Tag: Green Drink

Headaches and Other Negative Side Effects of Celery Juice

Chef V is often lauded by supporters as one of the best juice-cleansing products you can buy. Over the past few years, it’s exploded in popularity online as a potential “cure-all” for a variety of ailments. But is celery juice good for migraines and gut health like they say? Is a celery juice diet really going to make you lose weight and feel great? Since we take juice diets seriously, we consider it our duty to get you the celery information you never knew you needed.

What are the benefits of celery juice?

To understand what has people so excited about celery juice, it’s probably best to get right down to the basics. The nutritional basics, that is. According to the US Department of Agriculture,
1 cup of chopped celery includes the following: 

  • 40 mg calcium 
  • 14 calories
  • 2 grams fiber
  • 263 mg potassium 
  • 1 gram protein
  • 80 mg sodium
  • 453 IU of vitamin A
  • 3 mg of vitamin C  
  • 30 mcg of vitamin K 

For most of you, that’s just a bunch of numbers. So let's highlight a few standouts. Most notably, celery has a ton of vitamin K, an essential vitamin for helping us repair our body from injuries. Celery also has decent showing in calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. 

But, overall, celery’s nutritional profile could be best described as “inoffensive.” It’s not packed with any particular vitamin or mineral, but its calorie count is also pretty low. This isn’t to say it isn’t healthy. Celery is undoubtedly a super healthy vegetable, and with its low-calorie count, it’s great for a snack. 

If you were to turn celery into juice, it would be an equally inoffensive juice. In an age with so many sugar-laden drinks, we can respect that. Getting more veggies in your life is never a bad thing, whether it comes from celery stalks or drinking juice. Lots of fruit and vegetable juices, celery included, feature antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. 

Problems with celery juice

What's the main negative side effect of celery juice? Well, it’s got one obvious and dangerous side effect. Hype. Celery juice isn’t magically going to make all of your serious ailments suddenly vanish, no matter what your favorite celebrity tells you. It’s just a juice made from a single vegetable and a fairly innocuous vegetable at that.  

Of course, plenty of people want to focus on that tantalizingly low-calorie count and assume celery drinks are great for juice diets and fasting. Trying to go for a juice fast based on celery juice isn’t a great idea. Firstly, the juicing process tends to strip most of the fiber out of celery juice. This can give you tons of digestive issues if you’re relying on celery juice alone for nutrition. 

There’s also the fact that the low nutritional profile of celery juice means it’s just not sustainable for something as long as a 7 day cleanse, let alone a longer 21 day cleanse. The lack of serious nutritional value can lead to the infamous “celery juice headaches” as your body goes without what it needs. 

Beyond the digestive concerns and celery juice headaches, there are also some adverse side effects of celery juice that are concerning for specific people. If you have a celery allergy, you should obviously stay away from large amounts of the stuff. However, people on blood thinner medication may also want to avoid too much celery due to the abundance of clot-promoting vitamin K.

The verdict

In the end, celery juice is just juice. That’s about it. In reasonable doses, you’re fine drinking it. The negative side effects of celery juice only start to kick in when you try to lean on it for a juice cleanse. If you want a juice cleanse that works, make sure to cleanse with Chef V. Our green drinks, detox soups, and detox smoothies have all the essentials to get you through even the legendary 21 day detox, no problem. 

Why Apple Juice is a Key Part of the Chef V Cleanse

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This old saying has a lot of truth to it. When we were looking for an ingredient to help add that little bit of sweetness to the Chef V cleanse, we settled on putting a little bit of apple juice in our green drink. But the addition of apples wasn’t just to make our fresh juice taste even better. There are actually a ton of health benefits that come from apples. Here’s a few for you to chew over! 

Blood sugar control

Apples have a reputation of being a fruit that can help stave off diabetes. While this might be an overgeneralization, apples are definitely a great food for helping get blood sugar levels under control. The soluble fiber (more on that in a bit) in apples helps regulate the absorption of sugars into your bloodstream. This helps prevent issues with energy and cravings that come with spiking blood sugar levels. 

There may still be something to the idea that apples can prevent diabetes, however. Studies have linked high levels of soluble fiber with a reduction in the chance that your body starts to build up insulin immunity. So some green drink with apples certainly couldn’t hurt! 

Digestion

Apple is noted for containing a decent amount of fiber, both the soluble and insoluble types. The soluble kind of fiber will regulate the speed of your digestion and help you feel full, while the insoluble fiber helps your intestines keep that food moving along at a regular pace. 

You have to be careful with apples and fiber, though. A lot of store-bought, processed apple juice will just throw away all the good stuff. With an organic blended juice cleanse, you’re getting all the benefits to your digestive system. 

Heart health

Apples are full of antioxidants. There’s a reason you’ve probably heard of these; the health benefits of antioxidants are big news. While there’s some potential connection between antioxidants and cancer prevention, their anti-inflammatory properties can help your heart. Anti-inflammatories can help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure, both of which help lower the chance of serious heart complications. 

Immune booster

Not only do apples have plenty of antioxidants, but they contain a lot of vitamin C as well. Vitamin C does a lot in your body, but it most notably serves as an immune booster. Even a 7 day juice cleanse with some apples involved can go a long way toward fighting back against the sniffles and colds that come around this time of year. 

Weight loss

One of the major reasons people look for a juice detox diet is for helping prevent weight gain. The Chef V cleanse is no different, and apples are a key part of helping provide its weight loss benefits. The fiber and sweetness of apples help keep you feeling full, while the low calories of apples mean that you’re not gaining much weight. When it comes to appetite control, apples are some of the best choices out there. 

Get into drinking juice with Chef V

Whether apples or other fruits and veggies, we don’t often get enough of these kinds of foods in our diet. With Chef V, getting the good stuff like apples into your diet is easy. Our green drink comes packed with not just apple juice, but a nutrient-dense blend of leafy greens. It’s nutritious, delicious, and can be delivered right to your doorstep! 

Super Smoothie

This Super Smoothie has everything – fresh fruit, avocado for richness, kale for vitamins, ginger for zing, and my protein powder for nutrition. Enjoy it in the morning after your 16 oz. of Organic Green Drink.

super smoothie

TOTAL 10 minutes

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Serving Size: 1 Person

Ingredients

  • ½ organic pear,
  • ripe ¼ avocado
  • ½ organic cucumber
  • ½ lemon juice
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1-2 pieces organic green kale
  • 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 serving of Chef V Ultra Shake protein powder or Powder of your choice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add ¼ cup filtered water if necessary. Bon Appétit!

Alli-Yums? Should You Pass On Garlic & Onions?

shallots on board

For most people, cooking a meal at home just isn’t whole without garlic or onions. Harsh breath aside, garlic and onions (allium vegetables) possess potent health-building properties. But for a few people with poor digestion, alliums are just no fun. Chef V explains why garlic and onions can lead to indigestion. 

Here’s a little health tip that you can try at home. Just make sure you have some mouthwash handy: eating raw garlic and onion may be two of the best things to eat for your gut. 

That’s because they both contain prebiotic fiber. You’ve heard of probiotics (friendly bacteria in your gut) but in case you don’t know what prebiotic fiber is, it’s basically the preferred source of food for your beneficial gut bacteria. 

If you feed your gut prebiotic fiber, the good bacteria will feast on the undigested fiber in your colon and produce short-chain fatty acids. Pretty much every single health benefit you can think of, from emotional well-being to your immune system depends on short-chain fatty acids. 

So does this mean you should be eating garlic and onions by the handful? 

onions

The Health Benefits of Alliums

Garlic and onions are members of the allium family of plants. Leeks, chives, and scallions (green onions) are also alliums. 

Besides being used to flavor dishes, there are some very good reasons to eat a lot of alliums. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain compounds that are believed to fight disease. 

For instance, a 2017 study in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine says that alliums are rich in organosulfur compounds, quercetin, and flavonoids, among others. These compounds, says the research, have the following properties: 

● Protect against cancer

● Cardiovascular disease prevention

● Anti-inflammation 

● Prevents obesity

● Fights diabetes

● Contains antioxidants

● Kills germs

● Protects the brain and immune system

Moreover, several studies, says a research article in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, have shown that a higher intake of allium products is associated with reduced risk of several types of cancers.  

Besides bad breath, is there any reason not to eat these most common alliums by the bulb-full? Maybe there’s a good reason why Mediterranean cultures eat a ton of garlic and seem to have less chronic disease than Americans? Garlic is thought to be one of the most powerful foods for keeping the arteries clear of plaque buildup. 

As for onions, it’s an excellent non-citrus source of vitamin C. Both garlic and onions are excellent for people trying to manage their blood sugar levels. 

garlic

The Downside Of Alliums

But before you go eating bulb after bulb of garlic and onions, keep in mind that not everybody can tolerate alliums very well. It’s hard to say how many people have a true allium allergy. 

  Unlike Celiac Disease, which we know affects roughly 2 million people in the U.S, there’s no reliable data on garlic and onion allergies. Relatively few people are probably truly allergic to alliums but there are many people who are intolerant of them. 

So what’s in garlic and onions that cause bloating, gas and other digestive upset? The reason why is that alliums are high in FODMAPs. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Basically, these carbohydrates are very hard for some to digest.

For people that have to eat a low FODMAP diet, eating alliums can cause the small intestine to poorly absorb the sugars in the onion and garlic. The sugars then ferment in the colon (large intestine), causing gas or other symptoms. But only a few people – who need to eat a very low FOD map diet – cannot tolerate alliums. For 99% of people, they are fine.

Fructans in Garlic and Onions

The main offending carbohydrate in alliums is called fructan, which is a chain of fruit sugar (fructose) molecules. Fructans represent the ‘oligosaccharides’ in FODMAPs. Garlic is especially problematic because it contains one of the highest levels of fructans in the plant world. 

Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill you can take to break down fructans like you can a lactase enzyme for dairy. That means if you eat at a meal with lots of garlic and onions, you may experience abdominal pain, acid reflux or constipation. 

In general, it’s a great idea to get more prebiotic fiber in your diet. More prebiotic fiber means better gut health. But not everybody tolerates prebiotic fiber (fructans and inulin, which is a polysaccharide). 

Elimination Diet

If you have trouble digesting alliums, I suggest giving them up for a few weeks along with every other type of food that may be triggering food sensitivities. That means no gluten (wheat), soy, and the most common other food sensitivity triggers: artificial sweeteners, caffeine, MSG, dairy, tree nuts, shellfish, peanuts and eggs. 

That bit of advice may seem overwhelming because what’s left to eat? But if you have serious digestive issues, I highly recommend working with a nutritionist who can help you discover the root causes of your digestive issues. 

The good news is that after a few weeks, you can start reintroducing some of these foods back into your diet, one at a time. 

And if you love garlic but it doesn’t love you back, here’s another piece of advice. Buy garlic-infused olive oil. It’s low in FODMAPS so it won’t trigger any food sensitivities. 

Just don’t forget to brush and use a strong mouthwash. 

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5 Reasons Dark Leafy Greens Are Awesome For Gut Health

How many times have you heard “FOLLOW THE SCIENCE” over the last two years? Well, there’s no debating that dark, leafy green veggies are some of the most health-promoting nutrient dense-foods on Earth. In this article, certified nutritional therapist, Veronica Wheat Kress, aka Chef V, lists 5 research-backed ways that dark leafy greens improve gut health. All disease starts in the gut. So make sure you’re taking care of your digestive system by consuming dark, leafy greens every day. Not getting enough greens? (DO THIS.)

I’m probably not rocking your world by telling you this news: dark, leafy green veggies are the best and most affordable superfoods on the planet. But what you probably didn’t know about my fave greens are how they specifically help improve gut health. So let’s dive right in. 

gut health

#1: Contains Sulfoquinovose

Last year, a team of researchers in Austria were the first ones to discover how bacteria in the gut process a sugar found in dark, leafy greens called sulfoquinovose. Nutritional hipsters like myself call it “SQ.” 

SQ contains sulfur. But it’s not the same as the rotten-egg sulfur smell you’re probably thinking of. And even though it’s a sugar, SQ doesn’t act in the gut the same way sugar does. Sugar—I’m talking about the kind in white table sugar packets—feeds a large number of different kinds of bacteria in the gut. But SQ only feeds certain bacterial species that are found in healthy people. 

And when these healthy bacteria digest SQ, an energy source for other friendly bacteria is formed. Evidently, your harmful bacteria don’t want to have anything to do with dark, leafy greens. 

So the more dark, leafy greens you consume, the more SQ your gut produces. This causes the good guys in your gut to multiply while kicking out the bad party guests. 

leafy greens

#2: Produces Short-Chain Fatty Acids

This kind of relates to SQ, but I’m about to get a little gross here. You see, when you consume dark, leafy greens, your body can’t digest some of the fiber. But your friendly bacteria can in your colon. And when the bacteria eats the fiber, it produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

SCFAs are basically the poop of your gut bacteria. You thought probiotics were vital for great gut health? Well, they are. But it’s actually the SCFAs that provide us with so many health benefits.

For instance, SFCAs act like fertilizer for the cells that line the mucous lining of the small intestinal barrier. This prevents your food from leaking out into the bloodstream.  

It’s pretty creepy to think that the more bacterial poop you have in your gut, the better your health. But it’s true. SCFAs improve communication with your cells. And when your cells are more communicative, your immune function, mood and other systems improve.

sore stomach

#3: Decreases Methane

For people with digestive problems like gas and bloating, there is usually more methane-producing bacteria in the gut. So if good bacteria poops short-chain fatty acids, harmful bacteria has stinky methane gas. 

Most of us only associate methane gas with cows. (Climate change has brought that to our attention.) But eating unhealthy food also causes the release of methane albeit internally in your gut. 

#4: Lowers Inflammation

Dark leafy greens contain another sulfur compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane and other antioxidants like quercetin (which has received a lot of attention over the last couple years because of a certain worldwide virus) are inflammation fighters. 

People with gut dysbiosis—too many harmful bacteria, not enough friendly ones—often have chronic inflammation in the bowel or elsewhere in the digestive tract.

By eating more dark, leafy greens, your body may develop with a more normal inflammatory response—including in the gut. 

#5: Contains Cellulose 

Like the walls that keep your home warm and cozy, plants have cell walls. These walls are made of sugar called cellulose. Because your digestive system can’t fully digest cellulose, it’s considered a fiber. Cellulose helps fertilize your good bacteria. It does this by increasing the amount of starch that gets fermented in the colon. This increases the amount of short-chain fatty acids (bacterial poop) that your good bacteria produce. 

Dark, leafy greens aren’t just reservoirs of awesome nutrient density. Yes, they are chock full of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. But you could also say they are Mother Nature’s most awesome food for gut health. 

And if you’re not eating enough of them, here’s the perfect solution

Kale Nutrition: This Superfood Ain’t Going Out Of Style Anytime Soon

kale

According to Dr. Drew Ramsey, someone whom I really admire for his work on treating depression, anxiety and emotional disorders through nutrition, kale offers some very impressive benefits:

  • Fights inflammation
  • Improves the liver’s detox ability
  • Protects brain cells from stress

I love what Dr. Ramsey says about kale: “It talks to your DNA and tells it to sing the sweet, slow song of health and happiness.”

I’m not bragging, but I jumped on to the kale bandwagon long before the wagon rolled out of hipster neighborhoods and restaurants, serving kale chips and kale smoothies along the way. I may have jumped off other superfood bandwagons–mangosteen: that was fun while it lasted in the early 2000’s but açai berries won over my heart and tummy–but I plan on never abandoning you, kale, even if you do eventually lose hipster cred status.

Kale Nutrition: A Vitamin, Mineral & Antioxidant Powerhouse

If you’re wondering about what’s in kale that makes it so healthy, I’ll get to that in a second. First, though, if you’ve never visited my website, allow me to briefly introduce myself and tell you why my husband, Brandon, calls me the “Queen of Kale.” You see, years ago, I earned a certified nutritional therapist credential. I also became a private chef. Soon after launching my career as a chef, I created a recipe for an Organic Green Drink, featuring seven leafy green veggies with not one, but two varieties of kale.

My Green Drink became so popular that I created a business delivering organic green drinks with kale all over the country. This business–CHEF V–has evolved into a nationwide leader of shipped veggie juice and cleanse products. Sure, it took hard work to build what was once a small clientele into a customer list of thousands. But this success story isn’t about me; it’s all about kale playing a huge part in the amazing health transformations of thousands of CHEF V customers.

Here’s why I decided to use two varieties of kale in Green Drink:

  • Each cup of raw kale has 3 grams of proteins but only has 33 calories
  • Good source of fiber: 2.5 grams per cup, which is great for blood sugar levels and preventing cravings
  • Super rich in vitamins A, B, C and K
  • Good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids
  • Rich in minerals such as calcium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium
  • Loaded with antioxidants

kale varieties

Kale: The Leafy Green That’s So Nice, I Added It Twice

As I mentioned above, my certified-organic Green Drink has two types of kale: black and green.

Black and green aren’t the only types of kale. In fact, there are three main types and within each type there’s different varieties. For instance, the green kale I use is commonly known as curly kale. As for the black kale, its leaves actually have more of a bluish-green tint. You may hear black kale referred to as either Tuscan, dinosaur, or Lacinato.

Green kale is the one you’ll most likely find at the supermarket. For CHEF V Green Drinks, I source all the kale for 100% organic certified local farms.

In addition to curly/green and black kale, there’s also some interesting heirloom varieties that you might come across at a farmer’s market:

  • Premier kale: can withstand cold temperatures
  • Kamome Red: extremely bitter
  • Siberian: even hardier than premier for surviving brutally cold weather
  • Redbor: has a captivating psychedelic purple tint
  • Red Russian: similar to Siberian; there’s also White Russian
  • Walking Stick: can be used literally (the stems are huge!)

But wait! There’s more kale to try. There’s also Gulag Stars, Dwarf Blue Vates, Red Nagoya, Chinese Kale, and Sea Kale. If variety is the spice of life, then go get your kale on and try different types.

Veronica and Coconut and kale

Why Is Kale So Good For You?

The reason why kale isn’t likely to fade away as a health trend anytime soon is because it’s not only super healthy, but it’s extremely versatile. That’s why you can make baked chips with it, along with soups, salads, smoothies and so much more. Sure, there’s tons of other superfoods and leafy green plants that deserve equal hipster cred pedestal status. (Cauliflower now seems to be enjoying its 15 minutes of fame.)

But let’s get back to focusing on the health benefits of kale. Why do so many medical experts consider it an important part of a healthy diet?

According to Dr. Drew Ramsey, someone whom I really admire for his work on treating depression, anxiety and emotional disorders through nutrition, kale offers some very impressive benefits:

  • Fights inflammation
  • Improves the liver’s detox ability
  • Protects brain cells from stress

I love what Dr. Ramsey says about kale: “It talks to your DNA and tells it to sing the sweet, slow song of health and happiness.”

You won’t find that conclusion in the New England Journal of Medicine, but lots of other health experts agree that kale is worth including in your diet pretty much every day. (With one major exception: don’t eat too much of it if you take blood-thinning medication; the vitamin K in kale can interfere with the medication and cause blood clotting.)

According to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, green leafy veggies like kale have natural chemicals that act as a first-line defense for plants. These chemicals protect them from bugs and fungus. And it’s these same substances that may help protect us against certain types of cancer and heart disease. [SOURCE]

Vitamin K

What Can Kale Do For You?

Researchers are still learning more about the natural compounds in kale and other leafy greenies.

But what we already know is that a diet rich in plants, especially leafy greens is beneficial for health in many ways:

  • Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals boost your immunity and help prevent disease
  • Keep blood sugar levels under control (prevent or manage type 2 diabetes)
  • Fiber helps keep you full so you’re not tempted to eat empty-calorie snacks

I’ll admit though that eating raw kale everyday would be a drag. That’s why my mission of improving the health of thousands of people in the easiest way possible was born. My Green Drinks are cold-blended to preserve the fiber and nutrients. There’s no easier way of consuming leafy greens than by getting on a Green Drink subscription and having a serving each morning.

Don’t take my word for it though….

Kale Yeah! Green Drink Success Stories

Pashelle's green drink

“Thank you so much.  I work about 13-14 hrs a day in the wardrobe department of a television show. It is so easy to eat junk all day.  Me and the driver of my wardrobe trailer committed to the 3 day cleanse and we feel amazing.  Day 1, was the toughest day.  Day 2,  I saw the difference in my everything. And Day 3, was an introduction to my New Self. We Thank you Chef V!” — Pashelle

Heartwarming Success Story: K.I. Lynn

From bestselling author K. I. Lynn on Facebook:

LONG post ahead. I hope you’ll read.

I haven’t updated any of my weight loss because I wasn’t really seeing it, but today, I did. Plus, I hate people seeing me like this.

When I left my job it was not because my books had done so well I was going to write full time. In fact, I was just beginning to edit Breach. I left as just a pause, one that ended up being needed, because within a few weeks I hurt my knee and my beloved grandmother passed away. The next year, I released Breach and my hubs said “Ok, you don’t have to go back to work.” BTW, in that time I’d had to have surgery on the injured knee.

Between the surgery and writing full time something happened that I did not expect.

I gained weight.

It wasn’t a lot at first, but it did scare me when I passed the highest I’d ever been. Then I cried when I passed the number I said I never would.

Each year, I gained more weight. All the travel and stress and another surgery and needing something quick and easy started to add up, and in 4 short years, I’d put on around 100 lbs. That’s a lot of weight!!

I felt terrible about myself. I hated going to signings because I hated how I looked and felt. I didn’t FEEL good.

The biggest thing about weight loss that people don’t understand is that it’s not about WANTING to lose weight, it’s about having the MOTIVATION to lose weight. Wanting can lead to depression as you stare in the mirror, and you lose any desire to eat healthy.

Earlier this year I’d finally had enough. I didn’t have the motivation, but I was sick of it all. Olivia Kelley-Santos had told me about her green drink that she drank that made her feel good, so I went on and saw they had a 21 day detox and I said “That’s what I need. That’s the push.”

I needed to purge all the bad stuff from my body and start fresh. I already knew I want to do low carb. Low carb, not Keto. The box full of everything I needed came in mid-March, right in the middle of working on Welcome to the Cameo Hotel.

The detox did exactly what I needed it to do, and I lost about 20lbs in a few short week. It gave me my motivation, so when it was over, I continued on eating healthier.

I try and stick to a max of 40 net carbs a day. As many of you know, I am a cheese fanatic, and cheese is life and in about every meal. It’s what keeps me going and on a healthier way of living.

For weeks, I watched the scale go down, little by little. I saw a stall, but moved past it. I avoided temptation, and if I did fall, I had only a very small portion.

Then, in July, it happened – I hit my first milestone.

50lbs gone

Elena M. Reyes came to visit and there were some signings, but I managed not to gain any weight. For my birthday I splurged for almost a week eating anything I wanted, because for my birthday, that was all I wanted.

However, that splurge came with consequences. I had the taste for carbs and sugar again. I got back on my diet, but I found I was caving to cravings with little arm bending.

So here I am, doing a small 3 day cleanse with the green drink to get me back on track. I’m down 54lbs in total, and hope to be down quite a bit more by Wild and Windy.

I have goals, and one of them is to get this 100lbs off by the end of the year. I think I can do it. There are more goals after that, but for now, my eye is on the prize.

Just going to keep swimming.

Easy Hummus

This recipe is easy and it tastes delicious! Eat it with naan, veggies, gluten-free bread or pita chips. I love Stacy’s brand gluten free pita chips, they are the best. Enjoy!

TOTAL TIME: 15 min  SERVES: 2-4

easy hummus

Ingredients

  • 1 (15-ounce) can or 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, chilled
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon tahini paste
  • 1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and sliced

Directions

Process all ingredients except cucumber in a Vitamix for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water if needed for better blending. Serve on cucumber slices, as a dip with your favorite veggies, or spread on a wrap or gluten-free toast. Sprinkle with paprika and sesame seeds.

Easter Bunny Juice from Chef V

Check out this yummy Easter Bunny Juice from Chef V! It’s so easy and the health benefits are amazing! It is blended not juiced to retain all of the beneficial fibers that boost your energy, speed up your metabolism, improve your skin and hair, and even our teeth.

I recommend this recipe for humans, big and small, but bunnies might actually like it too! Just kidding! I call it Bunny Juice because of the bright carrot orange color and flavor.

Have a happy and healthy Easter!

Love, Chef V

skinny shamrock smoothie

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots
  • ½ Fuji apple
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger (optional for kiddos!)
  • 4 cups of cold filtered water

Directions

Blend for 1-2 minutes on high in a Vitamix or high-pressure blender. Enjoy 8-16 oz. or save for up to 3 days in your refrigerator.

New Year, New You: Why You Should Add Green Drinks to Your Diet

At Chef V, we love green juice, in case you couldn’t tell. But, as crazy as it might sound, some people are scared of the delicious green stuff. They mainly associated it with long-term juice cleanses. However, you don’t have to be a detox juice cleanse master to enjoy fresh juice, regardless of what’s in it. There are plenty of ways to work some of that green drink into your everyday routine. You might even want to give a juice detox diet a try!

Benefits of green drink

If you’re new around here (if so, welcome!) your first question might not be what the benefits of green drink are. Instead, you’re likely wondering just what green drink is. 

Well… it’s green, for starters. Really, “green drink” isn’t a scientific term. It’s simply used to refer to all kinds of beverages that use leafy greens as their main ingredient. Our own Chef V green drink, for example, includes green kale, black kale, collard greens, curly parsley, and green chard among its ingredients. 

These kinds of leafy greens are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron. This means drinking juice filled with these greens is an excellent way to ensure you’re getting all the important nutrients you need. 

Beyond general nutritional goodness, there are a few more specific health benefits to green drinks. The leafy greens in these vegetable juices are great for fighting inflammation, reducing your risk of a whole host of health issues, including heart disease. 

These leafy greens are also great for helping you get your blood sugar under control, improving digestion, and helping you better control your weight. What’s not to love? 

Cleanses versus adding green drink to your diet

It’s important to note here that while green drinks are clearly a fantastic tool for healthy eating, you do have flexibility in how you use them. A lot of people associate green drinks with undertaking detox juice cleanses to lose weight. 

And yeah, green drinks are pretty great for this. The idea behind a juice cleanse is to cut down on the carbs and calories in your diet. Green drinks let you do this while ensuring you still get all the essential nutrients and minerals.

But don’t be afraid to just add some of the green stuff into your daily diet. It doesn’t need to be all about the juice fasts. The anti-inflammatory properties and benefits to your digestive system alone make adding in some leafy greens a worthwhile endeavor. 

Swapping for other drinks

If you don’t want to go for a whole detox juice cleanse, it can be a significantly healthy step to swap some of your other regular drinks for something fresh and green. Just switching out a caffeinated beverage every morning for a glass of green stuff can have a significant effect on your mood and energy. Or you can swap out those sugary drinks for a healthy option that’s got its own sweetness. If you’re going for the Chef V option, that includes apples

Chef V green drink delivery

If you’re interested in getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet, but are afraid of going for a full-on juice detox diet, we at Chef V have got you covered. Our green drink delivery brings the good stuff right to your doorstep. This ensures you’re getting only the freshest green drink, no processed foods or liquids anywhere near your juice. 

The Most Important $7 You’ll Spend In 2023

green drink skin benefits

Chef V is an industry leader in helping people restore their health after the holidays with cleanse and detox programs. But those metabolic reboots are short-term. To keep the health benefits going every day in 2023, Veronica Wheat, the “V” in Chef V, has a simple, perfect plan

Think about all the frivolous stuff that you spend money on every day or several times a week. How many of those expenses are actually contributing to your overall health and happiness? 

Is the half-caf, extra-foam soy vanilla latte really necessary? What about all those meals at restaurants, where most of the time, your food is cooked in rancid canola oil? Have you counted how much you spend monthly on dining out?  

Hey, I get it. Life is short. Spend your money on things that make you happy. Go travel. Book a monthly spa day. Retail therapy shop once in a while. Just don’t neglect to invest in daily things that will support your total wellness

kale

The Best Daily Investment In Your Health For 2023

What a cluster— the last couple of years has been. Thankfully, for the most part, we have emerged from the fear- and anxiety-fueled dystopian reality of the pandemic. However, it seems that there’s no shortage of flus, viruses and other crazy current events that can lower your vibration. 

But what if I told you that for just $7 a day — way lower than the cost of eating out, and about the same for that latte with a tip for the barista — you can easily eliminate the physical and mental toxins we’re bombarded with on a daily basis and support your health in every way imaginable, including:

    • Having great, buzzing energy in the morning — no caffeine needed!
    • Feeling leaner and sexier 
    • Thinking more positively with no mood swings
    • Sleeping more soundly
    • Focusing more sharply
    • Superb antioxidant protection for your immune system 
    • Supporting your friendly gut bacteria 
    • Assisting your body’s Detoxification
    • Enjoying having more beautiful skin, strong nails and lustrous hair

Buying Juice From A Store Is Like Paying Someone To Poison Your Body

You decide: 3 grams of sugar per serving or over 50 grams of sugar per serving? 

It’s shocking how much sugar there is in big juice brands. I’m usually not one to name names. But this time I’ll make an exception: Naked, Odwalla, Suja, Evolution. I could go on and on. 

These corporate brands — Naked and Odwalla are both owned by Pepsi! — don’t care about your health; they care about their bottom line. That’s why they pump tons of blood-sugar-spiking fructose in their juices, even ones named Green Machine. (Naked Juice’s Green Machine has 53 grams of sugar per 15 ounce serving!) 

Store-bought juices trick customers into thinking that their products are good for them because the slick marketers give their products healthy-sounding names. But at the end of the day, these glorified fruit juices are only contributing to the obesity and diabetes twindemic. 

In comparison, with Chef V’s ultra low-sugar Organic Green Drink plan, you’ll  flood your 37 trillion cells with supreme nutrition every day. Think of your body as a high-performance sports car. Green Drink is the fuel your body needs to perform at peak levels every day!

Just $7 a day. Cheaper than the competition. Waaay easier than making your own.

Think about how much money the average person spends on dietary supplements and personal care products to receive all those benefits. It’s a lot more than $7 a day, I can guarantee you that!

All you have to do to FEEL YOUR BEST in 2023 is:

GET ON THE Chef V Organic Green Drink Plan

—->Learn more about the top 5 research-backed benefits of Green Drink.

green drink and digestion

Top Reasons You Need To Go Green in 2023

Oftentimes in life, we neglect the best things for us. For instance, we take our spouse or partner for granted and don’t tell them how much we appreciate them. We don’t spend enough time nurturing our soul in nature. The same could be said about a humble bottle of 7 certified organic leafy green vegetables

If you previously had a Green Drink Plan maybe you forgot how this simple solution supported your health and happiness day in and day out. Life happens. You get sidetracked and revert to old habits. 

I’m happy to set you back on the easiest and most affordable daily wellness plan. But don’t just take it from me. Check out the radical health transformation that customers like Michael, Pashelle, Carey, Gabrielle, and K.I. experienced from being on a Green Drink plan. 

Look, I realize you might be skeptical. “All these incredible health benefits can come from just a daily serving of Green Drink? Can’t I just buy some other veggie juice from the store once in a while or make my own at home?” you might be wondering? 

Totally valid questions. But here’s how Chef V is different than 99.9% of the juices out there:

    • Certified Organic (no pesticides) 
    • Delivered to your home (effortless health)
    • Made fresh every week
    • Less expensive per serving than most brand-name juices
    • No messy clean up, no prep work
    • No preservatives
    • Sourced from local farmers that Chef V has a personal relationship with
    • Feeds and supports your healthy gut bacteria because it’s raw and cold-blended
    • Never high pressure pasturized – that chills the nutrients
    • All store brands are produced with high pressure pasturization
    • Super low in natural sugar with zero added sugars

—-> See how Chef V Organic Green Drink Crushes Top Juice Brands

Support Your Total Wellness in 2023 Right Now

There’s a thousand and one excuses to not take advantage of this incredible deal of just $7 a day. 

But if you’re somebody who wants to live their best life in 2023 then take charge of your health right now and get on the plan

It’s the easiest, most convenient and most affordable way to support your health and happiness in every way possible. 

As a small business owner who literally gets her hands dirty in the kitchen, managing the Green Drink operations, I’m so excited for you to get back to feeling your best.

$7 a day. That’s all it takes to receive so many health benefits week after week.Your health and happiness is worth it. 

START (OR RENEW) YOUR PLAN NOW.

Chef V and kale

How to Rock Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions with Chef V Green Drink

Ever made a New Year’s Resolution for fitness that you ended up bailing on quickly? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Chef V is happy to see people reach their health goals, whether it be making it to the end of our 21 day cleanse, or hitting the gym more often in the new year. Since we’re all about promoting better health and fitness, we decided to put together a quick list of tips to make your fitness goals stick in the near year. 

Don’t make idle resolutions

Sometimes, the best option is to not make a resolution. Yeah, we know that doesn’t sound like a super piece of advice. But you need to stop and think about these things. You need to first answer the big question, “Why?” Why are you making these fitness goals? 

“Because it’s New Years” isn’t a good enough answer. What is going to motivate you? Is it reaching a healthier weight? Feeling better? Getting more energy? Pick your reason, and it will provide the drive you need to succeed. 

Make concrete goals

“I’m going to be healthier” isn’t a goal. You want to get down into the fitness and health specifics. Are you going to walk every day after work? Are you going to hit the gym a few days a week? Are you going to try a juice diet once a month?

Note that in the example goals above, we also put a time frame on it. Time is a vital component of goal setting. Saying you’ll lose twenty pounds is meaningless without a time frame. No one is going to drop all that overnight. Also, make sure you’re setting reasonable goals. You’re not going to go from being a couch potato to scaling Everest in a year. 

Track goals

Keep good records of when you need to take action on your goals, and if you did so. This isn’t just for holding yourself accountable. Tracking your goals, and checking them off, is great motivation. It’s actual proof you’re getting stuff done!

Work together

Holding yourself accountable by tracking goals works for some people. For others, it can help to get a buddy. Doing a 21 day cleanse with someone else is a lot more fun than doing it on your own. Ditto for taking on long-term fitness goals. A workout buddy is great for giving you that extra reason to keep going.

Have fun! 

Okay, talking about accountability is starting to seem serious. But keeping your goals doesn’t have to be a drag. Try to find fun ways to meet your fitness goals. Take up a sport or activity you’ve always wanted to try. Make it a group event with friends, if possible. If you’re having fun, you won’t view your fitness goals as chores; you’ll turn them into habits. 

Get Chef V green drink

Sometimes, it seems like the energy to complete your resolutions is never going to come. Or maybe it  seems like amid all the processed food options out there, it’s hard to get the vitamins and minerals you need to power through your fitness goals.

We’d be there to spot every one of you in the gym if we could. But we can offer the next best thing—our signature Chef V green drink. It’s great to get you going in the morning, or just whenever you get thirsty. Packed full of leafy greens, it’s a detox juice that has everything you need to smash your fitness goals. 

Raw Veggies Vs. Cooked: Does It Matter For Gut Health?

what do I eat today liquids

We know that eating more veggies can boost the number of friendly bacteria in your gut. But what’s a mystery to most people is if how we prepare our veggies affects gut health in any way. “V” reveals if there’s a winner between raw veggies or cooked plant-based foods. 

If you’re a nutrition research geek like me, you’ve probably come across lots of studies on intermittent fasting, vegetarian diets, keto diets and other types of eating protocols. But if there’s one type of food study that’s as rare as finding a perfectly round pearl in an oyster, it’s this subject…

Is there a difference between eating raw plants versus cooked veggies? As I’m writing this, it’s August, or as I like to call this time of year, Rawgust! Because it’s so hot out, it’s the best time of year to consume a raw, plant-based diet. All I know is that when it’s 100 degrees outside, the last thing I want to do is slave over a hot stove, cooking up a huge slab of meat. Nope, this time of year, it’s all smoothies, mocktails and salads (and maybe a gazpacho or two).

So I like to go with my gut and listen to what my body is craving—as long as the craving is for something healthy. But beyond my intuition, is there any research to back up my craving for raw food? Will going raw any time of year support the trillions of friendly bacteria in my gut microbiome?

Well, it got me wondering? So I did my best nutritional Sherlock Holmes investigating. Unfortunately, the trail went cold. But I persisted and eventually found what is believed to be the first study to bring up this nutritional debate.

salad

Raw Vs Cooked Veggies For Gut Health

Before we get into the research, chew on this…

Horses don’t eat cooked food. Neither do chimps or gorillas. Yet they’re strong as bulls. In fact, humans are the only animals that cook their food. Many paleontologists believe our human ancestors developed bigger brains precisely when eating cooked food became the norm. In the hundreds of thousands of years since, our gut microbiomes have been influenced largely from cooking bones and meat.

It’s no wonder that there has hardly been any research looking into the effects of raw plants on the gut microbiome.

But finally, in 2019, researchers from Harvard University put that question to the test … at least in mice, not humans. And the results were not what I expected.

What the researchers discovered was that the mice who ate raw sweet potatoes essentially committed murder on several of their gut species.

But if there’s one thing that drives me a little nuts is when I hear people say that raw food is hard for the body to digest. That might be true if you’re trying to eat a raw, high-starch veggie like a potato or sweet potato. I’m definitely not suggesting eating raw potatoes.

Why the researchers didn’t give the mice lots of other raw veggies, like say, lettuce, I can’t explain. I also have no clue why more research hasn’t been done on the effects of raw veggies on the gut microbiome versus cooked veggies.

veronica and kale

Eating Raw in Rawgust: Benefits

Now let me ask you something. If you’ve been partying in June and July like it’s 1999 and your digestion, energy and skin need a reboot, what do you think is better for you: cooked meat or salad?

Of course a diet high in raw veggies is much easier on your system than cooked meat. Now I admit, there are a few veggies that you may have a harder time digesting raw rather than cooked. This is especially true of the nightshade veggies:

  • Peppers (it doesn’t matter what kind or what color)
  • Tomatoes
  • Egglplant
  • Potatoes (which we covered)

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of raw broccoli either. But when it comes to green, leafy veggies such as spinach, kale, collard greens, lettuce, parsley, chard and dandelion, the research doesn’t lie. There are so many health benefits of the 7 leafy greens that are featured in Organic Green Drink that I could write a book about it.

In fact, I sort of did: a cookbook, Making Cleansing Easier, which features an intro that talks about several of these health benefits.

The bottom line is that if you want a health makeover, let the sizzling summer months be the perfect time to boost your intake of raw veggies. Your gut microbiome will thank you for it.

What Do I Eat Today – Menu with Chicken Pot Pie

what do I eat today chicken pot pie

This “What Do I Eat Today” menu starts with warm lemon water, then Green Drink. For breakfast, Warm Cinnamon Quinoa, a hearty treat.  For lunch, my Mediterranean Stew, and for dinner,  Chicken Pot Pie, a gluten-free recipe with a vegan option, demonstrated in this Chef V Cooking School video.

lemons

I have lemon water in the morning and then I wait until I’m hungry to have my Green Drink.

warm cinnamon quinoa

For Breakfast – Warm Cinnamon Quinoa 

For breakfast, Warm Cinnamon Quinoa fills the belly and tastes so good. I use quinoa, my own recipe for raw almond milk, raw coconut nectar, and ground cinnamon. You can top it with berries and/or nuts.

Get the recipe here. 

For Lunch – Mediterranean Butternut Squash + Carrot Stew with Quinoa

For lunch you have my Mediterranean stew, made with mellow spices for a flavorful and healthy mid-day meal.

This stew can be prepared a day ahead. It’s great to take to work or enjoy for dinner the next day, or for a warm and healthy meal for the kids to come home to and easily reheat.

Get the recipe here.

Dinner – Chef V’s Chicken Pot Pie

For dinner, you are having my Chicken Pot Pie, made with healthier ingredients that will taste great and make you feel good. There is a vegan option as well!

This recipe is featured in my Cooking series on YouTube and you can watch me prepare the recipe here.

Veronica and GD

What Do I Eat Today – Menu with Chef V’s Turkey Risotto

what do I eat today turkey risotto

This “What Do I Eat Today” menu starts with warm lemon water, then Green Drink. For breakfast, a Gnger Apple Berry Smoothie you are going to love.  For lunch, my Spicy Vegetable Soup, and for dinner,  Turkey Risotto, demonstrated in a Chef V Cooking School video.

lemons

I have lemon water in the morning and then I wait until I’m hungry to have my Green Drink.

ginger apple berry smoothie

For Breakfast – Ginger Apple Berry Smoothie

A morning ginger apple berry smoothie not only tastes great but is loaded with antioxidants to fight free radicals and reduce inflammation.

Get the recipe here

My “What do I Eat today” lunch is Spicy Veggie Soup. This is a spicy vegetable soup with jalapeno, quinoa, zucchini, black beans, and lots of spices. Vegan and gluten free. Add or reduce spices if you like your soup milder or super hot.

Get the recipe here.

Dinner – Turkey Risotto

A super simple recipe, it has only 7 ingredients and is so easy to make. It has so much flavor, is so filling and balanced, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! “You don’t even know do’, it’s the BEST Risotto!”

While most risottos have a lot of cream and butter, we’re not going to use those. Using arborio rice, this risotto has a nice creamy texture that we’ll make using vegan broth.

This recipe is featured in my Cooking series on YouTube and you can watch me
prepare the recipe here.

Veronica and cleanse ingredients

Green Drink, Vitamin D Lamps, and Other Ways to Live Without the Sun

The sun gets a bad rap these days. As more and more people become aware of the dangers of skin cancer and other threats from sun exposure, we tend to view the sun more as a threat than anything else. And while it’s true that sunscreen is essential, the absence of sunlight can be just as serious a health risk as too much sunlight. Here, we’ll discuss just why sunlight is so essential, and how you can survive winter on a diminished supply. 

Importance of sunlight

Sunlight, while potentially harmful if you get too much of it, is what allows for all life on earth. That warmth and light is responsible for everything. For humans, it has particularly pertinent health benefits. These include some of the following.

Eye health: Too much sun exposure can damage your eyes, yes. But if you aren’t getting enough sunlight either, it can lead to complications with vision. This is especially important for children. 

Mood control: Sunlight is connected to serotonin levels, one of the chemicals that helps regulate mood. Not enough sun, and you can start to feel depressed and miserable. There’s a reason Seasonal Affective Disorder is a thing. 

Sleep control: Our bodies are amazingly complicated biological machines. We’re meant to be in tune with nature, and sunlight acts as a trigger or “reminder” to our bodies to keep in sync with the world. This means if we don’t get enough sunlight (especially in the morning), we can start to have issues with managing our sleep. Worse, a disrupted sleep schedule can affect our weight management

Vitamin D levels: You’ve probably heard before that sunlight is related to vitamin D. But what does this mean? Vitamin D is a hormone our body produces that allows us to absorb other essential minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus. (You can also get vitamin D in your food. More on that later.)

Sunlight on the skin helps promote our body’s natural production of vitamin D. You probably remember calcium is key to healthy bones. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin D production through sunlight, it can lead to brittle and damaged bones. There’s even an indication that other organs in your body need vitamin D to help stave off infection and inflammation. 

How to get vitamin D without the sun

Naturally, you want to get as much sunlight as possible, though with the proper protection from sunscreen and shades. But what do you do during the months when clouds cover the sun, or wind and snow keep you inside? 

One way is to get some artificial help. Vitamin D lamps are a great way to mimic natural sunlight, “tricking” your body into producing more vitamin D. As far as mood control goes, try to stick to a set sleep schedule, even if the light isn’t around. Spend time socializing with family and friends, and eat and exercise well. 

As we mentioned earlier, it’s also possible to get vitamin D from certain foods. As far as animal products go, fish tend to be the highest in this vitamin. Because of its importance, you’ll also often see beverages artificially fortified with vitamin D, such as milk and orange juice. But what about those who skew more organic or vegan?

The best veggies for vitamin D tend to be the darkest and leafiest green. Think of things like collard greens, kale, and spinach. And one of the best ways to get these into your diet is through Chef V’s green drink. Whether a 3 day juice cleanse, or our signature 21 day juice cleanse, our green drink has everything you need to stay healthy all year round. 

Dark Leafy Greens & Gut Health: What’s The Connection?

The fact that dark, leafy greens are healthy isn’t exactly headline, groundbreaking news. We all know they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. But what you may not realize is how the 7 leafy greens in Organic Green Drink may improve your gut microbiome, that tiny universe that’s home to your trillions of bacteria.

If you want to be happy and healthy, you have to make sure your gut microbiome is in top-top shape. So let’s learn exactly what consuming Green Drink does for your gut galaxy of bacteria.

This is Your Gut Bacteria On Green Drink

Eating or drinking dark, leafy greens doesn’t directly make you healthier. There’s a middleman involved. Trillions of them in fact. And when you feed the trillions of bacteria enough dark, leafy greens, they feast on a compound that makes us healthier.

To enjoy a balanced immune system, flawless skin, a positive mood and abundant energy, you need about 85% of the bacteria in your gut microbiome to be friendly strains. At that percentage, the 15% potentially harmful bacteria don’t stand a chance to overwhelm the good guys.

When you consume dark leafy greens, your friendly bacteria feast on an X-factor compound that helps them reproduce. It’s only by continuously feeding your good bacteria that the dark, evil forces in your gut—harmful bacteria—can never emerge victorious. Remember, gut health is everything. I’ve probably said that a million times over the years but I can’t emphasize this point enough.

You can pop all the vitamins and other supplements you want. But if you’re not feeding your friendly bacteria dark, leafy greens, they won’t be able to “make copies of themselves” or have microorganism babies, or however else you want to put it. The bottom line is that the friendly bacteria you do have can only go to work for you if you feed it the best stuff.

SQ For Gut Health

If you’ve been reading my articles over the years, I’ve probably scared you away from consuming sugar. But every single food with carbohydrates, fruits and veggies included, contains sugar. And some sugars are actually great for gut health. Dark, leafy greens contain a carbohydrate (sugar) called sulfoquinovose or SQ for short.

SQ is the only sugar molecule that contains sulfur and this is a very important fact. This is because sulfur is the 7th most abundant mineral in the body and many people don’t get enough of it. Now, it might not seem that 7th place is very important. After all, who remembers who came in 7th place in an Olympic race. But let me tell you why sulfur is important…

Your body needs sulfur to build and fix your genetic material (DNA). Every day and all day, your body is constantly trying to repair your DNA and protect your cells from damage that can lead to premature aging and chronic diseases. So you can think of sulfur as superfood for your DNA.

Without sulfur, you wouldn’t be able to metabolize your food or have healthy skin and joints. And when you consume leafy greens, you’re getting sulfur in the form of biotin (vitamin H; bet you didn’t know there was a vitamin H!). Biotin is made by your friendly gut bacteria! So eat lots of leafy greens to get your daily dose of sulfur.

Good Bacteria Love Protein, Too 

Who doesn’t love to sink their teeth into a tasty morsel of protein, whether it’s a carnivore tearing into a T-bone or the plant-based dieter enjoying tempeh tacos. Well, it turns out that our friendly bacteria love protein, too. They need amino acids just as much as we do. And it’s that X-factor compound, SQ, the sulfur-based sugar that produces amino acids for our good bacteria.

Some of the best sources of SQ include the 7 certified organic leafy greens in Organic Green Drink, which you can have delivered right to your front door. No wasting time on shopping, prep work and cleaning. Just drink it straight out of the bottle right into your gut, like superfuel for your friendly bacteria.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN DRINK

Intermittent Fasting + Green Drink

Trying to lose weight and get those abs to poke out? Try intermittent fasting AND breaking your fast with my Chef V Green Drink. Even better: do an early-morning yoga routine, before your first meal of the day. It doesn’t have to be very long. Even 10 minutes will do wonders. That combo works great for me … and you should see what my husband looks like. (Wink)

I’m having a little bit of a dilemma. Maybe you can help by telling me what you think.

You see, Brandon, my husband (and CEO of my nationwide Green Drink and Cleanse delivery operation) is looking like one of those Greek God statues you see in a museum.

Whereas in the past when “six-pack” was synonymous for Brandon with beer, these days, six-pack refers to his absolutely chiseled abs. Actually, 8-pack is more like it.

Brandon is absolutely shredded, chiseled and lean. He hasn’t put an ounce of flab on even though we’ve been under a lot of stress lately opening up our new Chef V store in New Jersey (NYC metro area).

So where’s the problem, you might be wondering? After all, isn’t every lady’s dream to have a gorgeous, sexy partner?

The problem is … he’s starting to look leaner than me. That ain’t right! So should I tell him to stop doing what he’s doing?

Actually, here’s what I’ll do. I’m going to put aside my petty insecurities and rechannel that negativity into something positive. And that’s sharing with you these 3 super easy things that Brandon has been doing these past six months that have resulted in his mad sexy physique.

It seems so easy. And in fact, it is. I’ve actually been doing the three things he’s been doing, too. It’s just that my weight has stabilized and I’m not really looking to break a plateau or anything.

Without further ado here are the three things you can easily do to melt body fat….

intermittent fasting table 16:8 method

What Do Beyonce & Brandon Have In Common?

Besides a killer smile that seems to stop time, what Queen Bey and my hubby have in common is success with intermittent fasting.

Human beings have been intermittent fasting since prehistoric times. But as a diet, this is the one method that seems like it has the potential to kill the diet industry. In other words, it’s not a gimmick, like this:

Brandon, Bey, and thousands of other people, are experiencing very impressive intermittent fasting results.

And the reason why is simple. You’re not doing a crazy starvation diet like the Master Cleanse (fasting on lemon water for several days) or the hCG diet (500 calories a day plus an injection of a pregnancy hormone) or the baby food diet (no explanation needed).

Intermittent fasting restricts when you eat, not what you eat. There are a few different ways to do intermittent fasting (I.F.). Brandon prefers the 16/8 method. That’s when you eat only during an eight-hour window and fast for the other 16 hours.

Fasting for 16 hours is a form of mild stress. That might not sound good to you. After all, most people have too much stress to begin with. But the mild stress from intermittent fasting can actually help you live longer.

And there’s no doubt I.F. will make you leaner.

Making Cleansing Easier Cookbook

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

Researchers are now just starting to discover why intermittent fasting can help make you live longer. (If you want to geek out on how it works, read this article published by Harvard University.)

But I.F. might take some getting used to. This is especially true if you’re prone to feeling “hangry,” you know, that combo of feeling hungry and angry at the same time.

A lot of times, though, you think you’re starving when you’re actually not. What’s more likely is that you’re used to eating a lot of starchy and sugary foods and your brain/belly axis of evil is saying, “Mmmm, give me more … now!”

If you can lower the amount of sugars and starches in your diet, those hangry feelings will likely fade away like your waistline.

And here’s why….

Unless you’re running an ultramarathon, a good chunk of your meal will be stored as sugar (glycogen) in your liver. However, after not eating anything for 16 hours, your sugar storage tank, so to speak, will be depleted.

So what does your hot bod do for energy if it doesn’t have any sugar to burn? It starts using fat for energy. Specifically, your fat cells release ketones (fatty acids). These ketones are converted in the liver as usable energy for your brain. Ketones also get released into your bloodstream to supply the rest of your body with energy.

My book, Making Cleansing Easier, is full of recipes for foods with low, healthy levels of sugars and starches. Use it to reset your appetite.

Kickstart Your Fat Loss With Chef V’s Intermittent Fasting Cleanse! Need someone to hold your hand getting started with Intermittent Fasting? Want to maximize your body fat burning potential? Let me help! Introducing Chef V’s Intermittent Fasting Cleanse, where on each day (you choose: 4, 7 or 14 days), you get 16 oz. of Green Drink, one packet of Chocolate Protein Shake and one Detox Soup (alternates between Carrot Ginger and Sweet Potato Curry). And that’s just for your “break-fast.” For lunch and dinner, you’ll be using my Healthy Eating Guidelines, which includes the following 3 easy to follow things: Eat This, Not That Chart (takes the guesswork out of what to eat) Healthy Portions Chart (takes the guesswork out of how much to eat) Download of my recipe book Making Cleansing Easier, with delicious healthy recipes for smoothies, snacks, soups, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. Recommendations for non-caloric drinks to keep your energy up during your fasting window (including my recipe for Electrolyte Cocktail). Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle! And with Chef V’s IFC, you’ll quickly learn how to combine time-restricted feeding with healthy eating habits you can use for the rest of your life.

Survival Mode But Not Starvation Mode

Sorry, I seem to have gotten carried away and slightly geeked out. All you really need to know can be summed up in one sentence: By not eating for 16 hours your body goes in survival mode and burns fat for energy.

Try fasting for 12-14 hours for a week or two before working your way up to 16 hours. That’s what Brandon did. (I tried calling Bey to find out how she got started but she hasn’t returned my call … yet. haha)

Just to be clear, I.F. is not a starvation diet. True starvation is going for many days without food. But since we’re still wired like our prehistoric ancestors, our bodies go into survival mode. And to survive, our bodies shift from burning carbs for fuel to fat.

Is it making sense now why I.F. is so easy? And you don’t have to be crazy strict about sticking to 16 hours of fasting. If you go one day cutting it down to a 14 or 15 hour window, you’ll still see results.

Jill Ramirez testimonial

Breaking the Fast Without Breakfast

And if you follow this second tip for easy weight loss success, you’ll experience even more impressive results.

You might be tempted to break your 16-hour fast by pigging out with a large breakfast. But there’s two reasons why you shouldn’t do it. First of all, your stomach’s holding capacity will shrink after not eating for 16 hours. Thus, you simply won’t feel like or be physically able to eat a large stack of pancakes.

Secondly, you don’t want your first meal of the day to put you in a food coma. Instead, drink a couple glasses of water first thing when you wake up. And when it’s time to break your fast, have a Green Drink. The seven certified organic greens will help wake up your belly and gently cleanse your system.

There are other methods of doing I.F. such as the 5:2 method. This is when you take a couple days a week and eat only 500 calories.

Regardless of what I.F. method you choose, always break your fast with a Green Drink. Another benefit is you’ll be providing good bacteria in your gut with food (prebiotic fiber) that they need to multiply and keep your immune system strong.

The healthier you are, the better your fat burning potential.

Yoga Before Breaking the Fast

And if you really want to accelerate your weight loss, do some moderate exercise before your first meal of the day. I prefer doing yoga shortly after I wake up. Depending on when I finished the previous night’s meal, I might take a 16 oz bottle of Green Drink with me to stay hydrated during class.
Keep in mind that having a Green Drink will break your fast even though it’s not a meal. The simple reason why is that it has calories and will provide glucose (blood sugar) for your liver to burn.

However, let’s say I’m done dinner at 8 p.m. If I’m taking a 10 a.m. yoga class, I might sip on a bit of Green Drink throughout the class. I’m not super strict about always doing a 16-hour fast window; that’s more Brandon’s thing.

But the key takeaway here is that you should give exercising before breaking your fast a try. You’ll already be in fat-burning mode. And light exercise like these 3 detoxifying yoga poses may help accelerate your weight loss. Just make sure not to do any strenuous exercise when you’re first getting used to I.F.

So there you have it. Three simple strategies for long-term weight loss success: try eating only during a 8 hour window (work your way up to a 16-hour fast); break the fast with Green Drink and do some yoga in the morning before breaking the fast.

Kickstart Your Fat Loss With Chef V’s Intermittent Fasting Cleanse!

Need someone to hold your hand getting started with Intermittent Fasting? Want to maximize your body fat burning potential?

Let me help! Introducing Chef V’s Intermittent Fasting Cleanse, where on each day (you choose: 4, 7 or 14 days), you get 16 oz. of Green Drink, one packet of Chocolate Protein Shake and one Detox Soup (alternates between Carrot Ginger and Sweet Potato Curry). And that’s just for your “break-fast.”

For lunch and dinner, you’ll be using my Healthy Eating Guidelines, which includes the following 3 easy to follow things:

  • Eat This, Not That Chart (takes the guesswork out of what to eat)
  • Healthy Portions Chart (takes the guesswork out of how much to eat)
  • Download of my recipe book Making Cleansing Easier, with delicious healthy recipes for smoothies, snacks, soups, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.
  • Recommendations for non-caloric drinks to keep your energy up during your fasting window (including my recipe for Electrolyte Cocktail).

Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle! And with Chef V’s IFC, you’ll quickly learn how to combine time-restricted feeding with healthy eating habits you can use for the rest of your life.

Green Drink Skin Benefits: Way Beyond Skin Deep

green drink skin benefits

The benefits of Green Drink for skin can have much more of an impact than a cosmetic procedure like a facial. After all, facials and other beauty care methods are only, well, skin deep. But green drinks can benefit your skin from the inside out. Chef V explains….

Take a look at my picture. If you’ve never seen a picture of me, that’s me. Oh, if only I looked as stunning as Coconut, my beloved pooch.

But in truth I do get compliments on my skin from time to time. Now, I might be comfortable in my skin, so to speak. However, I consider myself a modest person and not vain in the slightest bit. Therefore, I’m not one to usually talk about my appearance. I’m going to make an exception here. You see, sure, genetics might have to do with how youthful your skin looks.

kale

Benefits of Green Drink for Skin: Collagen

Let’s talk about protein. Not the protein you get from food, but the protein that makes up who you are. Your body has hundreds of thousands of different proteins. And the most abundant human protein is collagen. Roughly one-third of your body’s protein is collagen. Collagen is the foundation of your connective tissue.

Collagen is a matrix-like structure formed by amino acids. It’s the most common protein in the skin along with keratin. The reason why we look older as we age is that our collagen denatures, weakens and shrinks. It gets weaker and weaker every year. In fact, after age 30 or so, you lose at least one percent of your collagen’s strength every year. That means by age 60, you’re collagen will be 30% weaker than when you are 30 years old.

But here’s one of the key benefits of green drink for skin: the vitamins and minerals help prevent or even re-generate your own body’s collagen. How cool is that? Do you see why I consider having a Green Drink every day the healthiest thing you can do for your health and beauty?

The dark green veggies in Organic Green Drink encourage collagen production. The older you get, the more important this is. That’s because collagen production slows down as you age. However, veggies rich in vitamin C inhibit the breakdown of collagen.

Benefits of Green Drink for Skin: Better Digestion

Here’s another reason why it’s great to have green juice for glowing skin. Because of poor diet, many people have insufficient stomach acid. Adult acne and other skin problems is a direct indication that not only does the gut not have enough good bacteria, the stomach doesn’t have enough gastric juice to break down the nutrients. This results in inflammation. And acne and other skin disorders are a symptom of inflammation.

And if you don’t have enough stomach acid, you can’t efficiently digest protein. Moreover, just like probiotics, gastric juices help fight bad bacteria. Consequently, if you can’t fully digest your food, microbial overgrowth occurs, leading to inflammation and potential skin problems.

But one of the main benefits of green drink for skin is that the veggies help stimulate the release of stomach acid. Moreover, the veggies in our Organic Green Drink alkalize the body and reduce inflammation.

green drink and digestion

Benefits of Green Drink for Skin: Enzymes

Now, not all green drinks are great for your skin. That’s because most green drinks are pasteurized. However, our Green Drinks are raw. And what this means is that when you chug some Green Drink, you get a ton of naturally-occurring enzymes. Enzymes are critical in absorption of nutrients. One major factor why many people have chronic disease is that they don’t eat enough enzyme-rich foods like raw green veggies. Cooked food destroys enzymes. That’s why one of the healthiest and easiest things you can do to ensure you’re getting some enzyme-rich raw veggies in your diet is to have a daily serving of Certified Organic Green Drink.

Chef V and kale

Chef V’s Carrot Ginger Salad

Green is good! Starting with fresh locally sourced organic greens, add carrot, celery, radish, red onion, cucumber, and grilled chicken (optional). Top your salad with my Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Add 4-6 oz of grilled chicken or salmon (optional for protein).

carrot ginger salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mixed greens
  • 1 shredded carrot
  • 1 celery chopped
  • 1 sliced cucumber
  • 1 radish thinly sliced
  • Red onion slices 
  • 4 oz grilled chicken (optional) 

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Blend in blender, add 1 tbsp water at a time to get the thickness you like.

Directions

Layer the ingredients and top with carrot dressing.

If making a mason jar version, layer from bottom to top:
ginger dressing (1 tbsp)
Red Onion
Carrot
Celery
Radish
Cucumber
Lettuce or mixed greens
Add chicken or salmon on top (optional)

Green Drink to Coffee—Best Morning Drinks

Your day is often only as good as your morning. Start your day off kicking butt, and you’ll likely stay in that groove for the rest of the day. Of course, your morning also is only as good as your morning routine. And one of the most essential parts of the morning for many people is the “morning drink.” You know what this is—it's the beverage you always reach for after stumbling your way out of bed. It’s the drink that’s going to help wake you up and give you the energy to get going. 

But what drinks are best for giving you energy? What drinks are the healthiest? Are there any potential health dangers lurking in your choice of morning potage? We’ll review some of the most popular choices of morning drinks and provide all the basics. 

Water

This list is intended to be alphabetical, but we’re going to break that pattern for an emergency broadcast reminder about water. In short, it’s incredibly important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is perhaps your best weapon in the battle to remain constantly hydrated. And it's never a bad idea to start your day by drinking plenty of water. By remaining well hydrated, you’ll keep your energy levels up, stave off illnesses and even better manage your weight

Flavored water

Water too plain for you? Then it’s good to note that flavored waters are increasingly popular as morning drinks. You might not think that just adding fruit or spice to water can do much to change their nutrition profile. However, you can get a nice little morning boost, depending on what you add. 

For example, lemon juice is excellent for helping manage your weight and blood sugar levels. Other popular flavor additions for water include mint, cucumber, and spices, such as ginger (more on some of those later.) These all help you stay hydrated, while adding some crucial nutrients to your diet. There’s not too much more to add here—we’re never going to recommend you stop drinking plenty of water! 

Apple cider vinegar

You can’t get more classic than water. So let’s hop next to something a little off the beaten path. Apple cider vinegar has become an increasingly popular beverage due to being high in plenty of healthful substances, such as proteins, enzymes, and good bacteria. 

Most people get apple cider vinegar in their diet by incorporating it into their cooking and dishes. There are some, however, who have even started drinking the stuff straight in the morning to aid them in weight-loss goals, reduction of cholesterol, or getting control of their blood sugar levels. 

So is this a good morning drink? Sure, but only in moderation. Really, apple cider vinegar is more of an accompaniment to your morning routine, rather than what you should base that entire routine around. While it’s excellent for fighting things like inflammation, it’s still vinegar. If you go chugging a bottle a day, you’ll likely end up with intestinal distress. Keep it moderate or, better yet, incorporate it into recipes

Coconut water

Delicious, nutritious, and hydrating in the extreme. What’s not to love about coconut water? It has fiber for your gut, potassium to fight inflammation, calcium for your bones, and electrolytes to help it work as nature’s very own Gatorade

Of course, most coconut water will have some calories and sugar in it, so it’s not a one-to-one replacement for water. But a glass of coconut water can make an excellent morning drink. On an empty stomach, its immune-boosting properties can get working right away, leaving you ready for the worst the day can throw at you. 

Coffee 

Ahh, coffee. For many Americans, there’s absolutely no way  they could get the day started without their morning brew. But just because it’s traditional for many, is coffee really the best choice out there? Is coffee good for detox and otherwise boosting your health? 

Well, there are some coffee benefits. Plenty of people do get a significant energy boost from caffeine, after all. Coffee beans contain antioxidants, and caffeine has been linked to boosting morning workouts.

But there are plenty of other things to watch out for when it comes to coffee. As you’ve probably noticed, keeping hydrated is one of the most essential parts of a morning routine. Coffee tends to dehydrate rather than rehydrate, which is especially bad considering you’re often dehydrated when you wake up in the morning. 

Coffee energy isn’t sustainable either, and you’re likely to end up with crashes throughout the day. And as for the question “is coffee good for detox,” could it really make the cut when coffee beans are some of the most pesticide-sprayed crops on the planet? 

Energy drinks

Take all the energy-regulation issues with coffee, and add on a ton of extra sugar, and that’s pretty much where you end up with most energy drinks. We don’t want to tar the entire industry with the same brush, but we also don’t want to spend too much time on the topic. You might get really hopped up in the morning, but you’ll be crashing by noon.

Fruit juice

There’s a wide world of fruit and vegetable juices out there, but we’re definitely getting closer to some of the better options for morning drinks here. Something fresh and full of vitamin C is going to help give you the immunity boost to get you started. If you need help deciding what the healthiest juice to detox and energize with, we’ve touched on the topic before

Tea

Sometimes on those colder days, you really just want something to warm up with. Tea is an excellent way to start those chilly mornings. As with fruit juice, how good tea works as a morning drink really depends on what is going into it. Anything with ginger or lemon is going to be a real winner, plus green and black teas. If you’re interested in juice to detox, you should check out our information on detox teas as well. 

Green drink

Whether you want a new morning drink, or are looking for a 3 day cleanse weight loss program (or more) Chef V has you covered. Our green drink has all the vitamins and minerals and energy boosters you need to have an amazing day, start to finish. If you’re dependent on caffeine and want to break away from the iced coffees in the morning, then we have the perfect option for you!

Chef V’s 3 Simple Tips For Great Gut Health

We often hear the phrase gut health. But what exactly does that mean and how can it be achieved? Veronica Kress, aka “V” of Chef V fame, shares how she’s been able to keep her tummy flat and keep her mind sharp despite the stress of running a demanding business. 

Gut health is everything. And by that I mean how you feel mentally, physically and spiritually is directly connected to a tiny universe in your gastrointestinal (GI) system. So if you wanna look and feel your best, you gotta have great gut health.

Whether your skin is flawless or blemished…

Whether you can have a cheat meal and not put on weight or just look at food and feel bloated…

Whether you can concentrate on work for hours at a time without any effort or feel brain fog just minutes into a task…

Whether you feel calm and steady or every day is a roller coaster ride of emotions…

All these wellness factors are determined by the state of your gut.

But what is gut health anyway?

Gut Health, Explained

Have you heard the term “gut microbiome?”

On a simple level, it’s a collection of the trillions of bacteria—both good and bad—that are living rent-free mostly in your large intestine (colon), and to a lesser extent in your small intestine. These bacteria help digest our food.

And while it’s kind of disgusting to think about it, when the bacteria help us digest our food, they poop just like us. You see, when friendly bacteria eat specific types of foods, they produce a healthy type of fatty acid called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

Feeling awesome day in and day out depends on producing enough SCFAs. Most people think that it’s probiotics that are vital for overall health. And by now, who hasn’t heard of probiotic supplements? Probiotics are specific strains of beneficial bacteria that have been clinically proven to offer health benefits to the host (the person taking the probiotic). This assumes the probiotic is of high-quality and can survive the acidic environment of the stomach.

But the surprising thing is that it’s not just the probiotics that provide us with good gut health. It’s their metabolic byproduct (poop), the short chain fatty acids I was just talking about.

Having good health means that you should have at least 85% friendly bacteria. When your gut microbiome is at that level, the friendly bacteria prevent the potentially unfriendly bacteria from crashing the party in your gut and leading to poor digestion, bad skin, brain fog, infections, and potentially chronic illnesses.

You might think that popping a probiotic pill is all you need to do to achieve great gut health. But that’s only one small piece of the puzzle. Here are 3 things I do to support my gut and overall health.

Organic Green Drink: A Natural Prebiotic

Every morning, the first thing I do after I wake up (and use the potty) is drink water and then have a Chef V Organic Green Drink about 20 minutes later. I’m not using this space as a shameless promotional spot. This routine that Brandon (my hubby) and I have been doing for over the past decade has served us well. Doing this not only continues the detoxification that occurs while we sleep, but it also does our gut good.

The reason why is because the 7 certified organic leafy greens in Green Drink contain prebiotic fiber. You can think of prebiotic fiber as your friendly bacteria’s favorite food. Unlike simple sugars that get digested very rapidly, prebiotic fiber resists digestion and gets gobbled up by friendly bacteria. This helps stimulate the growth of more friendly bacteria.

Many people don’t get enough prebiotic fiber in their diet. Again, you can’t just rely on taking a probiotic supplement, especially if your diet isn’t all that great. By drinking 8 to 16 ounces of Green Drink in the morning—as my breakfast—I know I’m fueling my trillions of friendly bacteria with their favorite food that will help them grow just like breast milk does for a baby.

Fermented Foods: Natural Probiotics

Personally, I don’t even take a probiotic supplement, at least I don’t everyday. I might take one from time to time if I’m traveling and eating foods that I’m not used to. Or maybe I’ll take some in the rare instances I indulge in my vice: french fries. Not that I think probiotic supplements are overrated, I just think people rely on them too much without doing the other things necessary to achieve great gut health.

Instead of relying on probiotic supplements as a magic gut health bullet, I stimulate the growth of friendly bacteria in my gut with natural sources of probiotics. I’m talking about fermented foods like no-sugar-added plant-based yogurt (cashew, coconut), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), kimchi (sauerkraut with a spicy kick), and fermented soy like miso.

There is one fermented food that I think is overrated: kombucha. Some brands of kombucha have way too much sugar and they may not contain enough probiotics to contribute to gut health. But there are some brands of kombucha that are low-sugar. Just don’t rely on kombucha alone for adding more good bacteria to your gut microbiome.

Avoid Unfriendly Bacteria Triggers

My third easy tip for having better gut health is avoiding certain foods and drinks that stimulate the growth of unfriendly bacteria. Here’s my “Don’t Eat This” list:

  • Gluten (avoid most products made with wheat)
  • Dairy (avoid conventional dairy unless it’s made with A2 protein and/or fermented organic, grass-fed dairy)
  • Beer (most of which contains gluten)
  • Sugar (for the most part, the only sugar I get in my diet comes from fruit; on occasion, I’ll add coconut sugar to my tea or healthy dessert)

So there you have it … 3 easy ways to support your gut. And when you support your gut microbiome, your “feel-good” hormones and neurotransmitters will be better activated. That means a healthier, happier you.

To your health,

V

Green Drink and Other Vegan Cold Busters

The cold seasons are also cold seasons, the time when the flu, colds, and other bugs spread around. And the things you eat and drink determine the recovery to your old, healthy self.

Are you just as bored by the sight of hot drinks or a healthy vegetable soup when down with a cold? We don’t blame you when you’re already struggling to cheer yourself up with a weak body. 

And with many enticing supplements on the market promising easy recovery, it can become difficult to motivate oneself to have healthy food. While these over-the-counter drugs may get you quick relief from a cold, your immune system works overtime during winter. This calls for boosters like green drinks to keep you energized and protected against infections. In this blog, we’ll cover some vegan foods and drinks that are great cold busters. 

Magical immune boosters

When it comes to prepping your immune system against a common cold or flu, go for immune boosters packed with nutrients. They’re not just good to soothe the effects of colds but also improve your strength to fight against chronic diseases.

Are you wondering if a diet free from animal products can improve your strength? Undoubtedly, healthy vegan options can be your last resort when that annoyingly persistent cold is testing your patience. Scroll down to explore a platter of vegan recipe ideas. We bet they’ll make their way to that sick day’s care package you just can’t do without.

Go for citrus fruits

People who turn to vitamin C at the first signs of trouble get an early head start in fighting off the flu. Vitamin C helps the body by increasing the production of white blood cells, which further fights the infection thriving in your body. Include citrus fruits, such as grapefruits, lemons, and oranges in your diet. Try Chef V recommended Lemon Ginger detox to break the monotony of a conventional sick-care routine and fuel your immune strength.

Don’t miss broccoli

Do you know one cup of broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange? This antioxidant star is packed with all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals you need to revive your body. If you’re looking for a sweet spot between enjoying cravings and maintaining your health, our warm and comforting creamy broccoli soup is a must-try for your sick taste buds. It serves as a light meal without taxing the body.

Turmeric can do wonders

Golden Milk is a magical version of milk that keeps diseases at bay, thanks to many antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties of turmeric that safeguard us from infections. And the best part is it’s really easy to make at home. Check out Chef V’s cleanse-friendly golden milk recipe.

Refuel with coconut water

As we enter the winter season, one of the most common tips we hear is to drink hot drinks to keep warm. When you’re feeling under the weather, you might prefer a cold beverage. Some cold drinks can do wonders too. 

When you’re low on energy with sniffles and body aches, you need to restore your electrolytes. And coconut water can bring that hydration. It also has a little amount of fruit-derived natural sugar, which your body can absorb as a quick and simple source of energy.

Try Chef V’s magical green drink

It’s better to prepare our bodies at the start of winter when the holiday season is right here. Enjoy holiday treats, but say goodbye to artificial flavorings. Don’t miss the seasonal goodness of organic drinks. Add Chef V’s Green Drink Plan to your diet regime today. Its immunity-boosting ingredients should help you navigate sickness like a pro. 

Our famous green drink, juice for detox, and soups are made with seven certified organic leafy greens and delivered to your door fresh weekly. Build your plan today and get started with your green juice detox.

5 Tips For Surviving The 2022 Holiday Season

Veronica, Brandon, Coco on beach

The holiday season is a paradox: it’s the best of times and it’s the worst of times. It’s the best of times because everything is so festive and beautiful. 

But the holiday season creates anxiety for many people, whether it’s getting together with family that you don’t see eye to eye with or running around all over town buying last minute gifts. 

In the cold weather months, you’re more likely to get sick than you are in the summer. Yes, some of that has to do simply with weather; viruses thrive in colder weather and are able to circulate and replicate in stagnant, indoor air. But stress is just as much of a contributing factor, if not more so. 

So what can you do to manage your stress this time of year? Follow these 5 tips for surviving the holiday season…

yoga for stress

Take Mini Meditation Breaks

Not much of a meditator? Does keeping the mind free of thought seem like an impossible task? The good news is that you don’t need to be a Zen master to quiet your mind. And you also don’t need to meditate for hours upon end to become one with the universe. All it takes is a few minutes of consciously focusing on inhaling and exhaling. Stress managed! It’s really as simple as that. 

And if while you are sitting still (a chair is fine; you don’t have to go into deep Lotus pose), thoughts creep in, that’s fine. Just bring your mind back to your breathing. Five long seconds inhaling, and the same on the exhale. Try to inflate your chest and belly like a balloon on the inhale. Deflate on the exhale. 

Still thinking about all the bills you have to pay while you’re breathing? It’s fine. Do try and not let those worries consume your thoughts. But just remember the name of the game is not to rid your mind completely of thoughts. Rather, the goal is to focus on your breathing. Because breathing is healing. 

Take Mini Exercise Breaks 

Some people make the excuse that they don’t have the time to go to a gym or take a class because they’re so busy. But nobody should be so busy that they can’t take the time to take a mini-exercise break. 

Something fun I recently started doing is dancing for 3-5 minutes in my home while listening to a song on Pandora or Spotify. I also have a standing desk/desk riser and while I’m pecking away on my laptop, I sashay my hips from side to side. Yes, shaking your groove thing is possible while working. 

As the saying goes, sitting is the new smoking. Standing all day while working is impossible. And like sitting all day, standing for several hours is also bad for circulation. But alternating between sitting and standing several times a day is ideal for good blood flow and keeping the spirits high. 

You can also set a timer and do a three-minute yoga routine every 90-120 minutes. The bottom line is that you don’t need to exercise for a long time in order to manage holiday stress. You can do a few mini movement sessions per day and reap the same benefits.

grain

Eliminate Processed Carbs

This might be the holiday survival tip you dread. If you struggle with eating too many carbs, the good news is that you don’t have to completely quit carbs. I’ll explain in a sec. 

But first, let’s take bread as an example. For people who follow a low-carb lifestyle (Keto Diet), bread is a no-no. Eating bread raises blood sugar levels and puts more demand on the pancreas to release insulin. 

The more bread and other processed carbs you eat, the more insulin your body needs to keep blood sugar levels steady. If you keep eating bread, bagels, muffins, cereal and other baked goods made with white flour (wheat flour isn’t much better for blood sugar levels), your cells will become resistant to insulin. This places you at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

But not all bread is created equally bad. About 99% of supermarket breads are empty carbs. But artisanal sourdough bread contains beneficial bacteria for your gut. You can also buy 100% whole rye bread which contains a lot of fiber. When you see that a bread contains at least a few grams of fiber, it means that the blood sugar spike won’t be as high as bread with little or no fiber. 

If you’re at brunch and you’re considering getting a stack of pancakes, think of the pancakes as a giant bowl of sugar. Foods prepared with white flour break down very quickly, metabolizing into sugar. 

The problem with this is that sugar suppresses the immune system. Eating a tiny piece of cake at a holiday party is no problem. But if you have trouble controlling your portion sizes, it’s better to just say no than to indulge. Studies have shown that consuming sugar puts your body’s infection-fighting white blood cells to sleep for several hours!

So instead of eating refined carbs, eat whole grains like wild rice, farro, emmer wheat and quinoa (technically, quinoa is a seed but let’s not split hairs). 

beach yoga

Take A Social Media Detox

If you’re feeling anxious this time of the year simply because it’s the holidays or for whatever other reason, consider putting your phone down. 

Make a phone call, text if you have to, but in order to feel more peaceful, I recommend chilling out on social media for a while. 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that recent studies reveal that social media damages teenagers’ mental health. Even if you’re not a teenager anymore, chances are that keeping up with the Joneses or Kardashians on social is negatively impacting your life. Unless you’re using social strictly for work, consider a 3 Day Cleanse. (And if your body needs to physically detox, check out Chef V’s Cleanses.)

In the Dalai Lama’s Art of Happiness book, one of his tips for being happy is not to compare yourself to anybody else. When you’re on social media, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. 

No News Is Good News 

Tip #5 for surviving the holiday season is much like my advice to do a social media detox. Unfortunately, news and politics have made us divided and no more is that evident than on social media. In addition to detaching from social media to avoid the news, do the same from cable news, newspapers, talk radio and magazines. 

And last but not least, under no circumstances should you discuss news and politics with family who don’t share your point of view. It’s not worth the energy. The more you get triggered, the more stress hormones circulating through your bloodstream. When stress hormones flood the blood, digestion slows down. And when digestion becomes impaired, you’re more likely to pack on the pounds. In light of that metabolic fact, is it really worth arguing about who should be president? 

Hopefully these tips will come in handy and make you a happier, healthier person for the holidays…

Love,

Chef V

Thanksgiving Food Coma? 5 Natural Drinks to Snap Out of It

Thanksgiving food coma

These 5 Natural Energy Drinks Will Snap You Out Of A Thanksgiving Food Coma

Did you overdo it on the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing? If the huge holiday meal made you feel like a hibernating bear, use one of these best, natural energy drinks. Sorry, coffee’s not on the list. 

I was curious exactly how much eating a typical Thanksgiving meal can spike blood sugar levels. So I turned to the foremost expert on that kind of info: Dr. Google. 

But Dr. Google disappointed. You see, I was looking for a specific number expressed in mg/dL or mmol/L, the same measurements displayed in an electric glucose meter. But I couldn’t find a specific number like after eating a Thanksgiving meal, your blood sugar spikes from 90 to 170 mg/dl two hours after feasting. 

On page 1 of my search query, though, I clicked an article that had some glaring Thanksgiving meal disinformation. Referring to eating turkey, the article said, “Naturally high in protein and when paired with carbohydrates and sugar, [turkey] will help prevent spikes in blood sugar and keep you feeling satiated.”

I call BS on that. And the reason why is that eating a large amount of protein in one sitting can also spike your blood sugar. That’s definitely one reason people fall into food comas after the holiday meal. So it got me thinking… 

What’s the best natural drink to feel more energetic after having a large meal? I came up with my top 5. Would you like to hear them? 

Here goes…

Veronica with GD and TGD

#1 Green Veggie Juice

Of course my Organic Green Drink or Tropical Green Drink top this list—and not just for the sake of a shameless promotional plug. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily have a Green Drink right after a heavy meal. But if you’re still dragging hours later or the next morning, there’s nothing better. 

The 7 leafy green vegetables in Organic Green Drink—2 types of kale, collard greens, dandelion, green leaf lettuce, parsley, chard, and a tiny bit of apple—almost instantly flood your cells with nutrients. Your cells get charged up and bam! … you feel alert and back to balance. 

When you eat a huge meal, your digestive system has to expend a lot of energy in order to break food down. Your digestive enzymes, which are specialized proteins that break food into amino acids, get overworked and that’s why food sits like a brick in your stomach. 

But when you have a serving of Green Drink, the cold-blending process used to make the juice essentially predigests the veggies for you. In this way, your digestive system uptakes the nutrients without working very hard. 

My “cure” for a Thanksgiving/holiday food coma is to wake up the next day and drink a tall glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon. Wait 30 minutes and then have an 8 oz. serving of Organic Green Drink to flood your cells and feel like you’re back to Earth and ready to conquer the day. Try to eat light the rest of the day. 

yerba mate

#2 Yerba Mate

A couple drinks on this list are caffeinated but they don’t contain nearly as much caffeine as coffee does. Plus, they’re alkaline on the pH scale, not acidic like coffee. 

Yerba Mate is an herbal drink that’s super popular in Argentina, Uruguay and some parts of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia. Related to the holly tree, yerba mate drinking is somewhat of a religious experience for South Americans. In the rest of the world, people have their ritual of drinking a cup of coffee. 

But in South America, yerba mate is an all-day affair. And you don’t just drink yerba mate out of a coffee or tea mug. In South America, you drink it out of a silver straw called a bombilla, which is placed in a gourd, which is the namesake mate. 

Yerba mate is high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Containing 85 mg of caffeine—less than half of a typical American serving of coffee—it may give you a buzz but you likely won’t feel anxious or jittery. 

matcha tea

#3 Matcha Tea

Another lightly caffeinated healthy beverage on my list, matcha tea differs from regular tea that comes in loose-leaf bags. Matcha is powdered whole-leaf tea and it’s much more concentrated than tea bags. And because it contains mostly every part of the tea leaf, matcha has more antioxidants than regular green tea bags. 

One teaspoon serving of matcha powder contains about 70 mg of caffeine. Like yerba mate, that’s much lower than a cup of coffee. 

Another benefit of matcha is that it contains the polyphenol antioxidant EGCG. This super nutrient benefits your gut health and immune system and helps prevent premature aging. Plus, it will give you an energy boost if you can’t get off the couch after Thanksgiving dinner. 

guarana

#4 Guarana 

Known as the cocoa of Brazil, guarana is the key ingredient in the name-brand unhealthy energy drinks you know so well. Is guarana a synthetic energy booster, a legal speed if you will? On the contrary, guarana is a fruit from South America but it packs an energetic punch especially when paired with the added caffeine in convenience-store energy drinks. 

In fact, ounce for ounce, guarana contains more caffeine than coffee. However, the health advantage to it is that the tannins in them cause the caffeine to be released more slowly than coffee. 

If you’re sensitive to guarana, don’t drink it at night. And make sure you choose a natural drink that doesn’t contain added sugars or added caffeine. 

dandelion root

#5 Dandelion Root Tea

This one’s a paradox. That’s because on one hand, dandelion root tea is the perfect substitute for coffee. But on the other hand, it is caffeine-free. So why should you consider drinking it if you’re hungover from the Thanksgiving meal? And for the longer term, if you’re thinking about eliminating coffee, why should you drink it if it won’t get you buzzed? 

The simple reason is that dandelion tea is chock-full of B vitamins. B vitamins directly impact our energy levels. But more than that, the taste of dandelion root tea resembles regular coffee. So for those people who enjoy the ritual of tasting freshly-brewed coffee in the morning, dandelion tea replicates the experience. 

Well, I hope I’ve given you some inspo to drink healthier energy drinks. And if you struggle to get enough leafy veggies in your diet, let me help you drink them down. Chef V delivers Organic Green Drinks throughout most of the USA. Learn more

Omega 3s: Can You Get Enough of this Critical Nutrient From Plants?

Omega 3’s in veggies such as those in my Green Drink are an excellent source of this critical nutrient. Lots of people know that certain fish are rich in omega 3’s. But did you know there’s plenty of excellent vegan and vegetarian sources as well? 

Before I became “Chef V,” I was–and still am–a certified nutritional therapist. A nutritional therapist works with people to alleviate (and prevent) diseases through food, and believes that the best way to correct imbalances in the body is through diet.

Out of any nutrient or topic in my nutritional therapy program, omega 3 essential fatty acids was perhaps the biggest bulk of the curriculum.

And for good reason. Most people eating a Standard American Diet (SAD; how appropriate is the acronym, by the way, right?) consume far too little omega-3s. And far too many omega-6s.

Both 3s and 6s are important for health. They are both essential, which means you have to get them from your diet; your body can’t manufacture them on its own.

But junk, processed and packaged foods are made with cheap cooking oils. These oils (the most common in packaged/prepared foods are cottonseed and soybean) contain way more omega 6s than 3s. And the problem with having too much processed forms of omega 6s is that it causes inflammation

Omega 3s in Veggies: Powerful Inflammation Fighters

Inflammation can manifest in several different ways, from weight gain to joint pain.

But Omega 3 essential fatty acids can help reduce inflammation in the body. They also help lower cholesterol levels and normalize blood pressure, and increase insulin sensitivity.

Moreover, 3s can help prevent heart disease, prevent memory loss and even help women have a less painful PMS.

There are several other health benefits from omega 3s.

But what I want to focus on here is omega 3s in veggies. That’s because most of the attention given to this topic is from one food in particular: wild salmon.

Now, don’t get me wrong, as a nutritional therapist, I strongly believe wild salmon is indeed one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. I’ve created several recipes featuring it.

What to do, though, if you’re vegan or a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish?

For one, begin your day with 16 oz. of Organic Green Drink.

There is no exact recommendation for how much omega 3s you should get from either supplements or food everyday. But experts believe you should have at least 500 mg. Organic green drink contains a very decent amount of 3s, over 20% of that amount per 16 oz serving.

If you have any health complications, you should probably have way more than 500 mg per day.

Omega 3s in Veggies: Good For Your Skin!

It doesn’t take a degree in nutrition to realize that eating a diet consisting of mostly plants is better for your skin.

It turns out that omega 3s are an important nutrient for skin. These essential fatty acids help with skin hydration, and normalize the amount of oil. DHA is one of the three fatty acids in omega 3s. It’s the most important of the three for skin health, as it also can help prevent acne, wrinkles, and blemishes.

EPA is another omega 3 fatty acid. It also plays an important role in skin health. If you worship the sun like I do, you’ll be glad to know EPA prevents collagen damage when you’ve been in the sun too long.

Omega 3s in Veggies: As Good As Fish

Mainstream nutrition courses teach that EPA and DHA are more potent sources of 3s than ALA, the third fatty acid. Unfortunately, if you’re vegan, the conventional point of view is that ALA does not convert well into the more potent EPA and DHA.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the health benefits of 3s if you’re vegan. It might mean, however, you just need to eat more variety of foods rich in ALA.

Besides the veggies in my green drink, great sources of ALA are chia seeds, walnuts, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and spinach.

You can get sufficient omega 3s in your diet from vegan sources. However, if you do have a compromised immune system or other health problem, you might want to consider taking a supplement.

That obviously means that if you’re vegan, you’re not going to take cod liver oil or other fish oil supplement.

However, what you can take is an algal oil supplement. Marine algae is a sea vegetable, which makes algal (or algae) oil one of the best omega 3s in veggie sources on the planet, if not the best.

According to Berkeley Wellness, algal-oil supplements can produce similar improvements in blood DHA levels to fish-oil supplements. This was true both in vegans and had low levels of DHA to start and in omnivores, who had higher levels of DHA at baseline.

The only bummer about algal oil supplements is that they are more expensive than fish oil. But in the long run, the money that you’ll save preventing disease will be totally worth it.

Omega 3s in Veggies: Can You Get Enough Without Fish

If you’re not vegan and are able to eat wild salmon a couple times a week, you’ll probably consume enough 3s in your diet.

However, for those who consume no animal products, ALA is inactive in the human body. And as I say above, it doesn’t convert that well into EPA and DHA, the two other omega 3s that, in studies, have shown positive impacts on health.

That’s why if you are vegan or strict vegetarian, your eating philosophy should not only be not eating meat, but also eating plants an overwhelming majority of the time. Just like people who do eat meat should do as well.

I personally believe Mother Nature provided us with all the nutrients we need from plants. But EPA and DHA, which are abundant in salmon, might be my exception to the rule.

For this reason, if you avoid animal products, eat a lot of flax-, chia- and hemp seeds. To be on the safe side, splurge on an algae oil supplement.

And don’t forget to start your day with Green Drink!

Getting Studying Done On a Detox Juice Cleanse

Juice cleanses are a great way to lose weight and detoxbut for newbies, they can be somewhat overwhelming. It may get a little tough to focus for many people trying to study, because of a few 7-day cleanse side effects. This blog gives some tips for keeping your focus up during a cleanse. 

According to one of the latest reports, 17 percent of those using juice cleansers notice improvements in their emotions, 23 percent experience improved digestive health, and 26 percent tend to lose the desired weight. Despite these promising results, it may take quite a bit to convince yourself to choose a detox journey with all the lip-smacking, eye-grabbing food options out there.

 If you’ve taken the most difficult step of adopting a detox juice cleanse, we only want to make it smoother for you from here on by helping you with some of the tips to manage detox and celery juice side effects and retain your concentration levels.

Things a juice cleanse does to your body

A juice cleanse is a “detox” dietyou’re committing to consuming only fruit and vegetable juices. While the primary benefit of juice cleansing is presumed to be weight loss, that’s just a fraction of the great work green juices do for you. They improve your digestive health and promote the growth of healthy microbiota. They also tighten your tummy bloated by inflammatory foods, such as  gluten, dairy, and alcohol. With your calorie intake reduced, your body doesn’t have to exert the usual amounts to break down food, giving your gut some rest.

A detox plan is a great way to improve your mental health as well. With your meals planned beforehand, a break from meal planning, shopping, and cooking significantly improves your mood and relaxes your brain. Juice cleansing also leads to improved quality of sleep in the absence of toxins, caffeine, and other food items that make it difficult to get good quality rest. 

Amidst all these positive developments during your detox, what remains equally true is that sometimes fasting sucks. You may experience sluggishness, weakness, and light-headedness. With a drop in your calorie intake, both your brain and muscles may want to slow down, leading to celery juice headaches. With emotions like temporary sadness and confusion, you may even struggle to focus on your studies and other important tasks.

Tips for focusing during a juice cleanse

You may experience some challenges along the way of your detox diet, but we’ve got you covered with simple, actionable strategies to boost your stamina and emotional strength. These tactics will help you maintain focus levels during r studies and manage your body and mind better.

1. Give your body a heads-up

While the urge to grab those delicious snacks is natural and understandable before you bid them goodbye for a while, introducing drastic changes in a day won’t be kind to your body. Give your body a transition period of at least three to five days before beginning a detox juice cleanse. Slowly cut out dairy, alcohol, heavy food, and gluten, and replace them with healthier options to stock up some extra energy for later.

  1. Organize and prioritize

Plan your detox juice cleanse at a time when you’re not flooded with a heavy study checklist. Stressing yourself with a lot of rigorous study schedules will only make your diet routine tougher. If you want to stay committed to your cleanse as well as your studies, sync stress-free study days with your juice detox plan to strike a balance.

  1. Do it together

Make this experience more fun and memorable by getting friends onboard. You can help each other stay sane on the days that challenge you too much. This way, you will keep your energy levels up, and navigate through your detox journey with much more enthusiasm.

  1. Stock up on herbal teas

With your belly filled with just juices, hunger is going to knock on your doors often. This is inevitable thanks to a lowered calorie intake, but you can get through it. Explore warm and soothing drinks such as herbal teas to improve your digestive health.

  1. Drink plenty of water

With only juices in your body, we know you’re taking trips to the washroom often. Don’t limit your water intake in response. Hydration is key to keeping your energy levels high throughout the day. It will help you fight sluggishness and keep you focused and active. 

  1. Mind over matter

The way you think of this journey can overpower the side effects. Changing the narrative from “fasting sucks” to “fasting cleanses” can flip things up for the better. Approach it with positivity and enthusiasm and avoid negative self-talk. A positive approach will clear your head and help you focus on your studies better.

Get Chef V’s cleanse package for best results 

Planning a detox journey by yourself can be tricky, and we hear you. Chef V does all the homework and works with nutritional therapists to craft the perfect detox plan for you. Bid prep work goodbye, and say hello to easy-to-follow instructions to enjoy your juices for the best results. 

Our intricately curated, fiber-packed juices are free of green powders, pills, or other gimmicks. Only the best and fresh gets delivered to your doorstep. 

With all these tips and Chef V’s cleanse, you’re all set to achieve your health goals and ace those study goals simultaneously. Go ahead and prep up your mind and body for a refreshing detox experience. Build your cleanse plan today. We’re rooting for you all the way! 

Chef V’s Everyday Ways to Be More Sustainable

Chef V has always been a big fan of sustainability. However, you don’t necessarily need to make huge changes in your life to be socially responsible. You can adopt some simple, everyday ways and go vegan and organic. This blog will cover the essence of sustainability, and how you can achieve the same with some basic lifestyle changes and a little more consideration for Mother Earth. 

What does sustainability mean? 

The term sustainability has become way more important today than it ever was. Around 51 percent of people take it more seriously today than they did last year. In fact, 49 percent of consumers say they’ve paid a premium—an average of 59 percent more—for products branded as sustainable or socially responsible in the last twelve months. 

Sustainable living means being aware of the impact our actions have on the environment around us and finding ways to carefully use the resources  we have today. It’s about preserving, reserving, and bettering for tomorrow. 

Easy ways to be more sustainable

Are you looking to get started with being more socially accountable? Let’s look at some easy, everyday ways to be more sustainable and how you embark on the path of sustainable eating and drinking. These tips are doable as they won’t ask you to change your life drastically or go out of the way to fulfill them.

Drink tap water

Drinking tap water instead of bottled water is probably one of the simplest ways to have a more sustainable lifestyle. Right from processing the plastic, filling the bottles with water, and transporting them, bottled water manufacturing uses a lot of energy. Regular tap water is an immune booster in itself and hence an inevitable element of healthy living.


Consume meat consciously

Raising farm animals requires large amounts of land and water, and causes water, soil, and air pollution. And factory-farmed animal protein has a  high carbon footprint. To minimize the environmental impact, you can try plant-based products and minimize meat consumption as much as possible.

Check seafood sources

Make it a habit to check the source of your seafood. For minimal ocean pollution, your seafood must be sourced from sustainable sources only, i.e., a certified sustainable fishery or certified responsible farm that abides by ocean-friendly practices. 


Go for homemade food

Eating homemade is better than at most restaurants because you save money and can eat organic food. Cooking at home allows you to verify the sources and quality of ingredients. Avoiding restaurant-made food also minimizes waste generated during packaging and delivery. And commercial kitchens typically use more energy than a home kitchen.


Grow or cook local

Starting a little farm at your own place is easier than you may think. Make a home gardening project as your side hobby and enjoy locally grown organic foods. If you can’t have a home farm, consider shopping from local farmer’s markets.

Reuse accessories

Keep an eye out for items you can reuse and optimize kitchen materials for minimum waste. Something as simple as using  reusable straws over plastic ones can be a contribution toward sustainability.  So, you see, sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated. Nor does it have to be big, elaborate, or intimidating.

Sustainable food options to explore

From the resources we consume to the food we eat, there are several ways we can explore being more ecological. Here’s a list of a few super sustainable food options to consider starting your journey toward healthy and environment-friendly eating habits.

This recipe is as vegan as it gets. With healthy ingredients like carrots, onions, and nut milk, this soup is an appetizer you can’t miss. Try this recipe and kick-start your sustainable eating habits today.

