It’s a wild thought. We barely want to write it down. But maybe, just maybe, you’d like to try some other delicious vegan beverages after all our wonderful juices for detox. Strange to think you’d ever need something beyond Chef V’s iconic green drink, but it could be that our juices for detox have put you in a real mood for other tasty, healthy, vegan beverages. 

If you’re new to vegan eating (and drinking), you might not know where to start. Moving past basic fruit juice can be a little daunting for some. How do you know what tastes good? How do you avoid things like the dreaded celery juice side effects? 

Ultimately, it’s up to you to explore to find what vegan drinks you (and your family) enjoy. If you’re uncertain which vegetables and fruits to reach for first, we’ll provide some of our favorite ideas for tasty vegan beverages. Hopefully, you’ll find a fun idea here you hadn’t considered before! 

#1 Beet smoothies

We have some pretty great detox smoothie recipes to offer. However, there are a ton of underrated fruits and veggies that can make amazing juices or smoothies. If you’ll let us travel off the beaten path, we have to give beets a shoutout. They’re far too unfairly maligned. But beets can be delicious and are most definitely healthy for you. 

Beets pair up excellently with tasty berries to create fantastic vegan smoothies. If you want to try one out, we have an antioxidant smoothie that we’re sure you’ll love. 

#2 Vegan hot chocolate

It’s not just all juices and smoothies. Sometimes it’s a good idea to expand your notion of what vegan drinks can be beyond just juices for detox and green drinks. Hot chocolate is generally viewed as a sugary and unhealthy treat. But, as we’ve shown, it can be made into healthy vegan versions as well. If you want something with more kick, then you can always look online for the flavorful Mexican varieties. 

#3 Vegan eggnog 

We’d be remiss to bring up vegan hot chocolate and not include a mention of our amazing vegan eggnog recipe. With a fantastic blend of spices and almond milk, it’s just as amazing as the traditional version. If you’re feeling up for some fun (and not on a blended juice cleanse) you can even add some brandy to it. Sounds wild? Then wait until you read the next entry. 

#4 Vegan margaritas

A margarita on this list? Really? It’s not as strange as it sounds. You can find many great recipes for fully vegan margaritas online, generally with coconut or pineapple juice. This means you can enjoy an alcoholic beverage free of pretty much any allergen. Not something we’d recommend that you chug, but you can make your next summer party a little fancier by whipping some of these out. 

#5 Cane sugar lemonade

When life gives you lemons… well, we already made that joke. But lemons and juices for detox just seem to be a great pairing. Of course, most store-bought lemonade is filled with artificial sugars. If you can get your hand on fresh juices, and some natural cane sugar, it shouldn’t be too difficult to make a healthier version. You can even get really creative with some of your fruit choices! 

#6 Chocolate milk

Hey, if we’re putting hot chocolate on this list, we should be allowed to put regular old chocolate milk on here. Chocolate milk being vegan seems too strange to you? It’s more achievable than you might think. There are plenty of great healthy vegan versions of the drink online. 

#7 Golden milk 

Do you know what’s better than chocolate milk? Golden milk. When it comes to benefits for your digestive system and reducing inflammation, this drink really is golden. The secret comes down to the ingredient that gives it that distinctive hue — turmeric. Our version even features some fresh ginger for a truly fantastic detox juice recipe, and an excellent golden alternative to our green drinks. 

#8 Ginger smoothies

Fresh ginger needs a lot more love in the world of healthy juicing. Its health benefits are incredible, and it’s terrific for boosting your immune system and helping calm down digestive issues. It’s not as hard to work into smoothies as you might think. Just check out our apple ginger apple berry smoothie for an example. 

#9 Celery juices

So, we’ve discussed some of the side effects of drinking celery juice in our experiment on the subject. We’re still not convinced celery juice can be a replacement for healthy green smoothies and juices for detox. Celery juice side effects can be pretty pronounced for some people, especially on an empty stomach. 

However, while it might not be a juice cleanse star, fresh celery juice is still a tasty treat for many people who enjoy something light and refreshing. To make it tasty, get creative with the ingredients. Adding in some lime is never a bad move. 

#10 Our Chef V green drink

Is it cheating ending our list like this? Maybe. But too often we only get to talk about our green drink (loaded with vitamins and minerals, of course) in the context of our blended juice cleanses. And in the role of a juice cleanse staple, it certainly does its job. From weight loss to managing blood sugar and high blood pressure, our green drink is always ready to go to bat for your health.

But that’s forgetting the fact that it’s also a delicious and healthy vegan drink option. It goes wonderfully with any meal, or any time of the day, not just for when you’re on your blended juice cleanse. Juices for detox don’t need to be just for detox. And with our Chef V Plan, 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! 

When you’re tackling something as ambitious as a 21 day juice cleanse for weight loss, it pays to be cautious with how active you are. However, you’re also probably eager to enjoy the great outdoors while the weather allows it. There’s no reason you can’t get out and active while on a juice cleanse diet to lose weight. You’ll just have to look for low-impact options — and we’ll give you some suggestions to get you started.

Exercising on a juice cleanse

A common question we get about juice cleanse diets is whether or not it’s okay to exercise while doing one. Thankfully, this is a question we’ve already answered. If you want the answer spoiled, it’s yes — sort of. 

While you’re on a juice cleanse for weight loss, your caloric intake will be much lower. That’s sort of the point, after all. If you’re mainly drinking juice, you’re simply not going to have the calories to undertake rigorous weightlifting or sprinting. 

However, it’s always vital to keep limber and moving. Hence the need for “low-impact” exercises that keep you active without risking your health while on your 21 day juice cleanse. But what sort of exercises are best when on the green drink? And which ones can you enjoy during the summer? 

Not everyone wants to be stuck inside walking on the treadmill when there’s sunshine and fresh air to enjoy. Outdoor exercises don’t have to mean running, of course. Here are some of our favorite suggestions.

#1 Walking

Why run when you can walk? Getting out for a brisk walk around the neighborhood is a great idea when you’re on a juice cleanse. If you’re taking a quick 3 day juice cleanse over the weekend, it’s a great excuse to relax and browse those local stores you’ve wanted to visit.

#2 Swimming

Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise, suitable even for people with joint pain. Its low-impact nature also translates well for people on low-calorie juice cleanse diets. But what makes swimming really great is how much more fun it is outside, at an outdoor pool, or even on the beach. 

#3 Kayaking

Rather be cruising over the water than in it? If you live near the water, we recommend kayaking as a wonderfully fun, low-impact exercise for those on a juice cleanse for weight loss. It’s much easier than it looks, and you can do it all while sitting down. Plus, if you’re lucky, you might spot some amazing aquatic wildlife.

#4 Golfing

There’s a perception among many that golf is only for the professionals or the wealthy. However, there may be more accessible clubs in your area than you realize. Even if you don’t want to go out for a full round of golf, driving ranges and minigolf offer a way to enjoy a low-impact activity. Golf is a great way to maintain balance, flexibility, and strength without straining yourself.

#5 Yoga

We couldn’t talk about exercise in a juice cleanse diet blog and not mention yoga. We’re already huge fans of mixing together yoga and green drink. Yoga is a wonderful way to get some low-impact stretching and exercise into your day, without putting too much strain on your body. Even in the midst of a 21 day juice cleanse, yoga is going to be an excellent option for anyone looking to be active. 

Of course, many of us do our yoga indoors, but that’s not a requirement. Anywhere you can take your yoga mat is a great place to enjoy yoga — and a great place to enjoy your green drink as well! Make sure to check out some of our other great blogs on the subject, too! 

Feeling sluggish throughout the day? Finding your focus slipping at work? Can’t be bothered to get to your workout when the day is done? Well, that can of energy drink isn’t the best option to beat the dreaded slump. Sometimes the natural choice is the best one. With certain foods, you can stay energized throughout the day because of how they’re absorbed by your body. This blog will cover all the essentials about food, drink and energy. 

Understand the glycemic index

Before we can get into the listing of food and green drink recommendations, it’s essential you understand the glycemic index. It’s an important index for anyone attempting a twenty-one-day cleanse, or any other adjustment to the number of carbs in their diet.

Let’s get back to basics. Your body is like an engine that needs fuel. We measure the power of this fuel in calories. Every calorie represents a little bit of energy provided to you. So you might think the answer is just to get as many calories as possible, right? Well, there’s a bit more complication here. Foods don’t just contain calories, after all. They also contain nutrients. We can divide nutrients into macronutrients and micronutrients. 

Micronutrients are the things that your body needs in small amounts. You probably know about vitamins and minerals. If the macronutrients are the fuel your body needs, micronutrients are like the oil; they keep everything running that little bit better. 

Macronutrients are what your body needs in bulk, and what you tend to be measuring. Indeed, we often worry about getting too many of these macronutrients. Worries about this is probably why you’re looking into things like twenty-one-day cleanses!

Macronutrients include proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. Even people who don’t know anything about nutrition have a general idea about carbs. You may be surprised to learn not all carbs are equal. Nutritionists often divide carbs into simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs release their energy (calories, remember) faster into the body. This isn’t a benefit, however. Simple carbs release energy in short bursts, followed by the dreaded sugar crash.

Complex carbs take longer to digest. This means they give more sustainable energy over a longer period of time. 

The glycemic index (GI) is used to measure how complex the carbs in food are. If a food has a high GI, it means it’s more likely to cause wild blood sugar fluctuations. Low GI foods are better at giving sustainable energy levels throughout the day.

Foods for energy

Now that we understand the basics of how food gives you energy, we can start to better identify foods that will be fantastic energy boosters. These foods are those with a low GI, as well as a nice blend of macronutrients and micronutrients. For best results, eat a balanced diet to help mix those complex carbs with an excellent selection of different nutrients. 

Avocado

Very often, green is good when it comes to your food choices. People often think of leafy greens such as those found in green drinks. However, avocados are also an excellent food for boosting energy. Not only is it loaded with vitamins, but it also contains healthy fats. These help lower the GI and make them a great power food. 

Beans

Too often we might overlook the humble bean. However, most kinds of beans bring a great one-two punch when it comes to providing long-lasting energy. They give a lot of the important macronutrient protein and the gut digests them at a slow and steady pace, giving you a regular injection of energy throughout the day. 

Brown rice 

Brown rice is going on this list to make a particular point about how small food choices can have significant impacts. While white rice and brown rice may be similar in some respects, brown rice has a much lower glycemic index and is filled with fiber. This makes it great for your digestive system, as well as being great for energy and lowering blood pressure. 

Nuts

There are too many great nuts, seeds, drupes, and legumes to cover in just one blog. Let’s take the walnut as our poster child of this culinary food group. Walnuts are a great example of why it’s essential to understand the difference between calories and carbs. 

Walnuts are considered, for their size, a high-calorie food. But because of their low GI, they provide energy in a sustainable way, without much risk of sugar spikes or weight gain. They’re also great for heart health! 

Spinach

When it comes to the best in fruits and veggies, it’s hard to beat those leafy greens. There’s a reason we put things like kale and collard greens in our green drink after all! Spinach marks a good case study of the power of these leafy greens. The secret power of many of these leafy greens is that they contain a ton of iron, a vital micronutrient. Iron is essential in helping your blood carry oxygen around your body. This helps give you energy even during the most hectic of days. 

Water

Alright, so water isn’t a food. But this list wouldn’t be complete without emphasizing the incredible power of hydration when it comes to maintaining your energy levels. Water can be considered the “final ingredient” that brings the rest of a healthy diet together. Water helps carry all of those vital nutrients around your body. It also helps regulate their intake into your bloodstream, giving you better control of your blood sugar levels. Drinking plenty of water is excellent for managing appetite, as it fills you up, leaving less room for those unhealthy options. 

Keep energized with Chef V

Have you been snacking too much on foods with a high GI? Are you in a constant spiral of blood sugar crashes? Then it might be time to get your blood sugar back in order with our delicious green drinks. 

This detox juice won’t just help you with your weight loss. Our low-sugar green drink can also help you get your blood sugars under control. Whether you’re going for a twenty-one-day cleanse, or just want some tasty green drink, Chef V has you covered.

Picking the right green juice to cleanse with can be exhausting. This blog helps you look for some “green flags” to look out for. From weird preservatives to added sugars, what do you need to steer clear of? Beyond organic leafy greens, what do you need to include? In this blog, we’ll discuss green flags you need to be on the lookout for to find the best juices for detox. 

Organic

When is a juice not a juice? When it’s labeled a “beverage,” “cocktail,” or “drink.” Companies use these euphemisms to cover up the fact that what they sell isn’t pure juice. 

If you’re going for a juice cleanse, it’s always best to make it an organic juice cleanse. There are a few reasons for this. Organic juice cleanses have been less processed. This means it’s more likely that you’re getting the maximum amount of nutrients from all those vegetables and fruits. 

Processed foods found in non-organic green drinks can often have adverse effects on your health. These could include preservatives or added sugars for flavor. Plus, there are all the side benefits you get as well. Organic simply tastes fresher, hands down. It’s also more likely that organic green drinks were created in a sustainable manner, a bonus for the environmentally conscious. 

Leafy Greens

What would a green drink be without the greens? When examining the contents of a green drink, Look for the maximum nutritional value. If it’s just celery and cucumber it might taste fresh, but you won’t be getting the most nutritionally dense vegetables. Worse, “lighter” green drinks like this can often be a bit tough on the digestive system. 

