As I have stated in previous posts, I am continuously trying to make
good food choices for my family. I try
to go organic as often as I can. I try
to make sure we the kids don’t guzzle juice all day. I try to make sure that they have plenty of
fresh fruit and vegetables to eat.
But seriously, I feel like American society is against me. I mean, just look at the second rising of The
Twinkie. It was everywhere! When Thomas wants watches TV on certain
stations, he starts begging for Lucky Charms.
Lucky Charms?! I wasn’t even
allowed to have those as a kid!
I am fortunate in the fact that Thomas and Marie will eat broccoli,
tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
However, anything green and leafy is considered poison to them. Perhaps at this point, you would suggest
making a smoothie and sneaking kale and spinach in there. Listen, I have tried. I have made so many horrible smoothies, that
they won’t even drink the good ones.
Frustrated, I reached out to my friend Angie. We met at a conference that our husbands
attend each year, and I remember her talking about a whole food supplement
called Juice Plus.
We talked for a while, and I became intrigued by her
information. Her journey of finding
Juice Plus is compelling, and she agreed to write a guest post.
So without further ado, I welcome Angie McCoy as she tells her story
about Juice Plus.
________________________________________________________________________
First Add; Then
Subtract
Teachers and
school-aged children know it is easier to add than subtract in math. Kids learn that in first grade, if not before. This principle holds true in our lives as
well, especially as it relates to our diets.
Everyone knows that
we need to remove the processed foods like soda, chips and fast food from our
diets, but it can be difficult to do especially when you enjoy those
things. But seriously, if you are what
you eat, who wants to be a Twinkie? How
about a Ding Dong? You just might be one
if you continue to serve processed foods to your children knowing that these
foods tear down health instead of building it up.
So, let’s get back to nutritional math and consider first, learning
to add to our diet before we subtract from it.
The nutritional foundation that we were created to build upon should be
a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
The current recommendation is 7-13 servings per day, which comes out to
at least half your plate at every meal.
This amount gives your body the fuel that it needs to build a firm
foundation of stone.
Unfortunately, most people today are
building their nutritional future on sinking sand, and it shows in the health
of parents as well as children. Dr.
David Katz, MD, founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center,
profoundly states, “Today’s kids may be the first generation in history whose
life expectancy is projected to be less than that of their parents.” That is not what we imagined for our
children… “When my daughter grows up I want her to be a veterinarian, a mom and
have a shorter life than I will live.”
NO WAY! We want the best of
everything for our kids. In order to
achieve that we must fuel their bodies so that they may live up to their full
potential, which is easier said than done.
I wish I could say that as a nurse and
loving mother, I came to this realization about the importance of nutrition
naturally, but that is not the case.
Most doctors and nurses are not well versed in the role nutrition plays
in prevention and furthermore, the role that poor diet plays in contributing to
illness and disease. It’s not their
fault. That information is not something
that is stressed in most medical and nursing schools.
My epiphany came a few years ago when
my daughter was faced with an unknown health challenge. We exhausted every medical option possible
and were left with a “wait and see” diagnosis.
As a mother warrior, I realized that waiting for her condition to worsen
was not good enough for me, so I began devouring every book and journal on
prevention that I could get my hands on.
All sources included one common method of prevention as well as
treatment: a diet rich in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. The problem was my picky daughter was eating
almost none!
Then, like an angel of hope, my friend
told me about a whole food supplement called Juice Plus. I said, “You mean I can get the nutrition of
26 vine-ripened, raw fruits, vegetables and grains into my daughter every day
without her crying!” It sounded too good
to be true! I felt like I had struck
nutritional gold! In fact, I had struck
the nutritional rainbow with Juice Plus as the pot of gold at the end of it!
As a nurse, I love that Juice Plus is
backed by gold-standard, independent clinical research conducted at prestigious
medical institutions and universities across the United States and abroad that
shows that Juice Plus:
· First and
foremost, is absorbed by your body, aka bioavailable
· Reduces
systemic inflammation
· Supports your
immune system
· Protects DNA
· Protects the
cardiovascular system, among many other things
As a mom, I love that Juice Plus gives
me the extra energy needed to keep up with two very involved kids as well as my
own personal schedule. My husband has
come off of 4 medications and is proud to say that he has not been to his
doctor since we started taking Juice Plus.
In fact, neither have my kids.
They have received the attendance awards at school for years, and when
they do feel something coming on, their bodies have the nutritional ammunition
to heal themselves. To me Juice Plus is
my nutritional insurance policy, and I thoroughly believe in investing in our
wellness instead of subsidizing our illness.
As a nurse and more importantly, as a
mother warrior, I feel a moral obligation to share the importance of nutrition
in the role of health maintenance and more importantly prevention. I urge you to first add more fruits and
vegetables every day wherever possible.
One practical tip that works for my family is to always have a veggie
tray chopped, clean and ready. Leave it
on the counter for the walk-by snacker.
Set the tray out on the table as an appetizer while you prepare the
dinner plates. Every family member must
have two of each (but I do allow them to veto one vegetable of their
choice). Finally, pre-pack snack bags
full of diced fruits and veggies for a quick on the go treat.
Ok that was the easy part: Addition! Now here comes the tough one:
Subtraction! It’s time to rid your
pantry and fridge of all the processed garbage that we pretend is food! You know you should pitch it if:
1. The front of
the package sounds too good to be true.
Never trust the front of the package.
Find the nutrition facts for the real deal. Remember, the first ingredient is in the
greatest quantity and decreases from there.
2. The ingredients
list rivals the last novel you read in length.
Ok, I am talking to Moms here, it rivals the length of the last magazine
article you read while going to the bathroom.
3. It contains
words you cannot pronounce. Ok all you
geniuses, just because you can say butylated hydroxyanisole, you still should
not ingest it.
4. Anything artificial is listed like
flavors, dyes, and artificial sweeteners.
5. It was not found in the grocery back
when your mother was born and your great-grandmother would not recognize it as
food like blue yogurt in a tube or Cheetos.
You cannot eat anything that does not
find a way home from the store with you, so just don’t buy the junk. Go to the grocery armed with knowledge of the
power of good nutrition and a full stomach to help resist temporary insanity in
the chip aisle.
Just remember, it is best to start with
addition of fruits and vegetable with your family. For the best possible protection, bridge the
gap between what you really eat and what you should eat with Juice Plus. Next, subtract the junk food from your
pantry. That’s no place for the
trash! When it comes to nutritional
math, begin with the addition of healthy foods before the subtraction of the
garbage and you will multiply the health benefits for you and your family.
Sincerely,
Angie, RN
Wife, mother, nurse, nutrition advocate
and guest blogger
For more
information on Juice Plus
And how to get
it free for your kids check out my website:
