Will You Help Me Be Better?

"We get Results in Accordance with the Real Values we Give"

And value is what I want to give you, but while I can say with hand on heart that after 25 years of being in the natural health & beauty industry, I have leart that every one of  you is unique and individual. This means that each of you will be more interested in some of the articles that I write than others. I am hoping you will help me understand what those interests are in order to help me serve you better, but also to avoid myself spending too much time writing and posting less than interesting information.

NOTE

As each article I write or recipe I post, takes a lot time to organise and get out to you, I need YOU to tell me what YOU would like me to be writing more about. There is no point in me pouring my guts down on paper if it is not something that you want to hear so it is my intention to focus a lot more on what you want to hear and not only what I want to write about.

Personally, I know what works for me when it comes to feeling good, colours that work for me, the people I like to be surrounded with, styles that support me well, foods that give me energy, help me sleep well and keep me healthy but what about you?

What are you struggling with?

What way do you like to learn?

What would you like to learn more of from  me?

I have put together a small survey that I hope won't take you any longer than 5 minutes to answer.

So, with all that said please find below.........

The quickest survey ever...

A) What is your greatest challenge when it comes to eating well?

1. Money.

2. Time.

3. Knowledge.

4. Commitment.

5. All of the above.

6. None of the above.

B) How much time in any given week do you spend in the kitchen preparing meals?

1. 2 hours.

2. 4 hours.

3. 6 hours.

4 All of the above.

5. None of the above.

C) What is your preferred method of learning new information that you are interested in?

1. Going to a class.

2. Reading a book

3. Downloading an ebook followed up by a seminar or class

4. Getting a coach

5. All of the above

6. None of the above

D) Please select from the following, the topics that are of most interest to you?

1. Natural Beauty - including, essential oils information, skin care, chemical free products

2. Kitchen aids, blenders, juicers, food processors - essential equipment for a healthy kitchen

3. Living foods info, vegetarian recipes, green smoothies healthy holiday foods 

4. Green glamour, bringing the glamour into green, including green gifts, unique style ideas, helping you find your stylish green side.

5. All of the above

6  None of the above

E) Would any of the following be beneficial to your life?

1. Coaching, both off line, on line and tele-seminars.

2. On line daily support programme

3. Home visits

4. On line courses in living a green lifestyle

5 All of the above

6 None of the above

I am always delighted to hear any comments that you have or if there is anything that you have not seen here that you would definitely like me to write more on, then please let me know.

Your own comments here: ----------------------------------------

You're done!

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I really am ever so grateful to you.

Best wishes,

Ruth.

Ps: I will be posting up the results over the next few days...can't wait to see what you all say.

Tasty Turmeric Veggies with Millet

Hello fellow yummy, healthy foodies,

It's been too long since I posted a recipe or indeed wrote my blog, but I hope the attached will go some way towards letting you know how sorry I am. It's been all go here getting my book ready for publication and it really is taking up oodles of time. But, things are beginning to calm down now, so it will be all systems go with my blog over the coming months and I am really looking forward to sharing what I know with all of you.

While this millet and veggie recipe wouldn't win any prizes in Master Chef, is still delicious, incredibly good for you because it's sooo alkalising and easy peasy to make which I think more than makes up for the lack of creativity.

Change the veggies around to ones that work for you if these don't float your boat. You can add chicken if you are that way inclined but I think it would be great if you could leave it out and see how you get on without it. How about making it your veggie meal of the week? Just a thought!
I love it and I hope you do too!

Well, here it is...

Turmeric Tasty Veggies with Millet (serves 2 and a bit for the pot!)
3 cups water
1 cup of millet
1 Tbs coconut oil (it won't taste of coconut, don't worry)
1/2 an onion, diced
Handful of peas
1/4 squash (optional)
3/4 tsp good quality sea salt, Himalayan or Celtic
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 pepper (I like red), but yellow is good too
1 cup broccoli florets

To make
If you soak the millet over night, it will be much easier to digest and will be easier for your body to extract the available nutrients within.

