THE DIRTY DOZEN - THE CLEAN FIFTEEN

Eliminating pesticides in your diet is important to living healthy. Organic fruits and vegetables can be expensive and often limited. The list  below was compiled from various sources on the internet. It contains the fruits and vegetables grown with the most pesticides, ranked from worst to bad. The clean fifteen fruits and vegetables are grown with the least amount of pesticides, ranked from best to not so good.  It's a guide. Remember, organic is best, but take this list with you to the grocery store to help you to make better choices about the foods you eat. No need to get obsessive over it. If you can't find something organic that's on the bottom of the dirty dozen list, buy it anyway. Your body will forgive  you some transgressions. Just keep it as clean as possible.

THE DIRTY DOZEN: Ranked from worst to bad. Taken from various internet sources

1.  Peach
2.  Apple
3.  Bell pepper
4.  Celery
5.  Nectarine
6.  Strawberries
7.  Cherries
8.  Kale
9.  Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Pear

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN: Ranked from best to not so good. Taken from various internet sources.

1.  Onion
2.  Avocado
3.  Sweet corn
4.  Pineapple
5.  Mango
6.  Asparagus
7.  Sweet peas
8.  Kisi
9.  Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

JUICING FOR HEALTH - RECIPES

The health benefits of juicing are endless. This is the one thing that you definitely need to add to your daily routine to help fight off disease, including cancer. Juicing fruits and vegetables makes nutrients immediately available in your system. No matter how big of an appetite you have, you could never eat as many vegetables whole as you could by juicing.

A 3 to 1 ratio / vegetables to fruit, is recommended. Green vegetables like kale, spinach, celery, romaine, zucchini, etc. on their own can be unpalatable especially for the newbie juicer. Adding fruit like apples and pears to the vegetables drastically improves the taste. Improving the taste will ensure that you actually juice daily and then actually drink it. Start with just one juice a day and increase as you develop a knack for the art of juicing. I started out juicing carrots and apples. I would add six whole carrots to two apples. The result was delicious. I later graduated to the more advanced green juices.

There are many types of juicers on the market. They are all good and they each have their own benefits and drawbacks. The least expensive of the juicer options operate by centrifugal force. A lot of juicing snobs will tell you that these products are inferior as they don’t extract enough juice. Some say that the heat generated by the fast movement of the spinning device actually kills the nutrients. I’m not convinced of the accuracy of these statements. I use a centrifugal force juicer and find that the pulp left behind is very dry. Also, I’ve felt the juicer immediately after juicing (after the machine stops whirring) and have not felt any significant heat and my extracted juice is always cold.

Do your research on the different types of juicers and let your budget be your guide. Juicers can run anywhere from $150 to $900. Whichever way you go, a juicer is a good investment in your health.

Below are just a few juicing recipes that I’ve found. Try them, but remember to adjust to your own tastes. Add fruit if more sweetness is desired trying not to make every juice 90% fruit. You do need your green vegetables, but if you won’t drink it, it’s not helping. Don’t be afraid – it’s only kale.

If there are any avid juicers out there, please add your recipes in the comment section and I'll make sure they get posted. Let me know if you'd like to be recognized for your recipe and I'll add your name and your link if you have one. We can’t have too many juice recipes here.

My First Juice
Easing my way into the world of juicing
By Salli

6 whole carrots (organic recommended)
2 apples (red or green), stem removed

Juice above ingredients. Enjoy

Fresh Cucumber & Carrot Juice
By Salli

2 large whole carrots (washed, topped)
1 cucumber (peeled if not organic)

Juice and Enjoy

Power Punch
By Salli

2 cups kale (washed)
2 cups parsley (washed)
1 cup spinach leaves (washed)
1 apple (stem removed)
3 stalks celery (washed)
1/2 green bell pepper (washed, stem removed)

Juice and Enjoy.

Sweet Dreams
Recipe taken from Jack LaLanne's Secrets of Power Juicing

1" piece of ginger root
3 stalks celery
1/2 small head cabbage
1 green pepper
1 apple (stem removed)
Juice all of the above ingredients. Then add the juice to a blender with 1 banana and 1/2 cup of milk (substitute milk of your choise, use soy milk or nut milks for added health benefits).

Enjoy.

Beach Body
Recipe taken from Jack LaLanne's Secrets of Power Juicing

3 carrots (washed and topped)
2 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1/2 cup parsley (washed)
1 small beet
1 apple (stem removed)

Juice and Enjoy

Power Up
Recipe taken from Jack LaLanne's Secrets of Power Juicing

4 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1/2 cup spinach leaves
1 apple (stem removed)
1/2 green bell pepper

Juice and Enjoy

Salad in a Glass
Recipe taken from Jack LaLanne's Secrets of Power Juicing

1 tomato
1/2 head romaine lettuce
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1/2 red bell pepper

Juice and Enjoy.

Rainbow Surprise
Recipe taken from Jack LaLanne's Secrets of Power Juicing

1 stalk celery
4 carrots
1 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1 yellow squash
1 zuccini
1 apple (stem removed)

Juice and Enjoy. Serve over ice.