Food/Nutrition

Get Juicing

Eating vegetables, especially raw, is critical to maintaining good health. But how do we fit in the recommended daily allowance of five to 10 servings? Here's the simple answer: juice them. Vegetable juicing is one way to eat more raw food than we otherwise might.

If you're a first-time juicer, start with an easy-to-tolerate combination of celery, fennel, and cucumber. Then get a little more sophisticated by adding leafy green vegetables like green leaf or romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, and cabbage. Sweeten the flavour with a few seedless grapes or an apple.

Every vegetable has its own particular healing property:

• Celery is a natural diuretic containing vitamins A, B, and C as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
• Kale is high in calcium and rich in carotenoids, powerful anticancer agents.
• Cabbage is a cancer preventive, rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Fennel stimulates healthy digestion.

For greater health benefits, add supplements such as flaxseed oil or hempseed oil. While you're shopping for organic ingredients at your natural health food store, check out their book department for mouth-watering juice recipes or order Juicing for the Health of It by Siegfried Gursche (alive books #1003, 2001).

Nutrition on the Go

With dozens of varieties available, how do you choose a nutrition bar that best fits your needs? Well, it depends on whether you want to substitute a meal or whether you just need a snack.

Before you decide on a nutrition bar, check the nutrition facts on the label so you know how many calories you'll be consuming. Many protein bars are high in calories (300 kcal or more) and are intended for athletes who need to refuel while running or biking. But this kind of nutrition bar can also suit your needs if you're at work or on the road and need to replace a meal. Maximize your performance by pairing it with an organic fruit and plenty of water.

At other times, when you're looking for more of a snack than a meal, reach for something like a cranberry-almond bar. It contains organic hemp and honey, which helps inhibit cravings for unhealthy sweets. In addition, it has oats, flaxseeds, and raisins-all for less than 200 calories.

To help avoid the temptation of buying chips or chocolate bars, keep nutrition bars handy in your car's glove compartment or in your desk at work.