Add the soaked millet to a pan of boiling water and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. In a pan heat the coconut oil and add the onions.  Cook for a few minutes until they are a translucent quality. Then add salt and your spices. Cook for several minutes. Finally add all the vegetables except the peas which will be added later. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add peas and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, add the cooked millet to the pan and stir everything together. If you would like to add more spices, you can add to adjust the flavouring to suit your taste buds. That's it!

This dish can be served with a nice green salad if you find you would like something on the side.

As always, I'd love to know what you think!

Get the Glow,

Ruth.

Fats-The Good, The Bad & The Downright Ugly

I just couldn't resist it the photo:) But there is some element of truth behind it. There are so many people in the world for whom the battle of saying no to the goodies is a really tough one. Tackling your mindset around why these are so tempting to you in the first place, is the most important area to get clear on (and will be covered in another blog), but it is equally as important that people know why saying no is a whole lot better for you in the long run.

When I was growing up my mum was a brilliant cook and in particular, a brilliant baker. I loved and still do love the delights that she can produce when she gets into the kitchen. Although,  nowadays her idea of a dessert (living on her own) is a nice M&S, mixed berry crumble, or heaven's forbid, one from Lidyl or Aldi! Still, she gave myself and my sisters a taste for the sweet things in life and we are beyond fussy, when it comes to getting it right in the goodies department. Lucky for me though, I had a host of food sensitivities, so I began to uncover the world of guilt free baking! And discover it was exactly what I did. To this day, I cannot and will not eat the stuff that some people pass off as a "replacement" for brownies or flapjacks, which I love!! These baking faux pas can be truly horrific and would put anyone off wanting to chose the "healthy" option. Honestly, I would prefer to eat an amazingly good product once a week than one a day of these poor, desperate imitations (unless it's me making it that is...such modesty!) But I digress......

The baking tray is not the only place where we can find these fats that we find so hard to say no to, but it is one of the more challenging, particularly if you like to go for cup of coffee in Starbucks or some of the other coffee houses that have popped up all over the place in recent years. You may even have told yourself that having that muffin or scone every day with your cup of coffee is ok because it's your little "treat" for being so good (good for what I'm not quite sure), and because they are packaged so invitingly, you might be fooled into to thinking that they're are actually not as bad for you as you thought! Well, I will be the bearer of bad news..... these products are laden with the types of fats that you definitely do not want to eat on a regular basis. Remembering that there's so much more to fats than meets the immediate eye. Let me give you the low down on some of the important things you should now about fats, especially if you are going to move from zero to hero in their world.

First though, let's get some facts about fats out of the way.  ALL fats are completely, totally and utterly essential for us to live healthy lives. Fats help you body absorb many essential vitamins (A,D,E and K), they maintain the structure and function of cell membranes and preserve the integrity of your immune system (helpful don't you think!).  Your brain is composed of 60% fat and one third of this should come from essential fats if you want to achieve optimal health and wellness. So next time you hear of someone on a fat free diet, worry, really worry!

Fats break down into the following categories:
1. Saturated fats - which are solid at room temperature e.g. butter, meat, lard, coconut oil/butter
2. Unsaturated fats - which are liquid at room temperature e.g. vegetable oils

Unsaturated fats break down further into:
Monounsaturated  fatty acids (avocado oil and olive oil)
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (sunflower, corn or hemp oil )