This recipe can be your go-to snack while watching football, as an hors d’oeuvre at a party, or with a glass of wine on the deck while the sun goes down. This flavorful dip is easy, gluten-free, and keto.

This recipe is packed with loads of healthy vegetables. The pumpkin, carrots, and quinoa complement each other’s flavors well. It’s made with mellow spices for a flavorful and healthy meal. 

TryChef V’s juice cleanse diet and green drinks

Made with certified seven leafy greens, Chef V’s drinks are the best sustainable partners you can find on your journey to eating and drinking right. Made with organic ingredients, all  Chef V drinks can become your tools for both a sustainability-conscious  lifestyle and a healthier body. Make sure to give our drinks a try, and fall in love with our green drinks and your new sustainable lifestyle.

With our juice cleanse diet, you’ll get juices and smoothies packed with local, organic ingredients that flush your vital organs and leave you satisfied. We bet you don’t want to miss the juice cleanse benefits. You can build and customize the plan as per your needs. Get in touch today to learn more!

Hormones and Detox Juice

Nutrition and health aren’t simple things. If it was a simple process, then there wouldn’t be a need for things like 21 day juice cleanses! Your body is an incredibly complicated machine, with countless chemical processes happening at every moment. You need to take into account terms like nutrients, vitamins, minerals and more. One key component of health that’s often not understood is hormones. However, hormones can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. In this blog, we’ll explain what hormones are, and how your diet can affect them, for better or worse. 

What are hormones? 

Hormones are a big topic, so we’re going to condense this down as much as possible so we can get talking about things like the best juice cleanse for weight loss. Hormones are chemicals inside your body that have the specific job of acting as messengers. Hormones are distributed through your bloodstream and trigger reactions and changes in your cells. These changes tend to be things in your body that vary depending on your age and the situation—things like your metabolism, growth, sex drive, and mood. 

What’s unique about hormones is how different they are between the genders. Both genders produce hormones in places called glands. You’ve probably heard of things like the pineal gland or thyroid gland. However, men and women also produce unique hormones in their respective reproductive glands. 

You can kind of think of hormones as your body’s own little supply of drugs, made directly on-site. And like drugs, while they can be incredibly useful for you, they can also cause havoc in the wrong amounts. Imbalanced hormones can have especially chaotic effects in women. Potential symptoms include things like diabetes, irregular menstruation, infertility, skin conditions and difficulty in managing weight. 

How does diet affect hormones?

When we think of the chemistry of losing weight and staying healthy, we tend to worry about things such as fat, carbs, and our blood sugar levels. However, your diet can have just as much effect on your hormones as any other part of your body. Hormones are the messengers of your body. Those messengers can easily get confused or imbalanced by food that is processed or overly high in fat or sugars. 

However, there are a lot of positive diet changes you can make that can help bring your hormones back to balanced levels. The most important of these is also one of the simplest—just get enough water! Whether you’re drinking straight H2O, or getting it in your detox juice, it’s essential you always stay hydrated.

The number two diet and hormone rule is to get tons of fruits and vegetables, especially the leafy green stuff. However, get organic products, to avoid taking in chemicals that could affect your hormone levels. 

You also want to get plenty of proteins, regardless of the source. There are plenty of great sources of plant-based proteins out there, from those dark leafy greens we mentioned, to certain nuts and grains. Healthy fats (the kind you’d get from avocado, for example) are also key ingredients in helping manage hormone levels.

Hormones and juice cleanses

The best way to get hormones under control is to get plenty of hydration while getting as many essential fruits and veggies as possible. It’s no wonder many women have found a 21 day juice cleanse is one of the most effective hormone managers out there. Green juice keeps you hydrated and gives you all the nutrients your body needs to manage hormone production. This, in turn, helps you get a handle on everything from skin cleanliness to weight loss.

Of course, not all detox cleanses are created equal. With Chef V, you can get a juice cleanse that includes protein shakes and detox soups, which ensures you aren’t losing out on other important nutrients like protein. This means it’s a juice cleanse you can actually hope to finish, and so get real results for your hormone control or weight loss goals. Just check out some of our great success stories

 

Protein-Power: What’s the Function of Proteins?

It’d be impossible to navigate the internet in this day and age and not hear someone trying to talk to you about protein. Heck, we’re guilty as charged at Chef V, with plenty of articles about topics like what is pea protein good for

There’s a good reason for this—protein is one of the fundamental building blocks to good nutrition. Despite being so important, your average customer probably doesn’t know what it is, or that they should care about things like protein shakes. No matter if you’re a nutrition junkie, or just looking for a juice cleanse near you, here’s your basic guide to protein.

Okay, so what’s protein?

We’re not chemists or biologists, and we don’t expect you to be either. So we’ll try to cover the basics here. At the same time, it’s important to note that protein is a bit more complex and essential than just “something in your meat.”

First things first, there’s no singular thing called a protein. Rather it’s a class of types of molecules found inside your body. Proteins are made up of chemicals called amino acids. (For the few people interested in chemistry here, amino acids are themselves made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Yep, you don’t get any more basic than this). Proteins themselves are the building blocks of much of your body, particularly your muscles. 

From the nutritionist’s point of view, proteins are considered a macronutrient. This means that along with fat and carbohydrates, they’re one of the kinds of nutrients humans need in relatively large amounts. 

What is the function of proteins? 

What do proteins do? It’d be easier to ask what they can’t do! Proteins combine the role of both a key building block of your body, as well as a key component of your body’s daily operations. Essentially, proteins help your body create new cells, and move them around your body to where they’re most needed in your body. In particular, you need protein to build and maintain your muscles. 

This is only scratching the surface. Proteins also help you produce hormones, which are worth a discussion entirely on their own. Having enough protein is also key to making sure that you have enough antibodies to stave off disease.

From a diet perspective, it’s important to note that proteins are often what help you feel full after a meal. This means that if you’re getting enough protein, you can better manage your appetite and cut back on cravings. 

How to get more protein in your diet 

We tend to associate protein mainly with meat products. However, that’s not the only place you can get protein in your diet. In fact, there are plenty of plant-based proteins out there, especially in nuts and the really dark leafy greens. Recently, there has been a growing  interest in protein that comes in powdered form so it can be mixed in with other products, often drinks.

You’ll often hear about the term “complete proteins.” What this is referring to is that fact we dropped earlier, that proteins are themselves made up of different amino acids. You do need all of these amino acids for the best health. A complete protein would be one that contains all the amino acids. 

There are a few misconceptions about complete proteins. The first is that if you aren’t eating complete proteins, you need to try and “match” proteins to eat together to get all your amino acids at the same time. Trust us, it’s not that complicated. Just treat your amino acids like any other important nutrient and mix them up in your diet. 

Another common misconception is that complete proteins are only found in animal products. There are quite a few plant-based complete proteins, such as quinoa and soybeans. 

You know what also has complete protein in it? Our signature detox shakes! We achieve this through the use of pea protein. This means that our juice cleanses deliver a comprehensive package in nutrition. Try them with confidence.

Boost your Immune System: Eating Healthy

Veronica working from home

Flu season might be severe this year, according to the medical community. So how to avoid getting it?

There’s no cure right now for the flu and the best way to fight it off is to increase your resistance. And that means eating healthy to boost your immunity.

I’ve built my little Green Drink and Cleanse/Detox empire over the last decade in part by telling people what to eat. A big reason why I created my Making Cleansing Easier Cookbook along with all the other Healthy Eating Resources you get when you’re on a Green Drink Plan is because when I first started Chef V, I was asked the question so many times, “Hey Veronica, what should I eat?”

More than anything, you need to keep eating healthy. When you’re stuck at home and bored, you start eating more.

Don’t buy what you don’t normally eat. Don’t stock up on cookies and chips and snacks but stick to healthy choices. If you don’t eat junk food normally you shouldn’t be eating it now.

Time to clean your body

While some people are going the snack route, a surprising number of people are saying – some of my friends have the flu – “this is the time to do a 21 day detox – its getting colder, I don’t want to eat a bunch of crap, so why don’t I have Chef V deliver a 21 Day Challenge to me for 3 weeks and make a huge change in my health.”

I think that’s sort of genius, and we’ve not advertised it, but so many people have been ordering a Detox or Cleanse from us.

Right now is a great time to cleanse – people are cleansing their houses, cleaning their surroundings, and it all fits together – cleansing to nourish your body and boost immunity. Plus you get everything you need for a 3 week Detox delivered to your door.

#1: Give Intermittent Fasting A Try

One of the reasons my hubby, Brandon, and I have kept the weight off is that we are doubling down on intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting not only works for weight loss, it makes your mind sharper and may even support your immune system and prevent infection as this study suggests. 

I’m not saying that if you do intermittent fasting, you won’t get the flu. But it’s interesting that some immunologists are exploring its protective effects. How intermittent fasting supports the immune system is the same way it can help you prevent weight gain while working from home. 

You see, when you don’t eat anything for 16 hours—the best way to do intermittent fasting is to limit your calorie-intake window to 8 hours a day, i.e. 12 noon to 8 p.m.; Brandon and I shoot for a 17-hour fast most of the time—your body starts repairing itself. Digestion takes a ton of energy. By giving your digestive system a rest, your body can focus on fixing itself. This process is known as autophagy. 

Technically, autophagy does not directly contribute to weight loss. But by making your metabolism more efficient, fasting can lead to weight loss. And the great thing about intermittent fasting is that if you feel like snacking while working from home, you don’t have to feel guilty about it. As long as you’re eating during your 8-hour window, snack away. 

For info on how to do intermittent fasting and its benefits, read this

green drink

#2: Lose Weight Working At Home By Eating More!

If you work a normal 8 or 9 to 5 day, your first main meal will be at around noon. Actually, before your first meal of the day, I recommend drinking some water with trace minerals to keep your energy up first thing in the morning. You can also have green tea or unsweetened black coffee if you must have your caffeine fix. Then, between 11:30 to noon, break your fast with Organic Green Drink

By having 8 to 16 oz of Green Drink, you’ll gently awaken your digestive system and flood your cells with high-nutrient-density leafy greens. 

After having your Green Drink, wait about 15-30 minutes, then go to town. Have at it. Eat all you want until your belly is full but not too stuffed. By eating a large meal, you’ll eliminate the temptation for frequent snacking. Like I said, snacking during your 8-hour eating window isn’t a nutrition faux-pas. But in general, it’s good to give your insulin-secreting pancreas a rest in between meals as well as your other digestive organs. 

If you eat your first main meal at noon, I recommend having your second large meal early in the evening like at 5 or 6. Your last meal can then be a light but satisfying one like yogurt with nuts and berries. 

Many people make the mistake of not eating enough at their main meals. This is what leads to over snacking in between meals and late-night snacking, which is terrible for your metabolism. Eating too often prevents your gut bacteria from being able to be swept down from the small intestine into the large intestine (colon). See my article on SIBO for more on this subject.

blueberries

#3: Are You Hungry Or Just Bored? 

True hunger is when you’ve gone 16 hours or longer without food. If your stomach is sending signals to your brain while you’re working that you’re hungry, don’t listen to the message right away. 

Your brain—and belly—could be the victim of a false signal. This is especially true if it’s only been two or three hours since you last ate. If your last meal was large enough and contained the correct ratio of macronutrients (a little bit of healthy fats like avocado, and sufficient protein and low-starch carbs like quinoa and veggies), then you shouldn’t need to eat more food. 

You can satisfy your sweet tooth after a meal by having a large handful of berries and a tiny piece of dark chocolate. This is why I emphasized eating a big meal above. 

But if you’re accustomed to snacking every couple hours, it’s probably not true hunger you’re experiencing. What’s likely happening is that the yeast in your gut loves feasting on the sugars in your small intestine, from the crackers and other carb-heavy snacks. And after the yeast digests your yummy snack, it will tell your brain to feed it some more. After all, your brain and gut operate in a continuous feedback loop (no pun intended). 

If you feed your gut low-sugar, low-starch foods, the yeast in your gut won’t proliferate; it will be kept in check by your friendly bacteria. And that means your belly—when properly nourished—won’t send your brain a signal to snack yet again. 

#4: Sleep, Exercise, and Stress

One of the most powerful weapons in your immune-boosting arsenal has to be one of the easiest – sleep! Not getting enough sleep can ruin your immune system. (If you have difficulty sleeping, a blended juice cleanse might be just what you need!)

Exercise, even in small amounts, is also great for keeping your immune system ready to go. Not only will exercise support a stronger immune system, but it can help you keep your weight low – and as we mentioned, high weight is an immune system risk.

One of the most important things is, of course, to simply not stress out too much about it. It might seem counterintuitive, but worrying too much about your immune system can… weaken your immune system. The mind and body are connected, so stress on one will affect the other. It sounds crazy, but stress is never good for your health in any way.

Veronica and Coco

Making the Most of Juice Detox Diet Leftovers — Fun Pulp Recipes

If you’re into a juice cleanse diet, it’s very likely you make your own juice and probably end up with a ton of leftover pulp. There is a lot of goodness in the pulp, including most of the fiber. If you’re just throwing your pulp out, hold up — there are a lot of fun recipes you can make with it!

In this post, we’ll cover how to reuse juice leftover into good use with clever hacks, and you’ll never need to throw the pulp ever again.

Fun recipes with pulp

With a juice detox diet, you may be finding yourself with a lot of leftover fruit and vegetable pulp that you’re not quite sure what to do with. Here are some creative ways to recycle your leftover juice pulp.

Give your smoothies a kick of fiber 

Do you like having fun and experimenting with different ingredients while making smoothies? Add some fruit pulp to the blender when making your next breakfast smoothie. This will be a great way to add consistency, not to mention extra nutrients. It will also add plenty of fiber, so you’ll feel fuller for longer.

Go for a healthy and fuller veggie broth

If you’re left with vegetable pulp, including celery, carrots, onion, or garlic, you can easily transform it into a flavorful vegetable broth. Cook the pulp in a large pot with some olive oil and add a few cups of water, salt, pepper, herbs, and your favorite spices. You can enjoy this homemade broth on its own. Or even use it for any of your favorite soups and stews. We’d recommend adding your veggie broth to Chef V’s recipe of Creamy Carrot Soup and enjoy the magical version.

Make your baked goods with a healthy twist

Wondering what to do with pulp from carrots, apples, melons, or beets after you’ve made a healthy glass of juice? Spoil yourself with some baking! Try adding these leftovers while baking bread, cookies, muffins, or cakes for a burst of fruity flavor and some added texture. And enjoy a perfect nutrient-filled sweet treat. 

Try green eggs and pancakes with pulp coloring 

If you want to woo people with colorful yet yummy pancakes or eggs for breakfast, use these Chef V recommended alternatives to food coloring:

  • red coloring extracted from beet juice pulp
  • purple coloring extracted from juice pulp of the red cabbage
  • lighter purple coloring extracted from blueberries pulp
  • green coloring extracted from spinach or Chef V Green Drink

Make healthy variant popsicles

Do you have a sweet tooth and want tasty yet healthy popsicles? Are you wondering what to do with your remaining fruit juice? Pour your juice into popsicle molds or ice trays and sprinkle in some of the pulp. Freeze and enjoy! We bet you would love Chef V’s frozen Red White and Blue Popsicle treats by adding pulp of blueberries and raspberries.

Add a slew of nutrients to patties or fritters

Pulp from juicing beet, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets can be used as fillers and make your own delicious vegetarian burger patties or fritters. These pulps add an earthy flavor and help the burgers keep their shape. 

Keep healthy and vegan with Chef V

Are you into a juice detox diet but not ready to put in the time and effort of at-home juicing and reusing the leftover pulp? We heard that call and answered it with our Chef V cleanse package. With our juice cleanse diet, you’ll get juices and smoothies packed with local, organic ingredients that flush your vital organs and leave you satisfied. We take care of the pulps in the most creative and recycle-friendly ways. 

And what could be more convenient than having organic juice cleanse delivered fresh right to your door?  You can build and customize the plan as per your needs. Get in touch today to learn more!

Green Drink and Other Beverages to Beat Cold Season

Winter is around the corner, and you may be gearing up for the festive season. This is often a time when many of us indulge in winter outings and savor foods such as sweets and fried dishes that may lower our body’s natural defense system. With winter comes not just the cold, but colds as well. If you want to avoid the sniffles, sneezes, and coughs, here are some ideas for cold and hot beverages that you can sip, with a nutritious and low-calorie twist.

Reset your immunity with magical ingredients

When it comes to prepping your immunity against a common cold or flu, there are a few magical ingredients and immunity-boosting nutrients that can do wonders and help you recover faster.

Ginger, with its antibacterial properties, stimulates the immune system and helps protect against cold viruses. The spicy, pungent herb is one of the best cold relief spices with anti-inflammatory properties. It soothes your throat ache and speeds up recovery time. Ginger can be a great addition to teas, soups, and recipes. Garlic is also effective protection against colds due to its powerful anti-viral and anti-catarrhal properties. 

Higher vitamin D intake during winter is associated with a lower risk of getting colds. With a daily serving of eggs — in food recipes or eggnog — you’re less likely to catch a cold or any other upper respiratory tract infection.

Vitamin C is also a good option to consume when you’re feeling under the weather. It can help lower the duration and severity of a cold. It’s found naturally in oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits, but broccoli, kiwi, and red bell peppers have even more vitamin C. Did you know that tomatoes too are a great vitamin-C-rich food and are a proven fuel for your body’s immune system?

Beat colds with these hot drinks 

With the cold days ahead, you crave all things warm and nourishing. If you’re looking for flavorful and healthy drinks that’ll put you under a magically warm spell, we’ve got you covered. Here are Chef V’s recommendations to help you tune-up your immune system to tip-top shape for the flu and cold season.

Water, water, and more water!

Don’t panic if you get a runny nose or an itchy throat and rush to the pharmacy for OTC medicines. You’ll be back on track in no time if you rest and hydrate properly. And this tip should be no surprise to anyone — try drinking at least the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Water on its own is good enough, but for a touch of flavor, add a dash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, ginger, or honey (or all three) for a tasty way to double up on immune support.

Get cozy with detox soups

Soups can be the most soothing for flu season! With nutrient-rich veggies and ingredients, they can serve as a light meal without taxing the body. Here’s a list of warm and comforting Chef V detox soups that put their feel-good magic to work when you sip on and cozy up with your loved ones:

Sip on chicken bone broth

Sipping on super beverage bone broth can be a relaxing evening snack or a light morning breakfast. It’s a flavorful, collagen-rich drink packed with a whole host of nutrients that help you heal and loosen congestion in your chest and nasal passages. Turmeric, cinnamon, and a dash of fresh ginger and garlic can be added that’ll help speed up your metabolism. 

Go for golden milk

We realize the thought of eating or drinking nearly anything can be off-putting when unwell, but that’s where simple, soothing drinks come into play. Golden milk is a health elixir that helps you get back on your feet during a bout with the flu. And the great part is, it’s really easy to make! 

All you need are some readily available basic ingredients: turmeric, milk, cardamon, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Some nutritionists recommend adding a dash of black pepper as well to increase the bioavailability of turmeric. The drink will warm the hearts of your family and friends, and keep everyone healthy. Homemade and delicious, how can it not? Check out Chef V’s cleanse-friendly golden milk recipe.

Some cold drinks can do wonders

Winter is soon here, and the most common tip you usually get for staying warm is sipping hot beverages throughout the day. If you feel more inclined to drink something cold while under the weather, that’s OK too.

Drink your greens 

Enjoy some holiday treats, but say goodbye to artificial flavorings. Don’t miss the seasonal goodness of organic drinks. Make a refreshing blended juice with green veggies, such as kale, chard, curly parsley, and dandelion greens. Elevate the richness of your blended juice by adding chia seeds, jalapeno, nutmeg, or cinnamon. Check out Chef V’s famous Green Drink made with seven certified organic leafy greens delivered fresh to your door.

Try eggnog 

What better way to kickstart the holidays than with some rich, comforting eggnog. The merriest drink is made with eggs, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla bean (the real deal). Spread holiday cheer with Chef V’s vegan version of this traditional favorite.

What not to drink 

While choosing the right drink can help you feel better during flu season, avoid these drinks (or at least limit their consumption) to maintain a healthy and strong immune system in winter:

  • Artificial juices and carbonated beverages with high sugar content
  • Dairy products, such as milk and buttermilk 
  • Milkshakes and smoothies as they can be mucus-generating
  • Drinks such as coffee, energy drinks, and sports drinks that contain caffeine

If you’re short on time or hate the cleanup involved in cooking, try our Green Drink Plan. We’ll ship you the freshest, most nutrient-dense Chef V detox soups and green drinks for a strong immune system and revitalizing cleanse. 

All of our products are made from fresh, organic ingredients and have been praised for their great flavors. Make the greatest investment in your health for as little as six dollars per day! So, don’t wait and build your plan now.

Vegan Halloween Candy to Enjoy With Your Green Drink

Is everyone ready for a real scare? Because the holiday season is about to get started in North America. This means that any health-conscious reader, or just those looking to lose weight, is going to be met with a host of delicious temptations between here and the new year. 

For those vegan readers out there, this time of year presents an entirely different issue from the threat of an expanding waistline. Even if they did want to perhaps indulge once in a while, the staples of this time of year rarely are vegan-friendly. 

This is most apparent at Halloween, where a good deal of candy includes dairy-based chocolate. And the stuff that doesn’t is so full of preservatives and additives that anyone who knows even the slightest bit about nutrition is going to want to scream and head for the exit.

However, there’s no reason the chillier autumn and winter months need to leave you out in the cold. We’ve discussed some general ideas on how to handle Halloween while staying healthy. We’ve also given some great ideas for Halloween-themed treats. But we know some of you have a sweet tooth and won’t be happy until you get some real Halloween candy. 

With that in mind, we’ve put together some tasty vegan Halloween candy ideas. While they might not all be great foods to eat while juicing, they’re a delightful way to celebrate the end of your juice cleanse diet, or simply to enjoy with your green drink as an autumn treat. 

Thankfully, DIY vegan Halloween candy isn’t as complex as it sounds. With a little bit of creativity, you can ditch the processed foods in autumn, so you don’t end up ruining all the hard work from your juice-cleanse diet. We’ll treat you to a few examples of vegan alternatives to some of your favorites.

Vegan Halloween Candy Ideas

“Almond Joy”

Health nuts often go nuts for nuts. So it’s no surprise we’re going to be starting this list with a little almond-y joy. It seems a shame to take a nut as jam-packed with good stuff and then cover it up with all sorts of high sugar, processed chocolate. 

Thankfully, since the concept behind the Almond Joy is fairly simple, it’s not hard to whip up vegan versions at home. All it takes is some almonds (naturally), organic shredded coconut, and vegan chocolate, and you’re good to go! You can find plenty of great example recipes online.  

Candy corn

For many, candy corn is inextricably linked with the “feeling” of the autumn season. However, it’s not a candy often seen after Halloween. There’s no reason to let a good classic languish, so take it upon yourself to resurrect it. Of course, in the interest of vegan Halloween candy, you’ll want to make sure you’re making a vegan-friendly version. Plenty of recipes for candy corn don’t require too much in the way of complex ingredients either. 

Coconut balls

We touched on coconuts when talking about Almond Joy. But it’s also worth pointing out how flexible and versatile an ingredient shredded coconut can be when it comes to whipping up some tasty vegan Halloween candy. As long as you can get your hands on some organic shredded coconut and dark chocolate, you can go nuts with your own vegan candy ideas or take inspiration from the many recipes online

Peanut Butter Cup 

Is there a more classic junk food combination than peanut butter and chocolate? Peanut Butter Cups have long been a guilty pleasure for many of us. There’s a reason, then, that you’ll see plenty of low-sugar or vegan alternative versions of this snack in grocery stores. However, don’t think you need to spend a lot of money buying premium versions. You can easily find plenty of recipes detailing how to make these treats on your own. They’ll be a great reward year-round for finishing a juice cleanse diet or just a great companion to green drinks. 

Peppermint patties

Are you the sort of person who prefers a peppermint flavor to your candy? Just because you’re a picky candy eater doesn’t mean you need to feel left out of all the vegan Halloween candy fun. Peppermint patties can be replicated in a much healthier vegan format by relying on sweet nuts. Many of the examples you’ll find will include cashews for the creamiest fillings

“Snickers”

It’s not a mystery why certain types of chocolate bars become so popular as Halloween candy. When you throw in salty and sweet staples like peanuts, caramel, and nougat, it’s no wonder many find these kinds of candy so tasty—and why they tend to be bad for your waistline and blood sugar. Thankfully, there are healthier vegan alternatives to nearly anything these days. If you don’t mind taking on a more complicated challenge, you could try recreating these kinds of chocolate bars using online recipes

Stay healthy all year long with Chef V

At Chef V, we believe that healthy eating habits are something to be enjoyed all year long. We’re always excited to share ideas for foods to eat while juicing (like our detox soups), or fruits and vegetables that are just generally amazing. If you’re looking to stay healthy all year long, then check out our green drinks, perfect with snacks or as part of our juice cleanse diet.

Vegan Soup Recipes for Winter

Winter is around the corner, and with it comes chills. Nothing compares with the warmth of a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day.

To help maintain your daily nutritional intake, Chef V has come up with some delicious vegan soup ideas that are healthy, easy to make, and packed with wholesome ingredients. These vegan soup recipes are as tasty and comforting as your regular chicken soup or hot ramen noodle soup and loaded with numerous immunity boosters, weight management, and digestion-improvement ingredients. 

Whether you’re a rookie or a professional soup maker, be ready to add these vegan soup recipes by Chef V to your favorite soup recipe collection. So, let’s get started and welcome the upcoming season with a bowl full of healthy soup. 

Is soup healthy for winter?

Yes! If we specifically talk about vegan soups, they’re often made with veggie broth or contain fruits and vegetables, which provide necessary minerals, fiber, vitamins, and nutrients, such as collagen. Additionally, consuming soup is a delicious way to increase your vegetable and fruit intake, which helps reduce weight and achieve your health goals.

Furthermore, because soups are often rich in fiber and protein, they make you feel fuller, so you’re less likely to  oncomfort food, such as French fries, baked pasta, and hot chocolate. During the winter, water intake gradually decreases because you’re not overly sweaty or hot; in that case, soup helps with extra hydration to maintain your body’s water levels.

Great vegan soup ideas

Below are some of Chef V’s favorite vegan soup recipes that you must try this winter. All these recipes taste delectable, uncomplicated, and satisfying

1. Creamy curry pumpkin soup

This vegan soup recipe offers the perfect way to bid goodbye to fall and welcome winter as it contains fresh pumpkin puree with coconut milk and some other very subtle ingredients, such as nutmeg, black pepper, sea salt, and organic vegetable broth. The creamy texture and thick consistency are very satisfying and filling to keep you going throughout the day.

2. Creamy sweet potato and leek soup

Sweet potatoes are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients, which means using them along with leek in a winter soup makes it even more nutritious and healthy. This creamy sweet potato and leek soup has simple ingredients — white carrot, coconut oil, and raw cashews to make it rich and wholesome. 

3. Little leprechaun soup

Follow this simple vegan soup recipe to transform  regular and boring broccoli into a tasty winter comforting meal. Paired with some fresh thyme leaves, coconut oil, shallots, and unsalted cashews, this little leprechaun soup is the perfect winter soup to enjoy with your friends and family.

4. Black bean soup

Say hello to the healthy and vegan way of having protein with this delicious and rich black bean soup by Chef V. The subtle ingredients white onion, vegetable broth, garlic and cayenne pepper — give this vegan soup a pungent taste that’s perfect to beat the chilly winter vibes.

5. Creamy broccoli soup

Takes only twenty minutes to cook, this absolutely delicious creamy broccoli soup contains both coconut milk and oil that give it a rich and thick consistency. The use of raw cashews, thyme leaves, and minced and peeled garlic elevate its taste to make your winter days more comfortable.

Chef V’s detox soups

If you don’t want to get into the hassle of cooking all these vegan soup recipes, sign up with Chef V to get her organic detox soup delivered to your doorstep. Chef V detox soup is made from fresh and plant-based ingredients, which detoxify your body to remove toxins and harmful substances.

 This detox soup is known as SOUPer detox, and is included in Chef V’s cleanse plans to finish your day with a warm meal that flushes your vital organs and satisfies your appetite. Chef V’s detox soup is crafted with the help of a nutritional therapist to ensure it improves your digestion, improves bowel movements, and regulates blood sugar levels.

You can opt for the seven-or 21 day cleanse challenge to get this detox soup with two other types of drinks, organic green juice and protein shake, in your plan to achieve your weight goals. These liquid cleanse plans are customizable to each of you to help you move forward to a healthy lifestyle.

Visit Chef V today to learn more about the different detox cleanse plans. You can also explore some more healthy vegan soup recipes to try on this winter season. Do check out our delivery areas and store locations to find out where and how you can get our healthy products. 

Celebrities Who Love Detox Juice Cleanse

Juice detox cleanses are becoming more and more well-known in the mainstream. If you need any more proof, this piece covers examples of celebrities who swear by juice cleanses. We’ll look at how blended juice cleanses helped them lose weight and detox their bodies.

What is a juice cleanse?

A juice cleanse involves drinking only fruit or vegetable juices for a certain amount of time, usually ranging from one to five days, depending on the goal. Juices are usually pressed, which means the pulp is separated from the juice. Most importantly, while juice cleansing, you eliminate sugar, caffeine, refined foods, and other substances from your diet.

Are you looking to melt fat quickly for an upcoming occasion? Detox juice cleanses are good for hitting the reset button on your health if you’ve been overindulging. With it,you’re able to boost your metabolism and flush out toxins gently. With all the nutritional content, they provide steady energy throughout the day. You’ll also curb cravings for unhealthy food.

In recent years, cleanses have become the quick fix for dropping pounds for celebrities from Beyonce to Anne Hathaway. Ever wondered what’s the secret behind their toned bodies? Let’s spill the beans for four superstars who enjoy cold-pressed veggies and fruits for radiant skin and a fit body.

Beyonce

Beyonce popularized the granddaddy of the cleanse trend the Master Cleanse diet — shedding twenty pounds in two weeks for her role in Dreamgirls. The diet that has particularly taken Hollywood by storm since 2006 as a popular way of losing quick weight was developed by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 as a diet regimen to flush out  toxins in the body.

Also known as Maple Syrup or Lemon Cleanse diet, it involves subsisting on nothing but a liquid diet of hot water, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for ten days. You also drink laxative tea and do a salt-water flush to eliminate body toxins through bowel movements.

Salma Hayek

Salma has used juice cleanses as a regular part of her health and beauty maintenance program for fifteen years. Ever-radiating, she’s known for endorsing the cooler cleanse diet that’s a big hit with thousands of her fans worldwide.

In 2008, Salma approached New York City juicing expert Eric Helms to co-create a line of fresh, raw juices and nut milk that worked well for her body. The idea was to help everyone look and feel their best, no matter how busy or stressful their lives.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway swears by celebrity trainer David Kirsch’s forty-eight-hour detox where you drink his patented lemonade mixture four times a day for two days. Hirsch’s mixture comes ready-made in a concentrated liquid you add to water and can consume at mealtimes. The delicious pink lemonade blend gives you the supercharged nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants needed to achieve healthy results. 

Jennifer Aniston

The secret to Jennifer Aniston’s svelte body lies in her Wonder Saturday Smoothie, jam-packed with spinach, garlic, beetroot, organic vegetables, cucumbers, kale, and celery. For the best taste, add some cayenne pepper or parsley. 

Get convenient cleanse delivery with Chef V

You can use these liquid diets as celebs do  to jump-start your journey of eating better and get your metabolism revved up. Please note we aren’t giving medical advice here and that if you try these diet regimes, do so at your own risk. We can help you answer your query though: Are juice cleanses worth it? You might be surprised to learn that even a very short juice cleanse can have some significant impacts.  

At Chef V, even our 3-Day Juice Cleanse Plan will give you the desired results. We mix our nutrient-packed green drinks with detox soups and smoothies. You can easily customize your blended juice cleanse. Choose one, three, or five days and the number of people consuming it. 

So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to us and let’s get started with your cleanse plan that’ll leave you feeling great, all the way through.

Chef V’s Vegan Thanksgiving Plan

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we’re excited about spending time with friends and family. While we also love a bountiful feast, we beg to differ if you say turkey should steal the spotlight. And when you realize you’re ingesting thousands of extra calories, you’ll definitely want to check out healthier options. This piece discusses some delicious vegan Thanksgiving recipes to enjoy along with green drink and juice detox options to burn your extra calories this holiday season.

Healthy holidays = happy holidays

One-third of Americans prefer hosting a meat-free Thanksgiving dinner. Your friends may be making healthier choices this year, and you want to host them well. Opt for vegan recipes that typically incorporate whole foods, an abundance of healthy plants, and antioxidant-rich, nutrient-dense foods. Plant-based, plant-loaded meals can be your starting point to kick-start healthy beginnings and seal the deal for healthy New Year’s resolutions.

Traditional side dishes can be easily veganized. And with multiple ideas for creative vegan options, you don’t have to sacrifice taste for a healthy meal or stress out trying to create it. 

Planning a vegan Thanksgiving meal

If you’re up for a vegan Thanksgiving dinner this year, you must be wondering how to organize everything and what dishes to choose for a whole vegan meal. We’ve got the answer for youslow down, and scroll down.

First things first, decide on the number of courses. Do meals with less than four courses feel incomplete to you? Or does a three-course meal swell up your belly just about enough? 

Next, zero in on the delicious vegan recipes that’ll look absolutely delicious on your Thanksgiving table this year, and then move on to arranging the ingredients. You can easily get natural sweeteners, dairy alternatives, vegan condiments, and other pantry essentials from any grocery store. Or you may want to prepare all dishes at home from scratch. Depending on how much time you want to spend in the kitchen, sort out what raw materials can be store-bought and what you’re willing to make at home.

Chef V’s recommendations: Vegan Thanksgiving recipes 

Are you struggling with choosing your Thanksgiving menu? We have some healthy, lip-smacking vegan recipes to share with you below.

Vegan appetizers

This delicious fall treat is a hit at Thanksgiving dinner. It’s  filling and makes you feel warm inside even though it’s a salad.

This vegan soup will suit everyone’s taste buds. The spicy vegetable soup with jalapeno, quinoa, zucchini, black beans, and lots of spice will leave your guests wanting more.

The only thing more comforting than a bowl of soup is a bowl of homemade soup that’s both vegan and gluten-free. This recipe is easily one of the most healthy ways to pop a pumpkin on your Thanksgiving table.

Vegan roasts

With only seven ingredients, this recipe is super easy to make. Filled with generous amounts of flavor and filling, you can’t miss this roast for your Thanksgiving toast.

Vegan main course

This gluten-free, dairy-free version of macaroni and cheese will become a favorite at your Thanksgiving dinner table! A recipe so fulfilling, you might just switch to this vegan version altogether. 

This delicacy incorporates pumpkin into the ricotta cheese mixture. Made with gluten-free noodles, it is sure to become a family favorite, for even the pickiest eater. This lasagna is an entree you’ll be proud of.

  • Vegan Green Bean Casserole
    A perfect combination of crunchy and creamy in a vegetable dish, this one is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Beans worthy of attention, you need this addition to your dinner.

Vegan desserts

This healthy take on tiramisu is a must. Once you discover baking with healthy ingredients, there’s a good chance you’ll want to continue!

A dessert you can’t do vegan Thanksgiving without. If you love ice cream, all things pumpkin and fall, and exquisite vegan desserts, you’ll love this recipe.

A dessert you’ll have a ton of fun making. Pair this poached pear recipe with scooped vegan ice cream for a delicious and healthy dessert. 

Vegan drinks

While these vegan Thanksgiving recipes should add some exciting and healthy new flavors to your meals, don’t temper your love for the meal by worrying about holiday weight. Gulp on! Just make sure you take care of your body with just as much enthusiasm.

With Chef V’s juice detox and green drinks, you can bid your worries goodbye and set a detox in motion. Chef V’s nutrient-dense drinks are freshly made and help you detox your liver, fight inflammation, reduce cholesterol, and much more. 

And these healthy green drinks are delivered with a hint of sweetness, kicking the boring out of the green.  Order your 7-day juice cleanse today to celebrate Thanksgiving with a healthy body and a thankful heart. Have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

Why a Fresh Organic Juice Cleanse is Good for You

The benefits and importance of fresh fruits and vegetables lie in their high density of nutritional values. They’re rich in antioxidant properties, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and many other nutrients that help the body remove toxins and maintain good health.

But due to greater convenience and minimal wastage, many people prefer consuming and using frozen fruits and vegetables. Though some produce retains nutritional values, they often lose their natural taste and may contain harmful preservatives to maintain longer shelf life. 

And because of this, many start wondering whether frozen fruit can be used in a juice cleanse and why fresh organic juice cleanse is better for you. Follow along to learn what Chef V has to say about this and the valuable benefits of consuming fresh produce. 

What freezing veggies and fruits do

The purpose of freezing vegetables and fruits is to preserve the nutritional content for longer, but some nutrients start to break down if you keep the produce frozen for longer than a year. Moreover, before freezing, fresh fruits and vegetables undergo a process called blanching, which involves keeping the produce in boiling water for a few minutes. 

The purpose of blanching is to kill harmful bacteria and prevent the natural texture and color of the produce. But it also results in the loss of some important water-soluble or heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C and B vitamins. 

Furthermore, freezing also reduces the antioxidant content in some fruits and vegetables. According to the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, up to 30 percent of the phenolic compounds, an antioxidant type, get lost in some vegetables due to freezing. 

Benefits of fresh fruit and veggies

Below are some top benefits of consuming fresh veggies and fruits:

  • It’s hard for frozen fruits and vegetables to compete with the visual appeal, juiciness, and natural taste of fresh ones. The crunch of fresh green beans and the creamy texture of avocado is hard to find in a supermarket freezer. 
  • Fresh produce is a great source of dietary fiber that keeps your gut strong and improves bowel movements. Moreover, it gives you a fuller feeling when on an organic juice cleanse, intermittent fasting, or dieting. 
  • Seedless watermelon, pineapple, red leaf lettuce, sprouts, kale, luscious cherries —it’d be hard to get bored of fresh fruits and vegetables as hundreds of varieties and options are available on the market. And variety is something you can’t find in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. 

Fresh juice delivery with Chef V 

If you’re planning on going for a juice cleanse, try Chef V’s multiple juice cleanse plans, specially designed for people who want to move to a healthy lifestyle and achieve certain weight goals.

You can opt for a single or multi-day juice cleanse, where you get three different drinks: the famous green juice, protein shake, and detox soup. All these fluids are made from the freshest, purest, organic ingredients, such as pea powder, green kale, dandelion greens, curly parsley, and collard greens, to help you get rid of toxins from your body. 

Moreover, the team at Chef V provides green juice delivery to your doorstep, meaning you can achieve your health goals in the comfort of your home while enjoying the nutritional and tasty drinks crafted by nutritional therapist Chef V. You can also request a pickup from the listed store locations by giving twenty-four-hour notice. 

If you’re looking for a fresh and organic juice cleanse plan, visit Chef V today. Browse our store locations and delivery areas to learn where and how you find plant-based foods and raw blended juices by Chef V. 

Green Drink and Other Post-Workout Options for Vegan Athletes

If you’re an athlete, or just enjoy being athletic, getting energy and protein post-workout can be a major concern. Some people assume it’s hard to find good energy sources that are also vegan — but is this really the case? This post will examine snacks and drinks that will complete your plant-based nutrition, and how Chef V’s green drink can be your next go-to post-workout drink.

What makes a good post-workout snack?

You probably put a lot of thought into your pre-workout intake. How about the post-workout snacks? Do you pay as much attention to it as you do to what you’re eating before starting high-intensity activities? 

Whether training for a competition, doing a casual workout, or high-intensity and resistance training activities, eating something within two hours will help muscles recover and replace glycogen stores. Along with carbs, protein should be an integral component of the diet as it aids muscle recovery and new muscle growth.

Your body loses water and electrolytes when you sweat during exercise. It’s even more important to replenish these with healthy drinks rather than eating right away after a tough workout. A general rule of thumb is to drink three cups of fluid for each pound lost during competition or training. 

Overall, what and how often you should eat and drink will ultimately depend on your activity level and intensity. And since each body is different, follow your instincts in deciding which pre- and post-exercise eating habits work best for you. 

Vegan post-workout snacks and drinks 

The idea that protein needs to come from animal products is a misconception. Eating a wide variety of foods high in vegan protein can ensure an adequate intake of nutrients. Vegan athletes are increasingly finding that a diet free from animal products can actually improve their strength and performance. On that note, let’s look at some good examples of vegan snacks and drinks to boost your energy.

Power-packed smoothies

If you make them right, smoothies can provide all the nutrients you need after your workout in just one glass. Pour in your preferred protein in a mixing jar — milk, yogurt, or soy-based products. Fill in with the fruits or vegetables of your choice. Add some healthy dose of unsaturated fats, such as avocados or nut butter, that not just strengthens your bones, but also enhances the consistency of smoothies. Add some good fiber, such aslike chia seeds or ground flaxseed and enhance the flavor without adding calories. Blend until smooth. Your refreshing and filling smoothie is ready.

You’ve probably heard the buzz when it comes to green juices but what about a post-workout green smoothie? We recommend trying Chef V’s Creamy Green Smoothie. It’s a great option as a nutritional powerhouse and it’s super easy to make and digest.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is one of the most popular post-workout snacks due to its high protein content – just what you need after a strenuous workout. Boost your food’s nutritional value and add extra taste and texture by adding some fruits or whole grain cereals. Add on hemp seeds, chia seeds, or granola for your delicious recovery fuel.

Salads on the go

A hearty salad can be your perfect post-workout/gym session snack. Use dark, leafy greens, such as kale or spinach, that are high in nutritional value for the base of your salad, and then top with superfoods of your choice — kale, carrot, blueberries, squash, grapes, pumpkin, dried cherries, quinoa, sunflower seeds, or walnuts. Opt for a light olive oil for the dressing, which contains healthy fats your body needs. Here are some of our recommended superfood salad recipes with a protein kick that are great for the cold days ahead — Warm Pumpkin Salad, Warm Butternut Squash Salad, and Carrot Ginger Salad.

Chia seed pudding

Tiny superfood heroes as they are, chia seeds are a complete protein. They come in either white or dark brown/black and have a huge nutritional profile. They contain calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, and are packed with fiber, protein, and healthy omega-3 fats. Having chia after a workout can provide tissue repairing protein and amp up your energy levels. They’re easy to digest, especially when soaked in almond or coconut milk overnight to make chia pudding. Don’t miss to check out our version of Chia seed pudding.

Warm and comforting soups

Don’t feel like refueling with something cold? Soups are a great post-workout snack option this time of year. They can warm you up after a chilly practice, with benefits extending far beyond that. They’re easier to eat after a workout than solid food and will fill you up with all the balanced nutrients.

Perfect for fall and winter weather, this delicious Black Bean soup recipe by Chef V is a must-try. It’s warm, filling, and protein-packed. Always try to use organic dried or canned black beans and organic vegetable stock, preferably homemade. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and drizzle with healthy fats, such as avocado slices, and you’re as good as full.

Looking for a sweet spot between enjoying cravings and maintaining your fitness? There’s something special about cooking comforting soups like Creamy Curry Pumpkin Soup that’ll warm you up, replenish all the lost energy, and make you feel festive.

Pita dipped with hummus 

Hummus and pita are another great post-workout combo. With its revitalizing dose of slow-release energy, whole wheat pita keeps you fueled for hours, while hummus provides both carbs and protein. Bring out the Green Goddess in your post-workout with Chef V’s Green Goddess Hummus. Or try this delicious version of Red Beet Hummus.

Add Chef V green drink to your routine 

With the spread of plant-based lifestyles, many people are now promoting veganism as a means of maximizing performance and recovery. If you’re a vegan and looking for a power-packed juice detox diet

to add to your post-workout routine, you can try our 100% organic green drink

It’s made from seven superfoods, including green kale, black kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, and green chard. These green ingredients are packed with essential nutrients, minerals, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.  

You don’t even need to do any prep work yourself. Just build your plan, and get it delivered to your door. It’s that easy! You can start with our 3-day juice cleanse and see how that works for you.

Calorie Counting vs. Intermittent Fasting: Which One Is Better For Weight Loss?

Let’s say your best friend’s wedding is coming up and you’re the maid of honor. How best to lose those stubborn 5-10 pounds so you can squeeze into that sexy, new dress? Should you drastically cut down on calories? Or should you just eat whatever you want as long as you’re doing intermittent fasting for 10-14 hours per day? Which method does science say is better for weight loss? Keep reading to find out….

Calorie Restriction Vs Intermittent Fasting: The Latest Weight Loss Science Weighs In

Back in 1991, a group of 8 people embarked on an experiment of living in a self-contained artificial ecological environment near Tucson, Arizona. Think high-tech commune, but instead of hippies, the group consisted of a physician, as well as other doctors and researchers. They embarked on what was to be a two-year self-sustaining attempt at growing their own food. The domed facility they lived in was called Biosphere 2. The goal of the researchers was to assess the feasibility for future space colonists to grow their own food.

While the food-growing effort wasn’t as challenging as that of Matt Damon’s in the hit film, “The Martian,” in which Damon’s character survives by fertilizing the Martian soil with his own poop, nonetheless, the 8 researchers quickly realized that they wouldn’t be able to grow enough food in the domed environment to sustain them.

In just so happened that one of the researchers was a devotee of calorie-restricted diets and author of a book about the subject. What better opportunity to conduct on experiment on calorie restricted diets. The 8 people living in Biosphere 2 (4 men, 4 women) reduced their calorie intake 30%.

Although calorie restriction (CR) has been studied for over 100 years, the Biosphere group is believed to be one of the first (if not the first) experiments on CR on humans.

If you want me to cut to the chase and say if calorie restriction is good for quick weight loss, I have some good news and bad news. I’ll give you the bad news first…. There are no studies on calorie restriction conducted over a short period of time such as a week or two. However, long-term studies conducted on primates reveal that calorie-restriction diets prolong life span. In fact, in one experiment, rhesus monkeys who live in captivity and fed a regular diet typically live about 26 years, whereas those who live in captivity and fed a CR-diet, can live up to 40.

In addition, besides weight loss, humans on CR diets have also reported lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and improved blood sugar levels. So clearly, CR is the way to go if you want to lose weight, right?

Well, hold on…not so fast.

(the photo below is a before after photo of a Biosphere experimenter who used calorie restriction while living in the biosphere.)

The Dark Side of Calorie Restriction

Although the scientists living in Biosphere 2, by the end of the two-years, had better health markers than before the experiment started, there was one huge downside to their calorie-restriction experiment: they looked like skeletons. One of the researchers had his weight drop to 119 pounds from 150.

More recent experiments on calorie restriction also show some potential pitfalls. For example, a 2008 study, involving 143 people on a CR diet revealed that some of the dieters experienced trouble sleeping, and had low libido and lower overall energy during the two-year trial. And here’s one more downside the experiment group faced: they were hungry most of the time.

Going two years feeling hungry most of the day is an awfully long time. In fact, some of the researchers who participated in the Biosphere experiment said they obsessed about food, mentally, for much of the two years. The takeaway is that while CR diets may improve some important health markers, not everybody will be able to stick to it for life; it’s simply unsustainable.

Even if you’re trying to lose weight for just a short time, there’s a better way than strictly slashing your caloric intake….Intermittent Fasting: Science Says Superior For Weight Loss

Although fasting has been practiced by humans since prehistoric times, studies on how fasting affects the body has only been conducted since the 1940s. As of late, intermittent fasting has become a popular way to lose weight, increase energy and focus and other health benefits.

My husband, Brandon, and I have been doing intermittent fasting for a while and we both love it. I even recently launched an Intermittent Fasting Cleanse, which combines the 16-hour fasting window with my Organic Green Drink, Protein Shake, Detox Tea and Detox Soup.

