How A Holistic Nutrition Coach Places a Juice Bar Order - what you need to know now.

Maybe it’s just my area in Orange County California but it seems like I notice a new juice bar pop up every few months the last few years. I say it’s a positive thing - more and more of us are becoming aware of what we put in our bodies, and wanting to be healthier. The more healthy options there are the better!

Here’s where it gets sketchy though. First off, many of the menus at juice bars are so HUGE! So many options, choices, ingredients, add-ons, super-this and booster-that. Overwhelm sets in. You find yourself thinking “These all have to be healthy, right?”.

The reality is, many of the most popular juice bar concoctions are not necessarily healthy if you are trying to keep your weight and blood sugar from increasing. Too many of the options are loaded up with mountains of something that destroys your health fast - SUGAR.   Nothing like going in with the intention to do something good for your health and walk out with a sugar bomb the equivalent to 10 or more teaspoons of sugar. Granted, it may not be the white granulated sugar my mom put in her Toll House chocolate chip cookies, but it’s still sugar even if it comes from natural sources like fruit. This is especially true if the fiber (which can help mitigate the blood sugar spike) is missing as it is with juice.

Why do the seemingly healthy ‘fresh juices’ contain so much sugar? The easy answer is because the business owners want to make them taste better to the general population. They do it to sell more juice! And really, drinking an all-green juice can take some time to get used to for most people.

A second equally important consideration when placing your order has more to do with the overall philosophy and brand mission of the juice bar. Some are committed to only organic ingredients while to others non organic works just fine. The key takeaway here tip is always to choose organic and especially when it comes to any ingredients that are on the Environmental Working Group’s annual ‘Dirty Dozen’.

You can see how it really pays to know what the best options are so you have a smart ordering strategy that will allow you get the health benefits of raw juice and reach your wellness goals. Plus, since prices can be $15 for one juice now days, it definitely makes sense to get the most nutrition bang out of your next order.     Here are the specifics you need to know:                                                                                                                     

Here’s how to level up your next order

Tip 1 /  Lean to greens

Start with a base of green - think celery or cucumber.   Next, add in some nutrient dense, alkalizing spinach, kale or chard.  Be open to adventure - try something new that you’ve never had. Next, add some zip -like lemon, lime or fresh raw ginger. Then some nutrient dense cleansing cilantro or parsley. Last add could be a little low sugar fruit.

Ordering a blend with a lot of banana, orange, pineapple, mango or other fruit and low on veggies? You’re probably causing your blood sugar to spike - leading to an inevitable crash a little later.   Sugar (even the kind from fruit) can also lead to inflammation and accelerated aging! Granted, it’s not refined white cane sugar -  but fructose (the natural sugar in fruit) behaves in the body just as if it were refined white sugar.

Tip 2   / Think outside the box

Add in some mineral and nutrient rich herbs like parsley or cilantro. Many herbs that were once seen only as garnishes for food are now coming into their own as their healing properties are discovered. Parsley for example, is really a superfood! Loaded with key nutrients, essential oils and antioxidants. Parsley has just 8 calories for half a cup and also includes good amounts of Vitamins C, A, K, folate and iron.

For years, many native cultures have used parsley to heal the body. It’s been associated with fighting: inflammation, free radical damage, arthritis, bloating and may help protect bones as its a good source of vitamin K. These are just a few of the known benefits being explored!

Tip 3  / Choose Organic

Another great tip is to make sure to go to juice bars that use certified Organic ingredients. Think about how much raw, fresh produce you need to make just one 16 oz. juice! To minimize exposure to pesticides I always go for organic and especially for any fruits or vegetables that are most heavily sprayed with chemicals (celery, spinach, kale and berries almost always test out to have the most pesticide residues

).

Juicing can be a great way to add in more raw nutrient dense vegetables to your diet, give your digestion a rest/re-set and hydrate and heal the body - all it takes is a little smart shopping!