What you’re looking for in the leafy greens are ingredients high in vitamins and minerals. The deeper and darker the green, the better. You want things like kale, collard greens, and chard. 

Low sugar

Often, our customers find us when looking for juices for detox to get their sugar levels under control. By slashing your sugar intake, you can get better control of your weight, your energy levels, and even your mood. Blood sugar can be a temperamental thing, however. Only through maintaining a low sugar intake can you get it to stabilize.

So why would you want to ruin your green drink by adding a lot of extra sugar? You could argue that it’s for the taste. It’s still possible to have a great-tasting green drink without loading up on the sugar. Take our own detox juice recipe. We add in just enough apple juice for an all-natural sweeter taste. 

Unpasteurized

When buying juice in the store, you probably want to go pasteurized. This means it’s more likely to have kept fresh while it was waiting for you on the grocery store shelf. 

However, if you’re getting juice for detox delivered right to your door, then it’s another story. Since the green drink is freshly made, and you’re going to drink it right away, you don’t need to worry as much about pasteurization. In fact, unpasteurized is often the better option. Pasteurization kills off harmful bacteria that can grow while waiting on the shelf. But it can also kill off good bacteria in your digestive system. The pasteurization process also mutes the delicious flavors of the fruits and veggies. 

Cold blended

You want to get the most out of those vegetable juices, don’t you? That’s why it’s vital you go for blended juice cleanse recipes over pressed juice cleanse recipes. Pressed juices might result in a “cleaner” end result, but you’re missing out on all the great stuff, like the pulp and seeds, which contains a lot of the nutritional value.

At Chef V, we’re very proud of the cold blended process that goes into creating every glass of our delicious green drink. We make sure you’re getting the absolute best experience when drinking green juice. That’s our guarantee — all green flags on your green drink, all the way. 

With summer approaching, the likelihood of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration increases. Forgetting the suitable precautions can result in severe complications if not looked out for. This blog helps you stay on top of your summer with all the tips you need to prevent heat exhaustion. Make sure summer is time for fun and games, not for dehydration!

Difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke

Before discussing ways to prevent heat exhaustion, it’s vital you understand the difference between this condition and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is linked not just to the temperature, but to your hydration levels. Heat stroke, meanwhile, is connected to your body’s ability to control its heat.

Heat exhaustion is caused when your body loses too much water and salt. Heat exhaustion is caused by exposure to high temperatures, especially when doing physical activity or not getting enough to drink. In these conditions, your body will sweat out its water and salt content, leaving you deprived. The effects of heat exhaustion are caused by withdrawal from these essential substances. 

Heat stroke is generally considered a much more severe condition. It’s caused by similar conditions to heat exhaustion. However, heat stroke is a more extreme example, where your body temperature rises to over 104F (40C). Under these circumstances, the body can no longer properly regulate its heat. This poses a serious medical risk and can require hospitalization. 

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

Just because heat exhaustion is less severe than heat stroke doesn’t mean you shouldn’t worry about it. Heat exhaustion can be dangerous if left unchecked. Symptoms of heat exhaustion can include any or all of the following:

• Dizziness
• Excessive sweating
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Lightheadedness upon standing
• Muscle cramping
• Nausea
• Weak, fast pulse

Tips for preventing heat exhaustion

Want to know the best way to beat heat exhaustion? Avoid the heat! If you stay inside, or in the shade, you’ll be safe. Of course, sometimes this isn’t an option. Water will be your best friend here. Get plenty of hydration, whether through plain water or green drinks. Hydration is one of the major benefits of juicing, after all. 

If you do start to feel the effects of heat exhaustion, that means it’s time to take a break from what you’re doing. Grab some green drink, find some shade, and let yourself cool down. 

Prevent heat exhaustion with these foods

Hydrating with a green drink during a heat wave makes sense. But did you know there are foods that have heat-beating properties as well? Eating these foods is a great way to prevent heat exhaustion symptoms. Of course, make sure you’re getting plenty of water and green juice at the same time!

Banana

One of the main symptoms of heat exhaustion is cramping. If you eat foods high in potassium, you can alleviate this cramping. Potassium also helps regulate fluid inside our cells, helping out the sodium in our body. So, any foods high in potassium are going to be great to eat during a hot day.

Few foods are as famous for their potassium content as bananas. Not only are they great for you, but bananas can easily be turned into a variety of frozen treats for those hotter months. 

Chocolate milk

Really? Chocolate milk? This beverage has been a secret favorite among many athletes. But what made it jump from school lunch boxes to the sports field? 

The secret is that it includes electrolytes, substances your body needs to provide energy in your cells and muscles. Electrolytes as a category include substances such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and, yes, potassium. Chocolate milk manages to have all of this.

While you shouldn’t be drinking chocolate milk constantly during the day, a little bit after some heavy exercise can help balance your electrolyte levels. 

Coconut water

Not a big chocolate milk fan? Then you might want to check out coconut water as a summer beverage. Like chocolate milk, coconut water is packed with electrolytes. It also has a bunch of natural sugars and easily digestible carbohydrates that help refresh you. It goes great on its own, or as part of a smoothie. 

Kiwi 

Not a big fan of bananas? There’s another potassium champ waiting out there you may not have thought of. Kiwi fruits are a delightful green fruit, are full of water, and, yes, are excellent sources of potassium. They’re also amazingly tasty and go well with tons of summer dishes. 

Pears

If you’re looking for another fruit that’s full of water then you can’t go wrong with pears. What’s especially great about pears is that not only do they have a lot of water in them, but they contain a good amount of fiber. This means they’re great for your digestive system as well as being a way to prevent heat exhaustion. 

Watermelon 

It has “water” right in its name, so what’s not to love? There’s more than just being over 90% water going for watermelons, however. Not only are they high in electrolytes, but they also contain antioxidants which are good for keeping down inflammation and cramping. Best of all, watermelon is flexible. Eat it as is, mix it into your salsa, or toss it on the grill! 

Refresh with Chef V’s organic juice cleanse

Looking for a way to stay hydrated and lose weight this summer without sweating yourself to heat exhaustion? Why not look into one of our great organic juice cleanses? The benefits of juicing let you shed pounds without relying on heavy and potentially dangerous hot-weather exercise. So grab your green drink, enjoy some light workouts, and most of all, stay hydrated!

Seasonal changes often adversely affect people with allergies. Allergy season can be difficult, but there are ways to ease the impacts of hay fever this season. From natural remedies to Chef V’s juices, get ahead of allergy season with this blog. 

What causes allergies?

When we’re talking about allergies, it’s essential to understand our terms. An allergy simply refers to a condition where your body’s immune system goes into overdrive in reaction to a substance. 

However, when we talk about “allergies” we often refer to hay fever. This is the colloquial name for the medical condition known as “allergic rhinitis.” If you’ve had hay fever, you’ll recognize it instantly. The sneezing, the running nose, and the itchy and watery eyes are not a fun time. 

This condition crops up every spring or summer for many people. But why? Well, there are a few things that trigger hay fever. Generally, it’s caused by an allergic reaction to something floating in the air. This could be dust, mold, or the skin particles of animals like cats and dogs. But the major culprit behind hay fever is pollen from trees and flowers. As plants bloom in spring, many of us get a slight whiff of pollen and immediately develop intense hay fever. 

How to deal with hay fever

Many of us scramble to get expensive medication as soon as hay fever kicks in. But are there other ways to mitigate it? One way to cut back on the effects of hay fever while in the home is to be more rigorous in your cleaning. 

Use hypoallergenic bedding that’s washed regularly, and have a well-ventilated living space. If you have pets, clean them and their bedding frequently. However, did you know you can also help fight hay fever through what you eat and drink? Here’s where juices for allergies come into play.

Hay fever-busting foods

So what kinds of foods and drinks can help beat hay fever? You might be surprised to learn that green drinks and raw juice cleanses are great options. But why is this?

Green drinks keep you hydrated. Dehydration tends to make allergic reactions far worse. This is why you often have really bad stuffiness on spring mornings before you get your first drinks. Stay hydrated with green drinks.

Green drinks usually include foods known as alkalines. These include apples and leafy greens, such as parsley and watercress. It’s still being studied, but there seems to be evidence these alkaline foods help reduce the severity of allergies. They’re often high in immune boosters.

But it’s not just the juice! There are a plenty of foods that have allergy-busting properties. These include some of the following.

Garlic: Is there anything garlic can’t do? Garlic is excellent for fighting against all that extra mucus you’re collecting in your sinuses during an allergic reaction. 

Ginger: While garlic helps fight off the mucus, ginger swoops in to help deal with the swelling and irritation caused by allergies.

Onions: Onions contain quercetin, a compound linked to the allergy-busting abilities of apples. Quercetin is believed to mute the severity of allergic reactions from your cells. 

Turmeric: When it comes to spices, little is more terrific than turmeric. Turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, helping you beat the worst that hay fever throws at you. 

Beat allergy season with Chef V green drink and detox soups

Apart from being delicious, do you know what all the ingredients mentioned above have in common? You can find them in the Chef V raw juice cleanse! Between our green drinks and flavorful detox soups, you get the full power of some of the most effective allergen busters. So don’t dread the arrival of spring and summer. Hit that warm weather in the best health possible. 

Got gut problems? Stomach strains? Good digestive health is good health overall. If your digestive system has issues, it will bring your life to a painful, bowel-clenching halt. However, before you jump into a raw juice cleanse, there are a few steps you can take for overall better digestive health. Here are some of the best ones. 

#1 Schedule

Sometimes it’s not about what you eat, but when you eat it. Carefully scheduling your mean times can have surprising benefits for your overall digestive health. You want to give your meals all the time they need to digest. Try to space out meals and snacks four to three hours apart. If you’re on a raw juice cleanse, try to schedule your juices at the same time each day and interspersed evenly.

#2 Fiber

If there is one secret to good digestive health, it has to be fiber. This really is the magic ingredient that keeps everything else moving along at a reasonable rate. Proper fiber intake lets you keep your bowels healthy, manage cholesterol, and even regulate blood sugar levels. It’s excellent for overall health, not just digestive wellbeing. Make sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables for their fiber content. 

On a side note, many people are wary about enjoying juice cleanse benefits because they’re worried about the lack of fiber when drinking juices. Remember that with Chef V, we add in delicious detox soups and detox smoothies, so you’ll always get the fiber you need.

#3 Hydration

Fiber is super essential for digestive health, but it can’t do it alone. Getting plenty of water is also key to good digestive health. It’s the counterpart to fiber, working together as a dynamic duo to provide smooth sailing for all your digestive functions. Together, water and fiber help protect you from conditions like constipation. 

#4 Low-Fat 

Cutting the fat isn’t just so that you can lose weight. Too much fat in your diet will tend to slow down your digestion and increase your risks of things such as constipation. It can mess around with your blood sugar levels, affecting your appetite. This creates a spiral where it’s hard to maintain a consistently balanced diet. 

#5 Probiotics

Good gut health is often determined by having a healthy supply of gut flora. Probiotics are a mixture of good bacteria and yeast that boost your overall digestive health. A lot of fermented foods are good probiotics, most famously yogurt. 

#6 Exercise

Exercise is another excellent way to help avoid constipation. Physical activity helps provide blood flow to the muscles that work your digestive system. Whenever you get a workout, your digestive system gets the same benefit! 

#7 Stress Management

Mind over matter is very real. Having high-stress levels can make your body think you’re in a life-or-death situation and send your digestive system into overdrive. Not only can this produce things like stomach aches, but it can also increase your appetite. You might get a craving for high-fat snacks, starting a whole new set of digestive issues.

Sometimes stress is just a part of life. But it doesn’t need to be part of your raw juice cleanse. With Chef V, it’s easy to get your delicious green drink delivered – and get detox soups and detox smoothies as well! So don’t sweat the small stuff, and enjoy your easy and convenient way to cut the fat and improve your digestive health. 

If you’re exploring ways to enhance your mental health, green drinks are the way to go! A study conducted in 2007 discovered that people with depression have lower serotonin levels, which is connected to poor diets. So, it’s no news that gut health goes hand in hand with your mental health. 

Green drinks have antioxidants that remove free radicals and protect against oxidative stress. Swapping junk food with healthier alternatives for better mental health can be daunting. But it’s not impossible! This blog guides you through the best practices for better mental health. Whether you want a mood booster or need a healthy pick-me-up, Chef V’s green drink elevates your serotonin levels! Our green drinks are power-packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants that transform your health.

What is Serotonin?

The ‘happiness hormone,’ serotonin, is a monoamine neurotransmitter. It is formed from the essential amino acid known as tryptophan. Serotonin maintains vital bodily functions such as regulating sleep patterns, body temperature, memory, and mood, making it a significant hormone for a healthy and happy life.

Approximately 90% of serotonin is found in the gastrointestinal tract cells, and only 10% is produced in your brain. Thus, your serotonin levels highly depend on the food you consume, as it can’t be made by your body. To lead a better quality of life, balanced serotonin levels result in overall better mental health. Some other simple steps to improve serotonin levels include better stress management, getting adequate sunlight, and consuming foods and tryptophan-rich juice for detox.

