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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

My Best Juicing Advice – Keep It Simple

Ever since I launched the Pressed Organic Juice Directory a few months ago, people have been constantly asking me what I drink for juice.

In terms of pressed organic juice, I prefer green juice in a glass bottle. However, sometimes glass is not available. And sometimes straight green juice is not available either. Usually, this means that a juice bar has added apple for sweetness.

Despite the fact that I have plenty of places to buy pressed organic juice in my neighborhood, I have not abandoned juicing at home.  And I never will.

Juicing at home is essential because the juice is made with our own hands, energy, and love. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough and definitely has an impact on the quality of juice that enters our bodies.

Furthermore, when we make juice, it is EXACTLY how we want it to be, and we can be sure that it has been properly washed and cleaned.

If you’re new to juicing or haven’t juiced in a while (maybe your juicer is sitting on your kitchen counter and hasn’t been touched in weeks or months – raise your hand if that is you!), here is my best advice – keep it simple.

Don’t let the excuse of not having enough time or not having a good juicing recipe get in your way. You don’t need 17 ingredients or fancy herbs to make a great-tasting, high-quality juice.

Just make the time and also make it very easy on yourself.

So, here’s what you can do.

1) Buy one of the following for your base: celery or cucumber.

2) Buy one leafy green, such as kale, romaine, or dandelion. Or, you could buy carrots instead.

3) Buy lemon, lime, ginger, or apple to add some taste.

#2 and #3 are completely optional. This could be a one-ingredient juice, such as celery juice.

But don’t think for one second that celery juice doesn’t have real value because it is not a dark, leafy green. It does. Celery has tremendous anti-inflammatory properties, is a great source of phytonutrients, and aids in digestion.

Do yourself a favor and commit to making juice for yourself tomorrow. Why?

Because I promise you that your body and mind will feel so incredibly energized if you do.

And, of course, make sure the vegetables that you buy are organic.

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If you don’t have a juicer at home, here are three juicers that I recommend. Not surprisingly, the quality of the juicer has a lot to do with the price.

Breville JE98XL – a good starter juicer for people new to juicing. Since this is a centrifugal juicer, make sure that you drink the juice immediately. If not, it will oxidize quickly and you’ll lose important enzymes.

Omega J6008 – a GREAT juicer if you’re looking to move up one level in quality from a centrifugal juicer. This Omega uses a single auger mechanism to masticate the juice and doesn’t take up much room on the counter. This machine makes excellent juice, and clean-up time is under five minutes. I’m a big fan. Drink the juice within 15 minutes of juicing.

Green Star 1000 – a twin-gear juicer that makes phenomenal juice. If you are serious about juicing and know that you are ready to make a real commitment to it, this is a fantastic pick. I have had it for about 5 years and love it. Drink the juice within 15 minutes of juicing.

Whatever juicer you have, even if it is a $2,500 Norwalk machine, the less time between when the juice is made and when you drink it, the better.

A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Another Reason to Eat Organic – Conventional Meat Contains Twice as Many Superbugs

Aside from the fact that conventionally-raised animals can be pumped with synthetic growth hormones and can be fed genetically-modified grain that has been sprayed with super-toxic pesticides, there is now another scary reason to avoid conventional meat: superbugs.

In results from a just released study, Consumers Reports found that 18 percent of the ground beef samples from conventionally-raised cows contained dangerous superbugs resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics used to treat illness in humans. This is compared with just 9 percent of ground beef from samples that were sustainably produced.

Consumer Reports purchased 300 packages – 458 pounds – of conventionally and sustainably produced ground beef from grocery, big-box, and natural food stores in 26 cities across the country.

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A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Top 10 Herbs by Nutrient Density

By now, many of you may be familiar with the “ANDI Scores” when you walk into the produce section of Whole Foods Market.

Created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, ANDI stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index” and ranks a food’s nutrient density on a scale from 1 to 1000.

The ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities, and by dividing the nutrient level of a food by its caloric content (N/C).

For context, kale, a dark leafy green, scores 1000 while soda scores 1.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Study: Organic Ketchup Has Higher Levels of Antioxidants than Conventional Ketchup

Last year, I wrote about a groundbreaking study from Washington State University that said that organic strawberries have higher antioxidant activity and concentrations of ascorbic acid than conventional strawberries.

This research was the subject of much conversation in the organic industry because now we could point to objective, independent research that validated the superiority of organic.

Well, for those who still don’t believe that organic is a better option, maybe a recently released report from Spain will make them think differently.

In a study performed at the University of Barcelona Science and Technology Centres and reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, ketchup made from organic tomatoes proved to have higher levels of polyphenols than ketchup made from conventional tomatoes. (Polyphenols are biomolecules with antioxidant properties and protective effects in the human body.)

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink