Am I hungry or do I just need Water?

This morning I woke up with some serious hunger pains, I wanted to run to the kitchen and grab me a yummy left over lemon cupcake, but I stopped fast in my tracks....I heard Dr. Oz asking this question "Why is it so easy to confuse hunger with thirst?" So instead of rushing to eat that cupcake,... sad to say, I reluctantly ..... poured a big glass of lukewarm water (warm water wakes up your digestive system too) ahhhhhh refreshing!

I'm happy to say that I was just thirsty, my belly stopped talking to me and the pretty yellow lemon cupcake remains on its plate.

Here is what Dr. Oz said about these hunger pains.

(quote)

The reason why some people eat is because their satiety centers are begging for attention. But sometimes, those appetite centers want things to quench thirst, not to fill stomachs. Thirst could be caused by hormones in the gut, or it could be a chemical response to eating—food increases the thickness of your blood and your body senses that it needs to dilute it.

A great way to counteract your hormonal reaction to food is to make sure that your response to thirst activation doesn't contain unnecessary, empty calories—like the ones in soft drinks or alcohol. Your thirst center doesn't care whether it's in zero-calorie water or a mega-calorie frap. When you feel hungry, drink a glass or two of water first, to see if that's really what your body wants.

So Chickie's, listen to your appetite center(did you even know you had one?) Grab a glass of something healthy when you have hunger pains or if your Cubical neighbor is asking you to hush your stomach up!! Go for the water cooler, cut up a pretty organic lime or cucumber (like the spas) and enjoy!!!!! (remember go organic in all things, support your local Farmers Market)

Be Healthy, Be Happy.

Jennifer

5 DAY love FAST. Are you in???

Organic Avenue

I discovered Evans and Denise Mari, co-founders of New York City’s fantastic Organic Avenue Organic Avenue a few days ago through another blog... I'm getting ready to do the 5 day program. The program looks pretty amazing and the juices and smoothies (esp. the coconut mylk and the cacao smoothie) I really cant wait to try. The recipes are below for a DIY fast.

LOVE*

Interview with Denise Mari, co-founder of Organic Avenue

How did you get started?

Denise Mari: I started Organic Avenue as a health & wellness lifestyle company in 2002. In the early days, I ran the shop and the LOVE cleanse programs from my convertible living space where I also met with leaders in the cutting edge nutrition and healthy living sector and hosted gourmet raw food dinners. What started as a passion and vision to help heal the environment, people, and animals by creating access to deliciousorganic foods and other lifestyle products, education, and events has grown into a full service 24/7 company as the vision continues to unfold.

How does Organic Avenue work?

Denise Mari: Today we reach people on the web or via our in-bound call center in 3 retail locations in NYC (and more to come, stay tuned!), and at partner locations throughout the city. And we make all of our products fresh daily in our incredible new kitchen in Long Island Citywhere we use state of the art hydraulic juice presses to minimize oxidation during the juicing process and where all production takes place in refrigeration — meaning that the food and juice keeps as much life-giving nutrition as possible all the way from the farm to the table.

We are organic, vegan, raw, and soon to be OU Kosher certified. We are also choosy about our ingredients, we bottle in reusable glass and compostable non-petroleum plastic, maintain cold-chill freshness at every step. Finally, we provide a space for community in our stores and with events and discussions at our new event space, The Space of LOVE* (116 Suffolk Street, NY, NY).

What’s the philosophy behind your detox program?

Denise Mari: Each cleanse reflects our belief that improving health and the planet through diet and lifestyle choices doesn’t have to be hard if it’s convenient, delicious, and combined with the right information and support. I want it to be easy for us all to transform the planet together, one action at a time, so it’s important to lower the perceived barriers of taking good care of yourself as a first step. And that does not have to just mean the occasional detox — clean, beautiful food and vibrant health can be a lifestyle. We support ongoing abundance by offering monthly and annual juice plans with in-store and home delivery options as one way to add beautiful live juice into the everyday, even when not on a specific cleanse program.

What are the benefits of your detox programs?

Denise Mari: At Organic Avenue, we believe that when people make the choice to increase the amount of clean, beautiful, living foods into their diets, that translates into vibrant health and greatly improved well-being for people and the planet. This vibrancy can take the form of weight loss, increased vitality and energy levels, a more youthful appearance and glow, or improvement toward other health and wellness goals. For us, the foundation of a healthy diet is based on the elements of LOVE* (*live.organic.vegan.experience).

One of my favorite cleanse programs is our LOVE*young Cleanse, influenced by noted nutritional advisor, best selling author of The Ph Miracle, and a teacher of mine, Dr. Robert Young. All of the juices, waters, and foods in this program promote high alkalinity, which is one of the most powerful things we can have do to avoid illness and increase energy and our natural youthful radiance!

