Health: A Change in Diet & Lifestyle.

Being a business owner and mother can get pretty busy at times. And I've realized that I not only need to be healthy for the everyday challenges at work, but to also have the energy to be fully present and energized when I'm with my son. In order to do so, I had to make a complete diet and lifestyle change. I'm not a health freak, but I've become more conscious of my daily activities and eating habits.

Eating the right foods is sometimes difficult, especially with a busy schedule. I recently got into incorporating juicing into my diet and found it to be one of the solutions for getting my daily intake of fruits and vegetables. It's the perfect way to keep my body in balance and works as a daily mini cleanse for my system. Starting the day with a fresh juice allows me to feel my best, and gives me the energy boost I need without caffeine.

Until recently, I used to think that any juice combination was healthy. However, there are many dos and don'ts when it comes to juicing. Using too many sweet fruits and not enough veggies counteracts the benefits of juicing because the amount of sugar can impact insulin levels in the body. Drinking juice on an empty stomach is also a must. Fruit and vegetables are basically juice, sugar, and water, so they digest very quickly. If you drink juice after eating then it can't go to work healing the body because it becomes stuck in the digestive system. Also certain ingredients can have a big impact on how nutritious your juice is - for instance adding ginger and lemon give juice an added detox factor.

I've learned from the likes of Dr. Oz that juicing does more than offer vitamins and minerals, juicing can prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and various inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Because I live in a city, pollution is bound to be a present part of my life and I've learned that juicing can counteract some of the negatives. Chemical compounds called flavonoids and anthocyanin are found in fruits and veggies, and can guard against oxidative cellular damage which is partly due to pollution.

Working out and staying active is also important in my change of lifestyle. It's easy to make excuses to not work out, and making the effort to go to the gym sounds like a hassle, but I've always loved running. I slowly made a habit of running to my destinations like dropping off my son at daycare and found it to be refreshing. Running has become a huge part of my active lifestyle to keep my body in motion.

Everyone at DeNada is hooked on juicing, and we love sharing recipes. Here are two recipes that are perfect for a boost of energy this summer!

 http://www.justataste.com/2013/06/blender-green-juice-drink-recipe/

Healthy Green Juice

2 Green Apples, halved
4 stalks celery, leaves removed
1 cucumber
6 leaves of kale
1/2 lemon, peeled
1" piece of fresh ginger

Beet Summer Juice

1 large beet (or 2 medium) cut into wedges
1/2 lemon, zest and pith removed
2 large carrots
1 large apple, cut into wedges
1" piece of fresh ginger