“Wanna have healthy cells and body? Cellular Nutrition can be obtained only through a special blend of highly solvable vitamins and nutrients that help the body cells to absorb the nutrients and vitamins from foods and supplements. In order to get the inactive body cells to absorb vitamins and nutrients, they need to be cleaned up of toxins, that keep them inactive, and activated. These juices can help!”

My husband saw this and asked if I thought he should get a juicer for is office so he could have juice more often. Well, I just laughed. I love my husband and he is amazing at all the he does, but I cannot see him breaking out the kale and celery after a meeting to start juicing. 

My solution was to make the juice for him and pack it in a cooler so he can have it throughout the day. I washed and cut the veggies and my 7-year-old juiced them, she had a blast. Forget the toys and the iPad, she had more fun with the juicer than most things I have seen her play with. It took us about 20 minutes to make the juice you see in this picture. I ran out of larger mason jars, so I had to use a combination of two small ones. The filled mason jar helps prevent the juice from oxidizing and losing nutrients — make sure you fill them to the tip top. And yes, I numbered them for him, so he knew which order to drink them in. You don’t see the lemon water in this picture because he drank it before he left the house.

The orange one was delicious. You can freeze this juice in a pop mold to make a healthy treat.

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“When you know better, you do better.”

When purchasing your honey, raw unprocessed honey is a good choice. 75% of all honey sold in stores contains no honey at all. A comprehensive investigation conducted by Food Safety News (FSN) has found that the vast majority of so-called honey products sold at grocery stores do not contain any pollen, which means they are not real honey. “Raw honey is thought to have many medicinal properties,” says Kathy Egan, dietitian at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.  ”Stomach ailments, anemia and allergies are just a few of the conditions that may be improved by consumption of unprocessed honey.”

Cacao Benefits

Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants and is a good source of dietary fiber.  Raw cacao contains the highest concentrated antioxidant of any other food.  It is also known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium, flavanols and polyphenols. Cacao polyphenols may improve the health of your heart and brain arteries by serving as antioxidants and inhibiting blood platelets from forming a clot. If your blood cholesterol is somewhat elevated, cacao polyphenols may also lower your low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, and raise your high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol levels.

Cacao may help to keep your bowel movements regular. A 1-ounce serving of raw cacao nibs contains 36 percent of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber, or 9 grams. Adding as little as 6.6 grams of cacao fiber per day to your diet may improve your bowel habits, according to a clinical study appearing in “Nutrition and Metabolism.”

Cacao products appear to be heart-healthy as well. One of the main health benefits of cacao is for the arteries in your heart and brain. Eating cacao foods such as chocolate several times per day may decrease your likelihood of having a stroke or heart attack, according to clinical studies published in the “Journal of the American College of Cardiology” and the “Journal of Internal Medicine.” In both studies, the frequency of stroke and heart attack in human subjects declined with an increase in chocolate intake. (Source)

Swiss Miss

The Rich Chocolate version of Swiss Miss hot chocolate contains the following ingredients (items in red are at risk of being genetically modified):

SUGAR, NONFAT MILK, MODIFIED WHEY, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED COCONUT OIL, LESS TAHN 2% OF: SALT, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM CASEINATE, CARRAGEENAN, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE.

Besides being full of GMOs, this hot chocolate also contains carrageenan.  All forms of carrageenan are capable of causing inflammation, specifically gastrointestinal inflammation… chronic inflammation is a root cause of many serious diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and cancer. Further, carrageenan is used in animal experiments to predictably cause inflammation, which allows pharmaceutical scientists to test the effectiveness of new anti-inflammatory drugs. In a report Cornucopia released, there is indication that scientists have raised concern about carrageenan’s safety for decades.  These concerns are based on their research linking the common food additive to gastrointestinal disease in laboratory animals, including colon tumors.

Swiss Miss also contains hydrogenated coconut oil, which is not a good choice. Hydrogenated oils and trans fats are especially unhealthy because they both raise our LDL “bad” cholesterol while lowering our HDL or “healthy” cholesterol. If you purchase coconut oil, look for labels that say “virgin” and make sure it’s not hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated and contains no trans fats.

Raw Cacao

Here is the ingredient breakdown for Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder: CERTIFIED ORGANIC CACAO (THEOBROMA CACAO). Theobroma Cacao is a small evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae native to the deep tropical regions of Central and South America. Its seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.

This recipe is as easy to make as a Swiss Miss packet, I hope you enjoy it!

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Real Hot Chocolate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food. www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood

Ingredients

• 8 oz Almond Milk (any milk of your choice will work)
• 3 tsp cacao powder
• 3 tsp honey or maple syrup

Instructions

1. Heat Almond Milk in small saucepan on stove.
2. Pour milk into mug.
3. Add cacao and honey.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Enjoy!

Real Hot Chocolate

• 8 oz Almond Milk (any milk of your choice will work)
• 3 tsp cacao powder
• 3 tsp honey or maple syrup

1. Heat Almond Milk in small saucepan on stove.
2. Pour milk into mug.
3. Add cacao and honey.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Enjoy!

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“When you know better, you do better.”