A day of cleansing to boost alkalinity can look like this:

Detox recipes from Denise Mari, founder of Organic Avenue

First thing in the morning
• Wake up your system with a trio of elixirs in any order — just down the hatch!
  • Combine 8 oz. of pure alkaline water with pHour Salts, a powerful alkaline boost from Dr. Young
  • 1 oz of pure aloe vera juice to improve bowel regularity and increase nutrient absorption
  • 1 oz of chlorophyll, diluted with up to 8 oz. of purified water to oxygenate and boost nearly every major body system

Mid morning
• Mix a scoop of Doc Broc’s Green Powder with 1 liter of pure alkaline water for energy and a raw organic anti-aging boost
• After 20 minutes it’s time for a fresh pressed green juice. My favorite is a simple blend we call YoungLOVE* (see recipe below) that is just juiced cucumber, spinach, and celery. Remember to chew your juices — sip, enjoy and no gulping!

Lunch time
• The basic building blocks of food are carbs, plant based proteins, and fats, so for lunch enjoy healthy sources of each that also support the cleansing process:
  • Lemon Lime Shake (see recipe below) with citrus, coconut, cucumber, and avocado
  • Young Alive Green Shake (see recipe below) — green juice blended with avocado, flax oil, and Himalayan salt
  • And another liter of water with Doc Broc’s to keep the plant-based energy going

Mid-afternoon
• Time for some nutrition with an extra flavor kick — enjoy some raw soup like carrot ginger soup (see recipe below) featuring carrots, ginger, and orange juice.
• And make time for another green juice, on the Love Young cleanse it would be the MellowLOVE* (see recipe below) — cucumber, parsley, celery, romaine lettuce, green apple

Early evening
• Give your body some ruffage to aid its nightly sweep. A simple salad of raw, organic ingredients (see recipe below) is a satisfying and delicious end to the day. Add your favorite raw vegetables or even organic edible flowers for something a little special — because cleansing is not about deprivation, it’s about abundance of health.

Later evening
• Drink only water or herbal tea after 9pm, and allow yourself to go to bed early if possible to give your body extra time for house-keeping. Look forward to waking up knowing you gave your body amazing nutrition, a break from new toxins and the support to clean up old ones.

Be sure to drink plenty of pure alkaline water throughout the day, take time throughout the day to notice your stress level and your breath and make adjustments if possible, get out and get active — even if you only have a few minutes to spare, and start again the next day. Try for 5-7 days, and feel free to rotate some different raw organic vegetables into the recipes to keep it interesting and delicious.

Some people are intimidated by green juice, but there is just nothing else like it to get clean at a cellular level and start the year off right with energy and clarity. If you have a juicer and a good blender you can easily make the essentials of this program for yourself at home Look for ingredients like aloe vera juice, chlorophyll, and alkaline water at your local health foods store or order the At Home Kit. If you are in NYC and prefer the convenience of delivery call 212.334.4593.

Recipes

Notes before you begin: Since organic vegetables vary in size and juice content, servings vary and it is best to juice each vegetable separately and then mix the final recipe by volume. Wash all vegetables thoroughly in purified water to prevent any grit or off-flavors in your juice or shakes, and use a salad spinner to dry leafy greens.

YoungLOVE* Green Juice

• 12 oz celery juice (¾ of whole bunch or ¾ lb celery)
• 12 oz spinach juice (1 whole bunch or just under 1 lb spinach)
• 12 oz cucumber juice (1 large or ¾ lb cucumber)

Makes 2 servings.

MellowLOVE* Green Juice

• 6 oz spinach juice (½ bunch or just under ½ lb spinach)
• 8 oz celery juice (½ bunch or ½ lb of celery)
• 6 oz cucumber juice (½ large or 1/3 lb cucumber)
• 12 oz romaine lettuce juice (1 bunch or 1 lb romaine lettuce)
• ½ oz parsley juice (1/3 bunch or 1 oz fresh parsley)
• Small pinch of Himalayan salt

Makes 2 servings.

Lemon Lime Shake

• 1½ Hass avacado, roughly chopped
• 1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ c young Thai coconut meat, roughly chopped
• 4 c young Thai coconut water
• ¼ oz Stevia powder
• ½ c lemon juice
• ¼ c lime juice
• Small pinch of Himalayan salt

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 3 servings.

Young Alive Green Shake

• ½ large cucumber
• 1 oz lime juice
• 6 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 Hass avocado
• ½ lb spinach
• 4 oz raw coconut milk
• 1 tsp Doc Broc’s Green Powder
• 1 tsp Soy Sprout Powder
• 10 drops PuripHy pH Drops
• 4 sprigs of fresh mint
• 14 cubes purified water ice

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Carrot Ginger Soup

• ¾ lb carrots (about 2½ carrots), roughly chopped
• 1 c coconut meat, roughly chopped
• 1½ Tbsp shallots, diced
• ½ c coconut water
• ½ c orange juice
• ½ clove of garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 Tbsp miso
• Pinch of cumin

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Young Love Salad

Salad:

• 2 oz baby arugula
• 2 oz baby spinach
• 3 oz mixed baby greens
• 1 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 1 c broccoli florets
• 1 c cauliflower florets
• ¼ carrot, cut into thin strips
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing:

• 4 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ oz lemon juice
• 3 oz shallots, diced
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• Pinch of mustard seed
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of Himalayan salt

Wash all of the baby greens to remove grit and use a salad spinner to dry thoroughly.