How Eating Affects Your Brain 

When this amino acid enters your body through diet, foods rich in tryptophan increase your serotonin levels. Fast food might provide instant gratification, but the lack of a balanced diet leads to lower serotonin levels. Serotonin deficiency has also been linked to insomnia, depression, anxiety, and mania. 

Incorporating healthy alternatives like seasonal fruit, organic juice cleanse, and vegetables significantly enhance your mental health. Fresh fruit juice for detox has yielded results of boosting energy levels and a life-changing impact on health. With a better diet, including more tryptophan-rich items like green drinks or organic juice cleanse, you can expect to feel:

• Calmer mind.
• Longer attention span.
• Fewer mood swings.
• Lower levels of anxiety.
• Happier State of Mind.

Antioxidants like Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene are also known to reverse the impact of free radicals damage. Honorable mentions of Vitamin E are excellent antioxidants that help signs of depression.

Eating for Mental Health 

Trying to consume foods for Improved mental health doesn’t have to be stress-inducing. Holistic health begins at home or anywhere you go!  Bright, flavourful, and fiber-abundant organic juice cleanses transform how you consume your nutrients. 

We whipped this list of best foods for better mental health, so you don’t have to!

• Eggs: Rich in biotin, protein, and tryptophan, eggs boost your blood plasma levels.
• Pineapples: Pineapples have a bountiful of bromelain and serotonin that enhance any mood!
• Salmon: Contains rich amounts of tryptophan, omega three fatty acids, and Vitamin D. Salmon is beneficial to your bones, heart, and skin.  
• Cheese: Rich in calcium and tryptophan, cheese strengthens bones and teeth while boosting your mental health.
• Nuts and Seeds: If you have a vegetarian or a vegan diet and can’t consume salmon, nuts and seeds are a great replacement and a preferred source of protein and tryptophan. 

Whether you want a serotonin boostin’ smoothie or need a healthy pick-me-up, Chef V’s juice for detox enhances your mental health! Our Green drinks are power-packed with serotonin and fibers for improved holistic health. 

Did you know that juice diets aren’t just limited to hydration, especially- green drinks. They are a great source of electrolytes, nutrients, and fiber. We all know how important water is for carrying out bodily functions, but did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? Despite endless options for hydration, we tend to forget our liquids. Chef V is here to remind you of the lasting benefits of hydration.

Whether you prefer juices for detox, green drinks, raw juice diets, or filtered water, this blog aims to remind you that hydration can be fun. And before you go, ‘water is boring,’ well, it doesn’t have to be. A plain tall glass of water might not be the easiest to drink as a prime source of hydration, and we get it! That’s why juice diets that consist of green drinks are the way to go!

This blog goes into the details of everything you need to know about hydration.

Why Hydration Matters

Because human bodies are composed of more than 60% water, it’s the regulating force of life- a literal elixir, if you will. You can stay alive without food for days, perhaps weeks. But, the lack of water can be fatal. Every action your body takes loses water- from perspiring to breathing. Our bodies constantly lose water, and constant fluid intake replenishes the lost nutrients.

Other benefits of staying hydrated include:

* Water is known for carrying out toxins and bacteria from your body.
* Lubricates your joints.
* Regulates body temperature
* Provides nutrients and oxygen to body parts.
* It keeps your skin supple and aids in anti-aging.
* Prevents constipation.
* Aids the health of the bladder, liver, and kidney by removing waste.

We get why it might be challenging to meet your recommended water intake, but you can opt for unsweetened green drinks to stay hydrated and meet your daily quota. Other preventative measures include a solid intake of green drinks- consisting of a juice diet, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

Wondering if the items you’re consuming have enough water content? Here’s a list to help you determine the water content of the most commonly consumed items.
This table lists the water content of commonly consumed food items.

Risks of Dehydration

Dehydration can be due to rigorous exercise, fever, excessive sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting. Any situation where you’re going to lose excessive water puts you in immediate danger of dehydration. Dehydration often occurs when your water intake is less than the water you lose. When the body doesn’t have enough water to carry out bodily functions, you’ll feel these eerie symptoms kicking it.

Here are some signs to look out for:

* Dizziness
* Light Headedness
* Unquenchable thirst
* Little to no urine / infrequent urination
* Dry mouth, lips, and eyes
* Muscle Cramps

Moderate to mild signs of dehydration can be repaired through regular fluid intakes like juice diets, green drinks, water, and fluids packed with electrolytes. Experts suggest that you should consume 10-15 cups of water during the day, depending on age, gender, health conditions, and body weight.

Another great tip is always to be aware of the liquids you’re losing throughout the day, whether from urinating, sweating, or even crying! Tread with caution if you’re going to be in hot weather conditions. Take a rain check on that hot summer afternoon exercise session, and don’t forget to pick up that water bottle before your workout.

Or always carry that delicious bottle of green drink wherever you go!

Reverse Osmosis Filtered Water

Reverse Osmosis is a method for removing inorganic solids from tap water. It is different from most standard filtration methods because of its unique function of forcing water through a membrane. It drains all the pollutants, such as fluoride, lead, pesticides, sulfates, and nitrates. Along with a few more harmful molecules like cyanides, mercury, and arsenic. When these compounds are not removed, it can lead to reproductivity issues, cancer, and organ complications. With reverse Osmosis, you can have great-tasting water in the comfort of your home.

Stay Hydrated With Chef V

Chef V helps you meet your daily hydration needs with juice diets curated just for you!
Dehydration is the least of your worries with fiber-packed green drinks, smoothies, and soups. All the Chef V juices are easily accessible nationwide and can be stored up to 7 days after opening!

If you’re starting to pay more attention to nutrition, the terminology can be one of the biggest initial hurdles. Antioxidants, free radicals, juice detox diets – you sometimes feel like you need to be a chemist just to keep up

However, it’s not all as confusing as it might sound. Today, we’ll go over one of the most important concepts – micronutrients. Don’t let the name fool you. Micronutrients can have a gigantic impact on your overall health and are a big part of why juice diets and 21-day cleanses work. 

Okay, So What’s a Micronutrient Already?

Nutrients are good. We get that. A reason why juice diets are so popular is that people are looking out for those valuable nutrients. A nutrient is, in essence, anything that an organism needs to grow and live. Us humans have a particular set of nutrients that we require. When talking about the nutrients that people need, most nutritionists divide them into two categories. These are macronutrients and micronutrients. 

Macronutrients are the raw fuel that we need for energy. Think of your body as a car. In this metaphor, macronutrients are the gas in your tank. They include things like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Micronutrients are things you need in smaller amounts for very specific tasks in your body. Going back to the car analogy, they would be the things like oil, antifreeze, and windshield wiper fluid. Not as immediate a concern as gas. But you wouldn’t want to drive without them! 

Generally, micronutrients are divided into two categories, vitamins, and minerals. If you’re curious, the main difference between the two is that vitamins are purely organic. They can be broken down by acid or heat. Minerals, meanwhile, are inorganic and indivisible. As far as nutrition goes, they work close to the same way. 

Why Micronutrients Matter

Just because your body needs something in a small amount doesn’t mean it’s not essential. Every vitamin and mineral has a particular role in your body. If you’re lacking even just one micronutrient, you’ll start to suffer from serious health consequences. Don’t believe us? Following is a quick list of some of the most vital micronutrients and what happens when you miss out on them. 

Minerals 

Calcium: Calcium is a necessity for healthy bones and teeth. If you’re missing out on calcium, you can develop osteoporosis or cataracts. 

Iodine: This mineral helps with thyroid function. Missing out on it can cause swelling, weight gain, weakness, hair loss, skin conditions, and even memory loss. 

Iron: Your muscles need iron in order to get the oxygen they need. Without it, you’ll be anemic and short of breath. 

Phosphorus: You need Phosphorus for healthy cells. Deficiency in phosphorus results in stiffness, fatigue, and anxiety. 

Potassium: This mineral helps regulate fluid in your cells and your nerves and muscles. Without it, you’ll be cramping, aching, and have blood pressure issues. 

Magnesium: Magnesium helps with managing your blood pressure. Signs you’re lacking include tremors and twitches. 

Sodium: Like Potassium, you need sodium to manage the fluid levels of your cells, plus for handling blood pressure. Without enough sodium, you’ll end up lethargic and confused. 

Zinc: This mineral is vital for proper growth and immune function – super essential for kids! Without it, you can expect a weakened immune system and stunted growth. 

Vitamins 

Vitamin A: You need plenty of Vitamin A for your eyes and organs to work correctly. Night blindness and a weakened immune system follow if you’re lacking it. 

Vitamin B1: Known as thiamine, this vitamin is necessary for turning other nutrients into actual energy. A deficiency in vitamin B1 can lead to nerve damage, anorexia, and even memory loss. 

Vitamin B2: Also known as riboflavin, you need B2 in order to produce energy and for your cells to function. A deficiency in B2 can do some nasty things to your appearance, including giving you skin disorders and hair loss. 

Vitamin B3: Niacin (B3) helps us get energy from our food. Not getting enough B3? Enjoy a nasty combination of dementia and diarrhea. 

Vitamin B5: Pantothenic acid (B5) is used to help your body break down fatty acids. Deficiency is rare but unpleasant, including vomiting, stomach pains, and fatigue.

Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, is needed to help turn carbohydrates into sugar and create new red blood cells. Without enough of it, you’ll suffer from anemia, depression, and a weakened immune system. 

Vitamin B7: Biotin (B7) is needed to metabolize your body’s fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose. Signs you’re missing out include hair loss and rashes. 

Vitamin B9: Folate (B9) is used to help form actual DNA and metabolizes protein. If you lack B9, signs include anemia, fatigue, and hair loss. 

Vitamin B12: Cobalamin (B12) is needed for the proper function of red blood cells, your nervous system, and your brain. A deficiency in it will result in loss of muscle coordination and chronic nausea. 

Vitamin C: Technically known as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is critical in helping build up the collagen in your skin and boosting your immune system. You’ll find that wounds heal slower without it, and you’ll get nasty issues with your gums. A good juice diet is critical to avoiding getting as scurvy as a pirate! 

Vitamin D: You need Vitamin D for your bones to properly absorb calcium. Without it, your bones will become brittle, and you’ll have issues with insulin levels.

Vitamin E: This Vitamin is necessary for your immune system to work. Without it, you will suffer damage to your nerves and muscle. 

Vitamin K: You need Vitamin K for proper blood clotting and bone growth. Without enough vitamin K, your wounds won’t heal properly. 

Avoiding Micronutrient Deficiencies

That’s a pretty impressive list, isn’t it? As you can see, micronutrients are essential for every part of our lives. And deficiencies in them can be nasty, to say the least. Thankfully, a lot of these deficiencies are pretty rare. By eating a regular balanced diet, you can end up with most of them.

But that’s not always the case. Deficiencies in Vitamins D, B6, and B12, as well as iron and calcium, are more common than you may realize.

Why these ones in particular? Well, these micronutrients can all be found in leafy greens. And that’s something that many of us lack, given our diets are filled with processed foods and animal products. 

This is why a green juice diet can be one of the best short-term steps for your long-term health. By going on a juice detox diet, you can make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need. 

Of course, some juice diets end up causing as much harm as good because while they add in some micronutrients, they’re lacking in others. 

Not with Chef V. Our 21 day cleanse comes complete not just with green drink but with detox soup and detox smoothies as well. You can lose weight with a juice diet and get all the health benefits of a wide range of nutritious fruits and vegetables. Like micronutrients, a small juice cleanse can have huge health benefits. 

We’re going to guess that most people reading this are from at least a somewhat industrialized country or region. Nothing wrong with that, of course! There are certainly plenty of benefits to living in the 21st century. We enjoy comfort and convenience unthought of in earlier ages – including the ability to order Chef V’s green juice detox entirely online.

However, modern life also comes with downsides. Chief among these is the prevalence of artificial flavors, preservatives, and flat-out toxic stuff in our food. To some extent, this is simply a fact of living in a world where food needs to be preserved for transportation across the entire globe. 

That doesn’t mean that you need to accept that you have no control over what gets put into your body. Detox juices are popular for a reason – people are searching for more and more organic options so that they have the power of choice. 

Of course, you can’t avoid toxins and their effects on your digestive system without knowing what toxins actually are. So Chef V is putting together a quick lineup of some of the worst offenders of what you’ll find in modern food.

What Makes a Toxin?

Before we get into a list of toxins in food, it’s essential to understand what that term means. Talking about toxins in foods can be a surprisingly controversial issue. 

Mostly this is semantics. Scientifically a toxin is a harmful substance created within living cells or organisms. However, in the sense of nutrition, a toxin is used to refer to anything harmful that ends up in your food.

Precisely what “harmful” means depends on who you ask. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pretty strict about not letting anything life-threatening into food products. But just because something is safe does not mean that it is healthy or good for you. 

Of course, technically, any substance can be harmful to you if you get enough of it. This can even include things that are usually considered beneficial. Still, there are some substances that you can be pretty confident in cutting out of your diet. 

There’s also the consideration that (despite the best work of the FDA) some really dangerous stuff can sneak into your food, depending on how it’s made.

So, in summation, this list will cover some of the worst substances, artificial or otherwise, that might be sneaking into your grocery list. It will also help explain how worried you really need to be about them.

