Beet It!

I'm going to admit it… until I was in my late teens I thought that beetroot only came in jars and was pickled (thanks Mum, for my amazing palate!). However, as I got older and became aware of my own body, and realised that it couldn't take care of itself unless I gave it a helping hand. I became very interested in food and health. You can understand my surprise when I saw a fresh beet! The taste didn’t disappoint either! They taste so fresh and sweet and the benefits they give us are awesome. The beet is definitely a overlooked member of the vegetable family.

A recent study shows beetroot to be a factor in heart health. Penn States Noll laboratory revealed that athletes who drank beet juice before exercising had increased blood flow and improved performance. Researchers also found that it “de-stiffened” blood vessels under resting conditions, potentially easing the workload of the heart. They are also a great purifier for the blood. It's been said that they can prevent various forms of cancer!

Beets are high in many vitamins and minerals. Potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B and C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine and folic acid. These are just a few of the many nutrients that can be found in beets and their greens!

Beets are used as a stomach acid tester. Nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test the stomach acid levels. If your pee is pink, you have low stomach acid, which is what you want, but if it's still clear...get juicing!

Beets are very beneficial to women who are pregnant as the vitamin B and iron are very active to new growth cells during pregnancy and replacing iron in mums body.

Beets can help with mental health too as they contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains Tryptophan which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being similar to chocolate. At the same time they are low in calories and high in sugar (although the sugar is released into your system gradually, as opposed to chocolate). Let's get the beetroot in girls and shed some pounds!

This one is for the boys (and girls)... Beets are natures viagra! Really! One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans. They used them medically as an aphrodisiac. They got it right too, science backs it up. Beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.  All sounds perfect to me! Time to stop 'beeting' around the root and get it in!

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Ginger Power!

I have just been reading one of my favorite magazines “Women's Health”. I am happy to say that in the latest issue they are bringing to everyone's attention “the importance of Ginger”. I have had the gingers back for years. I've repeatedly tried to spread my love for it because its benefits are amazing! So I am taking this chance to elaborate the amazing qualities of Ginger!

1, As I read in “Women's Health” a new study published  in the journal of Exercise and fitness showed that ginger can cut an average of 4.1 kg of body fat over 10 weeks when combined with strength training. 1 tablespoon a day is enough to see results! Also if you add it to protein it can double the speed in which it reaches your muscles. We use ginger in a lot of our juice detox diets and they are all filled with lovely protein!

2, Ginger tea is great to drink when you feel a cold coming on. It is a diaphoretic tea, meaning that it will warm you from the inside and promote perspiration. It is also good when you don't have a cold and just want to warm up! A slice of ginger in hot water is great to have along side our juices.

3, Ginger maintains blood circulation, it contains chromium, magnesium and zinc which can help to improve blood flow, as well as help prevent chills, fever, and excessive sweat.

4, Ginger is very effective in alleviating discomfort and pain in the stomach. It promotes the elimination of excessive gas from the digestive system and soothes the intestinal tract.

5, Ginger-root appears to reduce the symptoms associated with motion sickness including dizziness, nausea, vomiting and cold sweating. Ginger has also been used to treat the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.

6, Ginger improves the absorption and stimulation of essential nutrients in the body. It does this by stimulating gastric and pancreatic enzyme secretion.

7, Ginger also contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly. Gingerols inhibit the formation of inflammatory cytokines; chemical
messengers of the immune system.

8, Strengthens Immunity. Ginger helps improve the immune system. Consuming a little bit ginger a day can help foil potential risk of a stroke by inhibiting fatty deposits from the arteries. It also decreases bacterial infections in the stomach, and helps battle a bad cough and throat irritation

9, It may prevent stomach ulcers caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.

10, My personal favorite has to be that it when eaten at the beginning of the menstrual period, can reduce symptoms of menstrual pain in some women. Amazing! I'm getting a one day juice ready for the start of my period each month. Bye bye period pain!!

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I Love Fresh - Juice Detox Diet - Eat Your Greens!

We all remember being nagged by our mothers to eat our greens. I sat at the dinner table for a whole hour after everyone else had left, miserably pushing sprouts around my plate. Not any more! Now I’m older I am aware of how important it is for me to take care of my own health. No one else is going to do it for me thats for sure! I am also very aware of my skin and how fast it is changing. ‘I Love Fresh’ has made all of this worry disappear. With their juice cleanses I can get my body balanced and in full detox swing on a monthly basis. It also ensures that I can easily cram in the enormous amount of fruits and vegetables that my body desires on a detox. There is no way I could force the amount I need down if it was on my plate and I had to constantly chew!

All of the fruits and vegetable are just as important as each other. All working together to give us the best of them. However, since ‘I Love Fresh’ was born, I have gained a huge amount of knowledge on all of this nutritious life enhancing food. All of which I am going to share with you!  Starting with my personal favorites… ‘The Greens!’ The supermen of Veg! Here we go and in no importance of order except my own view on how fabulous they are…

10, Romaine Lettuce… This sturdy part of most salads offers us more than we think. Not only does it help us to get that beach body we all want every summer, it also promotes heart health and can help prevent strokes as well as cancer! It builds healthy bones, eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.

9, Swiss Chard… Tastes like spinach with a hint of sweet, like beetroot, which is lovely in itself, however other than a lovely taste, it helps maintain connective tissue, controls heart rate and blood pressure, as well as sugar levels. It prevents anemia and boosts immunity.

8, Turnip Greens… lovely in a soup. They enhance collagen synthesis, build healthy bones, combat anaemia, and boost immune defences against cancer and illness.

7, Cucumber… The salad staple. Keeps you hydrated… Flushes out toxins, lavishes you with vitamins, supplies skin-friendly minerals: magnesium, potassium, silicon, aids in weight loss, revives the eyes and boost immune defences against cancer and illness.

6, Rocket… Not only does it spice up a boring salad it inhibits cancer growth and improves immune defences, and helps to build healthy bones.

5, Iceberg… The nations favourite salad does more than make a Caesar Salad. Although the lowest of all leafy greens, nutritionally it combats anaemia, heart disease and age related illnesses.

4, Courgettes! Amazing because they taste good in everything! Also courgettes contain very few calories and have a high water content, which makes them a dieter's friend. They aren't a powerhouse of micronutrients, but they do provide useful amounts of immune system-boosting vitamin C, and significant levels of potassium, which is key to controlling blood pressure. The soluble fibre in the skin slows down digestion, and so stabilises blood sugar and insulin levels. Soluble fibre also helps prevent constipation and relieves irritable bowel symptoms.

3, Broccoli. Not only does it make a good roast...the health benefits of broccoli are very extensive. It is loaded with essential nutrients and also has therapeutic properties. It contains high levels of fibre (both soluble and insoluble) and is a rich source of vitamin-C, just a 100 gram serving of broccoli will provide you with more than 150% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, which in large doses can shorten the common cold. It can also lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease and certain cancers. It can help with Osteoarthritis, protect skin against UV light and help detoxify air pollutants in the body...who knew?!

2, Spinach… Lovely raw or cooked in any way possible. It improves red blood cell function, strengthens bones, regulates heart rate and blood pressure, and combats free radicals.
And my all time favorite…

1, Kale! Here we go, here comes the long list… It is the most nutrient dense green leafy vegetable. It is an anti inflammatory, it’s low in carbs and low in calories.

It contains:

Antioxidants

Vitamins A, C, K

Calcium

Potassium

Lutein

Per calorie, Kale has more iron than beef, and more calcium than milk. It also promotes healthy vision and retinal function, fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, helps with weight loss, strengthens bones and keeps your skin looking good!

All hail to Kale!

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