Wednesday, January 25, 2017

How to Indulge and Endless Supply of Fresh Juices & Health Tonics like the Celebrities.

Ismail oubarka | 8:32 AM

Just a couple of weeks ago, I expressed my desire to live out my lifestyle fantasy of enjoying fresh juice and tonics every morning. Today, that dream has become reality.

Several months ago, I searched for the closest juice bar via the Yelp app. A nearby location was found so I immediately grabbed my keys and headed out. I walked into the small establishment and stood motionless in front of their industrial refrigerator brimming with bottled juices. After chatting with the employees for a little bit, I walked out with 4 bottles and $40.00 lighter.

Within days, those 4 bottles of juice were consumed. I had a choice to make. I could either rush back to the juice bar and invest over $100 for a week's worth of juice, or figure out another solution. Although the intention stayed with me, I didn't take any action until being inspired by a few celebrity SnapChats.
Some of these people are really committed to their healthy tonic routine. Deep down, that's what I wanted too! After searching, I found thee perfect juice bottles. Within minutes of their arrival, I was already swigging my first sip of juice. That very day, I ordered a second set of 6 empty bottles. Now I'm really getting into the swing of things. My fridge is stocked with vibrant juices and I'm about to order a 3rd set.

My current fridge situation.

Many of you have shared feedback about building your own morning juice routine and wanted to know more about recipes and ideas.

Here we go!

First and foremost, it's important to clarify the types of "juices" you can experiment with.

-Fresh Juice // When you extract the liquid from fruits and veggies.
-Tonics // Blends that have health benefits but don't necessary contain fresh juice.
-Smoothies // Contain the entire fruit or veggie for enhanced fiber content. Smoothies can also be protein based.

Let's talk first about creating fresh juices. I opted for the smaller size bottle for a reason. Previously, I stored juices using larger bottles but it wasn't as convenient. Once you open bottled juice, the oxidation process begins. The 8 oz size makes it easier to consume all of the juice as a single serving.

If you're planning to use fresh juice, there's a secret that professional juicers use to "stretch out" their product. Most bottled juices will contain "watery" veggies to help fill the bottle. So you want to make sure to have plenty of cucumber and celery on hand. If your juice doesn't fill the entire bottle, feel free to top if off with some filtered water. This is to ensure there's no air or oxygen available to oxidize the juice. Some say that adding water to fresh juice is a no-no but I've done it and haven't suffered any repercussion. This weekend, I'll stock up on watery veggies but I'm still using water for now.

Tonics are my favorite because the possibilities are endless. My most beloved tonic is the lemon/ginger/cayenne combination. I juice my lemon (without rind) and ginger together. But you can also squeeze your lemon by hand and grate the ginger. For an even quicker option, you can use the powdered lemon & ginger like I mentioned in this post.

Freshly juiced lemon and ginger taste very strong. You will definitely have to dilute it with water.
Another good ingredient for tonics is a little bit of apple cider vinegar which as amazing properties for the body and has been shown to help aid in weight loss.

Last night, I created a beauty tonic consisting of (no sugar added) coconut water and collagen peptide powder. Collagen peptides completely dissolve in liquid leaving behind no flavor or texture so it's perfect for this sort of thing. Once I finished the lemon tonic, I simply refilled the bottle with coconut water, added a scoop of collagen and let it sit so the powder could fully dissolve.

Other tonics like to enjoy include a blend of coconut water laced with chlorophyll drops or "chlorophyll soda" (chlorophyll drops + sugar-free, flavored carbonated water). Chlorophyll has some major detoxing benefits and I've been hooked ever since I first discovered it.

Side note, the chlorophyll hasn't stained the inside of these bottles like it does with my other cups.

I'm probably purchasing liquid trace minerals next. Based on the reviews, trace minerals have a positive effect on your sleep so this might be a good one to take before bed (with collagen peptides). The possibilities are pretty endless.

If you prefer, you can opt to store a batch of protein smoothies in these neat little bottles. It's super convenient to have your favorite health drinks prepared and waiting for you. A friend of mine once boasted about quickly dropping 10 pounds thanks to her lemon/acv/cranberry tonic. Instead of whipping up one batch at time, she can store a week's worth of tonic in the fridge thanks to these little nifty bottles.

To get you started, here are some juice blend combinations you can try.