, supply, and taste. You’ll widen your preventing, health-promoting “superfoods” in your family’s diet: shopping for groceries. Ignore the front label, where the
“We are what we absorb.” food horizons, and add some variety to your life! • Dark leafy greens product broadcasts that it’s “fat-free,” “sugar-free,” or “choles-
What about fiber? Don’t we need the fiber that the • Broccoli terol-free.” Commercial fat-free foods may be inordinately
whole fruits and vegetables provide? Fiber is absolutely GENERAL JUICING GUIDELINES: • Berries high in sugar. Sugar-free foods may contain harmful artificial
necessary for optimal health. If you consume a variety of • It is best to drink freshly pressed juices immediately • Cantaloupe, mango, and other yellow and orange fruits sweeteners. Cholesterol-free foods may be high in trans-fats
fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, whole grains, nuts, seeds, (within 15 minutes after juicing) for maximum benefits. and vegetables (in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils).

24 HEALTHY EVER AFTER 13