Some of these fats are essential fatty acids and the others are non-essential. In short, we need to take in essential fatty acids (also known as the polyunsaturated ones) because they cannot be made by the body. The primary function of EFA's is the production of prostaglandins which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation by encouraging the body to fight infection. The non-essential can be manufactured by the body in small amounts and therefore it is not essential that we get them from our diet.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids - The Really Good Guys
Just to keep things simple, I will only look at omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 fats can be found in sources such as flax (also known as linseed), pumpkin and hemp, plus fish oils like krill. The omega 6 fats are found in sunflower, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds). In the body, the omega 3 fats are converted to alpha-linolenic acid, which then converts to EPA and DHA, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Omega 3 fatty acids are easily damaged though (which is why you should not heat these oils) and is also why they are usually omitted from many processed foods. We are much less deficient in omega 6 than omega 3 because many food manufactures add these omega 6 oils to our food. This happens for many different reasons, but one of these reasons is because fats make our food taste better. However, this leads to a over supply of omega 6 and an under supply of omega 3 for many of us and therefore provides another reason to reduce the amount of processed food in your shopping basket. The omega 6 fatty acids are broken down by the body to linolenic acid, which is then coverted to to GLA (think evening primrose ladies) and a not so good acid called arachidonic acid. To avoid too much arachidonic acid, the recommendation again is to lessen the amount of processed foods you eat plus reduce the amount of animal based products you consume. As mentioned above, because all essential fats are so easily damaged by heat, please avoid using these oils for cooking and do consume cold for best results.

Saturated Fat - The Bad Guy or Is It??
Not all saturated fat is bad for you, which may come as a shock to many of you.We actually need saturated fat in our diet. It is the saturated fat that is found animal based products, which we need to reduce, which is also the saturated fat that found in large amounts in or current Western diet. But did you know that coconut oil is also very high in saturated fat too? But it a different type of saturated fat which contains medium chain triglycerides rather than long chain triglycerides and our bodies LOVE these MCT's. They are actually incredibly beneficial for our health and can be brokendown and utilised quickly by the body and are a really excellent source of energy. In South East Asia and the Pacific Island where coconut is revered, they enjoy high levels of cardiovascular health and super strong immune systems and it is their consumption of coconuts that are largely responsible for these findings. Coconuts also contain lauric and capric acids, which are incredible antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial agents to so excellent for maintaining a healthy gut.

Transfats - The Downright Ugly and what's it doing on our plates anyway Guy!!
A lot of the polyunsaturated fats we eat are damaged and become trans fats or processed fats. These are also known as hydrogenated fats. To turn a vegetable oil into a hard fat (e.g. margarine) it goes through a process called hydrogenation. This is where hydrogen is added to a vegetable oil to make it solid.You know the type that you can take out of the fridge and spread immediately?  This hydrogenation process blocks the body's ability to use the good fats and is something that we really want to avoid.  Could this mean that you are reducing the effectivness of your essential fatty acid supplements??  Having too many of these transfats in your diet will also increase your bad cholesterol (LDL) and also lower your good cholesterol levels (HDL). Transfats are not something you want in your food so next time you go shopping, please read that label for the word "hydrogenated or partially hydrodgenated" If it contains either, don't buy it. Transfats are not even recognised by our bodies and will immediately store it as a toxin. And back to my baking scenario above, most of the shop bought cakes, muffins and scones are make by using these hyrdogenated vegetable oils, so this is another good reason to avoid them or at least reduce the amount you purchase and consume.

As with anything I do, my aim is not to scare you senseless into making changes or to confuse you so much that you do not know what to eat anymore. My only aim is to educate and inform you and to help you feel better and live a healthier and longer life.  So, the next time someone puts one of those pretty looking cup cakes in front of you and your feel obliged to eat it, be aware of what they contain and make your choices based on the facts. I also LOVE cupcakes and scones too, but when I chose to bake them, I will make make sure that my body at least knows what to do with it when it goes in by using real identifiable butter or fat that my body will recognise. I suggest you do this too.

I hope this has helped you and would love you to share it with as many people as possible if it has. This is the best way to pass on the good word.

I would also be thrilled to receive your comments and if you have any pressing concerns about what you've read, please feel free to email me (see contact me area).

Finally, if you are currently challenged by any health concerns i suggested you consult your doctor before embarking on any major change to your diet, particularly if you are currently taking doctor prescribed medication.

Other than that.....I wish you incredible health and happiness!

Ruth.

Get Your Giggle On

These are challenging times we are living in. It may sound strange, but I gave up listening to the news quite some months ago. But somehow, I have always managed to keep abreast of everthing that's going on in the world through other people and glimpses of headlines here and there without having to actually sit and watch or listen to any news channel.