Intermittent fasting is a much easier and more liberating way to get leaner and stay lean than CR Diets. In fact, with intermittent fasting you don’t have to count a single calorie. But after you go 16 hours without eating anything, your tummy will shrink and you’ll get full much faster. So in the end, you’ll likely eat less calories anyway with Intermittent Fasting but you’re not starving or depriving yourself.

I still recommend breaking your 16-hour fast with Green Drink and then waiting a half hour or s

Although studies on 16-hour fasting are few, owing to the recent popularity of this diet (actually, I consider it more of a lifestyle than a diet), the research on it is encouraging. Studies show that a 16-hour fast does in fact lead to consuming fewer calories. But it also shows that it can boost metabolism, lower insulin levels and blood sugar, and yes, lead to weight loss.

So next time you need to drop some weight for a special occasion, or just because, don’t starve yourself. Eat whatever you want (within reason) until your belly is content. Just make sure you’re going at least 14 hours from the end of your dinner until your next meal (no snacking). Ideally, shoot for 16 hours before you break your fast. And for even better results, break your fast with Green Drink and try not to snack in between meals.

Going 16 hours without eating will force your body to burn its own stored body fat for energy instead of stored sugar. In comparison, even if you eat 30% less calories on a CR diet, if you’re eating throughout the day, you might not burn as much body fat. Plus, you run the risk of being malnourished.

The verdict is in: intermittent fasting is much better for you weight loss and overall health than drastic calorie restriction.

How To Make Nut Milk Creamy & Healthy

Chef V reveals the surprising truth about problematic nut milk ingredients and lays down a recipe for a clean and creamy almond milk you’ll be sure to love.

It’s kind of weird if you think about it: humans are the only species on Earth that drink the milk of another species. But I’m not one of them. I stopped drinking regular milk years ago, even before becoming a certified nutrition therapist. Even if you’re not lactose-intolerant, conventional dairy milk can be one of the highest inflammatory foods. And you certainly don’t need cow’s milk to get your daily dose of calcium. You can get plenty of it from plant-based foods.

As more and more people realize the connection between dairy products and inflammation in the body, sales of plant-based milk have soared. In fact, the plant-based milk market is expected to be worth nearly $43 billion globally by 2029.

But just because it’s plant-based doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy or tasty. Many store-bought brands of plant-based milk have 2 big problems. First of all, some of them contain a very concerning ingredient I’ll tell you about. And secondly, if you’ve ever sampled a diverse range of almond, cashew, oat, coconut, rice and soy milk, many of them are so lacking in natural ingredients that they have the mouthfeel of water.

So keep reading because further down, I’ll share with you my recipe for homemade almond milk that’s so creamy and clean, you can have as many cups of it as your belly desires without worrying about bloating.

The Ingredient In Nut Milk That Gives Lab Rats Ulcers

Not all plant-based milks have this concerning ingredient I’m about to reveal. But many nut milks do. Even if you go shopping at so-called health-food stores like Whole Foods, this ingredient may very well be lurking in some brands of nut milk.

So, have you ever heard of carrageenan? It’s a food additive that actually comes from a very healthy source: seaweed. Sea veggies are probably the most underrated food in the west. But carrageenan is not the same as eating sea vegetables that are served in Asian restaurants.

Food manufacturers add carrageenan to certain products like plant-based milk to thicken, emulsify (blend liquid ingredients that normally don’t like to blend like oil and water), and stabilize.

When it comes to controversial nutrition topics, carrageenan is right up there with cholesterol. There are some people who think the dangers of carrageenan are overblown. So what are those dangers? Well, I did some research because I wanted to see for myself what all the debate over carrageenan was all about.

And we’ll start with something that should make your stomach turn after reading this. So in this research study, it said that carrageenan has been associated with intestinal ulcers in animals that are used in experiments. And because of this, the researchers concluded that the pervasive use of carrageenan in Western food production should be reconsidered.

I don’t know about you, but that’s enough motivation for me to learn how to make my own almond milk!

And not only that, a study from way back in 1988, long before nut milks were booming, said that carrageenan damages the cells of the intestinal lining. So that means that carrageenan could be an ingredient that’s directly responsible for causing leaky gut.

These weren’t the only two studies I found that raised some big questions about carrageenan. But you get the idea.

Make Milk Healthy Again

So how can you tell if there’s carrageenan in the plant-based milk you like or are considering buying? Read the food labels. It’s as simple as that.

In general, when you’re buying any type of food or beverage that comes in a carton, bottle, jar, etc., it should contain only a handful of ingredients. That means it’s been minimally-processed.

You’ll notice that when you look at the ingredients label in many best-selling brands of nut milk, there’s a dozen or more ingredients.

I realize not everybody is going to have the interest or the time to make their own nut milk (It actually doesn’t take much time or effort!). But at the very least, if you’re going to purchase nut milk in the store, choose a brand with the least amount of ingredients, without carrageenan. And also choose a product that’s unsweetened to reduce your intake of added sugars.

Some nut milk producers have realized that carrageenan is a dubious ingredient. And so they have switched it with other stabilizers like gellan gum. I tried to dig up some negative dirt on gellan gum. But thankfully it seems to be fine for digestive health.

Make Nut Milk Creamy Again

I can’t stand the taste of store-bought almond milk. It’s basically glorified water with some synthetic vitamins and preservatives. You’re better off just drinking water and taking whole-food derived vitamin supplements.

Some brands of almond milk are so watered down that it should be illegal for them to call it “nut milk.” In fact, Blue Diamond, one of the most popular brands of plant-based milk, has been hit with more than one lawsuit over the years because of false marketing claims. In 2015, Blue Diamond was hit with a class action suit because its almond milk was found to contain only 2% almonds!

2% might be good when you’re talking about the percentage of milk fat in relation to the total weight of the milk (2% milk). But when it comes to almond milk, 2% of the ingredients being only 2% won’t cut it for making creamy milk.

Chef V’s Recipe for Creamy, Delicious, Preservative-Free Almond Milk

Thirsty for some healthy almond milk? Learn how you can easily make it by clicking here.

My homemade almond milk only contains two ingredients: organic almonds and pure water. You can actually taste the nutty richness of the almonds.

Welcome back to drinking milk!

Yoga – Q&A with Veronica Wheat

Chef V yoga pose

Chef V, Veronica Wheat, answers questions about her yoga practice and gives recommendations for your practice. She suggests supplmenting Intermittent Fasting with yoga, and breaking your fast with her Green Drink.

5 Insights to Loving Yoga

1. How did you first get into yoga and what does it mean to you now?

I first joined a gym when I was 15 years old and saw others taking  classes. A year later, and after much speculation, I decided to join the class. I thought it was alright but I didn’t really get into it until two years later. I played a lot of sports when I was in high school so when I graduated, I was trying to get back into working out and decided to give yoga one more try. My body felt so good – I was surprised by how tight my muscles had been after years of competitive sports. I started going once or twice a week and soon I was hooked! I’ve been practicing religiously for almost 10 years now and completed my yoga teacher training in 2012 at Yoga Tropics at their Encinitas, CA and Pacific Beach, CA locations.

I try to practice almost every day. I don’t necessarily go to class every day but I try to do some form of yoga daily, even at home or at the gym in a space by myself. I ALWAYS practice first thing in the AM, 60-minute classes two or three times a week and then three times on my own. You will rarely see me working out afternoon or evening, I like to workout in the mornings on an empty stomach to burn stored fat and calories, plus morning workouts energizes me for the rest of the day.

I love how yoga makes me feel in mind, body and spirit. If you’ve never tried a class before, I highly recommend you do – it’s all about finding the class and instructor that’s right for you.

2. What do you look for in a yoga instructor and how have you found the ones you’ve liked best?

I really like calm teachers who have nothing to prove. Ones that help guide you along your journey. Everyone’s body is different and even if you practice all the time, every day and every practice is different. I love when a teacher comes over and adjusts me or puts me into a more challenging pose.

3. What is the best way to fuel your body before and after a session?

I prefer to go to yoga in the morning, on an empty stomach. Although, I drink lots and lots of water to make sure that I am hydrated before class begins. Sometimes I might have a little Green Drink an hour or two before class but typically just water.

After yoga is the most important time to nourish your body. I always have lots of water and a Green Drink after class. Sometimes I’ll have a kombucha or a protein smoothie that I make at home after finishing the Green Drink. It’s super important to stay hydrated before and after yoga. Drinking fluids helps flush out the toxins from your body and release them. And yoga plus an intermittent fast, plus my Green Drink maximizes fat burning, making you leaner than ever before.

4. What are some of your favorite yoga essentials? (clothing brands, mats, accessories, etc.)

I live in Lululemon pants and sports bras. I have found them to be the comfiest and most reliable. My lightweight Manduka® mat is my favorite mat, this brand makes great mats that seem to last forever.

5. What tips would you give to new or aspiring yogis?

Take it slow. Don’t be so serious, it’s just yoga. Try different classes and different instructors, not all yoga or yogis are the same. There are a variety of yoga classes for all different levels including hot, flow, fusion, sculpt and many more. Also, remember to always breathe – it’s the most important part of your yoga practice. I’ve been practicing a long time and the worst thing I see is people trying to get fancy in a pose but forgetting to breathe. Your breath is the practice, so if you lose your breath, you lose the point of the practice. Once you master your breath for one hour then you are a true yogi who can conquer any pose!

To get inspired take a look at our Pinterest Board with poses and other workouts we love.

Common Juice Cleanse Detox Mistakes

A juice cleanse is the perfect way to get all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. It helps improve digestion and maintain healthy blood sugar levels while eliminating toxins and harmful substances from your body, such as synthetic chemicals, preservatives, and artificial ingredients via fresh vegetables and fruit juice. 

Juice cleanse detox is popular among people who want to achieve certain weight goals, have unhealthy eating habits, or experience indigestion, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. Because a liquid cleanse helps reboot your body while offering enough minerals, enzymes, vitamins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients to keep you going with a fuller feeling. 

Many people follow this diet type after getting inspired by someone to maybe get a certain physique or attain a healthy lifestyle. But most rookie cleansers make common mistakes, making the whole cleanse process less effective and intimidating. So, if it’s your first time going on a juice cleanse, here are a few mistakes to avoid to enjoy a smooth journey to a healthier life. 

Juice cleanse mistakes to avoid 

1. You skip pre-cleanse 

Pre-cleanse is like preparing your body for what’s coming next. You should take at least two weeks to eliminate processed and junk food, excessive salt and sugar, packaged meat, and artificial ingredients from your diet, as it helps you get in the right mindset before you jump into a full-on juice fast. 

2. Starting with a long cleanse diet 

If it’s your first time going on a juice cleanse, don’t do it for more than one to three days. And if you’re planning on a seven-day challenge or a 21 day juice fast, you should include high-fiber fruits and vegetables, nuts such as almonds and walnuts, and antioxidant-rich berries in your diet to keep your energy levels stable. 

3. Consuming random ingredients 

You should stop putting random fruits and vegetables in your juice just because you think it’s healthy. The purpose of this diet is to give your body a balance of the nutrients it needs. So, pick the ones best for you or leave it to Chef V because she knows exactly what you need to achieve your health goals. 

4. Drinking it when it’s no longer fresh 

To get the complete health benefits of a juice, consume it fresh because once it gets opened and exposed to air, it will no longer be as healthy and beneficial as it should be. The enzymes in that juice will start to degrade and lose their nutritional value. 

5. Getting too many calories 

Fruits like litchis, mangoes, and grapes are high in sugar, and if you only have fruit juices, it can make your cleanse counterproductive by offering you way more calories than needed. More than fruits, you need vegetables in your juice to maintain the required calorie limit and ensure it’s well-balanced.

Why Chef V is an easy cleanse

Chef V understands your body’s needs. She’s come up with different cleanse plans for beginners, frequent detoxifiers, and experienced cleansers. The organic green drink by Chef V has all the natural and fresh ingredients, including seven green veggies, that help you achieve your health goals without compromising your lifestyle. 

The organic juice preparation without any green powders and pills makes her juice cleanse plans more successful while remaining safe and effective for your body. The specially crafted green juice cranks your metabolism and gently removes toxins without any energy crashes and cravings.

Chef V’s juice cleanse plans are effortless and accessible as you can get the green juice delivery to your footsteps. You can choose the delivery day that works best for you or schedule a pickup from the store with twenty-four -hour notice. 

If you also want to start a juice cleanse, sign up with Chef V today! 

Can I Take Vitamins During a Liquid Cleanse?

A liquid cleanse is a diet type that encourages you to only consume juices from fresh fruits and vegetables. This diet does wonders for those who often feel bloated, experience irregular bowel movements, or indigestion by removing non-organic waste substances and toxins, such as pollutants and synthetic chemicals, from the body. 

Detox juice cleanse gives your body the necessary punch of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and nutrients essential for your overall health and well-being. Furthermore, a liquid cleanse helps your body heal, rest, and reboot while improving your digestion and kidney function

Many of you who want to go on a detox juice cleanse, especially to achieve your weight goals, ask Chef V whether it’s okay to take vitamins while doing it. Follow along to find the perfect answer to that and learn how supplementing your supplements with Chef V’s organic green drink can help maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

Why take supplements?

Vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients help the body  grow and function properly. While some people get all the necessary nutrients from their diet and daily regimen, some fail to meet their body’s needs so take vitamin or mineral supplements for that extra nutritional boost.  

Moreover, if you have a specific health condition or deficiency, your general practitioner may recommend you take vitamin and/or mineral tablets, such as echinacea and ginger or probiotics to ensure you remain healthy. Taking supplements is also important for regular
junk-food eaters or if you have erratic eating habits to heal and prevent your body from all the damage due to poor eating habits. 

Is it okay to take vitamins during a liquid cleanse?

You can if a doctor or health-care provider recommends it, but you shouldn’t because a liquid cleanse already provides abundant minerals, enzymes, vitamins, and other nutrients. A detox juice diet offers the perfect opportunity to take a break from your supplements and let your body absorb all the natural ingredients to heal from within, especially if you’re used to consuming processed food and artificial substances. 

Please note that taking too many vitamins or minerals can also harm your body. Getting an overload of vitamin C or zinc can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and/or nausea, while excessive vitamin A or D can cause irritability and numbness, which is a significant reason you should avoid taking supplements on a liquid cleanse. 

Supplement your supplements with Chef V’s green drink

Chef V uses organic vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients to deliver the fresh green drink to your doorstep, making your liquid cleanse healthier, tasty, and packed with necessary nutrients. The use of seven certified organic green veggies, including collard greens, dandelion greens, green leaf lettuce, green kale, black kale, green chard, and curly parsley, boosts your metabolism and provides natural energy to help you keep going throughout the day. 

In Chef V’s cleanse program, you can opt for a multi-day detox juice cleanse, which offers you three drinks to fulfill your daily dose of nutrients:

  • Detox soup or SOUPer detox: a warm drink that improves digestion and maintains your blood sugar levels
  • Green drink: a cold-blended addition to different cleanse plans that increase your metabolism and preserve your body’s nutrient density
  • Protein shake: made from organic pea protein powder, making you feel full longer

Sign up for Chef V’s cleanse plan today to fuel your body with 100 percent vitamins, minerals, fibers, and other nutrients without any preservatives, additives, and artificial flavors. 

Why I’m Out Of My Gourd About Pumpkins

Chef V hand and pumpkin

Pumpkins: can we all agree that the whole pumpkin spice and PSL (latte) thing has gotten out of hand? It’s gotten to the point that PSLs are released with a whole month left of summer to go. In fact, Dunkin Donuts beat Starbucks to the pumpkin punch this year, releasing its own PSL on August 19.

When it’s still 100 degrees outside and I’m trying to cool off in the pool the last thing I want to think about is a steaming hot PSL. And as a certified nutritional therapist, I suggest you just say no to PSLs.

According to Starbucks.com, a grande (16 oz) contains 50 grams of sugar! Fifty! 5-0! There are four grams of sugar in a teaspoon, which means a grande PSL has 12.5 teaspoons of sugar. The American Heart Association suggests women should have no more than 6 teaspoons a day. You don’t have to be a brilliant mathematician to figure out that PSLs are no superfood.

(Want a healthier drink to get your day started? My Organic Green Drink contains only 6 grams of sugar per 16 oz and 7 leafy green veggies.)

pumpkin spice latte

Remove the Sugar, Pumpkins Are Healthy

But pumpkins are a superfood in their natural state. One study on these “gourdgeous” (sorry for the pun; pumpkins are gourds) fruits that are often mistaken for vegetables, says that pumpkins contain “Substantial medicinal properties due to the presence of unique natural edible substances.”

Pumpkins possess a plethora of the following phytonutrients:

  • Alkaloids
  • Flavonoids
  • Palmitic acid
  • Oleic acid
  • Linoleic acid
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Potassium
  • Copper
  • Manganese

Nutrition researchers love pumpkins not because of how well it tastes in a caffeinated drink, but rather for its “medicinal properties including anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and others [that] have been well documented.”

Edible pumpkins contain a high amount of the antioxidants called carotenoids. Carotenoids are the colorful pigment that give carrots their orange hue, and their name (“carot”enoids). All types of pumpkins have the following three anti-aging all-star carotenoids: zeaxanthin, lutein, and beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A.

All three are great for the eyes. So when you eat pumpkin seeds or organic canned pumpkin, you’re protecting your peepers from age-related macular degeneration. These antioxidants are actually found in human eyeballs! So pumpkins are sort of like a multivitamin for your eyes.

Pumpkin seeds ripen in August through September. So this is the time of year you should be eating whole pumpkin (take it easy on pumpkin pie) along with its fall cousin, squashes.

pumpkin seed nutritional facts

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts

Pumpkins are nutrient dense. They’re low in calories but mega rich in vitamins and minerals. There’s several benefits of eating pumpkin. It doesn’t matter whether you’re eating this cucumber-related fruit (yes, it’s technically a fruit, not veggie) raw, boiled, canned or the seeds.

First, pumpkins contain lots of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants kill free-radicals. We all need a certain amount of free radicals in our body. It gives something for our immune system to do, namely killing free radicals. But when free radicals outnumber white blood cells and other immune-system sentinels, that’s when disease takes root.

Beta-carotene is what gives carrots their orange color. And it’s this pigment in beta-carotene that helps fight cancer, prevents premature aging as well as heart disease. Some of the beta-carotene you eat converts into vitamin A, which is a nutrient vital for vision and one that many people simply don’t get enough of. (Do you eat enough beef livers? Probably not.)

Pumpkin is also relatively high in minerals such as potassium, copper, manganese and vitamins C and B2. Pumpkin even contains essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Usually, I don’t recommend eating anything from a can. There are a few exceptions: wild salmon and sardines. (I won’t let hubby Brandon near the house with sardines. They smell disgusting. But they are very healthy.) If you’re going to buy canned pumpkin, though, make sure it’s organic, in a BPA-free can.

Canned pumpkin is like a vitamin A pill. There’s a whopping almost 800% of your recommended vitamin A intake. The one downside is there’s 8 grams of sugar per serving. But the sugar is balanced by 7 grams of fiber (almost 30% daily value). Also, there’s 50% daily value of vitamin K (good for your bones and blood) and 20% daily value of iron.

Pumpkins: Pumpkin Seed Oil

I’m still waiting for pumpkin seed oil to become the next avocado oil. Just as avocado oil has become a viable healthy cooking oil alternative to olive oil (and most definitely, canola oil), pumpkin seed oil has the potential to become a staple in every healthy kitchen cabinet. That’s because like avocado and olive oils, pumpkin seed oil is technically a fruit oil.

Studies like this one show that pumpkin seed oil can help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Pumpkin oil is also beneficial for the skin, and it helps the body’s detoxification processes.

pumpkin seeds

Pumpkins:  Best Foods To Eat

So we’ve ruled out PSLs and, sorry to be a buzzkill—pumpkin pie. If you’re able to exert some willpower, limit yourself to three big bites of pumpkin pie and eat each bite very, very slowly. But if eating one bit is the equivalent of turning one cigarette into a pack-a-day habit, then do your best to just say no.

What, then, is the best pumpkin food to eat? Although as I’m writing this in mid-October, it’s still bikini weather in much of the West, any week now, the nights will be chilly. I look forward to breaking out the quilts and making hearty, warm, nutrient-dense pumpkin soup. I love adding some green onions and gluten-free croutons.

pumpkin spice latte

Make Your Own PSL

If you’re addicted to PSLs, seriously, you should stop. Did I not mention 50 grams of sugar. And to think that there are people who drink two of them a day. But a much healthier way to get your PSL fix is to make it at home yourself. Using a blender, buy some pumpkin spice and other spices. Pumpkin spice is itself healthy: pumpkin, clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. I’m not a coffee drinker, but if I were, I’d also experiment with cardamom and turmeric, both of which are potent anti-inflammatory ingredients.

In a blender, place the coffee, spices and my recipe for creamy almond milk. Now simply replace the 50 grams of sugar with stevia, monk fruit extract, or yacon syrup, all three of which are natural and contain less than one gram of sugar per serving.

A Pumpkin Spice Latte that tastes amazing, is basically sugar-free and helps cut down on inflammation? Now that’s worth getting excited about—anytime of year.

Chef V

How Often in a Year Can You Do a Detox Juice Cleanse?

Have you ever felt bloated or uneasy after overeating junk food or a weekend-long party? It’s possibly because you consumed something your body doesn’t like. This consequently causes indigestion, fatigue, exhaustion, weight issues, and sometimes allergies. In such situations, a juice cleanse helps you reset your digestive system. 

Juice cleanses detoxify your body to remove unhealthy substances while providing necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. It offers the perfect opportunity for your body to rest and recuperate while pushing away artificial ingredients, excessive salt, sugar, and processed food. 

Moreover, once you sign up for a detox juice cleanse, there’s no going back. It keeps you healthy and helps you achieve your body and wellness goals, which is why many health enthusiasts prefer to juice cleanse often. But if you’re a beginner and wonder how many juice cleanses you can do in a year, read below to see what Chef V says about it. Continue reading to find out how different detox juice cleanses work for different people. 

How does juice cleanse your body?

Juice cleanse is a popular diet that involves consuming only freshly squeezed juices from fruits and vegetables. It helps remove toxins, such as synthetic chemicals and pollutants, from your body while maintaining a balanced diet. Because most detox juice cleanse diets are low in calories, they also help achieve short-term weight goals

Moreover, a juice cleanse increases the number of Bacteroidetes in the body, which helps with weight loss. In fact, it decreases Firmicutes, bacteria that cause weight gain. Consuming liquid-based diets, such as a detox juice cleanse, also helps improve the functionality of your kidneys. Juice cleanse efficiently removes non-organic waste substances from your body. 

Different juice cleanse schedules for different people

Chef V suggests that before signing up for a detox juice cleanse, consult your general practitioner to learn whether it will suit your daily health regime. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should skip going on a juice cleanse diet because our drinks aren’t pasteurized, and the bacteria that may pass down to your baby can be harmful. 

Chef V recommends following the pre-cleanse instruction to prepare your body two days before the cleanse. You should listen to your body and work accordingly rather than exhausting it with intense workouts or exercise. 

If you’re a beginner or new to the juice cleanse diet, you should start with a one-day cleanse that helps you lose up to five pounds. As you get familiar with the diet and its process, you can opt for a 3 day juice cleanse. It works best after a chaotic weekend or vacation to reset your body and give it a punch of necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. 

For more stringent body goals, you can choose the 7 day juice cleanse or a 21 day cleanse challenge by Chef V.  Both these challenges or cleanse routines help you adopt a healthy lifestyle that offers lifelong results. In fact, you can enjoy your favorite meals and snacks without sabotaging your diet by just following Chef V’s instructions. 

Delivery with Chef V

Chef V makes going on a juice cleanse diet easy and smooth by delivering freshly squeezed juice of organic fruits and leafy vegetables to your doorstep. This means you don’t have to go anywhere to be healthy. 

All you need to do is decide which juice cleanse plan you want. You can customize it as per your weight goals and health requirements. The next step is to choose a delivery day, and that’s it; your fresh and organic juice is ready to drink. If you want to pick up the juice on your own, you can schedule a pickup by giving us twenty-four hours’ notice. 

