Angie & Baby Kelly. Angie had a brunette daughter and I had a blonde.
When visiting each other in the hospital, we both said, “Here. I had your baby for you.” GOD, I love my girlfriends!
I hope you’re not tired of reading about food and nutrition just yet. I never tire of talking about good food, and luckily, neither does my nursing school study partner/college housemate/life-long friend, Angie. She and I love nothing more than to pick up the phone and get our chat on when it comes to nutrition. What can I say? We’re nurses. We are both raising 2 daughters. We care deeply about people enjoying a healthy life.
I’m often asked my opinion regarding multivitamins and supplements, and asked if I take any. My answer? It has been my experience that not all supplements are created equally. For years, I took nothing. Maybe a few things here or there, but I certainly didn’t notice any difference in my health. Then…I broke. Melanoma was followed by Hellp Syndrome was followed by Basal Cell Carcinoma was followed by random digestive issues was followed by…you get the idea. Somewhere in the middle of this run of bad luck health, another college roomie, Cindy, gifted several boxes of Juice Plus to me. Angie has been a longtime provider of Juice Plus, and even though I had read the data, I thought it was too expensive. But on my way to Doctor Appointment #1223, (aka: please don’t take me now God appointments) an epiphany came: you know what’s more expensive than an organic whole foods supplement? Chemo. Wisdom Comes Suddenly. I grabbed those boxes from Cindy and began popping Juice Plus where I had once popped gummy bears. Were you aware there is NO nutritional value in the other-worldly substance known as gummy? Sorry, I should have warned you to sit down before I broke the news.
In the years which have followed, the melanoma went into remission, along with the basal cell carcinoma. But even outside of the larger issues, I just felt different. I feel more energetic and far more vibrant. I still get ill, but less often, and with less acuity. I started craving water. I started craving vegetables. For heaven’s sakes, I started eating salad. I can tell you 5 college pals who had to pick up their jaws when Lori put down the ribs and picked up the broccoli. Circa 1994, if it wasn’t a smoked meat covered in sauce, I didn’t eat it. I made exceptions for breaded items covered in apple butter. I have witnesses.
After my health made an about face, Greg and the girls started taking it as well. We’ve been taking it as a family for almost 2 years, and it’s as part of our dinner routine as our vegetable starters. I asked Angie if she would Guest Blog her thoughts on nutrition and what part we feel Juice Plus plays in our overall health choices.
Angelo-Tangelo, my Health Campadre of the past 21 years (!What!), the floor is yours…(and as always, thank you, thank you, thank you, my brilliant and beautiful friend)…
First Add; Then Subtract
Teachers and school-aged children know it is easier to add than to subtract in math. Kids learn this truth 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? A harder truth than subtraction is that processed foods tears us down rather than builds us up.
So, let’s get back to nutritional math and consider first adding to our diet before we subtract from it. Our nutritional foundation should be 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 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.” This dire prediction 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 this goal, we must fuel their bodies so they may live up to their full potential, which is easier said than done.
I wish I could say 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 a poor diet plays in contributing to illness and disease. It’s not their fault. This information is not something which 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 waiting for her condition to worsen was not good enough for me, so I began devouring every book and journal on prevention 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 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. The research 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 stopped taking 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 the beginnings of an illness, their bodies have the nutritional ammunition to heal themselves. 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.
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:
- 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.
- The ingredients list rivals the last novel you read in length. OK hold on, I am talking to fellow Moms here: if it rivals the length of the last magazine article you read while going to the bathroom.
- It contains words you cannot pronounce. Attention Geniuses: just because you can say butylated hydroxyanisole, it doesn’t mean you should ingest it.
- Contains anything artificial like flavors, dyes, and artificial sweeteners.
- It was not found in the grocery when your mother was born and/or if your great-grandmother would not recognize it ( i.e., foods such as blue yogurt in a tube or Cheetos).
You cannot eat anything that does not make its way into your pantry, 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.
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:
