I love eggplant parmesan, but this vegetarian dish is often laden with oil and calories if ordered in restaurants or made traditionally.

So, I came up with this easy eggplant parmesan recipe that slashes calories and fat,yet tastes even better than those greasy versions found in Italian restaurants.

Here’s What You’ll Need

This recipe serves 3 people.

• 1 Large eggplant
• 1 ½ Cups Italian style panko breadcrumbs 
• 1 Cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 Eggs
• ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ Teaspoon salt
• 1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce (some for the eggplant and some for your pasta side)
• 2 Teaspoons of olive oil

Now Let’s Make the Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

Step 1:

Wash and slice the eggplant in about 10 slices. In a small bowl beat the egg with the garlic powder and salt. On a plate or paper towel combine 2/3 of the parmesan cheese and the panko breadcrumbs.

Step 2:

Dip a slice of eggplant into the egg mixture and then coat both sides with the panko/ parmesan mixture. Place the coated eggplant on a baking sheet with olive oil lightly brushed or sprayed on the service. Repeat. I place a bit more of the breadcrumb mixture on top of each piece prior to baking.

Tip: I use parchment paper, which allows for even less oil and easy clean-up.

Why use Panko? Panko breadcrumbs give food a light, crispy texture without the need for oil or frying. 

Step 3:

Bake the coated eggplant in a 375° oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and the inside is soft.

Step 4:

Remove the tray from the oven and turn on your oven’s broiler. Next, spoon 1 tablespoon of sauce onto each piece and then evenly sprinkle the remainder of the parmesan cheese on each piece. Place the tray under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve!

I like to serve my eggplant parmesan with a healthy spinach pasta and a nice colorful side salad. Sometimes I skip the pasta altogether and just eat 2 servings of the eggplant with my salad!

Save 470 Calories!

I calculated my eggplant parmesan recipe to be around 380 calories per serving. Olive Garden lists their eggplant parmesan at 850 Calories per dinner serving with 35 grams of fat.

Mine would have only about 13 grams of fat!

I believe that with a little creativity, we can still enjoy all the foods we love without worrying about what they will do to our bodies or our waistlines.

Vegetarian Enchilada Pie Recipe

Mexican flavors, yet want to enjoy healthier Mexican food options.

I love this recipe because it is easy to make, it’s healthy, tastes delicious, and serves the whole family.

This recipe is also cheese-free for those that are cutting back on the dairy and saturated fat.

Enchilada Pie Ingredients

• 1 pack of soft corn tortillas
• 1 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 2 avocados
• 1 package of enchilada sauce mix
• 3 cups (raw) chopped spinach
• Jalapeños or hot sauce to taste

Directions

1. Make your enchilada sauce using the can of tomatoes, packet of sauce and 1/2 can of water. Set aside and keep hot.

2. Chop your onion, red bell pepper, and then saute’ lightly in a large skillet with a little olive oil. Add black beans and jalapeños or hot sauce. Add spinach at the end to wilt.

3. In a large 9×13 baking dish begin layering the ingredients:

• Some sauce
• Corn tortillas
• Layer of filling
• Layer of sauce
• Tortillas…… and so on. 
• Finish with a layer of tortillas, the rest of the sauce, and arrange sliced avocado’s on top.

4. Bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes. (If the ingredients were cold prior to assembling, longer baking time is required.)

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve my enchilada pie with some fresh cilantro and either a tablespoon of greek yogurt or some plain kefir drizzled over the top. A crisp green salad is also a great combination with this vegetarian enchilada pie.

If you love enchiladas, this is a healthy way to enjoy them without all the fat and calories you would find in traditional enchiladas, while greatly increasing their nutrition as well.

The Real Skinny was recently published by the bloggers at Appetite For Heath. In this book they compiled The Top 101 Fat Excuses that they have received from their readers over the years.

They believe that everyone has a choice and women can either choose to keep making excuses to remain fat or choose to find solutions to those excuses and start losing weight.

The Real Skinny’s Top 10 Fat Excuses

1. “No Matter What, I’m never going to lose weight and I don’t think it’s all my fault.”
2. “I have such a slow metabolism. I hardly eat anything, but just can’t lose weight.”
3. “I’m addicted to all things sweet”
4. “I’m a curvy woman, we’re supposed to be a little soft.”
5. “I’m a junk food addict”
6. “I just keep losing and regaining…. again and again.”
7. “I have depression and the thought of trying to eat right and exercise is just too overwhelming.”
8. “I can’t live without my diet soda”
9. “I’m nearly 50 years old. If I even smell fatty foods now, I’ll gain weight”
10. “I’ve hit menopause, it’s useless to try to diet.”

101 Slim Habits

Luckily, The Real Skinny isn’t a book of excuses only, but for all 101 excuses that are keeping women fat, they provide reasoning and evidence for why the excuse isn’t true as well as solutions to overcome the excuse and start losing weight.

The book also provides women with many other tips and solutions including a 14 day meal plan, eating out solutions, and healthy recipes.

The real skinny will appeal to women who have given up on losing weight and cause them to evaluate their negative thought processes in a rational manner. It will also help them to develop a plan for losing weight and give them many of the tools to do so.

Probably the only thing lacking here would be a support system, but their are many good online weight loss support sites such as SparkPeople that could be used in conjunction with The Real Skinny.

My Beef With Meat is a new book by firefighter, Rip Esselstyn, the creator of the popular vegan diet Engine 2.

He’s on a personal quest to convince people that eating only plants is the best choice for their health as well as for the planet.

My Beef With Meat devotes 35 chapters to the condemnation of eating meat and animal products, but I’ll pick just 10 as a sample of Rip’s argument against meat.

Just 10 Reasons to Not Eat Meat

1. Meat and dairy can lead to sickness and death - The National Heart and Blood Institute, who after a 10 year study, found that nearly every man over 60 or woman over 70 on a western diet has heart disease.

2. Humans are herbivores - While humans can eat meat, our bodies do not digest if efficiently and eating meat is no longer necessary for our survival as a species.

3. The meat industry spends billions to convince people that meat is healthy as well as influences public policy with cash.

4. Livestock accounts for 9% of all CO2 emissions – This is more than all cars, trucks, and planes combined.

Rip Esselstyn

5. Craving meat is unnatural- Craving meat is similar to craving sugar, drugs, or alcohol. It isn’t a “healthy craving” since we don’t need it for survival.

6. Eating Meat is Expensive- When all factors are considered including the health impact meat imposes, a plant based diet is far more economical.

7. Plants are complete protein- Rip says that this is one of the biggest myths around. Humans can and do get all essential amino acids and adequate protein easily from eating plants.

8. Real Men and Women Eat Meat- This is a misconception. Some of the best athletes, thinkers, and body builders are vegan. Meat isn’t needed to have a great body or a great mind.

9. Plants build stronger bones- Many believe that by only consuming enough dairy are strong bones possible. Rip refutes this notion by noting that calcium from plants actually is incorperated into bones more readily than dairy calcium.

10. Eating animals isn’t nice- From factory farms to slaughter practices, the process of eating animals is inhumane and mean.

Are You Convinced Yet?

If not, there are many more reasons to compel you in My Beef With Meet.

Personally, I’m a bit on the fence with this issue. I have drastically cut back my meat consumption to only a few times on the weekend and this is mainly chicken or fish.  I do feel better and being an avid gym goer, I haven’t seen any decrease in muscle mass.

I’ve been eating this way for about 9 months. I turned 40 in February and had a physical. Everything, including blood test results, came back gleaming.

So, I guess I would fall in the middle. Should human’s cut back on animal products? Yes, definitely.

Should they completely be eliminated from the diet? Health wise, there probably isn’t much evidence that would show that occasional meat or dairy is harmful. But, if someone wants to completely avoid meat, more power to them

People who eat a vegetarian diet live longer than those who eat meat, according to research published this week.

Researchers from Loma Linda University in California followed 73,308 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which encourages a vegetarian diet, for almost six years. There were 12 percent fewer deaths among vegetarians over that period compared to meat-eaters, the researchers reported in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

VIDEO: Stop Eating Food: The Soylent Experiment

Other studies have pointed toward similar connections, but this research analyzed a larger group of people. Specifically, researchers found that vegetarians were less likely to die from heart disease, diabetes and kidney failure.

“We can’t tell from this current paper with certainty, but one of the most plausible potential reasons contributing to this beneficial association is perhaps the absence or reduction of meat intake,” lead author Dr. Michael J. Orlich told TIME.

Or it could be that the consumption of certain plant foods has a protective effect, he said. Vegetarians also tend to be thinner. The total number of calories consumed in this study, however, didn’t appear to be linked to living longer.

NEWS: 7 Ways to Live a Longer Life

So should you trade in that hot dog for a tofu variety? Perhaps, especially if you’re a man. The association between a vegetarian diet and death risk was much stronger for men than women, the researchers reported.

“People are confronted with all sorts of nutritional information, but the bottom line is, ‘How will your diet pattern affect your risk of dying?”‘ Orlich told The Wall Street Journal.

 

When I die, I want to be buried on5F at Bergdorf Goodman(preferably near Marc by Marc Jacobs). Until I meet my demise, I’m making it a point to shop there whenever I pop into Manhattan for a day trip. Believe it or not, BG has some great sales (the only racks I ever visit) – post season. A few months ago, I got a pair of the most creative shoes ever for $125. They were originally $350. Score.

So I’ve established that BG is one of my favorite shopping experiences. I don’t hate on them – normally. But today, I am feeling less than warm+ fuzzy about the legendary store. Here’s why. They do a daily blog post called, Today’s Style Tip. And the one for today said,

“You’re never too young for neck cream.”

I re-read that. You’re never too young for neck cream. Really? NEVER? That’s news to me. I’ve always assumed there are many years of a young woman’s life when she can just coast without freaking herself out over neck wrinkles. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe every mom should be marching her 12, hell, 8-year-old daughter to Bergdorf’s for neck cream.

After all, you want the little one to know all she can about anti-aging tactics. I clicked on the link to the product that accompanied this style tip (how is neck cream “style?”) and found out why this tip is so valuable – to Bergdorf’s, that is.

This freaking cream costs $225!

I wanted to see an ingredients list. What makes this product so costly? As usual, there is no complete ingredient list, just some really fancy sounding marketing speak.

Formulated exclusively with the patented SYNTOC ACTIF delivery matrix, the MOISTURE RICH COMPLEXE, a synergistic combination of natural moisturizing factors and skin protectants, is delivered 24x deeper into the dermis to help increase essential hydration and render skin supple, smooth and more flexible.

Huh? What exactly is a SYNTOC ACTIF delivery matrix? Anybody? Take a guess. I have no idea, either. They do give a paltry list of select ingredients (the ones that sound natural and good for you). Aloe, shea butter, avocado, cucumber oil, jojoba, hazelnut, etc.

All of these are great moisturizers, but I can get them in products made by small, natural brands. I’d get a purer product AND walk out with $190 in change.

Am I wrong here? Let’s hear your take on this.

Three years ago, out of the blue, I noticed everything I ate left a nasty metallic taste in my mouth. It didn’t matter what it was – a sandwich, a piece of gum, anything. It all tasted like I was sucking on a mouthful of nickels.

Hmmm.

A few days later, my face felt weird. Really weird. I remember running into the bathroom, flipping the light switch and looking at my face in the mirror very intently. Something was wrong. But whatever it was, I couldn’t quite figure it out. It was subtle.

I flipped the light off and went back to what I was doing. An hour later, half of my face felt “heavy.” Racing back into the bathroom, this time I saw a vast difference in the mirror. The entire right side of my face was droopy. And I could barely move it.

I freaked out.

Calling the emergency nurse from our health plan, I tried to calmly (didn’t really work) tell her what was happening. She immediately asked, “Are you home alone?” I said, “No.” She said, “Good. Have that person drive you to the emergency room. Now.”

To say I was scared is an understatement. The emergency room nurse ushered me into a back room as soon as I arrived at the hospital. Three nurses and one doctor asked me about 200 questions…each. They poked me. The had me walk on a strip of tape with my arms straight out. They drew blood. They ran me through a big, noisy tunnel thing – twice. I told them about my really serious inner ear infection the week before.

THREE HOURS LATER, they said they had no idea what was wrong with my face.

You’re kidding right?

You just ran, like $4,000 worth of tests and you don’t know what’s wrong??? I refused to let them keep me overnight. Why run up more bills for a medical hotel? I went home and got on the Internet.

To make a long story short, I had Bell’s Palsy. I discovered this through GOOGLE.  For. Free. Anyway, when I saw my family doctor, I told her I had Bell’s Palsy. She confirmed it. Then she said it had to go away on it’s own…in a few weeks. Or months. Or years. No one really knows. “It’s different for everyone.”

Thanks.

I can’t tell you how self conscious I was.

I stopped smiling. Because when I smiled, half my face was left behind.

If I forgot and let out a full blown belly laugh, I’d immediately covered my face with my hand.

Walking on the street, I began to notice every individual with any sort of physical challenge. I’d meet their eyes, especially with women, and try to see how they grew courage not to act like I was acting.

How do you live with a twisted face in a Photoshopped world where physical beauty is so vigorously celebrated? I became depressed. Because my face didn’t look like my own anymore. And because I was ashamed to be so distraught over it. It wasn’t like I couldn’t walk. Or see. My world hadn’t changed that much.

Friends told me I was being silly. That you could hardly tell. And even if you can, no one cares. It doesn’t really affect your life.

They meant well. But that’s not entirely true.

According to a study published last month in the Journal of Applied Psychology, people with facial disfigurements don’t only have to worry about the way strangers look at them on the street. They also have to worry about not getting a great job that they are qualified to do.

The study revealed that interviewers were distracted by facial scars, birth marks and other such things to the point of not remembering much of what the applicant said during the interview. And as a result, they were less likely to hire that person!

I didn’t notice if the study was broken down by gender, but I bet women fare even worst than men in this situation. After all, other studies have shown that more attractive women (and women who wear makeup!) are more likely to be hired and viewed as more competent that unattractive women.

I didn’t have to go on a job interview during my Bell’s Palsy ordeal. But I know if I had, I would have felt incredibly stressed.

So, like life isn’t hard enough, now there’s the not-pretty-enough-for-this-job-cause-you’ve-got-a-birthmark issue. Wow.

The point of the study was to make managers aware of this unrealized, but very unfair prejudice. And hopefully help interviewers to recondition their mind to really focus on what every applicant is saying.

I’m glad I got Bell’s Palsy. I know that sounds strange, but I am. It only lasted two weeks. But it changed how I view others and myself. I realized how much I took for granted how I look and what I can do with my body.

Not being able to move one side of your face is so humbling.

It seems like such a tiny thing. But if you can’t do it, it isn’t so small. Trust me.  I like to think that if I’d had to live indefinitely with Bell’s Palsy, I’d have (in time) become less self conscious. But I don’t know.

Do you think females with facial disabilities (or birthmarks, scars, etc) fare worse than men in the world? Or is it about equal?

Oil releases oil. It is a very strange irony, and hard to wrap the brain around, but it is a fact: it takes oil to remove oil. And with that law of organic chemistry, we’ll jump right into the point of this conversation…

During those pesky, hormonal-laden teen years, I remember our best beauty tip for acne: wash your face with Dial soap (it WAS antibacterial, after all!), scrub it with a handful of salt, then saturate it with alcohol, forsaking oil of ANY kind for fear of breakouts, and wait for the glowing results. ALL the popular kids were doing it!

Of course, not only did this NOT work, but for those poor souls with REAL acne problems, it flared their faces like tomatoes, increasing their self-consciousness and decreasing their social invitations…

What we needed back then was a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of common sense. Too much oil starts a par-TAY on the face with bacteria, and not enough oil makes the body overproduce oil, which starts a par-TAY on the face with bacteria. (You see where I’m going with this?)

Many people today still perpetuate the myth that if you have oily skin, you must stay away from oil-based facial products. But the opposite is actually true: If you have oily skin, you must use beneficial oils (like jojoba, sunflower, olive) to break down, “emulsify” the oxidized oil that has been secreted by your body on your face.

Imagine with me a brick wall. The surface of the wall is composed of two ingredients: brick and mortar. Your face is very similar to a brick wall- the outer layers of the skin, the Stratum Corneum, are made up of two properties: 25-30 thinner-than-paper layers of dead skin (brick), and a surrounding “lipid layer” (mortar) of oil that used to be healthy when it was underlying, but has come to the surface and hardened, losing any of its moisturizing properties.

These layers of dead skin and oil are meant to be sloughed away, and when they are not, they block the pores, making the skin susceptible to  attacks by the sun and pollutants in the air. All of this, over time, equals dull looking, wrinkled skin. It can also mean acne and other skin problems.

This is where the mystery comes in: In order to effectively and healthfully remove the brick wall, so to speak, you must use the very thing that you are trying to rid your skin of: oil…and an exfoliant for the dead skin.  When you apply a very beneficial and REAL oil (not a synthetic emulsifier or mineral oil- they truly make the problem worse), and massage in a circular motion, you soften the hardened oil that is holding the bricks together, and break down its composition.

Add a gentle exfoliant, like raw sugar (which converts to glycolic acid during the process, a natural alpha hydroxy acid), jojoba beads, or even a wash cloth, and you release the dead skin. You also increase the circulation to the skin, stimulating new, healthy cellular production.This clears out the pores, leaving your skin radiant and glowing.  And most importantly, your skin will be perfectly hydrated. This was the original goal when your skin was overproducing the oil you stripped away every time you scoured your with a harsh cleanser (and avoided moisturizer).

So the next time you are tempted to go back to your old-school ways of cleansing your face, think of a brick wall, and then imagine it covered in zits and wrinkles. That’s what you’ll look like if you keep it up 

Keri Lehmann is a licensed cosmetologist who used her knowledge of skin care to create a line of body care products made with REAL ingredients that the body recognizes and knows what to do with…Savvy Bohème: Welcome to the Most Authentic Moisturizing Event of Your Day.

I love finding awesome etsy.com businesses that line up with my sustainability and beauty ideals. Sage & Kai is an etsy store with all sorts of wonderful green products, from organic lunch box napkins to iPad sleeves. Of course, it was their cosmetic bags that sent my heart racing.

The two-piece Happy Day bag set featured here makes a great holiday gift for the seriously earth conscious beauty girl on your list (or you could just keep it for yourself!) I love the rich chocolate color, but you can custom order it in another hue.

To up the “treat status” of this holiday set, I added three gorgeous lip colors from Primitive Makeup, an award-winning green beauty brand.

Stats on the bag…

A padded, washable clutch-style zippered pouch that can go wherever you go. In chocolate brown with screen printed flowers.

• SCREEN PRINT: Featuring Sage & Kai’s original design. Screen printed by hand using non toxic, low impact water-based inks.
• QUALITY MATERIALS & CRAFTSMANSHIP: Fabrics are all certified organic cotton, as are the batting and ribbon pull. Reinforced stitching on stress points, double stitching around bag. Cotton interfacing in addition to the batting provides extra support. A strong yet lightweight YKK zipper provides easy access and security.
• WASHABLE: Wash cold, gentle cycle and hang to dry. Reshape and iron as desired. Cover the screen prints with a cover cloth. Limited washing will preserve the life and shape of the bag.

It comes with a small fabric insert bag that is the same fabric as the lining of the larger bag. Works great for travel size makeup brushes.

Price of bag set: $40

To see more of Sage & Kai’s products, click here.

Colors of Primitive lip glosses: Rio, Fiji, Ibiza – $18 each.

Pepperoni pizza. Dark chocolate, hazelnut brownies. Buttermilk battered fried chicken.

molten dark chocolate cake

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about what you eat and how it affects your skin.

Diet alone isn’t the cause of skin problems like acne, but it can clearly exasperate its symptoms. The good news is, it can also help in eliminating them.

Acne is a manifestation of an internal imbalance that makes our sebaceous glands go “bonkers” and produce too much sebum (skin oil) that, together with dirt, creates an inviting  “playground” for bacteria, and results in inflammation (cysts and pimples) or less dramatic, but still unwelcomed, whiteheads and blackheads.

If you suffer from acne, avoiding foods that are “hot” (spicy) and excessively rich and fatty is key. Also, limit creamy cakes, cookies, excess alcohol, fried/greasy foods and too much coconut and peanut products. These are all fatty and difficult for the body to break down.

To return our glands to a happy and balanced state, we need to feed our bodies right, avoiding those foods that may shake this imbalance.

If you suffer from acne, avoiding foods that are “hot” (spicy) and excessively rich and fatty is key. Also, limit creamy cakes, cookies, excess alcohol, fried/greasy foods and too much coconut and peanut products. These are all difficult for the body to break down. Even shell fish and citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges and clementines may exasperate formation of pimples and acne.

Scared your fridge will be empty? Don’t be. The key to feeding your skin right is BALANCE.  Moderation is king and cheating every now and again is allowed.

On the other hand, even healthy foods such as milk (for those who aren’t lactose intolerant), or some fruits, if eaten excessively, may actually exasperate acne. A glass of milk can be good for your skin and bones – a gallon is not (unless you want to bath in it!).  The same applies to some fruits such as bananas or lychees (my favorite), as they have high content of sugar. I still remember how my face looked the next day after gorging on two pounds of lychees during one of my trips to Beijing…oh vey!

So, what do you put on your “skin friendly” list? Fresh vegetables (especially green and leafy ones), fresh fruits (berries are excellent choice), chicken and fish (especially those high in Omega 3), tofu and legumes. If you don’t have wheat allergies, whole grains are recommended. And for dessert, a small amount of dark chocolate (80% cocoa) is allowed!

Be sure to take into account how food is cooked. For example, foods that are roasted, curried, barbecued, baked, smoked or deep-fried may exasperate your acne, while steaming, quick boiling, blanching, poaching, braising, stewing or quick stir-frying using very little oil is great for acne sufferers.

And lastly, a big bottle a day keeps a pimple away (a bottle of water of course!).

1 whole cucumber, 4 sticks celery, 3-4 kale leaves, 1 whole green apple, ½ lemon, peeled. That’s my Mean Green juice recipe. Sometimes I like to get a little crazy with it and add some mint or basil…a thumb of ginger makes me feel reaaaally exotic…but in the end, it’s always the same: it always tastes like my lawn. And I love it. Juicing makes my eyes brighter, my skin more radiant, my frame much lighter. It’s the most effective TOTAL BODY beauty treatment I’ve found.

Since completing my 10 day juice cleanse back in March, a la “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”, I have had loads of people asking me for my best juicing recipes, assuming that 10 days times 3 juicings daily would equal an advisable accumulation of knowledge. Unfortunately, they are asking the wrong person. I am very practical by nature in these matters, and always remember that one fact that I learned in geometry: “The fastest way from Point A to Point B is a straight line.” I determined, after following three separate juice recipes, that each of them tasted like the landscape, and that it was easier to buy the same five life-giving ingredients, follow the recipe by rote, and get on with the day, than to get bogged down in the recipes. But that’s just me.

Once you have decided how long your cleanse will be (and have cleared it with your doc, if necessary), it is important to fully understand WHY you are doing it, so that you can keep your eyes on the target. (Trust me- when you start craving things, you think of all sorts of reasons why a bacon cheeseburger is considered “nutritious”!)

With that said, I’d like to focus on THE POINT of a juice cleanse, and by way of paradigm shift, THE POINT of daily juicing:
Raw fruits and vegetables use the sun’s energy to convert inorganic minerals found in the dirt into living, organic nutrients that our bodies need to thrive. The most compelling description that I have heard to describe this process, the metaphor that caused the paradigm shift in my brain, was written by Jordan Rubin, in his book,“The Raw Truth”. Here’s how he described it:

“Cereal grasses, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and sprouts all depend upon the energy of the sun…they are the most efficient means to transfer the sun’s energy to humans and animals…Those ankle- high blades of grass waving in the fields are actually TINY SOLAR PANELS CAPTURING THE POWER OF THE SUN AND TRANSFERRING THAT ENERGY…TO US.”

He called farmers “Sun Harvesters”.  So when you consume raw fruits and veggies, you are actually harnessing the sun’s energy in your body, which in turn, gives you LIFE.
Juicing those same “solar panels” (as opposed to chewing them) is beneficial for two three main reasons:

• It is very difficult to physically chew and swallow the amount of produce that our bodies actually require daily for optimum performance; Juicing condenses the micronutrients into manageable portions without the bulk.
• Juicing sends the nutrients directly into your bloodstream and leaves the fiber behind, giving your tummies a rest in digestion. Consider it a sabbatical for your bowels, and an IV drip for instant beauty.
• Juicing (especially the Green Juice) makes everyone think you are crazy. People won’t mess with you if they think you are crazy. (Hint: take your glass of Mean Green into stores with you- everyone will let you in front of the line) (*this technique won’t work in natural grocery stores or at Half-Price Books. You look normal in there.*)

fresh tomato juice fights high cholesterol

Juicing as a time of cleansing for your body is a very intensive and beneficial process that requires a bit of research and preparation beforehand. Here’s what happens if you jump in cold-turkey:http://savvyboheme.com/10-day-juice-cleanse-saga/ . Once you have decided how long your cleanse will be (and have cleared it with your doc, if necessary), it is important to fully understand WHY you are doing it, so that you can keep your eyes on the target. (Trust me- when you start craving things, you think of all sorts of reasons why a bacon cheeseburger is considered “nutritious”!)

Juicing as a daily regime continues to deliver those same micronutrients into your blood, in a very convenient 16 ounce drink. It’s a great and EASY way to add REAL value to your diet, and is very adept at promoting pH balance to your internal system (balanced pH=better oxygenation in the blood=less disease). Juicing daily also presents the body with natural electrolyte minerals, which act as a buffer for the acid intake that we get from our meats, cheeses, caffeine and chocolates, as well as physical and emotional stress. Think of your Mean Green as a glass of Gatoraid, minus the sugar and fake stuff…It  promotes the most radiant skin of your life, as well as has the potential to change your physique entirely.

And as for your recipes, if you’re a linear thinker like me, stick with my recipe. You can get fancy with a sprig of parsley or a beet for color if ya like, but it’s still gonna taste like grass. And you’re gonna love it!
For you culinary enthusiasts who couldn’t imagine drinking the same juice day after day, here’s a GREAT E-book on juice recipes written by a brilliant lady who knows her stuff: http://crazysexyjuice.com/. She will disagree with my “lawn/landscape/grass” statements. That’s ok. She’s probably right.

Pinkies Up!

Healthy Beauty Project note: We juice here in our office daily and contend that our juices do NOT taste like lawn – lol. Add a fresh peach, mango or a piece of pineapple to your green juice for a delicious and nutritious fresh juice. Here’s our suggestion for a good consumer quality juicer.