One Cannot Live by Water Alone!
Updated: Aug 22, 2019
We have all heard it and lived it "hydrate or dydrate" especially if you have been involved in sports. Luckily I was never a soda drinker but put a glass of kool-aid down and it was gone in a flash! Moms (and America) were really great at pumping us all full of wonderfully sweet nectar which was sugary drinks. Now we know better!!! However we still have a tendency to reach for the sugar over the vegetables. Especially on the road or when we are hot and tired.
Don't look now but this entry is all about the delightfully dreaded vegetable!
There is more than one way to skin a cat (who came up with that saying? No offense to cat lovers) or eat a vegetable. While to each their own....... some like veggies raw, cooked, fried, or even juiced.... it is important to get your veggies anyway you can. While in an ideal world we would consume the fibrous foliage in every way mentioned previously, not all of us have the same taste buds or penchant for texture.
I for one love fried squash! Maybe its the southern way.... or maybe that the crisp salty cornmeally goodness just satisfies no matter what it happens to be coating!
One of my favorite ways to get some vegetable-ly goodness is to JUICE! Juice is a fantastic way to stay hydrated as well as get the added nutrients you need in your diet. If you are introducing your family to juicing you can start with more fruits than veggies. I personally must have that bit of sweet I get from apple and the tart from lemon. That really satisfies any cravings I may have for a sugary treat. Then I know I am not sabotaging my day with a candy bar, instead I am building my blood, bones, and connective tissue with the goodness it needs for my body to operate at the great demand I put upon it!
I have juiced for quite a number of years and seem to always come back to my very favorite recipe
2-3 stalks Celery
1 apple
1/2 -1 Lemon (depending on size of lemon
1" piece fresh ginger root
Kale or spinach
fresh parsley
1 cucumber
I place through the juicer at low speed in the order above. Serve over ice and enjoy!
Some folks add veggies in their smoothies which I have tried and personally not a fan (that texture thing again) But juicing the veggies first i.e. juicing a carrot and orange then adding juice to blender with a banana and a few ice cubes makes a special morning kickstarter replacement to plain boring pasteurized juice. (remember when you buy pasteurized the living organisms that are healthy for you have been killed off and synthetic vitamins and minerals have been added back in their place..... yuck)
You can even be creative with your juicer.... think via homemade salad dressings ala that raspberry vinaigrette. You can add collagen powder to a fresh glass of juice. I will add an Advocare Spark or Rehydrate to my juice if I know I have a busy day ahead of me. The posibilities are endless and you may have tried something you really like that you can share BELOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION with all of us! I always value helpful input.
SIDEBAR: You can add a pinch of salt to any juice to help replenish sodium lost through sweat!
POINT OF INTEREST: Try to use UN-waxed fruits and veggies....... this will make your juicer last longer! also, its great in a compost pile..... or to feed the fragments to farm animals. I have even wrapped up the debris in cheesecloth to make a vegetable broth base for soups. So do not think your wasting a lot that is left in your juicer.
IN ADDITION: eat smart and sensibly. We will dig deeper into why to eat seasonally in the next post!
LAST THING: If fruits and veggies are just not in your wheelhouse never have been -never will be please be using a supplement. There are a vast array of quality supplements that can replace the lack of nutrients you so vitally need.
