Bright Skin Juice

1 carrot
1 green apple
1 cup cantaloupe
1 orange

Green Hydrating Juice

4 ribs of celery
1 cucumber
1 green apple
1 handful spinach
1/2 lemon, peeled

While there is no denying that a good skincare routine is important, healthy skin ultimately comes from the inside out. If we want our skin to glow we need to ensure that our bodies are adequately hydrated and properly nourished.

A diet that consists mainly of processed foods will leave you looking and feeling dull, whereas fueling your body with raw, living foods will put you on the fast track to a glowing and radiant complexion.

Raw foods can be very detoxifying however, so if you’re new to this way of eating you could experience skin outbreaks in the first and 1 to 2 weeks. You might not think so, but this is actually good thing. It means your body is ridding itself of toxin build-up caused by poor diet and other external factors.

Eating a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables will definitely benefit your overall health, but if it’s a flawless, younger-looking skin you’re after then you need to focus your attention on certain foods in particular.

Increasing your intake of the following vitamins and minerals will improve your blood circulation, which in turn will get more oxygen to the skin tissue. It’s a classic case of win-win; by providing your body with the nourishment it needs you’ll achieve the glowing, healthy complexion you desire.

Vitamin A

The key to healthy skin, vitamin A is necessary for the maintenance and repair of vital skin tissue. A deficiency in it can result in dry, rough, cracked skin. Carrots, cantaloupes, watermelon and dark, leafy greens are all excellent sources of vitamin A.

Vitamin B Complex

All of the B complex vitamins play a role in the support of healthy skin, however there are two in particular that are especially important —biotin forms the basis of our nails, skin, and hair cells, while niacin helps the skin to retain moisture. Increase your intake of bananas, asparagus, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin C

In addition to being an excellent immune booster and antioxidant, Vitamin C also aids in collagen production, a protein that helps grow new skin and blood vessels and gives skin its firmness and strength. Tuck into pineapple, bell pepper, citrus fruit and cauliflower if you want more of this vital nutrient.

Zinc

Zinc aids in cell growth and regeneration throughout the body, making it an important component of healthy skin. It acts by controlling the production of oil in the skin and is reputed to help control some of the hormones that create acne. Green peas are very high in zinc, while spinach, avocado, asparagus and broccoli all contain decent amounts too.

Silica

Silica strengthens the body’s connective tissues —muscles, tendons, hair, ligaments, nails, cartilage and bone. A deficiency in this vital trace mineral can result in reduced skin elasticity as well as hamper the body’s ability to heal wounds. Strawberries, cucumber, mango, celery are all excellent sources of silica.

Click here to make your own Juice Recipes for Healthy Skin.

My first juicer

Have you heard the story of how I first started juicing? About thirteen years ago I bought an inexpensive juicer after watching Jack LaLanne’s juicing commercial. He was so excited about juicing and his energy was so contagious I went out right away to purchase the juicer.

But…

I had no idea which foods to put in the juicer. So it sat on my counter, looking all pretty and days passed. Weeks passed. I was paralyzed by the thought of making the juice. What if I failed? What if I hated it? Finally I put the juicer away in the cabinet so I wouldn’t have to look at it.

But…

I did really want to make juice. So I pulled the juice maker out of the cabinet. I remembered that Jack juiced apples and carrots and that’s where I started. It was delicious.

Getting Started

Are you just getting started with juicing? Maybe you’re like me and you’re procrastinating because you don’t know where to begin. Or maybe you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum (like many of my readers) and you’re itching to throw every vegetable and fruit you have into your first juice. This “everything but the kitchen sink” approach gives many people an upset stomach or diarrhea. I know because I’ve received countless emails from people who have done just that.

Yes there is a middle road and it is easy to follow.

Simple Juicing Guide

To me it doesn’t matter which brand or what type of juicer you use when you first get started. It only matters that you DO get started! The best way to begin using your machine is to juice one or two foods at a time. Simple juices have many health benefits.

Juice #1. Fruits are easiest to start with, so choose two of the following: 2 apples, 1 orange, 1 handful of grapes. Juice the two you’ve chosen. This is all you need for your first juice. Make note in your mind of the taste. Is it sweet, tart, heavy, or light?

Juice #2. Use the same two fruits as in juice #1. This time add one half of a cucumber to the juice. Cucumbers add a crisp refreshing taste to the juice and help to hydrate the cells in your body. You may notice some complexity to the taste of the juice as we begin to add other foods.

Juice #3. After you are accustomed to the taste of juice #2 you can begin to add vegetables. Let’s make a new juice. Start with  1 apple or 1 orange, and 1 whole cucumber. Now add 1 or 2 carrots and 4 romaine lettuce leaves. These new ingredients will add a bit of sweet earthiness to the juice. If the taste is too strong for you, either add a small amount of filtered water or a few ice cubes.