Added Sugar

Sugar, a toxin? Well, under our definition of what a toxin is, there are plenty of times when sugar could be considered a hazard. Consider how many people seek out juice for detox to get blood sugar levels under control.

Essentially, added sugars refer to things like high fructose corn syrup. These cause you to severely overdose on sugar without adding any nutritional value. Excess added sugar is linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. That sounds pretty toxic to us. 

Added sugars are especially dangerous because they can play havoc with your sense of appetite and cravings. It’s no wonder that green juice detoxes to get blood sugar back under control are so popular. 

Aflatoxin

Aflatoxins are a nut-living fungus connected to various nasty conditions, particularly those affecting your liver. This even includes liver cancer. Aflatoxin is a major concern for those buying nut products in less developed parts of the world. 

In America, concerns over Aflatoxin are less severe. This doesn’t mean it poses no danger at all. If a nut looks discolored or strange, don’t eat it. And make sure that any nut products like peanut butter you eat aren’t expired. Leaving them in the fridge is often the best practice. 

Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical that has been used in a variety of plastics since the 50s. This makes it somewhat unique as a toxin in that it affects the container food is packaged in rather than the food itself. You probably remember hearing about worries of Bisphenol A in canned tomatoes or water bottles. 

While low levels of Bisphenol A might not do you too much harm, higher levels can potentially prove dangerous, particularly to pregnant women. If you want to hedge your bets, simply try to introduce more organic products into your life. Also, make sure not to put plastic containers into the microwave – the heat could cause more significant leaching of Bisphenol A. 

Coumarin

Coumarin is a natural ingredient found in tonka beans and cinnamon. Getting too much coumarin has been linked to damage to kidneys and livers. However, in the United States, tonka beans are often banned. As for cinnamon, you should be fine as long as you aren’t doing daily cinnamon challenges!

Diacetyl

Diacetyl is a food product that affects you in a rather unorthodox way. Rather than messing with your digestive system, breathing in diacetyl can give you lung disease! Thankfully diacetyl has a narrow application in foods. It’s mainly associated with providing a gross fake “buttery” flavor to things like movie theatre popcorn. Just keep an eye out for this ingredient in any popcorn products you buy.

Free Radicals

Free radicals have entered the public consciousness in a big way recently. These harmful atoms can directly damage human cells, leading to conditions such as cancer. While free radicals occur in chemicals (like those in tobacco products), they’ve also been increasingly found in food, particularly in cooked meat products.

Thankfully for those worried about free radicals, research indicates that you can counter them with foods high in antioxidants. If you think you’ve been going too heavy on the cooked meats, a green juice detox is just what the doctor ordered. 

Mercury

Mercury is one of the better-known toxins out there, particularly when associated with seafood. Too much mercury from fish products can lead to some serious neurological health issues. 

How dangerous seafood is depends on the kind. Swordfish and sharks are significant sources of mercury, but those probably aren’t staples of your diet. The most common high-mercury fish purchased in grocery stores is canned tuna. Keep an eye out for organic or mercury-free options!

Trans Fats 

We started this list with the ubiquitous ingredient of added sugar, so it seems fitting we’d end it with the similarly ubiquitous trans fats. Generally, your body does need a little bit of fat in your food. Trans fats, however, are artificially created and added to foods to give them a longer shelf life. They add extra fat content without any real nutritional value. Any artificially preserved foods are going to be heavy on trans fats. They’ll make you put on the pounds, with no nutritional benefit to speak of. 

Don’t Sweat the Toxins – Get Juice for Detox

If trans fats worry you, organic is the way to go. And if you want to lose weight and get the effects of those trans fats out of your system, then juice for detox is the way to go. With Chef V’s green juice detox, you’re guaranteed a weight loss strategy that features only the freshest juice recipes. With Chef V’s fresh juice, you get only the vegetables and fruits you need for a successful green juice detox – nothing more, nothing less. 

Can children enjoy green juice? You may have asked this question if you’re a Chef V customer with a family. After all, being a kid in America is difficult when it comes to healthy eating. 

You’ll be happy to learn that the answer is, of course!

Let’s get one fact established first and foremost, however. It’s certainly not a great idea for a child to undergo a juice cleanse! A child needs constant nutrition for their growing bodies. Juice cleanse nutrition is designed to give adults everything they need, not children. Kids are also less likely to understand how to pace themselves on a juice cleanse. 

However, the need for plenty of vitamins and minerals means that incorporating green drinks into your kid’s diet can work out great. Here are some of the reasons why. 

Green Drinks are Delicious and Nutritious

Getting kids to eat their vegetables has been a battle for parents throughout history. However, with green drinks, you can give your kids a tasty beverage that can go along with any meal, no matter what you’re eating.

Ever felt bad because you had to go for the fast and easy option instead of turning into a vegan supercook for the night? Well, worry no more! Cleansing juicing drinks are a fantastic way to sneak in leafy greens along with any meal.

Green drinks are convenient in their portability as well. This makes them great for school lunches or refreshments at a sporting event. 

Of course, it’s not all about convenience. Nutrition is essential for anyone, regardless of age. The benefits of blended juice are pretty well understood by anyone who takes health seriously. 

However, nutrients and vitamins are even more important for growing children. Brain and body development are constantly ongoing during the early stages of childhood. You need to make sure you give those growing bodies everything they need for success.

Dealing With Picky Drinkers

Naturally, not every kid will take to vegetable juice immediately, especially if they are used to sweeter fruit juices. If your kid is a picky drinker, there are plenty of options you can take to try and entice them into some healthier choices.

Firstly, one of the best things you can do is simply make sure you enjoy green drink yourself. By undertaking cleansing juicing, you’ll give your child something to emulate. Children are the ultimate copycats, after all. 

If your kids see you drinking green juice regularly, they’ll want to give it a try too. Similarly, if they see you enjoying plenty of fresh fruit and avoiding processed foods, they’ll also copy those patterns. 

The younger you start, the better as well. Kids often develop a love of sweet things simply by becoming used to them. If you start them on green juice recipes early, it will merely become a healthy part of their regular routine. 

You can also try to make green drinks more “fun” with a bit of imagination. Crazy straws and special cups are a good start. But you can also turn it into popsicles or other frozen versions. This will get kids curious and engaged with the taste. 

In some cases, kids might just not like the taste of green drink – and that’s okay! Children usually don’t need to worry about losing weight or having eating disorders. If you still want to get them to enjoy the taste, you can add additional apple juice to the green drink to make it more palatable. 

If you want to get some green drink into your family’s diet, then make sure to check out our Chef V plans! 

Some days you’re just not up for it. And you know what? That’s okay. Depression, anxiety, and panic are rampant in America. You’re not alone in feeling like this. 

But life doesn’t have a handbrake. There is a ton of pressure to be your best self from the start of the week until the end. And that’s pure nonsense. It’s okay to feel bad once in a while. Your emotions are your emotions, and they’re healthy to accept.

That said, it’s hard to tackle a week’s worth of work if you’re constantly feeling down and irritable. Everyone is looking for the secrets to improving their mood. Thankfully, little things can have a massive impact on how you feel. 

In fact, some juice for detox could be just the ticket to help you get ready to kick butt. How can green drink help? Glad you asked!

The Power of Green Drink Ritual

Throughout human history, people have developed personal, cultural, and religious rituals. It’s just a part of the human experience. Rituals help calm us down, providing a moment of comforting consistency in our busy lives. Having a routine helps keep us focused and feeling productive. Even simple everyday tasks give us little jolts of confidence. 

A morning ritual of green drink will make you feel like you’re taking an important healthy step. That’s just the sort of positivity you need to start your day with!

Super Ingredients

Suppose you can find a quality organic juice cleanse with delicious ingredients. There’s a good chance many of those ingredients also come with mood-boosting powers.

Take the products that come with our cleanses – our green drinks, detox smoothies, and detox soups. They include tons of great ingredients for mood, including some of these superstars: 

• Ginger: Boosts those serotonin levels, giving you a feel-good buzz. Ginger can also help you cut down on nausea and muscle pain – good feelings all around!

• Kale: Beyond being great at putting the “detox” in juice for detox, kale provides the nutrients your brain needs to work and helps beat excess fatigue. 

• Collard Greens: Beyond boosting your immune system, these healthy greens contain choline, a fantastic mood booster. 

The Keys to Fitness 

A detox juice cleanse is more than just the great ingredients, of course. It’s a way for you to cut down on your blood sugar, lose weight, and cut the toxins and bad stuff right out of your balanced diet. And that’s not even getting into how much better you’ll feel with a healthy digestive system.

Being overweight or having issues with blood sugar are linked to mood issues. In fact, the line between physical health and mood is a thinner one than you might think. If you’re feeling terrible, then your mood probably isn’t going to be great, will it?

Thankfully with Chef V, you can ensure you’re getting your fruits and vegetables and staying in the best mood possible. You’ll also be on track to meet your weight loss goals. The week may seem long, but you’re sure to master it with Chef V and our delicious green drink. 

As juice detox diets have taken over the internet, we know 3 day juice cleanses boost productivity, metabolism, and energy levels. With so many methods to energize, there are endless yet overwhelming options in the market. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to stay energized throughout the day? If you’re confused about energy drinks, coffee, tea, energy shots, and topical patches- and still wondering what is the best way to stay energized? Let us guide you!  As the best juice detox diet company, we know a thing or two about staying energized, especially if you’re constantly exploring innovative ways to stay energized. 

Ask yourself this, do you find yourself chugging down energy drinks and large cups of coffee to keep up with your daily tasks? And find yourself crashing post midday? Well, it’s time to switch to a more sustainable energy source- Juice detox diets!  This blog guides you through some options you need to steer clear of for better energy levels throughout the day. From caffeine to energy drinks- we discuss it all. 

Do you want to get a headstart on your day, but you’re having difficulty feeling energized? Here’s how you can feel unstoppable in the morning.

You Don’t Need Energy Drinks: Here’s Why

The sad truth about energy drinks is that with an influx of consumption there have been increased trips to the ER. Most energy drinks have adverse side effects on your heart, leading to irregular heart beating, palpitations, and increased blood pressure. They’re often loaded with sugar, preservatives, artificial flavoring, and caffeine.

Here’s a perspective: a cup of coffee has about 70-100MG of caffeine, whereas an average energy drink contains about 100-250mg of caffeine. Short-term consumption of multiple energy drinks results in significant drawbacks, such as an increase in cardiac QT intervals- resulting in sudden death. As there isn’t much research on topical energy patches, it can’t be proved that they’re a reliable source of energy, unlike the juice detox diet.

Steer Clear Of Sugar

In the US added sugars account for almost 20% of calories consumed by an adult, when in reality the dietary guidelines suggest about 10% or less per day. Frequently, just consuming one prepacked sweetened drink like artificially flavored juices, energy drinks, or soda can put you above your daily sugar intake. Heart diseases, diabetes, blood pressure levels, and obesity are significant concerns associated with consuming too much sugar.

• Causes weight gain
• Tooth decay
• Linked to acne and other skin conditions
• Puts you at risk of depression
• It can cause skin aging and damage
• Increased kidney and liver risks

A great alternative to sugary drinks is fresh juices, unsweetened juices, or a juice detox diet. At Chef V, our 7-day juice cleanse improves your metabolism, gives you energy, and removes toxins from your body. They are packed with flavors and natural sugars and the added benefits. 

Boost Your Energy, Naturally. 

Here are some of the best practices to sustain your energy levels throughout the day. Keeping a journal and track of all the activities can help you plan your day better, resulting in less fatigue.  

• Light exercise
• Include energy foods
• Meditation
• Include raw and fresh fruits and veggies in your diet
• Take small breaks throughout the day
• Delegate and divide tasks
• Get adequate sleep at night

Lifestyle changes will ensure your energy levels are stable throughout the day. Chef V’s juice detox diet include fiber-packed green drinks, detox soups, and protein shakes. They provide you with consistent energy throughout the day, without any crashes. As our 7-day cleanses are filled with juices packed with phytonutrients and essential amino acids, they improve digestion and mood and increase metabolism.

Why Organic Produce Helps You Lose Weight

There are a lot of apparent benefits to organic food. It’s tasty, for one, and it’s much less likely to have a bunch of weird stuff like preservatives or chemicals in it. But it’s often claimed that organic food can also help you lose weight. Since all our detox juice cleanses are organic cleanses, this is a pretty exciting claim for us. But does this really hold true? Let’s find out!

So What Counts as Organic?

Essentially, organic food is that which has been grown without any artificial ingredients. This means no chemicals, artificial pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified organisms are used during the growing of the food. There’s also generally an overlap between “Organic Foods” and “Whole Foods.” This means that even after the food is ready for packaging, it uses a minimum of preservatives and additives. The closer something is to the natural cycle of growth and consumption, the more organic it is.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t actually handle any food labeling as organic or not. Instead, it’s run by the National Organic Program (NOP), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They handle giving out the seals and labels to mark something as organic. So keep your eye out for these certifications when you buy an organic cleanse.

Why is Organic a Big Deal?

Organic cleanses and foods are such a hot topic because of worries about things like preservatives and other additives to food. No one wants to be eating something that could be potentially harmful.

Many chefs and foodies will also swear by the tastiness of organic food. Because organic food is low in things like preservatives, it’s generally prepared more freshly. While this can make getting organic food somewhat more complex, it’s often well worth the taste.

Organic food is also considered to be healthier. This is because processed foods tend to remove a lot of nutrients in the, well, process of making them. Organic food has more of its original goodness in it, so you are more likely to get maximum nutritional value out of it. For example, studies have been linked to higher levels of antioxidants and other immune boosters in organic foods.

What About Weight Loss?

Generally, weight loss is about amounts and types of food. The less you eat, the less weight you gain from any sort of food. However, organic foods do have a lot going for them. Firstly, since they have more nutritional punch, they’re more likely to fill them up, and you’re less likely to overeat.

Secondly, organic foods are less likely to have added artificial fats and sugars. These additions tend to create foods that cause you to put on a lot of weight without giving you many nutritional benefits.

Lastly, the benefits of having food you actually enjoy can’t be underestimated. If you have a lot of tasty organic food on hand, you’ll be more likely to savor it and take your time rather than filling up on empty calories.

Looking For a Great Dose of Organic?

If you’re looking for the best organic cleanse out there, then you’re in luck. From our famous 21 day cleanse to our green drinks, everything at Chef V is 100% organic and delicious. Make sure to check out all our organic cleanse options today!

Are Short Juice Cleanses Worth it?

At Chef V, we offer a variety of juice cleanses to suit your needs. Any juice cleanse is an impressive goal – so feel good about undertaking one! However, some people have an attitude that is very “go big or go home” when it comes to juice cleanses. Essentially, unless it’s a full 21 Day Cleanse, it ain’t worth it. But is this true? Do short juice cleanses have their place? We’ll explain here.

What Happens During a Juice Cleanse?

Firstly, you need to understand that not all juice cleanses are made equal. Your ideal juice cleanse will be low in sugar and calories while still giving you all the nutrients and minerals you need to successfully complete the cleanse.

This means that a good juice cleanse is different from simply fasting. Instead of cutting off all food and drink, you’re merely trying to cut down on targeted kinds of food that are dense in carbs, fats, and sugars.

Cutting down on the number of carbs and fats during a juice cleanse will soon dramatically affect your body in terms of weight loss. Essentially, what happens is that your body will start to transfer into the mode of “intermittent fasting.” This means you stop storing fat and instead begin to consume your fat reserves for energy. And presto, you will start to get some serious weight loss.

Cutting back on sugar will also have other significant effects. Once your blood sugar levels stabilize, you’ll start to notice that your sugar cravings diminish. You’ll also find that you have much more consistent energy throughout the day. Eating a lot of sugar, especially refined sugars, will lead to spikes and crashes. Cutting back on the sugar will give you a more stable energy level throughout the day.

So Is a Short Juice Cleanse Worth It?

So we know that juice cleanses have great benefits. But is doing a short 2 day juice cleanse worth it?

You might be surprised to learn that even a very short juice cleanse can have some significant impacts. The main reason is that our body transfers to the “fasting” mode sooner than expected. After just 12 hours of cutting back on the carbs and fat, you can expect the weight loss to begin. True, 2 days might not show a lot of visible weight loss – but it will be present, and you will be on a definite pause from gaining weight.

Getting your blood sugar levels under control is doable with a short juice cleanse, as long as you follow it up with healthy low sugar eating. A 2 day juice cleanse won’t provide miraculous results for your digestive system. But what it can do, is make you feel better about yourself and be an excellent springboard into healthier habits.

Get the Cleanse that Works For You!

At Chef V, we’re all about empowering you to get the exact weight loss results you need. Even a 3 day juice cleanse from Chef V will leave you feeling fantastic and ready to tackle your future health goals. So go check out all our cleanse options, and find what fits you best – or just grab some green drink for a healthy boost!

Before Juice Cleansing – The History of Diets

It’s hard to imagine a time before dieting. Anywhere you go online, you’ll find tons of information about ways that you can maybe, just maybe, lose a few pounds. However, this isn’t a new age desire. People have wanted to get control of their weight, one way or the other, since ancient times. To the ancient Greeks, “diet” or “diaita” represented an entirely healthy way of life, not just your choices with food. We’ve come a long way before the juice cleanses today’s diets, so let’s see where the concept of dieting comes from!

Old School Dieting

For a lot of human history, the idea of a “diet” as we understand it wasn’t really a consideration. For many people, getting enough food was more of a concern than getting too much food. Indeed, being overweight was seen as fashionable in many places since it was an indicator of wealth.

Some of the wealthiest people in history took the whole “showing off their wealth” a little bit too far. Medieval kings, queens, and other rulers would have been the people most prone to overeating. What’s neat is that these were also the people most likely to have records about their attempts to combat their overeating.

Take Sancho I of Spain, given the rather unflattering title of “Sancho the Fat.” Sancho apparently ate seven meals a day, mainly focused on meat. Naturally, this kind of diet led to the king developing what we would call today “morbid obesity”.

Sancho I lived in 10th Century Medieval Spain, and he didn’t really know much about nutrition or dieting. In fact, his obesity got so bad that he was deposed as king! Thankfully, Sancho managed to run into one of the first nutritionists, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, a Jewish physician.

What’s sort of crazy is that Hasdai ibn Shaprut recommended Sancho take what could be considered the predecessor of an early juice cleanse diet, drinking a mixture of roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Sancho managed to lose enough weight to retake his throne – which just goes to prove the power of a good juice diet or liquid cleanse.

Of course, not all liquid diet trends were great back in olden times. It was surprisingly popular to adopt a diet of severe calorie restriction… mixed with copious amounts of alcohol. Apparently, it worked for many medieval noblemen, but we wouldn’t recommend swapping your green drink for a martini today!

Modern Diets

What we consider to be the more “modern” style of diet can be said to have emerged in England. During the 18th and 19th centuries, England prospered on the world stage thanks to a global empire – which also meant there was a lot more tasty food being imported to Britain to enjoy. However, this was also a time when science was taking off, and there was a much more rigorous approach to dieting.

One of the first people to prescribe a diet was the 18th century English Physician George Cheyne. As an up-and-coming doctor, Cheyne got the bright idea that to best connect with potential patients in his area, he should spend as much time at local taverns as possible. Too many beers and bar snacks ended up giving Cheyne a bad case of obesity.

Cheyne decided, as a doctor, it was time to prescribe himself a solution. He was mocked at the time for his idea – a diet that dropped meats in favor of more vegetables. Despite the doubters, Cheyne’s diet worked wonders. He even penned a best-selling book about it – making him maybe the first nutritional blogger in history.

The Diet Craze

If we’re going to talk about the real rise of dieting as a craze, then we definitely need to cover William Banting. An undertaker living in Victorian Britain, Banting’s family handled funeral arrangements for the British Royal Family. This was a prestigious duty, but Banting’s comfortable lifestyle resulted in a less than comfortable waistline.

Since there weren’t really juice cleanse diets yet, Banting was on his own as far as coming up with a solution. He eventually found success in the advice of physician William Harvey, who was studying the diabetes management ideas of French doctor Claude Bernand. Banting seemed like the perfect chance to experiment with these ideas.

Banting’s diet focused on cutting the carbohydrates and sugars out of his diet – something that should be familiar to anyone interested in modern juice cleanse diets. The program was a resounding success. Banting would shed his pounds and live into his 80s. Banting was so excited by the change in his body that he shared his experience widely, starting one of the first dieting crazes in Victorian England. The Banting diet is still used by some today and is the precursor to the idea of “low carb diets.”

Counting Calories

Once people had figured out about carbs, the next thing on their list would be calories as a whole. At the turn of the century, Diet and Health: With Key to the Calories was published by Lulu Hunt Peters. This book was possibly the first to popularize the idea of “counting calories,” which is a major dietary trend to this day.

Dieting Today

Today, you’ll see ads or advice for dieting anywhere you look. Among the most popular diets of the post-WWII era are the juice diet and its derivative, the juice cleanse. What’s cool about the juice cleanse diet is how you can see the ideas that started it throughout the history of dieting – the desire to cut back on sugars, carbs, and calories.

Of course, not every juice cleanse diet is made equal. With Chef V, you can make sure you are getting a liquid cleanse that you can complete. Between our green drink and detox soups and smoothies, you’ll get all the nutrients and minerals you need to finish even a 21 day cleanse. Plus, it’s just plain delicious!

When it comes to living in America, we tend to take it for granted that controlling our weight will be a constant, lifelong struggle. But did it always have to be this way? We’re, of course, super proud of our 21 day cleanse. This leaves the question, however, of why there is such a demand for effective weight control methods in America? Before you go looking up how to do a juice cleanse, it’s important to understand just how serious the obesity epidemic is in America – and what causes it. 

What An Obesity Epidemic Means

At first glance, calling obesity an epidemic seems a little off. The word epidemic is designed to refer to virulent diseases, after all. However, when it comes to cold, hard numbers, it’s challenging to find a better word. It’s estimated that approximately two-thirds of Americans have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) than is healthy. And in America, roughly a third of all people are obese, which means having a BMI over 30. When you factor in that approximately 4 million people a year die directly from being overweight, it puts the severity of those numbers into real perspective.

Why America?

Contrary to what you might have heard, America isn’t the nation with the highest obesity rates in the world – but it consistently manages to score in the top 20. (If you’re curious, countries from Oceania generally top the list, with Arabic countries also hitting high numbers). 

Why does America manage to keep being a top scorer for obesity? It comes down to a few factors. One of the major ones is, of course, the average American diet. Take as an example a country that consistently scores near the bottom of the obesity list – Japan. The traditional Japanese diet focuses on plenty of seafood, vegetables, and minimal sugar or fat. Perhaps even more importantly, serving sizes are kept modest.

In America, on the other hand, for every advertisement you’ll get for something like a 21 day cleanse, you’ll get two or three for high-fat fast food. America has enjoyed decades of incredibly agricultural bounty, which has encouraged us to go big or go home when it comes to portions. More food, more obesity.

However, there are also more subtle reasons for the rise of obesity in America. A lot of how we work and live is designed to make us gain weight, even if by accident. Take American cities. A lot of American cities are designed to be only navigable by car. A lack of daily options for walking can have a creeping effect on weight gain.

Think of the jobs we do these days as well. You’re much less likely to get outside for your job or even move around the office. Everything we need is conveniently all at a single computer – often right inside our homes. There’s no real incentive to get out of our comfy office chairs. 

And part of it must be chalked up to simply complacency. Obesity in America is nothing new. We’ve been living in the obesity epidemic for so long that we’ve simply accepted it as part of the American landscape. 

The Risks of Obesity 

Obesity might have been reduced to the punchline of jokes at America’s expense, but it’s no laughing matter. Higher BMIs lead to various adverse effects on your overall health, such as a greater risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder disease, arthritis, sleep apnea, mental illness, and even cancer.

You can get medication and treatment for all these conditions. Still, the best solution is to simply never encounter them at all. That means tackling your high BMI directly to cut back on these severe risks.

Thankfully, just like modern America provides many avenues for weight gain, it also offers many options for weight loss. If you’re looking to quickly lose weight, there’s little more effective than a detox diet. Try out one of our shorter cleanses to get started, or undertake our 21 day cleanse for a guaranteed transformation of your quality of life. 

Doing the Math: Understanding Calories

How many calories should you be consuming in a day? Are there different rules for women vs. men? But how exactly do calories work? Is counting calories a legitimate strategy for losing weight? This blog explains the basics you need to know, including covering intermittent fasting vs. calorie counting.

What is a Calorie?

You may be surprised to learn there isn’t a specific thing known as a calorie. Instead, “calorie” is a term of measurement, just like “mile” or “liter.” Specifically, a calorie is a unit used to measure energy.

Our bodies are pretty amazing machines if you stop and think about it. And just like any machine, we need fuel. Such a complex machine needs a complex set of fuel sources. Your body needs water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Water doesn’t have a calorie count, nor do vitamins and minerals. However, we can measure how much energy we get from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in calories.

If you’re interested in the math, every gram of carbs and proteins gives you 4 calories of energy. Every gram of fat gives you 9 calories of energy. This information becomes more useful if you start to count calories and build your own custom meal plan.

Calories and Fat

Many people tend to confuse calories and fat with each other when talking about the healthy (or not healthy) properties of food. Fat is often associated with high calories – as the math we showed demonstrated, fat tends to have more calories per gram than protein or carbs. However, while there are plenty of high-fat foods that are also high in calories (like bacon), just cutting fat isn’t a guarantee of cutting calories. You have to be aware of fats and carbs at the same time.

Calories and Weight Gain

So as we’ve established, calories are energy. But the human body isn’t quite like a car. Calories that we don’t use don’t simply stay in our stomachs waiting for us to use them. Our body extracts and stores them. Unfortunately for us, our body will store the calories of energy as fat to use at a later date. If you eat more calories than you consume as energy, you’ll gain weight. (If you’re wondering, it’s estimated that about 3,500 hundred calories translate to about a pound of body weight).

Intermittent Fasting vs. Calorie Counting

It’s easy to oversimplify calories as a concept. If excess calories equal fat, the solution is then to simply drop the number of calories, right? This sort of approach is often known as calorie counting. It seems like a clear winner, but how effective is it?

One problem is that the amount of calories is only one part of the equation when it comes to the food you eat. Imagine if you ate only potato chips every day, but just very few of them. Your calorie count might be low, but is that really healthy eating?