If you’ve opted for a multi-day juice cleanse, you’ll receive a mix of different drinks, including:

    • green juices: made of seven certified green vegetables: organic green kale, collard, black kale, green chard, curly parsley, dandelion greens, and green leaf lettuce
    • protein shakes: made with organic pea protein powder
    • detox soup: also known as SOUPer Detox, a warm drink that helps regulate your blood glucose levels and improve digestion 

Visit our website to learn more about our delivery locations or to find a Chef V store near you.

The 5 Best Natural Supplements To Prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea

After a very long two years, people are once again traveling all over the world. But when you visit an area of the world with microbes your body isn’t used to, there’s a good chance you can get an unwanted souvenir: traveler’s diarrhea. Sharing her wisdom gained by visiting Southeast Asia, Veronica “V” reveals her favorite natural remedies for prevention. 

It’s a near certainty that if you travel anywhere in the world, especially somewhere with a developing economy, your digestive system will be attacked by a pathogenic bacteria, virus or parasite. In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 70% of people who travel abroad will become stricken with traveler’s diarrhea.

The good news is that the overwhelming majority of people who experience loose watery stools will have a mild case that will go away on its own after a few days.

So there’s no reason to panic about traveler’s diarrhea. Go on your trip and fully experience the food and culture! Don’t let fear of the runs stand in your way. Life’s too short to eat all your meals in the hotel restaurant. Live a little and eat some street food you’ve never tried before.

Still, experiencing traveler’s diarrhea is no fun. Most of the time, the culprit is bacteria. In fact, according to the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, bacteria is responsible for roughly 90% of all traveler’s diarrhea cases, with e. Coli being the pathogen most likely to cause it.

Viruses are to blame for about 10% of all cases. Nasty parasites might receive all the gory attention because they can wreak havoc on the digestive system and they can be really hard to get rid of. But thankfully, parasitic causes of traveler’s diarrhea make up a tiny fraction of all cases. The bad news is that with traveler’s diarrhea that lasts for over 2 weeks, the cause is almost always a parasite.

But fear not because I have 5 supplements that may help prevent being glued to the porcelain throne during your trip (or when you come home).

Probiotics

Having a lot of friendly bacteria in your gut and lots of different varieties (strains) of probiotics are crucial for defending against pathogens. But not any probiotic will do. There’s one in particular that’s been the focus of many research studies on diarrhea prevention or treatment. And it’s the only probiotic that’s a yeast rather than a bacteria. It’s called Saccharomyces Boulardii, or S. Boulardii for short.

It comes in capsule form and you don’t need to refrigerate it so it’s really convenient for traveling. It takes a few days to fully build up in your gut so I start taking it about 4 days before I leave for an overseas vacation. I’ll continue taking it as long as I’m away and then I’ll stop taking it 3-5 days after I get back just to make sure all’s good back there.

You can take other probiotics at the same time you’re taking S. Boulardii. But for diarrhea prevention, only S. Boulardii is backed by extensive research.

Oil of Oregano

So the next supplement that may help prevent ruining your bucket-list trip is oil of oregano. It’s a very potent natural antibiotic. And remember, the most likely cause of traveler’s diarrhea is a bacteria (which is caused by consuming contaminated food and/or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces).

You can tell that oil of oregano is potent just by the taste. It’s so strong so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Some people put oil of oregano drops directly on their food just in case the food is contaminated. But talk about ruining a meal! I prefer to use it away from meals so I can actually taste the food.

It’s probably not a good idea to take oil of oregano for a very long time. So if you’re traveling for a few weeks or longer, use it sparingly, like maybe every other day or every few days.

Oregon Grape Root

Another herbal tincture, Oregon Grape Root contains the active ingredient berberine, which has been shown in research to help prevent diarrhea, and not just against bacterial pathogens that cause it but also viral, parasitic and fungal. So it’s like a broad-spectrum antimicrobial. And it doesn’t taste as harsh as oil of oregano.

Activated Charcoal

This is what they give to people (usually kids) in the ER at hospitals who accidentally swallow something poisonous. Activated charcoal, which is a black odorless powder,  binds to toxins and removes them out of the digestive tract. Personally, I wouldn’t use it for prevention but it’s one natural supplement I would consider for treating traveler’s diarrhea.

Grapefruit Seed Extract

GSE is a liquid that some people squirt directly on their food to neutralize any potential pathogens. It doesn’t taste as harsh as oil-of-oregano, but it’s pretty close. Again, I wouldn’t want to alter the flavor profile of a meal I’m enjoying just to prevent a mild case of the runs. So GSE is something I’d use away from food or for treatment.

At the end of the day, a mild case of traveler’s diarrhea is no big deal. It’ll usually go away on its own within 1-3 days. But if you’re on a very long bus or plane ride, I wouldn’t blame you if you took an over-the-counter remedy to stop things up. I should also point out that if you do have bloody loose stools, call your doctor right away to get checked out.

But no matter what … keep on traveling!

The Importance of Prebiotic Fiber

You’ve probably heard plenty about probiotics. But do you know about prebiotic fiber and the foods that contain it? And do you know why it’s so important?

Globally, 84 percent of consumers are aware of probiotics as an ingredient that’s reigned strong as the top choice for gut health. But 57 percent also say they’re aware of prebiotics. Are you confusing prebiotics with probiotics? We’ve got you covered. This post will examine what these fibers are, what different roles they play for your gut health, and how prebiotic-rich foods can help you enjoy a healthy life.

Probiotic versus prebiotic

What you eat determines who you are. Subsequently, we are what we feed the trillions of organisms that live on and within us — mostly in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Do you know our lower digestive tract or colon is home to billions of bacteria, both good and bad? These organisms create a micro-ecosystem called the microbiome — and that’s where the magic happens. Not surprisingly, what you feed your microbiome — probiotics or prebiotics — have the biggest impact on its health. And the healthier it is, the healthier you are!

Probiotics are live yeasts and good bacteria that live in our body. They help rebalance our gut flora and support healthy gastrointestinal and immune function. While probiotics are beneficial bacteria, prebiotics are food for them. Think of it this way: if we don’t feed the good bacteria what they need to grow, they won’t survive!

Prebiotics are special plant fibers that help good bacteria grow in the gut and improve the variety of good gut bugs. They’re essentially carbs the body can’t digest. So, they travel to the colon to feed the good bacteria. These healthy bacteria then produce short-chain fatty acids that nourish the cells of the gut barrier, offering better digestive health, fewer antibiotic-related health problems, and other benefits.

Should you take them together?

Prebiotics and probiotics collectively support the body in building and maintaining a healthy colony of bacteria and other microorganisms, which supports gut health. Together, they help treat many digestive problems, including antibiotics-related diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Why care about prebiotics

Nutritionists and health experts are going gaga over prebiotics. Does this make you wonder about the health benefits of these dietary fibers? We’ve got all the answers!

Prebiotics stimulate the growth of good bacteria and help balance harmful bacteria and toxins living in the digestive tract. Consuming prebiotics are linked to numerous health implications, including:

  • better gut health and improved digestion;
  • increased calcium absorption, decreasing risk of osteoporosis;
  • cancer prevention;
  • lower inflammation and autoimmune reactions;
  • enhanced hormonal balance;
  • lower risk of cardiovascular disease;
  • faster food fermentation so they spend less time in your digestive system, thereby avoiding constipation;
  • lower risk for obesity and weight gain;
  • improved immune system defense;
  • higher production of beneficial metabolites;
  • lower allergy risk.

With the antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties of this prebiotic fiber, don’t forget to add them to your diet. Munch on prebiotic foods and change your gut composition and the function of your gut microbiota for the best.

How to consume foods high in prebiotic fiber

Prebiotics are emerging as the darlings of the weight-loss world and are filling up supplement shelves. But perhaps the best way to get them is through naturally available high-fiber foods. Studies suggest eating three to five grams of prebiotics a day can benefit the health of your gut. Start with small amounts so your gut can get used to them. Here’s the rundown for you to grab these foods and boost your gut health.

  • Fruits: bananas, berries, apples, grapefruit
  • Vegetables: legumes, garlic, leeks, onions, snow peas, green peas, shallots, beans, broccoli
  • Whole grains: oats, barley, wheat, rye crackers
  • Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, red kidney beans
  • Nuts: cashews, pistachios

Then there are several products on the market to which manufacturers have added prebiotics — cereals, protein supplements, energy bars, yogurt, and cookies, to name a few. Interestingly, babies get prebiotics through the sugars in breast milk, and some infant formulas also contain prebiotics.

Improve your gut health with prebiotic soups

If you want to up your prebiotic consumption, perhaps the safest way to start is by eating more prebiotic-rich foods. Chances are you’re already including these superfoods in your daily diet, which is great! You don’t necessarily need those pricey prebiotic supplements required.

In case you’re looking for easy ways to prepare prebiotic food recipes, then soups can be your go-to option. In fact, they’re one of the easiest ways to consume more than one prebiotic in a single meal.  Whether you’re looking to cleanse, lose weight, or boost your gut health, soups can be a lifesaver. And with colder weather coming, it can be a delicious way to warm you up.

One bowl of soup a day is all it takes to improve your gut metabolism and reduce those extra pounds. These healthy detox soups would support your body’s microbiome in an effective (and undeniably delicious) way. 

To begin with, you can try some of our detox soup recommendations. Go for warm and comforting black bean soup that will brighten your mood on a crisp fall evening. Or cozy up with someone you love and enjoy delicious pumpkin soup. You can also double down on the prebiotic benefits by topping these soups with a seasoned seed blend for an added crunch.

Get the Chef V package with prebiotic detox soups

According to IFIC’s latest released survey on Consumer Insights, 29 percent of Americans are familiar with prebiotics but do not try to consume them.

Who has time to prepare healthy prebiotic-rich recipes? If you’re working the whole day and don’t prefer to make ahead and freeze these healthy options, we’ve heard that call and answered it with our Chef V cleanse package. You can build and customize the plan as per your needs. 

With our Organic Juice Cleanse diet, you’ll get warm and flavorful Chef V detox soup packed with local, organic ingredients that flush your vital organs and leaves you satisfied. And that’s not all! We’ll also provide you with green juices and protein shakes for an easy and revitalizing cleanse. And what could be more convenient than having them delivered fresh right to your door? Get in touch today to learn more.

2 Easy Hacks for Lowering Blood Sugar Levels

walking for diabetes

Living with diabetes isn’t a life sentence. In fact, it is possible to reverse diabetes. Sure, it’s going to take a lifestyle adjustment, including getting regular exercise and diet modification. But with these 2 easy hacks, you’ll be on your way to managing your diabetes.

Hack #1: take a walk

A simple way to have your blood sugar return to normal after a meal is by taking a walk. It doesn’t have to be a super vigorous hike, but getting enough exercise is important for managing diabetes and this is especially true if you’re sedentary for most of the day.

Even more important than the advice to exercise is learning when to exercise. And if you only have time (or the motivation) to move your body once per day, research strongly suggests you should do it after dinner.

Most people eat their heaviest meal at night. And the biggest spike in blood sugar occurs after eating a large meal, especially if it contains lots of carbohydrates that have the potential of converting into sugar. (Think: pasta, bread, rice and other starchy carbohydrates.) Walking after a heavy meal is a proven way to improve blood sugar levels.

Consider this study from New Zealand. Two groups of people, most of whom had type II diabetes for 10 years, were compared. One group walked for 30 minutes a day for two weeks. The other group went for a 10-minute walk after each main meal. The results: blood sugar levels were significantly lower when participants walked after meals compared with the group who only went for one walk a day.

Meanwhile a different study compares exercising before a meal and after. The group with the lower blood sugar levels exercised after their meal, not before. This supports the first study that it’s vital to move around after eating a meal.

Hacks 1.1 and 1.2: When weather is bad, Use an App and watch lots of TV (while moving)

Hack 1.1 within this hack is to either set a timer or use an app to alert you to move and remind you to be more active. It’s important to emphasize that you just need to go for a walk. Not a power walk. And not a steep hike, or a jog. Or, God forbid, wind sprints. Just a casual stroll after each meal is all it takes to lower blood sugar. The problem with this solution of post-meal walks is that many of us are so busy that we often forget to go for a walk. The gravitational pull of the couch is so strong when you’re tired at the end of a long day. All you want to do is binge watch your favorite Netflix show.

Hack 1.2 is to beat the weather with a treadmill, or just walking in place.  Weather can prevent some people from walking after a meal. If it’s -30 degrees outside, the last thing you’re going to want to do is go outside. The easy hack: walk in place while you watch TV.  If you can make it a habit to just walk in place (or if you have a treadmill at home) while you watch TV, before you know it, you’ll have walked 30 minutes or even an hour. And you don’t need to be drenched in sweat to reap the benefits of a post-meal walk.

To reiterate, just move. Walk at a comfortable but not laborious clip. That’s all it takes to normalize your blood sugar level after a meal.

(Suggested reading: “Blunting post-meal glucose surges in people with diabetes”) 

medical cannabis

Hack #2: Eat Healthy Cereal – Easy Way to Lower Blood Sugar

Breakfast cereal is one of the most popular meals in the morning for people who need to quickly wolf something down before school or work. But most breakfast cereals are loaded with heavily processed grains (which are carbohydrates.) In fact, using as an example, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, just one cup (and who eats just one cup?) contains almost 50 grams of carbs. That means if you pour yourself a big bowl of cereal in the morning, and add some banana slices you’ll start your day with over 100 grams of carbs. And that’s not even counting the sugar from milk.

It’s no wonder that many people by 10:30 or 11 in the morning need their third cup of coffee just to stay awake and be productive until it’s time for lunch. That’s because high carb breakfasts such as cereal and bagels, toast, muffins, danishes, donuts, etc. contain too many quick-burning carbs. These carbs quickly spike blood sugar levels. And what quickly goes up must come crashing back to Earth. It’s these blood-sugar fluctuations that produce mood swings, not to mention chronic metabolic disorders such as type II diabetes.

So what’s a cereal lover to do? You can’t paint stripes on a donkey and call it a tiger. Telling someone to stop eating cereal who has been eating it for decades may not be the best coaching advice. Instead, try Chef V’s Recipe for Healthy Cereal.

We’ll be offering more easy blood sugar lowering hacks and recipes in the future. But for now, enjoy a bowl of this yummy low-carb cereal. The recipe comes from the cookbook, Making Cleansing Easier by Chef V, aka Veronica Wheat Kress, the first entrepreneur to offer nationwide overnight delivery of 100% certified organic, cold-blended Green Drinks.

Healthy Cereal Recipe With Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk

Healthy Cereal

  • ½ cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk – recipe below – or use coconut milk
  • ¼ cup crushed raw almonds
  • ¼ cup crushed raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

To make the cereal, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.
 
Chef V's Raw Almond Milk
  • 3 cups raw almonds
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • High power blender (I prefer Vitamix)
  • Nut Milk Bag or Cheesecloth

Instructions

To make the almond milk, process 3 cups of raw almonds and 3 cups filtered water in a Vitamix until liquefied. Strain through a cheesecloth into a mason jar and seal. Will keep for up to 3-5 days refrigerated.

Consumer Reports on Green Juice: Chef V Excels

Consumer Reports on Green Drink

What’s the healthiest green drink? According to an article on Consumer Reports, some of the most popular brands fail to meet their strict criteria for what constitutes a healthy green juice. And according to what Consumer Reports says, my recipe has all the  features they regard as healthy, and none of the unhealthy. My Green Drink passes with flying (green) colors! 

Recently, the hugely influential consumer advocacy research entity, Consumer Reports, investigated the health claims of leading brands of green juices. Although Chef V wasn’t specifically mentioned, I want to show you how my recipe stacks up against the most popular green juices. Does my Green Drink meet the stringent criteria of what Consumer Reports considers a healthy green juice? Actually, scratch that. We don’t merely want to meet the criteria. We want to blow it out of the water…. And we do.

The report paints a picture of the green drink health craze. What was once a niche product not even a decade ago is now a mainstream product. But as Consumer Reports cautions, not all green juices are good for you.

The Consumer Reports says you should check for sugar, a high veggie to fruit ratio, fiber, and level of sodium when purchasing a bottle of green juice. And we meet or excel in all of them! Just check out the calorie and sugar comparison chart below!

Green Drink Comparison

Healthiest Green Drink: watch out for sugar

We’re not into naming names and pointing fingers when it comes to our competition. But Consumer Reports does. So we’ll let them do the dirty work. And the first brand that Consumer Reports mentions is Naked Juice. Naked Juice is owned by PepsiCo. You don’t need to have a Ph.D. in nutrition to know that consuming lots of sugar is bad for you. However, Naked Juice Green Machine contains a whopping 53 grams of sugar. That’s even more sugar than in a bottle of PepsiCo’s regular Pepsi soda, which contains about 40 grams of sugar in a can.

When a product is named “Green Machine,” the consumer probably assumes there’s lots of healthy, high-fiber green veggies. However, one may regard the name Green Machine as false advertising. That’s because there’s far more fruit than low-sugar green veggies in Green Machine. And it’s the fruit that gives Green Machine its high sugar content. Eating a small portion of whole fruit won’t skyrocket your blood sugar levels, which ultimately results in a sugar crash. But drinking lots of fruit sugar will.

Moreover, the case for false advertising is strengthened when considering what it says on Naked Juice’s Green Machine label: “no added sugars.” This gives the consumer the impression that it’s a healthy product. But if you were to swallow a quarter cup of table sugar, which is the same amount as in a bottle of Green Machine, you’re also not consuming any “added sugars.” Does that mean it’s healthy? Of course not. In fact, Consumer Reports cautions about the label on Green Machine, “don’t be misled.”

Green Drink comparison nutritional labels

Healthiest Green Juice: high veggie to low fruit ratio

How does Chef V Green Drink fare in Consumer Reports’ criteria for being low in sugar? One 8 oz. serving of Green Drink contains only 3 grams of sugar. Go ahead if you want: drink a whole 16 oz. bottle. That’s only 6 grams of sugar.

The reason Chef V’s Green Drink is so low in sugar is because it contains a lot of vegetables and a minimal amount of fruit. As Consumer Reports explains, “Green drinks that are heavy on apple or other fruit juices have significantly higher levels of sugars than those that are mostly vegetable juice. Although the sugars in fruit juice are naturally present (not added) and fruit juice provides some nutrients, the sugars are processed by your body in the same way the added sugars in soda are.”

Green Machine is not the only Naked Juice offering to be slammed by Consumer Reports. In Naked Juice Pressed Citrus Lemongrass, three of the four top ingredients are fruit juices. Although there’s almost half the sugar in this juice in comparison with Green Machine, it still contains a whopping 33 grams of sugars per 12-ounce serving.

In light of this, Consumer Reports warns, “Beware of drinks that look green but are essentially fruit-juice blends.”

That’s no problem with Chef V Green Drink. It contains seven certified organic green leafy veggies. And it only has a tiny bit of just one fruit (apple).

Healthiest Green Juice: contains fiber

Fiber is a nutrient that helps you feel full. It also helps push waste out your colon. And fiber also helps slow down the rush of sugar into your bloodstream. But most green juices don’t contain any fiber (bad news if you’re drinking a green juice with 50 grams of sugar). Consumer Reports explains why:

“When you press vegetables to extract their juice, you usually leave the fiber behind.”

We had this fact in mind when we came up with the processing method for our Green Drinks. Instead of pressing the veggies, we cold-blend them. The cold-blending method preserves the fiber contained in the skin of the veggies.

“Unfortunately, most bottled green juices contain less than a gram of fiber,” says the report. But each 16 oz. serving of Chef V Green Drink contains two grams of fiber. That’s a pretty healthy way to start each morning by drinking 7 certified organic green leafy veggies that help you detoxify and contain fiber.

And if you eat one salad for lunch with greens and cook a dinner with them, you’ll get more than enough fiber in your diet.

Healthiest Green Juice: low in sodium

Most green juices aren’t very high in sodium. That’s because fruits and veggies are naturally low in sodium. Most of them. But some brands of green juices contain as their primary ingredient veggies that contain the most sodium in the plant kingdom. Celery comes to mind. Consumer Reports says Starbucks-owned Evolution Fresh’s Essential Greens contains 300 mg of sodium per serving. In comparison, Chef V Green Drink contains less than a tenth of that amount: 24 mg.

Sodium from natural sources aren’t that much of a health concern. However, considering most Americans consume far too much of it from heavily-processed foods, it’s probably prudent to eliminate extra sources of sodium.

Healthiest Green Juice: final verdict

The Consumer Reports article on green juice contains a couple other factors to consider: serving size and label claims. As for the former, we already mentioned that even if you have a 16 oz serving of Chef V Green Drink, you’re only consuming 6 grams of sugar. And as for the latter, we’ll let our customers’ success stories speak for themselves.

Of course we wish Consumer Reports would have mentioned Chef V in their article. It’s definitely our goal that Chef V Green Drink becomes a household name. In the meantime, we take pride knowing that our Green Drink would far exceed the criteria put forth in the Consumer Reports article.  

Can Too Much Sugar Cause Headaches?

If you have a sweet tooth, you can definitely relate that giving up sugar is some people’s worst nightmare. And if you’re on a diet, then there likely isn’t a day when you don’t think about indulging in freshly baked donuts or a perfectly stacked plate of pancakes. 

Sugar is an important element that maintains the body’s blood glucose levels, and having too little or too much sugar can affect your body in many ways. Fluctuations in glucose levels are directly related to the brain, which can cause severe headaches. 

In fact, sugar headaches are common among people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as they suffer from irregular blood sugar levels. Read on to find out how you can regulate your sugar intake and cut back on sugar cravings by signing up for Chef V’s exclusively designed 21 day cleanse challenge.

What causes headaches? 

Consuming excessive sugar, or too little of it, can cause a headache, because the fluctuating amount rapidly changes blood sugar levels, which gives the brain a massive surge of dopamine. Changes in dopamine levels play a crucial role in triggering migraines. 

High blood sugar or glucose levels can result in small swellings in and around blood vessels and nearby brain tissues, which can cause mild to severe headaches

Types of sugar headaches

There are two types of sugar headaches you could experience with fluctuating levels of blood glucose levels in your body. Both are outlined below.

Hyperglycemia

When you eat too much sugar, your body fails to break down glucose efficiently and effectively with insulin, and this condition is called hyperglycemia. Though the headaches related to hyperglycemia are mild, they can get worse as your blood sugar reaches a higher level. Some common symptoms related to hyperglycemia include:

  • excessive urination 
  • frequent thirst
  • fatigue or drowsiness
  • blurred vision 

Hypoglycemia 

This is the opposite of hyperglycemia, where the blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dL. The major causes of hypoglycemia include skipping meals, fasting, or not consuming the suggested amount of sugar. In some cases, you may experience reactive hypoglycemia that rapidly drops body glucose levels within a few hours of taking a meal. In both these cases, you may experience mild to serious headaches. 

In any of the two hypoglycemia conditions, you may have the following symptoms:

  • nausea
  • weakness
  • heart palpitations
  • mood swings
  • anxiety 
  • sleepiness or tiredness 

Cutting back on sugar and sugar cravings 

Giving up sugar completely can be challenging and may affect your health with conditions like hypoglycemia, but it’s not impossible if you choose to consume it in the right proportion and form. You can substitute cane or white sugar with honey or maple syrup to retain sweetness. Add a bowl of fresh fruit to your diet to maintain your body’s blood glucose levels.

If nothing works in your favor, then opt for the results-driven 21 day cleanse challenge by Chef V that is exclusively designed to motivate and encourage individuals to take a step forward to a healthy lifestyle. The organic green drink helps eliminate fat in the bloodstream and helps insulin break down glucose better. 

The 21 day cleanse challenge helps eliminate excess sugar from your diet while offering just the right amount to maintain the balance of your blood glucose levels. Chef V’s green juice is made from healthy green leaves and organic fruits, including green kale, black kale, green leaf lettuce, apple, and green chard to give you the perfect boost of antioxidants and other nutrients that helps cure sugar headaches.  

Sign up today to achieve your health goals! 

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.