You Did It!

Once you are accustomed to the taste of the juice with green veggies, you can sneak in a few more!  Add a handful of spinach, a few leaves of kale or a small wedge of cabbage.  A couple of stalks of celery can be added or you can use the celery in place of the carrots.  If the taste is too heavy add one half lemon. Lemon is often used to brighten the taste of green juices and cut back on the bitterness.

Finally, when you feel comfortable with the combination above you may start adding herbs such as ginger, garlic, parsley, and cilantro.  Herbs help the detoxification process by stimulating the immune system, building up the blood and chelating toxic chemicals to remove them from the body.

From this point you can begin experimenting with your own recipes.  They can be simple or complex. It’s all up to you.  I like to recommend at least a 70% vegetable ratio to 30% fruits (unless you are making an all fruit juice). As you begin to develop a taste for vegetable juices you will naturally cut back on the fruits. So bring out your juicer and become your own juicing chef!

I started buying my lecithin in powdered form, which you can use in a number of different ways. My favorite way to use it is in my smoothies. The soy lecithin that I buy (non-gmo of course) tastes a little nutty and adds a creamy texture to my smoothies due to it’s emulsifying properties (keeps liquids mixed together).

Today’s recipe features peaches and lecithin. It is so creamy and delicious, even your kids will enjoy this one. I’d like to thank my fans on Facebook for helping me name this smoothie. I think the name is perfect.

Orchard Island Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup frozen peaches
1 1/2 cups coconut water
1 1/2 Tablespoons non-gmo soy lecithin powder

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you smoothie is too thick, add more coconut water. Makes approximately 3 cups.

March is also associated with the holiday St. Patrick’s Day and its symbol the shamrock or clover as it is commonly known. The shamrock represents the Holy Trinity, also associated with Spring and rebirth. Of course we like to have food associated with our holidays and St. Patrick’s Day is no different. The Shamrock Shake was first introduced by McDonald’s in 1970 and quickly gained popularity as the holiday favorite. The flavor of the Shamrock Shake is officially called “mystery” though it has a mint flavor. According to theweek.com  ”A 32-ounce large Shamrock shake contains 1160 calories and 88 percent of the USDA’s recommended daily allowance of saturated fat.”

Apart from the green color of the shake (made by synthetic food coloring) I can’t see how the original shake has anything to do with Spring. Or health. That’s why I set out to test healthy versions of this fast food calorie bomb. There are many recipes out there, so I collect many of them and mixed them up a bit to create my own. In the end I came up with two versions. One has dairy and one has bananas. Both have all natural ingredients and half the calories of the original.

Lucky Mint Shake v1

1/2 c frozen kefir
1 cup coconut milk (I used So Delicious Sugar Free Vanilla)
1/2 avocado
3 mint leaves
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp all natural mint flavoring
1/2 cup ice cubes

Makes approx 16 oz. and 300 calories

 Lucky Mint Shake v2

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup packed spinach
1 1/4 cup coconut milk (I used So Delicious Sugar Free Vanilla)
1 Tablespoon vanilla protein powder (I used Garden of Life Raw Protein Vanilla)
2 mint leaves
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp all natural mint flavoring
1/4 cup ice cubes

Makes approx 16 oz. and 215 calories

1.  Belkin Kitchen Stand - How cool is this? If you access recipes via your iPad (like the ones in Juice + Blend Magazine) or other computer tablet, you can prop it up on this stand to view easily. It has a non-slip rubber base and comes with a stylus so you don’t have to touch the computer screen when you have food on your hands.

2. Zyliss Lettuce Knife - This durable plastic lettuce knife comes in a variety of colors (I like the green one). It is designed to cut your greens cleanly so they stay green and the edges don’t turn brown. It’s lightweight and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.

3. Kitchen Art Scrap Trap - How many times have you peeled or cut your veggies and the scraps end up on the floor because you’re trying to scrape them into your hand? This handy dandy tool might actually make you want to cut up more veggies, it’s so easy to use. I think this would make a great gift for the person in your life who like to cook or juice.

4.  AeroGarden - My secret confession is that I’ve always wanted one of these for my kitchen. So many times I would like to have fresh herbs for cooking, smoothies, or juices and I don’t have any available (It’s just to hot in Phoenix to keep them going for very long). I think this might just solve my problem

5. Cuppow Canning Jar Lids - Wow. Just wow. These lids make juicing on the go so convenient. First you can make a batch of juice and store it in canning jars as taught in this post,  then when you are ready to drink one, just screw on the Cuppow lid, add a straw, and you’re good to go!

What Do You Think?

Could you make your kitchen time more joyful with these? Which ones would make your life happier and easier? Let us know in the comments below!