For some people the very idea of this may be too much to handle, but for me, it just makes sense. Especially if you could be watching something really funny instead. Anyway, for the last few years, there has been very little good news to report, and I don't particularly want to be remided of it daily. Especially, if I am having a day that things are not going as well as I would like them to. Some people find knowing what to eat stressful, for me this is simple, for others, it is chosing something to wear, again, for me this is something I love doing. However, the area I fall down on most is making sure I am not overgiving, and keeping my stress levels well managed. This is an area of my life that I like to keep in check and one of the best ways I have found to do this and that works for me to have a good old giggle. Oh, you just feel brilliant afterwards! Like going to see a good comedian and having to hold your sides from the pain because your waist  muscles are getting such a good workout. In my opinion, nothing is a good at changing your mood as much as laughing. So how are you going to get your giggle on?

For me it was last Sunday afternoon when I met with an old and very good friend of mine. We had not seen each other for a long time (way too long in my opinion). We spent a wonderful day together and what resulted from this meeting was a completely fresh look at life.We laughed and giggled for hours and I came home completely refreshed and invigorated. It reminded me of when I was young, carefree and unaware of the world around me. I felt fantastic and could barely remember what had been causing me concern in the first place. However, some days later I did remember what it was, plus several creative solutions to achieve resolutions, without having to sit down and "figure" them out.

Some people naturally gravitate towards having lots and lots of fun and making sure that it is an integral part of their lives. For me, I have a tendency to work a lot and keep seeing where I can be better. This means that I can sometimes forget to "pencil in" (that's a joke!) to have a good old giggle.

It may sound too silly for you (and if it does, then perhaps, then it is good to be reminded), but I am wondering, have you had a giggle today? What did you do? If you didn't, could you find a way to have one tomorrow? Life is a journey, not a destination and it will be much more fun and enjoyable if you can make room for giggling. So, what are you waiting for?...get your giggle on! A really belly laugh is irresistible and if you still want to be technical about it, having a giggle will do your immune system the world of good. Studies have shown, that people who laugh more, have stronger resistance to stress and build healthier and more white blood cells. They're the little critters that go out and work hard protecting you from getting sick.

I would love to hear what makes you have a belly laugh and if you happen to be facing challenges right now, what creative ways you have found to help you deal with some of those challenges, particularly if they involve laughing or having a giggle.

If you have any comments, I would be delighted if you would post them in the comments box below and look forward to reading them all.

Yours in good health and giggleness,

Ruth.

Get in Touch with Your Inner Cow

Don't judge it until you've tried it! You know that most things in life that are incredibly good for you, don't always taste the best....in the beginning anyway. If I told you that you might actually get to like this substance, would you believe me? Alright, like might be too strong a word, but how about tolerate? Better? Wheatgrass was one of these little substances that took me a while to get used to. I found it bitter and just way to grassy for my liking. Even today when I take wheatgrass, and I do regularly, I think it's the closest I will ever feel to understanding what a cow's life must be like....without needing the 4 stomachs to digest it.

What is Wheatgrass?
A little information about this berry. It is grown from the wheat berry, which is the whole kernel of the wheat grain, so while it might have a similar appearance to lawn grass (see daisy above), in truth it is far from it. Wheatgrass is the young shoots from the berry that has been watered and nurtured for approximately a 10 day period. In order to extract the nutrients, the wheatgrass will need to be run through a juicer called a masticating or auger juicer to get all the available nutrients out and to make these nutrients available for the human body. Wheatgrass, can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies because the gluten, which is the protein in wheat that causes the allergic reaction, changes during the sprouting process and the protein that was in the original seed is no longer in the grass blade and therefore can be tolerated by people with wheat/gluten sensitivities. Some people people who have been diagnosed as coeliacs are not prepared to try it just in case, but research points to the fact that it is safe to drink because it does not contain gluten.

Wheatgrass has been around for a long time, but it was through Dr. Ann Wigmore in the 1940's a health pioneer,  who uncovered it's benefits when using it to help people with serious health challenges. Dr. Wigmore passed away in 1994 but if you would like to find out more about Dr. Wigmore and her legacy you can visit http://www.annwigmore.org or http://www.annwigmore.com . Suffice to say that almost anyone who is interested in the benefits of wheatgrass or sprouting, has come across the name Dr. Ann Wigmore. Her legacy is wide and far reaching.