If you have a mandolin, it is best used for cutting the vegetables into thin strips. If not, you can use a knife to cut sticks of the carrot, zucchini and squash.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a high power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend until smooth.

Toss all the ingredients together with 6 oz. of dressing to coat all the greens. Makes 2 servings.

Im really excited to try these yummy and cleansing smoothies and juices.

Please let me know if your interested in doing the 5 day cleanse with me,

I'll be starting it this coming Monday Jan. 11th 2010.

Be Healthy, Be Happy.

Jennifer

Healthy Chicks TOP 10 Choices for 2010

I fell in love with Celebrity nutritionist and health and beauty expert, Kimberly Snyder, (she was just on Good Morning America as well as other media outlets). For the first Health installment of The Healthy Chic for this new year, I'd like to share with you Kim's top ten list of ways to improve our health by changing few habits to improve are healthy for our up and coming Healthy New Year.

Lemons thin the bile and support the rebuilding of the liver tissue—so it will help detoxify us and help optimize our fat-burning processes. You can squeeze fresh lemon juice into your water and onto salads, and easily consume one or two full lemons every day. Full of toxic chemicals and scary fake sugars (and yes that does include Splenda), diet sodas overload our livers with caffeine and are among the most acid-forming of all foods. When our bodies are more acidic it has been shown to accelerate aging and we tend to hold on to excess weight.

Watch your energy skyrocket, your skin become more radiant and pounds drop off. This ONE blended drink will bring in a ton of easily assimilated amino acids and beauty minerals from more greens and fruit than you might usually have in a whole day or a few days! The easy recipe is on Kim's blog: kimberlysnyder.net. Dairy is pasteurized, very difficult to digest and break down, and acid-forming and mucus-forming in our bodies. It is much easier to lose and maintain weight if you give up dairy altogether, not to mention it could really help clear up that pesky adult acne. Switch to consuming almond milk and goat's milk cheese, which is easier than cow's milk dairy to digest.

Since fruit breaks down and leaves the stomach in only in 20-30 minutes, it should be eaten first or on an empty stomach. If we eat it as desert, or after heavier or cooked foods, it will have nowhere to go after it breaks down. Thus, we will create backup, the fruit will start to ferment, and we will bloat out. Not fun - and not good, as the vitamins and benefits compounds of the fruit will instead have turned into toxic fermentation in our bellies. Drinking a lot of water (or wine!) with your food will only serve to dilute thehydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes in your stomach, which impedes efficient digestion. This will also cause bloating. Hydrate yourself by drinking ample amounts of water at least 20-30 minutes before meals.

This includes Splenda, Equal, Sweet 'n Low, etc. Our bodies are not designed to break down these man-made chemical concoctions. The more we overload our bodies with artificial toxins to deal with, the less efficiently our organs will be able to perform other functions, like detoxification and cleansing. Products labeled "sugar-free" usually have one of these nasty culprits lurking in the ingredient list. Stevia is a natural, 0 calorie choice. Some other, better choices are raw agave nectar and xylitol.. Animal protein is the most complex of the food groups and requires a ton of energy to break down, and the bi-products of its digestion include ammonia and uric acid. These bi-products are acidic, and linked to visible signs of aging like cross-linkages and wrinkles. You are getting enough protein in your diet so that you can have a few meals without animal meat, trust me! Give your organs a break and have a few dinners where you load up instead on beautifying greens and vegetables, to get your beauty minerals in.

Get into the habit of being the last one at the dinner party to finish your food! The more you liquefy your food, the easier it will be for your body to extract nutrients from your food. Also, the breakdown of starch begins in your mouth. The more foods mix with our saliva and the more we break them down as much as we can in the mouth, the easier food will move through our bodies- helping to prevent bloating and weight gain. Celtic Sea Salt is unique among salts because it is sun-dried – a process that allows 70 minerals and elements, enzymes and even marine microorganisms to remain intact. Other sea salts are kiln-dried, which causes valuable magnesium and most other minerals to evaporate. Normal table salt is the worst of all, being irradiated and denatured sodium chloride. It not only has no nutritional benefit, it depletes the skin's natural hydration. So make the switch to Celtic Sea Salt. This TOP TEN list of healthy changes seems quite doable, I am very excited to share with you my daily diary, to become a healthy Chic for 2010 and for a life time. To our Good Eating, Jennifer