Plus, no human can tell you precisely how many calories they are burning in a single day. Some days we’re more active than others – and some people simply have more active metabolisms than others.

Intermittent Fasting and Detox Juice Cleanses

Reducing calories is important. But it’s also essential to get plenty of exercise, eat food that has plenty of vitamins and minerals, stay hydrated, and not starve yourself to the point that you can’t maintain your calorie counting.

This is why intermittent fasting and detox juice cleanses are so popular. Essentially, these are temporary reductions in calories from most sources. In something like a 7 day juice cleanse, you may restrict yourself to juices and detox soups and smoothies.

In the end, both methods probably are losing the same amount of calories, and it’s hard to judge them using a “math” method. However, something like a detox juice cleanse is good not just for keeping weight off but also for losing weight.

This is because going on just a 7 day juice cleanse can have impressive effects on your body. To go back to the car analogy, not only do our bodies consume fuel, but we actually can shit into different “gears.” When we reduce our calories through a detox juice cleanse, our body shifts over into a mode where it starts consuming those excess calories stored as fat – hence, weight loss.

Since juice cleanses also tend to be low in things like fats, carbs, and sugars, they also help us get better control of our blood sugar level, and our hunger cravings.

A detox juice cleanse works not just because of the calories you’re losing, but because of what it adds. Too often, calorie counting diets, or hard fasts, end because they’re just not feasible. You just end up feeling too hungry and can’t manage to make it through.

However, something like Chef V’s Blended Juice Cleanse is totally feasible. From our 3 day to 7 day juice cleanse, all the way up to our 21 day detox, all our cleanses contain green drink and other products that are filled with vitamins, minerals and even protein – all the stuff your body needs as essential fuel. This lets you start shedding those pounds quickly and with confidence!

With summer coming up, it’s time to travel, get out of the house, and visit some great restaurants. We know a lot of our subscribers are interested in vegetarianism and veganism. So we thought we’d put together a list of some of the most fabulous vegan restaurants worldwide, from the fancy to the fanciful. So we’ll provide your juice cleanse from San Diego or New Jersey this summer while you go looking for some prime spots to eat around the world! Whether you’re a urab-snob or just looking for something funky to enjoy after your juice cleanse diet is over, this list will provide some (vegan) food for thought.

Eleven Madison Park

This one is really fancy – a three-star Michelin Restaurant! Of course, just being fancy isn’t enough to make this list. So what makes Eleven Madison Park so unique? Well, the restaurant wasn’t originally vegan when it was earning its Michelin chops. Just in June of 2021, the restaurant abandoned many of the staples it had based its reputation on to go entirely vegan. The restaurant also operates a sister food truck designed to help New Yorkers suffering from food insecurity.

Haus Hiltl

Haus Hiltl is located in lovely Zurich, Switzerland. Generally, this Alpine country is a place that loves its meat dishes, making Haus Hiltl’s dedication to vegan cuisine all the more impressive. The Haus has grown into its all small chain of restaurants and bars. Its cuisine is known to be home-cooked delights, with a surprising focus on Indian cuisine. But what really puts it on this list is that the original Haus Hiltl is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world!

Kaijitsu

It’s hard to find a list of the best vegan restaurants online that doesn’t include a mention of Kaijitsu (Japanese for “Fine Day”). What makes this New York restaurant unique is its approach to food. Kaijitsu specializes in Shojin cuisine, a kind of vegetarian cooking with roots in Zen Buddhism. Kaijitsu is as much an experience as a restaurant. Only the freshest in-season ingredients are served on pottery made by master Japanese potters – some of which are centuries old!

LOV

Let’s say you’re north of the border in Canada and can’t get your delicious Chef V Liquid Cleanses delivered. What can you do to cheer yourself up? It’s well known that brunch is a big deal in Canada, and if you’re looking for vegan brunch in Montreal or Toronto, no one makes it better than LOV. This beloved Montreal icon is expanding, making it even easier to get their fantastic vegan brunch dishes.

Meta Burger

Did you know that you can get our Chef V cleanse as far off from the coast as Colorado? Did you also know that you can still get a great burger while remaining vegan? Did you guess that all this was leading up to an introduction to Meta Burger? If you want American staples while still remaining vegan, then look no further.

Mildreds

Let’s pop over to the United Kingdom to give them some love, shall we? And what’s more lovely than the famous set of Mildreds restaurants? Established back in the 80s, Mildreds is a staple of London’s vegan restaurant options. Mildreds are all cozy homes away from home, and offer a wide array of global vegan food.

ONA

ONA stands for Origine Non-Animale. This restaurant, found in Arès, France, has historical importance as the first vegan restaurant in France to be awarded a Michelin Star. The restaurant was partially crowd-funded in its creation and founded by a former archaeologist. ONA is unique because of its on-site garden, with over 140 types of plants! Combined with a rotating, seasonal menu, there’s always something new to be found here.

Phatties

Who said that great Mexican food can’t also be vegan? Located near our San Marcos headquarters over in Escondido, Phatties is a great way to indulge yourself after your juice cleanse in San Diego is finished. Vegan quesadillas, vegan taquitos – you name it, they got it.

The Pitted Date

Not many people know it, but you can get a ton of authentic Mexican food, in Mexico, that is also totally vegan. If you’re a tourist, you might need to dig around a little. Unless you’re heading for the sunny beaches of Playa del Carmen. Then you just need to head right on over to the Pitted Date. It’s the only 100% vegan bakery on the Playa, the food is excellent, and all the menus are English. You have no excuse to not give it a look.

Rollin Roots

Since we created our first juice cleanse in San Diego, we want to give the city some love. One of the greatest places for vegan food in San Diego is also one of the most surprising – a food truck! Rollin Roots is dedicated to putting out the most delicious staples of African American comfort food, including Po’ Boys – but all with totally vegan ingredients! After you’re done a liquid cleanse, this is a great way to treat yourself for your accomplishment.

Veganized

If you’re closer to our New Jersey side of operations, then make sure to check out Veganized in New Brunswick. They make all sorts of amazing vegan dishes but are perhaps most famous for their mastery of vegan pizza.

Yellow

If you had to ask a vegan foodie to quickly name a vegan restaurant in Australia, they’d probably shoot back with Yellow. This cozy bistro evokes the golden styling its name suggests. This is absolutely the place to go if you want to commit to your vegan adventure, with full five or seven-course vegan meals!

We really want to keep this list going, but we’re starting to run out of steam! To make sure you don’t run out of steam, check and see if wherever you are in America can get our juice cleanse diet products delivered!

How to Make Grocery Shopping a Healthier Experience

They always say never to go grocery shopping while hungry. For many of us, fulfilling our weekly shopping trip is one of our most annoying chores. Making sure we get enough to stock the pantry is stressful enough, let alone trying to navigate healthy eating options! This piece will cover some ways that you can help bring healthy habits into your grocery shopping.

Planning For Health

If you are just looking to visit a grocery store and hope that you’ll come out with the right stuff to make a healthy meal, you’re going to be disappointed. Everyone has different health needs, and going into what makes for healthy eating in the modern day would be an article on its own.

Everyone can do a meal plan to help make sure they are building a healthy diet. This means deciding what you will eat a week in advance and creating a menu. It’s much easier to make the most nutritional decisions at this stage rather than trying to make them in the grocery store. Planning a head based on your dietary needs and restrictions will keep you on track and make you less overwhelmed on your weekly shopping trip.

Another great way to get ahead on being healthy is to organize grocery deliveries. In a lot of situations, this can be much more convenient for you than getting to a grocery store. You can plan the perfect healthy shopping list from the comfort of your own home. (Remember, if you’re looking for a juice cleanse in San Diego, we deliver our green drink and other products across California!)

Building a Healthy Grocery List

As mentioned, everyone’s health requirements will be a little bit different. Everyone can follow some general guidelines for a healthier grocery list, no matter if you’re shopping in-store or getting it delivered.

First and foremost, you can never have enough fruits and veggies. Learn to love your green veggies, leafy greens, and juice smoothies. The health benefits of fruits and veggies are infinite, and they’ll generally provide you with tons of nutrients, including valuable antioxidants and immune boosters. All this while managing to be low carb, low sugar, and low fat! Fruits and vegetables are simply win-win kinds of foods. Also, look for seasonal fruits and veggies. The winter time is great for asparagus while the summer is prime time for strawberries and oranges. This will ensure you’re getting the best quality produce and hopefully help with your budget.

Secondly, do your best to resist processed foods and high sugar snacks. We understand; it can be hard to drop some of your favorite cookies or chocolates. But these kinds of foods tend to be high in fats and sugars and low in the types of things your body actually needs. Quick tip: try to stay on the perimeter of your grocery store. It’s generally the inner isles that contain all of the processed foods, while the outer area features the fruits, vegetables, dairy and unprocessed grains.

Speaking of getting what your body needs, when possible, it’s always a good idea to get organic or whole food. This means less lost nutrients, and less weird stuff in your body.

Shopping Smart

So let’s say you do find yourself in a grocery store. Maybe you have your planned list in hand. Or perhaps you just found yourself with time and an opportunity. How should you go about shopping in the most sensible way possible?

First things first, have lunch if you haven’t already. It’s a cliche, but shopping on an empty stomach is rarely a good idea. You’re much more likely to buy things you don’t need if you suffer from hunger or sugar cravings.

It’s also vital that you learn how to read nutrition labels and take your time to understand what they mean. Getting the hang of modern nutrition fact labels is an art all its own. Generally, you should be suspicious of anything that seems exceptionally high in saturated fats, sodium, or added sugars. Also any label that has 20+ ingredients probably isn’t the healthiest option.

Make sure to check out the produce section carefully. The fruits and veggies here are going to be some of the best things for your health. Aim for the freshest choices, and always get organic if you can.

Lastly, be careful when comparing all your options. Is there a lower-fat or low sodium version of what you’re buying? Is there a whole grain or multigrain option? Make sure that you know all of your healthy options beforehand, and shop accordingly.

Beat Cravings With Chef V!

Even a 3 day juice cleanse from Chef V can help you beat those grocery store cravings, letting you shop in healthy confidence.

Of course, Chef V also offers plenty of choices beyond the grocery store with our delivery options. With Chef V, you can get a fresh juice cleanse in San Diego just as easily as you can get our green drink in New York! Check out our cleanse options and order today.

There are plenty of reasons to undergo a 21 day cleanse. Getting a handle on your weight or blood sugar levels are widespread reasons people decide to give a 21 day detox a try. However, an increasing number of people are worried about high blood pressure. In this blog, we’ll dive into the causes of high blood pressure, and what you can do to better manage it.

Understanding Blood Pressure

Our bodies are pretty amazing machines. We have mechanisms to take in air, complex joints and muscles, and an entire hydraulic system to move blood around our body. And just like any hydraulic system, pressure is always going to be a concern.

We don’t really want to get into all the physics of moving liquid here. We’re here to bring you the best in 21 day cleanses, and to help you to understand the major mechanics. But the basics are pretty simple to understand and essential to grasp so your body and mind can connect.

Essentially, the less room that a liquid such as blood has to move through, the higher pressure will be. That makes sense, of course. For example, water would need to squeeze at a higher pressure through a straw than a pipe.

For humans, those pipes are our arteries. If your arteries become narrowed or clogged, your blood pressure will rise. This also means that the higher force of blood can actually start to damage the walls and lining of your arteries.

Having high blood pressure (a condition also known as hypertension) puts extra stress on your circulatory system. It increases the risk for various circulatory-related health issues, such as heart attack and stroke. What’s worse is that the signs of high blood pressure are often fairly subtle, and you may not recognize these risks sneaking up on you.

Why is My Blood Pressure High?

There are a few factors that can lead to high blood pressure. More often than not, the main culprit to examine certainly has to be cholesterol. For those not in the know, cholesterol is a substance your body produces to help it make things like cell membranes. While useful as a construction material, you don’t want too much of it sitting in your bloodstream. Imagine a bunch of concrete blocks dumped in the middle of a busy highway causing a huge obstruction – you get the idea.

So eating foods that are too high in cholesterol will make your blood pressure rise, as will getting a diet that is too high in salt and fat. If you have issues with your kidneys or hormones, you could be at risk for higher blood pressure – ditto for people with diabetes. Being overweight is also a significant risk factor for higher blood pressure.

Okay, So What Can I Do About This?

The most straightforward answer is obviously to simply cut back on that cholesterol. That means you’re going to want to try to eat a diet that is full of low fat, low sodium content. You should also cut back on your vices – that means to scale back on the alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. Exercise gets your blood pumping and circulation working correctly. It’s also a great way to reduce stress, which (you guessed it) drops blood pressure.

It’s also vital to get started on your weight loss goals. The faster you can shed some pounds, the sooner you can start letting your arteries recover. Of course, not all weight loss methods are created equal. If you want a reliable and sustainable weight loss program without things like celery juice side effects, Chef V is here to help. Whether a quick 3 day juice cleanse or a longer 21 day cleanse, we’re here to help you with your weight loss goals.

Chlorophyll – Not Just For Plants

You may have heard rumors about the health benefits of chlorophyll. You probably also know that it’s what makes plants green. But why exactly are people talking about it? Is it something you should care about? Or is chlorophyll just for plants? Let’s find out.