The Benefits of Wheatgrass
Looking at the following list if might seem obvious that everyone should be consuming wheatgrass daily to their get their dose of vitamins and mineral, but they are not. I hope that the following will go some way to helping you understand a little about why it would be incredibly beneficial for you to start taking this green drink.

Wheatgrass is reported to have the following benefits:

• Be one of the richest sources of Vitamins A and C
• Contains a full spectrum of B vitamins including B17, which has been accredited to destroying cancer cells but without affecting normal cells
• Provides organic iron to the blood which helps improve circulation
• Contains 92 of 102 trace minerals
• Very rich in chlorophyll, a powerful detoxifying agent
• Helps to purify the liver
• Improves blood sugar problems
• Is considered a complete food by many authorities
• Helps wound and sores heal more quickly
• Is very similar to the molecular structure of your red blood cells, enhances the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to every cell of your body

And I know that this list is not complete! But I wanted to give you some understanding of what those little green shots that you have heard are good for you are actually doing.

Another point that I would like to mention about wheatgrass is that it can be very strong. It also contains alkaloids, which are like nature's chemicals that can strengthen the immune system, but if taken in too large quantities are not supportive to the body. At times, I can down 3oz shots (approx 90mls), but then I wouldn't give you tuppence for even a 1oz shot. Like always, my advice is to see how you go. Try a 1oz first and then work up to more if you can tolerate it. Sometime, I add a shot to my green smoothie because I don't want to take it on it's own. This way I can still get the benefits, but without having to take it on it's own.

One final note, wheatgrass is best taken on an empty stomach even though I personally add it to my smoothies at times. I mostly have it on it's own to get maximum bang for my buck.

Well, that's it from this meadow.

As always, I wish you good health and empowerment!

Green, grassy wishes.

Ruth.

Fibre…itis!

There is a new epidemic sweeping our lands and it’s coming to a house near you....I call it Fibre...itis! When I look at a plate of food I see nutrient content, you know, fibre, enzymes, phyto-nutrients. I think to myself, what am I going to get out of it? Will it feed me or just fill me? I know I am in the minority here and perhaps it’s a crazy concept for a lot of people, but one that I would ask you to be open to. You see, what you are eating will determine quite of lot of how you are feeling. When you eat something, it will be broken down into smaller parts. These smaller parts, will then go on to become even smaller parts and smaller etc….Eventually, these parts need to become energy for your cells. If you put diesel into a petrol engine, you wouldn’t get very far right? Well, that’s what has happens with your body too. Junk food in, junk energy out.

However, no matter what you take in, it is through all of these incredibly complex metabolic processes, that we produce waste products that will need to be eliminated from the body. If these waste products are not eliminated correctly, and efficiently, the body almost begins to poison itself from within...sounds yuck eh! These waste products will look for alternative way of elimination e.g. spilling onto the skin and causing eruptions and problems and like just slowing us down in general sometimes to the point of stopping us in our tracks with a major illness until we do get the "junk" out. There is a better way than letting these waste products build and build and cause damage to our bodies and this is by taking in sufficient fibre. Fibre is the magic sponge that will safely eliminate these waste producs from our bodies.  So, exactly is fibre and where do I get it from?

Soluble Fibre
There are two main types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. The soluble is the kind found in fruit, beans peas, oat bran, rye, barley, certain veggies such as broccoli and carrots, psyllium (that you can buy in shops) and especially chia seeds. Soluble fibre has a jelly like substance that improves bowel movements. If you’ve ever soaked chia seeds in water, you will get a very good example of this jelly like substance. Soluble fibre also mops up or binds with cholesterol found in the small intestine and brings it out of the body. Soluble fibre can slow down the release of sugars into the system, and is therefore an excellent way of reducing the risk of diabetes.

Insoluble Fibre
Insoluble is the type found primarily in greens, peels, nuts, seeds wholegrains and beans. Think of the husks of grains, and you’ll get the picture of what insoluble fibre looks like. Insoluble fibre is like a sponge and indeed plays a similar role. If you’ve ever put a sponge over water and allow it soak it up, then you will have a good visual of how the insoluble fibre works in the intestine. It can absorb many times its own body weight in toxic residue and then releases it from the body.

Other than metabolic waste where do these toxins come from?
From inhaling the air around us, to undigested foods, taking in heavy metals from the food chain e.g. tuna fish is very high in mercury, and from other pesticides/herbicides that have been used to bring the food to our table. Skin care products, household products that are not environmentall friendly, shampoos and conditioners that are usually bought in chemists and supermarkets, mobile phones, laptops, medication,, alcohol, coffee etc. We live surrounded by them and there is nothing you can do to avoid some of them. However, the one good way to make sure that you are fighting them in the best way possible is to up your fibre intake.

What is the best way to up my fibre intake?
For me, this has to be by taking a green smoothie daily. The fruit and leafy green combination works perfectly. You can also do as I do and add chia seeds for even more soluble fibre. I soak mine before hand. If you do manage to get some chia seeds  and put them in water, you will see exactly how this works. You could also up your legumes (peas, beans and lentils), seeds, nuts and veggies intake. Fruit is also an excellent source of fibre, but I would not encourage you to take in too much as it still does contain a lot of fruit sugar. About two pieces per day is best. Also, please don't get too bogged down in whether or not you have eaten soluble or insoluble fibre, just increase your intake of veggie foods and you will be really helping your gut. For the record, animal products are not sources of fibre, so do not be fooled, you will get neither soluble or insoluble fibre from eating them. Plant based foods are the way to increase your overall fibre intake.

If you would like some green smoothie recipes, please visit www.facebook.com/kitchengreenie. There are plenty of recipes there to get you started.

I hope you found this article helpful and if you did, then please so pass it on to someone who might benefit from reading it.

To your good health!

Ruth.

Juicy Secrets

There has been lots of interest in juicing in recent years and deservedly so.  Many people now replace several of their daily meals with these nutritional power-houses and are reaping the benefits of such a change. Juicing remains one of the quickest ways to supercharge your health and vitality that is available to date. The following is a short guide on juicing that I hope will help clear up any questions that you might have had but were afraid to ask.

Fresh Versus Pasteurised
The first thing you need to know is that there is a difference between pasteurised and un-pasteurised juice. Fresh juice has active enzymes and the pasteurised version does not. These active components of fresh juice are the main reason why juiced fruit and veg only last a short time after being prepared. Typically this is around 24 hours, after that, the juice will have oxidised quite considerably. Oxidation is the process where the active enzymes comes into contact with oxygen and as a result, begins to degrade over time. If you’ve ever cut an apple and left it exposed to the air, you will see it turning brown. This is the same oxidative process that happens to a fresh juice. There is a considerable reduction in the quality and enzymatic content once the juice has been extracted, which is why it is better to drink it soon after it has been made.

Juice Contains No Fibre
This is true. The juice is almost like the blood of the plants. Once it is passed through a juicer, the fibre is removed leaving only the liquid element behind. You body can easily absorb the nutrients from this liquid without having to go through the lengthy digestive process that eating the whole plant involves. This makes light work on the digestive tract, and is an excellent way to up your nutritional intake, particularly if your digestive system is functioning below par. Have you ever felt the need to sleep after a big meal? Not exactly the result eating a meal is meant to achieve, but shows the power of the digestive process, particularly when it is under siege, well, juicing is an incredible way to give your body a break, while feeding it at the same time. 

However, even though juice does not contain any fibre, we do still need  to eat it and in fact, we need a lot more than we would imagine, so I would not recommend you staying on only juice for a long time, unless you are treating a serious health condition. Fibre is like a magic sponge that mops up all the toxins that are stored in our colon. The lack of fibre in our western diet is a major cause for concern and is seriously damaging people’s health. Victoria Butenkyo (one of my secret nutritional heroes) in “Green for Life” recommends people take in at least 30 to 50 grams per day. It is sad, but most of us are falling way short of this figure, with most people closer to 15 grams per day. I most certainly do not want to “dis” juicing, or its increcible role in reversing many illness and nutritional deficiencies, but feel that people need to be made aware of its lack of fibre.  I will be covering more on fibre in another post over the coming weeks so watch out for it.