Gatorade was developed in the early 1960s by researchers at the University of Florida. Since its invention, manufacturers have added popular flavors to it. The drink is said to to replace electrolytes lost through exercise and exertion during the course of working out and sporting events. However, there are health risks that may result from the drink.

Gatorade has a high sugar and sodium content. Compared to a soda, there is more sodium in Gatorade, and sodium can lead to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is not usually associated with those under 30 years old, but it can still affect young athletes and endanger older athletes.

Gatorade is associated with significant weight gain. According to a University of California report that was cited in a Sept. 2007 Washington Post article, those who drink Gatorade regularly without engaging in at least an hour of vigorous sports activity can gain weight from the drink. Students who drink 20 oz. of Gatorade every day for a year gained approximately 13 pounds.

Those who drink Gatorade regularly are subject to tooth decay and other dental problems. A 12 oz. bottle of Gatorade Rain contains 21 grams of sugar. In addition to causing cavities, other problems can result as well. According to a New York University College of Dentistry study, prolonged use of the sports drink will cause significant staining of the teeth. NYU used cow teeth in its study (they are quite similar to human teeth) and soaked them in Gatorade and water. Those soaked in sports drinks grew discolored because of the high acidic content, according to NYU professor Mark Wolff. (Source)

The alternative we use for Gatorade consists of the following (it is delicious!):

– 6 oranges, juiced (energy from natural fruit sugars)
– 1 cup coconut water (electrolytes — potassium and magnesium)
– 1/2 lemon, juiced (electrolytes)
– pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt (because a cell’s ability to absorb water is dependent on salt, it’s one of the most essential nutrients to good health. As such, it’s often beneficial to add a pinch of salt to your drinking water, but be sure to use good quality salt instead of refined table salt.)

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When you know better, you do better.

• Juice from 1 small organic lemon (with peel)
• Juice from a thumb-size ginger
• 2 tablespoon raw honey
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

Many people think taking vitamin C for cold and flu is good. It’s true, however, without bioflavonoids, you will need a lot more vitamin C for healing. When you juice a lemon with the peel, it provides high content of bioflavonoids that help to super-boost your recovery.

Many vitamin C supplements consist of synthetically derived ascorbic acid. This is virtually ineffective. Without the natural citrus bioflavonoids, ascorbic acid is easily oxidized and can actually be harmful to the body. This is why whole food nutrition is so much better than synthetically derived supplements. The best sources of citrus bioflavonoids are in lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges, & tangerines. (Source)

If you do not have a juicer to juice the lemon and the ginger, a teaspoon of honey (raw is best) and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon will usually knock out a cold within a day or two if taken twice a day for 3 days. Cinnamon is 26 percent sulfur based and honey is 33 percent sulfur based, making their combination 59 percent sulfur based and the reason why their combination is so effective.  Sulfur stimulates the body’s natural healing powers, causing a general improvement of symptoms.

When coming down with a cold or flu the herb to take is actually a food: scallions. Scallions release the pathogen by inducing sweating. Simmer scallion or other onion along with garlic and ginger and drink the broth to keep a cold or flu from going deeper.

If a cold or flu has gone deeper and has affected the muscles, the herb of choice is cinnamon. Cinnamon is warming and can help when you are feeling weak especially if sweating does not help you feel better. In this case, cinnamon will warm, strengthen and increase immunity.

Fresh ginger is also warm and releases the pathogen. Similar to cinnamon, ginger strengthens the immunity for weaker people who are sweating without relief of symptoms.

A nice tea for the fall, especially when feeling chilled and trying to recover from a cold or flu, is made by simmering a couple of cinnamon sticks and sliced fresh ginger in water for at least 20 minutes, strain and drink as needed. (Source)

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Eat Better. Feel Better.

Water, corn syrup, sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve flavor), cellulose gum, polysorbate 60, gum arabic, glycerol abietate and FD&C yellow no. 5.

It is absolutely unnecessary to put these ingredients into your body. While this recipe does take more time to prepare, it is worth every second if you consider the benefits of watermelon. Watermelon is packed full of nutrition, hydrates and is low-fat. It is an excellent of vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant; vitamin C, which helps to strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, promote healthy teeth and gums; and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy. Watermelon has the highest concentrations of lycopene of any fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and several types of cancer — prostate cancer in particular. Watermelon is also a great source of potassium, which helps muscle and nerve function, helps maintain the body’s proper electrolyte and acid-base balance, and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure. Lastly, it also contains the amino acids citrulline and arginine, which can help maintain arteries, blood flow and overall cardiovascular function.

This recipe takes “drink responsibly” to a new level :).

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Real Watermelon Margaritas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food.

Ingredients

• 3 cups watermelon, cubed and frozen
• Zest from 2 limes
• Juice from 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup tequila

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients into blender.
2. Blend until frothy.
3. Enjoy!

 Real Watermelon Margaritas

• 3 cups watermelon, cubed and frozen
• Zest from 2 limes
• Juice from 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup tequila

1. Add all ingredients into blender.
2. Blend until frothy.
3. Enjoy!

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Eat Better. Feel Better.