What is Chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll is a substance found naturally in plants, noted for giving them their green color – chlorophyll translates literally from Greek as “green leaf.” Plants use chlorophyll to help them get energy from sunlight. (Fun Fact – Chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light but reflects green, which is why so many plants look green to our eyes).

Why Does Chlorophyll Matter For People?

Since we eat plants, that means we’re also ingesting all of that chlorophyll… and that’s a good thing. Chlorophyll is best known for its antioxidant properties, which is one reason green veggies are so good for you. Studies also indicate that it might be linked to anti-cancer properties as well, particularly those cancers related to the stomach and colon. This is because chlorophyll seems to block the absorption of cancer-causing chemicals.

There are ongoing studies being done on what chlorophyll is good for, but it’s been linked to aiding in better digestive health, providing energy, aiding in weight loss, boosting the immune system, and even leading to healthier-looking skin. No wonder people are all over green drinks! (Speaking of green drinks, chlorophyll is sometimes used in culinary situations to dye food a more vivid green).

It’s essential, however, to distinguish chlorophyll (found naturally in any green plant) from chlorophyllin, which is a water-soluble extract.

Is Chlorophyllin Worth It?

Regularly, chlorophyll is fat-soluble. The idea behind chlorophyllin extract is that it is water-soluble and contains copper and sodium. This combo is intended to help make it easier for your body to absorb compared to chlorophyll. Many chlorophyllin substances also come in liquid forms to make the absorption even easier.

However, there’s no real indication that taking chlorophyllin is any better than getting your chlorophyll the old-fashioned way in a green drink or other plant-based product. Plus, many users report that liquid chlorophyllin can cause diarrhea or other stomach issues.

Where Can I Get Chlorophyll Naturally?

Any leafy green is going to be full of chlorophyll. This means that things like spinach, collard greens, broccoli, asparagus, and peas are all great sources. Matcha green tea is also a green drink noted for a solid chlorophyll count.

If you’re looking for a product that is chock full of all the best leafy greens, then look no further than our own Chef V’s green drink. Packed full of greens like kale, collard greens, and chards, our green drink is a great way to get the good stuff without the need for artificial supplements. Whether as part of a 3 day cleanse, 7 day juice cleanse or an impressive 21 day cleanse, our green drinks can help you lose weight and fight sugar cravings.

Of course, you can also just get the green drinks delivered on their own. They make an excellent companion to any meal and will ensure you are getting all the stuff you need for good health. You might not be able to survive on sunlight from a plant, but you can still benefit from the green stuff!

At Chef V, we’re proud to offer an organic juice product that is 100% GMO-free. But what exactly does GMO-free mean? You might also wonder – why should I care about this at all? Does it matter if my detox juice cleanse is GMO-free? For those of you unsure about what GMO’s really mean to your diet or Chef V cleanse, this quick blog will explain it all.

What’s a GMO?

GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organism.” This sounds like superhero stuff, but GMOs generally refer specifically to genetically modified plants, including many plants you eat daily. Indeed, in some crops in the United States, the use of GMOs is pervasive. Good examples would be corn and soy. In fact, the vast majority of foods you eat are probably genetically modified in some way or another.

Why is this? Technically, genetic modification of food is nothing new or futuristic. Ever since there has been agriculture, farmers have been trying to breed better plants. They might mix plant strains to create produce that is more nutritious, faster-growing, or more resistant to pests. Genetically modifying plants is essentially taking a shortcut to this system. Rather than letting breeding do the work, genetic modification lets agricultural scientists speed up the process.

Why GMOs?

The wide adoption of GMOs worldwide makes sense when you consider the number of people we need to feed. GMO crops tend to be more resistant to pests, droughts, or illness. This means more crops total and less money spent on pesticides or extra water.

However, not all GMOs are about increasing crop yields. Sometimes a fruit or vegetable will be modified for appearance, taste, or increased shelf life.

Why Worry About GMOs?

So it seems like GMOs are mostly a good thing, right? Well, there are some things you should be aware of. Picking apart issues with GMOs can be difficult. Firstly, GMOs encompass a wide range of processes and techniques. Secondly, confusion over the science had muddied the water with some pretty out-there claims about GMOs. Most of us don’t really understand genetics or DNA. When we hear that the genes of plants are being changed, we assume that could affect our own DNA. But that’s just science fiction. It’s unlikely a GMO is going to give you cancer. Nada on getting superpowers from them either, we’re sorry to say.

However, there are some legitimate concerns regarding GMOs. One of the major ones is allergies. When genetically modifying fruits and vegetables, traits from one vegetable can be transferred to another. If that trait causes allergies for you, unfortunately, you’ll have to add another food to the list of your allergens.

There’s also no guarantee that because the food was modified to grow faster or live longer on the shelf, the new version will have as much of a focus on its nutritional content and value. In many cases, convenience for grocery stores takes precedence.

Plus, many have environmental concerns about GMOs. Despite being designed to be pest resistant, not every farm appropriately cuts back on the use of pesticides. In fact, since GMO foods are also resistant to pesticides, this can encourage some farmers to go overboard in using weedkillers, poisoning the soil in their area.

More concerning are the ethical issues. GMOs mean that there is less need for a diversity in the kinds of seeds used to grow various crops. It’s inefficient to have variety when you have a “super-version” of food that can survive everywhere. However, since these seeds are artificially created, large corporations can copyright and monopolize them, leading to an unfair advantage for larger organizations.

The Upshot

So what’s the upshot? GMOs aren’t radioactive and won’t turn you into a mutant if you eat them. At the same time, if you are getting GMO food, you don’t really have much control over nutritional volume or specific allergens. Plus – it often won’t just taste the same way as purely organic food. Many of us may have never even tasted organic food in our entire life.

Thankfully, Chef V’s detox juice cleanse is 100% GMO-free. So at least for this part of your health routine, you can simply forget worrying about the nutritional and ethical concerns – and just enjoy feeling great.

Worst Pieces of Weight Loss Advice

The desire for weight loss is hardly an uncommon goal. However, with so many people looking to shed pounds, there is plenty of plain terrible advice out there. This piece will cover some of the most common myths about weight loss to help you identify diets and plans that don’t work. We’ll also explore the viability of a 21 day juice fast for weight loss and the benefits of a 21 day cleanse in general.

Why Do We Gain Weight?

Any weight loss is going to be complicated, whether thats 10 or 50 pounds. Even the best 21 day green juice fast isn’t going to change how your body works on a fundamental level. However, some basics of weight gain are relatively simple to pick up.

Most of us understand that our body gets energy through calories. The calories that we use for energy are consumed in the process. Our body will store the excess calories on your body – as fat. We all need a physical fat reserve as it represents our enegy reserves. Too much fat reserves is what weighs us down, makes us sluggish and pivots our eating habits in the wrong direction.

Weight gain is a little bit more complicated than simply burning calories or turning them into fat. Everyone has their own unique metabolism, which will affect the rate at which energy is converted.

Basics of Weight Loss

So the basics of weight loss should be pretty straightforward. Get exercising, and don’t consume too many calories, right?

In theory, yes. But there’s a lot more to it. The key to weight loss is ensuring that it is healthy and sustainable. You still need to be getting enough of the vital minerals and vitamins you need from food. Otherwise, you’ll have more health problems to worry about than weight.

Also, if you just try to aim for the lowest calories foods, you could give yourself severe hunger cravings later on. Sugar intake is also something to watch. Too much sugar can lead to a wildly fluctuating blood sugar level, which can significantly affect weight gain, energy levels, and perceived hunger.

In short, there are a lot of different factors at play when it comes to weight loss. This is one reason why something like a 21 day juice fast for weight loss is so effective. It’s a wonderful way to cut down on calories and sugar simultaneously while still giving you the nutrients you need to remain healthy.

(Of course, there are some nutrients even 21 day green juice fast might have difficulty getting you. That’s why Chef V provides you with delicious detox soups and detox smoothies as well!)

So now that we understand the basics, hopefully, you can spot the weight loss fads you might see online that just won’t plain work. If you need a starter, here are some of the worst that we’ve seen.

1. It’s Just About Counting Calories

You’ll hear many people suggest that losing weight is as easy as measuring the number of calories you’re eating, then cutting it down and making sure your physical output is more than your caloric intake. This is where the obsession with counting calories comes from. However, considering this in concert with what you’ve learned already, this approach has some glaring problems.

If something is low calorie, it’s not necessarily low in fat or sugar. It also doesn’t mean that it’s going to be nutritious. You could try to exist solely on “negative calorie” foods such as celery and watermelon but all that’s going to do is leave you feeling hungry and more likely to break your diet.

2. It’s Just About Moderation and Diets

Promoting moderation – eating less – is a nice thought and generally a good idea. There are also plenty of diets that may or may not be able to help you temporarily lose weight. But what happens when you’re finally sick of your diet and fall off the wagon? Temporary diets are only a pause on your weight gain, not a permanent solution. Permanent weight loss will involve lifestyle choices.

3. Just Fast

It’s tempting. Food makes you gain weight. So why not just cut yourself off from food entirely for a while? Fasting has a long and successful history, after all. The problem here is that fasting just isn’t sustainable. At best, you’re just going to get hungry and start to binge once your fast is done. At worst, you’re going to potentially seriously hurt yourself through starvation or dehydration.

4. It’s Just About My Magic Food!

There’s no silver bullet for weight loss. No matter how nutritious a food is, it’s not going to be a good idea only to eat that one food. No matter how great a “superfood” is, it’s not magic. That’s why the best diets and 21 day cleanses offer a mixture of different foods to give you everything you need.

Get Sustainable Weight Loss With Chef V

In the end, losing weight is one thing, and making lifestyle changes to keep it off is another. This is why a 21 day juice fast for weight loss can be so powerful. It can help you lose weight quickly, giving you the confidence that you control your own weight. It will also help you get control of sugar cravings, helping you be prepared for a set of healthier choices to come. Still need proof? Then check out our success stories.

At Chef V, we’re proud to make a purely organic juice cleanse. Our customers are also pretty crazy about it. We’ve noticed that there’s often an intersection between the desire to eat organically and a desire to be sustainable. This makes perfect sense upfront. The processes by which you grow food organically often overlap with how you grow food sustainably. But is that the whole picture? Are there other ways to eat sustainably beyond hunting down organic fare? We’ll discuss it all in this blog.

What is Sustainability?

You’ve probably heard the word sustainability tossed around a lot in the sense of being “good for the environment”. Sustainability is a little bit more specific than that. Sustainability in this case refers to farming practices that ensure that the land can be used continuously for generations to come. Essentially it means getting food in a way that doesn’t harm the ability of future generations to get their food. This can involve the passive selection of land and farming practices. It could also mean actively avoiding things that poison the environment, such as toxic pesticides.

How Do I Eat Sustainably?

When it comes to eating sustainably, there’s no one magical way to affect your impact on the planet. Just picking organic juice cleanses doesn’t mean you’re a fully sustainable person. Indeed, it’s hard to live in the modern world and be fully sustainable. Even if you only ate food you grew yourself, you’d still impact the planet through your regular energy consumption.

It’s better to think of eating sustainably as a menu of options you can take to lower your environmental impact. Here are some ways to get started!

Embrace Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative Agriculture is a massive movement in modern farming. It would take an enormous essay to explain all the intricacies. To understand regenerative agriculture, we’re going to have to get dirty. That’s right – soil. When it comes to farming, the soil is one of the most critical factors in what you can grow, how fast, and how healthy that plant will be. Good healthy soil is going to be full of tons of microorganisms. Many farming practices tend to kill off these microorganisms to maximize a single harvest through processes like deep tillage and monocultures (only growing a single crop in an area). This essentially leads to less fertile soil, which is soil that is less suitable for growth over time. Attempting to move back to more traditional farming practices can help promote overall soil fertility.

You’ll want to buy from producers who only use regenerative farming practices if possible. Obviously, that can sometimes be difficult to figure out. When feasible, try to go for organic products.

Buy Organic

Trying to find out exactly how an individual farm operates is tricky. However, certified organic labels are pretty standard on many modern products. They are a great way to help you identify products grown more sustainably. Generally, organic means that a product is made without harmful artificial accessories, such as toxic pesticides or fertilizers. This means that there is a significant overlap between organic products and ones grown with regenerative agriculture.

(Here’s a great bonus for you – all the veggies in our organic juice cleanses are not only totally organic but guaranteed to be grown with regenerative agriculture. That means that Chef V has a 21 day cleanse that you can order with complete confidence as far as sustainability goes!)

Adopt a Sustainable Diet

Where you get your food is the most critical choice in being sustainable. But you can also gear yourself towards sustainable eating in the choices that you make in your diet. Essentially, different foods are going to have a different environmental impact. Also, suppose you lean too heavily on one kind of food. In that case, you’ll be contributing to the creation of mono farming – bad for the soil, remember?

Most experts recommend a balanced diet that is heavy on fruits and vegetables. Generally, plant products require less from our planet than poultry and fish, which themselves require less than red meats. Including more fruits and veggies in your diet can help be more sustainable – but don’t consider this a cureall. Try to do your research on standard farming practices for specific products. For example, many people want to move to plant-based milk to be more sustainable – but almonds specifically take up a massive amount of water to grow.