Best Time to Juice
Morning is definitely the best time to juice. This is because the body has several different cycles and it is in the morning when the juice will be of most benefit to you. The body goes into its cleansing and detox cycle at 3am and does not leave this cycle until noon the following day. During this time, the inner organs are cleansing and expelling the body of unwanted toxins. It is more supportive to your body to drink fresh juice and have foods with a high water content during this time, which means a nice, fresh veggie juice is an excellent way to start the day. Examples of veggies that have a high water content are cucumber and celery. Fruit too also has a high water (and sugar content too) and don’t forget your leafy greens. You may have heard that having your biggest meal in the middle of the day really is better for you but now you know why, it’s because your can digest it easier. The later the hour in the day that you eat, the more taxing it will be on your digestive system. If you are going to have a large meal and it is a late hour and you find your digestive system is not what it used to be, then I suggest you try taking some digestive enzymes before you eat. I find these little things a Godsend!

Juicing is Alkalising to the Body
Our body’s blood has a natural acid/alkaline balance. It is measured on a PH scale that ranges from zero, with zero being the most acidic to 14, being the most alkaline. Good health is somewhere between 6.8 and 7.6. Most of the refined foods we eat, i.e. all processed and packaged  food, wheat based products, dairy and animal products are acid forming to our bodies. When our PH is too acidic it is Disneyland for bad bacteria and yeast to survive and thrive. Ideally we are better off refusing entry to these little nasties and juicing, particularly green juices are an excellent way to redress this balance to more alkaline surroundings. The reason I mention green juices is that many people are under the illusion that having mango, pineapple, pear a carrot is a good nutritious juice. It is certainly better than the shop bought version, but for maximum nutrition, low GL (glycaemia load) and truly healthy juices, you need to get juicing those leaves and veggies with a smaller amount of fruit. I will be putting up a Useful Links Index shortly so, do please keep checking back to see if I’ve been organised enough to get write and jog my memory if I haven't.

Different Veggies You Can Juice

• All Leafy Greens – including kale, spinach, pak choi, parsley, coriander, mint – high in vitamins A,C and E, watercress, rocket, all types of lettuce, chock full of chlorophyll (see separate entry on chlorophyll) and phyto-nutrients. Great for alkalising the body.
• Cucumber and Celery are incredible for flushing out toxins from the kidneys. Great for building hair, skin and nails. Anti-inflammatory qualities. Celery is high in the coumarins, a phyto-chemical that may help lower blood pressure and increase white blood cell count.
• Beetroot – great for building strong blood and heart. They add a lovely earthy flavour to your juice. Don’t forget to juice the leafy tops too as they contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron.
• Apples- are lovely and sweet and bring a lovely taste to your juice. They are a great system cleanser and like most fruit, have plenty of anti-oxidant properties because they have high Vit A and C content. They are also more alkalising to the body than other fruits.
• Pears – similar to apples, but are the more alkalising than most other fruit.
• Ginger – Incredible for your digestion and brings such a unique taste to your drink. I love this and add it to almost all of my drinks and smoothies.
• Lemons and Lime - Full of Vitamin c, but their real benefit is in the alkalising effect they have on the blood. This makes them excellent for taking the edge off some of the more bitter leafy greens and a great combination with lots of other fruit.

As you can imagine, this is not an exhaustive list, of fruit and veggies that are available. There are lots of juicing books on the market that can offer lots of creative recipes that you and your family can enjoy. For juicing, the higher the water content, the more juice you will get. The above list are some of the fruit and veggies that I juice regularly.

Enjoy getting to know what works for you and I look forward to hearing all about your amazing, healthy, juicy concoctions.

To you good health!

Ruth.