One advantage of juicing is that it takes the fiber out of the food. This gives your digestive system a break and helps your body absorb the substances in your juice much faster. This is good when your juice is filled with vitamins and minerals from green juices. This is bad when your juice is filled with (natural) sugars.

When fiber is taken out of your fruits, the sugars are delivered to your bloodstream in a much faster manner, causing a bigger sugar rush and larger insulin spike (insulin is the hormone that regulates sugars in the blood). The sugars if not used up right away with say running a few miles, get stored up as fat. Causing this spike to happen repeatedly disrupts your metabolism, can cause weight problems or blood sugar-related illnesses. If you take the time to look at the back of a bottled juice that has both fruit and veggies in it, many have 25g, 35g, or more of sugar in the drink. This is around or exceeding the sugar amounts you should intake daily. Carrots and beets also contain a lot of sugar, so do not go excess with these sweet root vegtables either.

If you do decide to include fruits in your juices, green apples and berries are the best option with the least amount of sugars. Stay away from pineapple.

I really like this drink from Ellary’s Greens in the West Village, NYC because for me, the cayenne pepper gives it that extra kick and helps trick my taste buds into not craving something sweet.

Ingredients:

• Celery
• Cucumber
• Green Apple (sometimes I take this out)
• Cilantro
• Ginger
• Cayenne Pepper

References:

Eric Helms, 2014, The Juice Generation, NY, New York, Simon & Schuster

Mix frozen fruit and unflavored Kombucha in a blender for a drink, snack or dessert. I like to buy the “original” Kombucha flavored because I don’t trust how the Kombucha in a bottle is flavored. Most people buying Kombucha are trying to be healthy so to me it doesn’t make sense to buy something that might be flavored artificially.

Kombucha aids digestion and health gut. It is naturally fermented with a living colony of bacteria and yeast. Kombucha is a probiotic drink. Some benefits include improved digestion, fighting off candida (harmful yeast) overgrowth and mental clarity. For more benefits click here.

Please be aware if you are pregnant or have any major health concerns, consult with your doctor before drinking Kombucha since it changes your gut bacteria.

Also, be aware that Kombucha is acidic and can effect the enamel on your teeth. If your drinking Kombucha, drink it in one sitting rather than sipping it throughout the day. Swish with clean water (don’t brush) right after to minimize the acidic effects. OraWellness touches on this more.

References:                                                                                                                                         “Food Renegade.” Food Renegade. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.                                                                    “How To Drink Kombucha And NOT Destroy Your Teeth.” OraWellness Blog Raquo. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Ingredients:

• Raw Manuka Honey
• Black Pepper* (Not in photo)
• Turmeric
• Coconut Oil
• Ginger
• Lemon
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Garlic
• Oregano

*Ground black pepper must be used with Turmeric in order to activate the Curcumin in Turmeric which has anti-inflammatory properties.

These ingredients combined makes a strong all natural antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory tea.