Avoid Food Waste

When it comes to being more sustainable, your head may be spinning at all the research you need to do. Want an easy way to be sustainable? Avoid food waste. Whether you eat it or not, wasted food is food that needed energy and soil to create, but for no benefit.

Making sure to carefully consider and manage your portion choices isn’t just a great way to be more sustainable. It can also help with your weight loss goals. Other ways to avoid weight loss are pretty simple. Try to repurpose leftovers whenever possible. Do your best to meal plan to prevent food from going bad. All minor changes, but all easy ways to be a more sustainable human being.

Eat Local

When we think about sustainability, we often laser focus on farming practices. And that makes sense, of course. You can’t be sustainable without sustainable farming. But what about the rest of the agricultural process? Food doesn’t magically teleport from the farm to your plate. It needs to be packaged, processed in at least some way, and then delivered to you.

Moving food around can cause a lot of energy waste and pollution, especially if it’s traveling long distances. Your 21 day detox can be filled with totally organic products, but is it sustainable if it needs to be frozen and then transported across the country?

Thankfully, Chef V’s organic juice cleanse is made fresh and delivered quickly to you, with distribution centers depending on which part of the country you’re in. This makes our organic juice cleanses fresher and more nutritious, but it also cuts down on your environmental impact. Since you’ll be mostly cutting back on solid foods, your organic juice cleanse isn’t just great for you; it’s great for the planet too!

Popular Juices, Judged

A glass of juice is often seen as a healthy companion to any meal. But are all juices really that good for you? Which juices come out victorious on the health front when you measure them up against each other? We’ll go over some of the most popular juices in this blog and see which come out on top. Whether you’re looking for detox juices or green drink ingredients, you’ll see that not all juices are rated equally!

The Whole Story

Of course, ranking juices will involve a good deal of subjectivity. The reason is that the specific brand of juice will have a lot more to do with its overall healthiness. You could take the healthiest fruits and veggies in the world, make a juice out of them, but still ruin it by adding way too much refined sugar, additives and preservatives.

It’s tricky to judge cocktails of different fruits and veggies mixed together (like in our green drink). With these, you’ll have to study the nutritional info provided carefully.

In general, your best bet when looking for healthy juices is to try and find examples that are low in sugar, 100% organic, and are filled with ingredients that give you plenty of nutrients and minerals. That said, let’s rank some of your favorite juices.

Orange Juice

Orange juice is a breakfast staple, so it makes sense that we’d start here. Despite being at many a breakfast table, you don’t always see orange juice in a leading role in many detox juices. Orange juice does have a lot going for it – it’s a great source of vitamin C, naturally sweet and comes in many different varieties. However, it does tend to be lower on many other essential nutrients. For example, you won’t find much in the way of antioxidants in a glass of OJ. Also, orange juice often gets overrated on health benefits because it usually has other nutrients added to it such as fiber or vitamin D – but this can also mean extra preservatives added. Fresh orange juice makes a refreshing treat, but don’t rely on it as a staple for a healthy diet.

Tomato Juice

Tomato juice is one of the most underrated juices out there – likely because people tend to value the sweetness of fruit juice. However, if you’re looking for a low-sugar juice, tomato juice is absolutely the way to go. It’s also lovely as a vegetable juice that comes with lots of the good stuff, from lycopene to potassium. Being so nutritious, you won’t suffer from the side effects of more “empty juices,” such as the infamous celery juice headaches.

Cranberry Juice

When it comes to the fruit side of the juice scale, cranberry juice is definitely overlooked. Cranberry juice is full of antioxidants and vitamin C and is also low in sugar. Ironically, the one problem you might find while enjoying a serving of cranberry juice is the lack of sugar. Some people find unrefined cranberry juice to be a little sour, which leads many brands to add in a sweetener additive. This ends up ruining what made cranberry juice so great in the first place. Try to find low-sugar versions and look away from the cranberry cocktails, and you won’t be disappointed.

Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice could maybe be even more underrated than cranberry juice. This is a shame since it’s filled with great antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, as well as excellent immune system support. Pomegranate juice is a popular option in most health food stores but can end up being on the more expensive side. Pomegranate kernels each have a small edible seed within them, making them very fibrous and yielding less juice.

Carrot Juice

If it’s good enough for Bugs Bunny, good enough for you, right? Carrot juice marries the low sugar content of tomato juice with a ton of vitamin A and beta-carotene, which are great for helping combat the signs of aging.

Celery Juice

Celery juice has become pretty popular as a modern “cure-all” among some people. It’s certainly got some anti-inflammatory properties, but so do a lot of the juices we’ve talked about. Drinking a lot of celery juice is also good for hydration – but then so is water. So does celery juice really work as a good detox juice? It’s not necessarily bad, but there are a lot of celery juice side effects that you’re going to have to deal with, from digestive issues to the infamous celery juice headaches. These mostly come from the fact that there’s not a lot of anything in celery. It’s not unhealthy, but it’s not a miracle cure.

Apple Juice

When it comes to taste, apple juice can’t be beaten. If you’re looking for a healthy sweetener for another juice, there’s not much better. That’s why apple juice is such a key component in our own green drink! However, a lot of apple juice you find on its own may be high in sugar. Also, juiced apples are sometimes missing the vital ingredients that are found in the peels of apples. This makes apple juice often a better ingredient than a juice to enjoy on its own.

Grape Juice

Grape juice is another staple on many tables across the country. Grapes are a popular fruit for a reason, since they’re perfect for your heart health. That’s why a glass of wine once in a while is considered a healthy habit. However, it must be warned that a lot of grape juice comes in versions that are very high in added sugar and from concentrate.

Mango Juice

We have time to squeeze in one last underrated fruit juice. Mango is known as the “king of fruits” by many, and for good reason. Mango is great for helping you boost your immunity and manage your blood pressure. Low sugar versions of mango juice are a delicious addition to any meal.

Chef V’s Green Drink

Chef V’s Green Drink is a powerfully potent detox juice in its own right. Mixing the best of greens with delicious apple juice is a recipe for delicious success. You get all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you need in a great-tasting package.

Better yet, if you live in the Chef V delivery zone, you can get our green drink right at your doorstep. What’s not to love?

Our Top Tips for a Healthy Morning Routine

Any day is only as good as its start. Developing a healthy morning routine is the best way to make sure that you kick butt every single day. A healthy morning routine is essential if you’re taking part in a juice diet or a detox juice cleanse. Count this doubly if you’re going for a 7 day juice cleanse or even longer.

Of course, there’s more to healthy morning routines than just green juice. This blog covers some tips to get that little extra boost of health and energy in your mornings – of course, with a bit of help from Chef V’s green drink! We’ll be running this blog as a list – make sure to read more of our content for continuous great health tips.

Prepare the Night Before

Before you even actually start your day, you can still get ready for a great morning. No one wants to scramble to find the things they need while the clock is ticking or when they’re still a little sleepy. By prepping all you need for work or school the night before, you can simply grab and go when getting ready for work. This means prepping your lunch bag with your juices for the day and filling up your water bottle. Or even setting out your clothing to minimize morning indecision.

Cold Showers

Let’s start off with a shock, shall we? Some people prefer cold showers to give them the quick burst of energy that comes with being doused in chilly water. Getting energy without any food or drink needed is always a plus. However, there’s also an indication that a burst of cold water in the morning can boost your endorphin levels, circulation, and metabolism. Pretty good for such an easy wake-up step, isn’t it?

Cut the Coffee

We know, coffee is an essential part of so many morning routines. And you need that energy, right? But is coffee really worth it? The energy it gives is only temporary and can lead to caffeine addiction and withdrawal. And that’s before we take into account the fat and sugar that many of us dump into our brews to make them more palatable.

Plenty of Water

After you wake up, it will probably have been eight hours or so before your last drink of water. Good hydration is vital to consistent health and energy. Make sure that you get enough to drink in the morning, and you’ll feel great for the rest of the day.

Morning Exercises

What? Exercise when you’re at your most tired?

No, we’re not crazy. Just a little bit of exercise will get your blood pumping and your energy levels rising. Just 10 minutes of yoga can go a long way toward giving you a burst of energy for the day and a healthy amount of blood circulation and muscle activity. A quick walk is also a great way to get that blood pumping and some fresh air.

Mental Preparation

If you’re already in the mindset that you’re going to have a bad day, well, spoilers – you’re probably going to have a bad day. Starting off with a positive attitude is vital. If you’re into it, a quick morning meditation session can be a fantastic way to center yourself and get ready to kick the day’s butt. Meditation is also a great way to reduce stress and lower your blood pressure.

Give Yourself Time

You don’t need to go for full meditation to have a mentally healthy morning. Sometimes the best way to cut back on stress is to give yourself plenty of time. Don’t just rush to the shower and out the door. Give yourself time to sit down, maybe enjoy a podcast or some music. This also gives you the chance to do things like write to-do lists for the day or write in a journal.

This lets you prep things for when you come home tired at the end of the day. If the dishes are already done or the garbage already taken out, that’s one more thing you don’t have to worry about. Getting chores done in the morning can be much more effective than doing them in the evening when you’re all tuckered out from a day at work.

A Low Carb Start

We’re always told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Debatably true, but why do we have this hammered into us? Is it maybe so we’ll buy tons of oatmeal, cereal, and juices? A hearty breakfast sounds like a decent idea – if you’re in a field involving a lot of manual labor. For everyone else, this is a massive carb overload. This will lead to a blood sugar spike and then the inevitable blood sugar crash. Not all the coffee in the world will give you your energy back.

Despite what the breakfast pundits will tell you, you don’t need to load up on carbs to have a productive day. Keeping it light is often the best way to go. And the best way to go light, of course, is just enjoying a simple green drink or green smoothie. This way, you get all the nutrition and hydration you need without all the carbs weighing you down.

And if you’re looking for the best green drinks out there, look no further. With Chef V’s green drink delivery, you can make sure you’re getting a ton of great green drinks, ready for every single morning!

Walking: Your Secret Fitness Weapon

Everyone has their favorite methods to get their body moving and blood pumping. And with the weather getting a little warmer in most places, there’s an even greater chance to get outside. We’re sure you’re all planning out how to get some serious cardio and jogging into your schedules. However, lower impact exercises shouldn’t be forgotten – especially for those currently on a Chef V cleanse.

As far as low-impact exercises go, few are as underrated as walking. Not to say that active people hate walking – it just tends to be something that we take for granted. However, there are many more benefits to walking than you might realize. We’ll cover just a few of them here.

Health Benefits of Walking

Is a longer or a shorter workout better or more effective? Should you workout very hard in quick bursts or stretch out your activity? Everyone has a different opinion. Really, the best workout is the one that you, personally, will actually stick with and not drop a few weeks after your New Year’s resolutions.

In this case of incorporating movement when juice cleansing, we’re going to hone in on a “long” workout here – the benefit of lengthy walks. Getting your body moving outdoors can have some surprising benefits, including the following.

Weight Loss

Even people who love walking as their preferred means of exercise don’t often think of it as a real calorie burner. Indeed, short walks may not produce significant weight loss – though they could help keep away weight gain.

There’s a lot of “secret” weight loss power waiting to be unlocked in walking. If you increase your walk times to just an hour or more, move faster, or stick to rugged terrain (think hills and steep inclines), the calorie-burning power of walking starts to get much more noticeable.

Of course, how effective walking is for weight loss depends on the person. If you have a higher BMI, it’s more effort to carry your weight around. This means that walking will actually cause you to burn more calories. Walking also gets your metabolism going, so it’s perfect for people who tend to put on weight quickly.

Heart Health

Walking isn’t just about burning calories. It also helps to pick up your heart rate and boost your blood circulation. A little walking around 30-40 minutes every day can go a long way toward improving your heart health and help get your blood pressure under control. If you’re getting detox juices and green drinks to target your blood pressure, why not throw a small but mighty walk into the mix?

Lung Health

It’s not just about the fresh air – but that’s a nice bonus. Just like walking gets your heart working that little bit harder, it gives your lungs some much-needed oxygen and exercise. In fact, many doctors recommend light walks to deal with inflammatory lung diseases.

Joint Health

Walking’s benefit on blood flow isn’t just good for the heart. More blood flow around your body means that more blood flow is going to the areas of your body that are heavy in cartilage. This connective tissue helps cushion the joints between your bones. Better support for your cartilage helps keep your joints healthy and stave off arthritis later in life. The movement of your muscles is also great for helping protect your joints from health issues. And just like getting hydrated with detox juice and green drink, walking helps make sure your joints are consistently receiving enough lubrication.

Immune Boosting

Boosting your blood flow also helps the cells that make up your immune system travel around your body more efficiently. This helps to ensure that your immune system is performing effectively. Exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect, which takes some of the hard work off of your immune system and lets it focus on fighting diseases. Plus, your immune system does better when you’re low on stress. And speaking of…

Brain Health

During a brisk walk, your body releases endorphins. These help reduce the stress-causing hormones in your body and can even help combat mild depression. Walking has been linked to improvements in mood and self-esteem. And that’s before we count the benefits of taking a break from work to enjoy the outdoors and fresh air. (If you walk with friends, the stress-busting benefits are even more fantastic!)

However, the benefit to your brain from walking could go beyond just reducing stress. Walking has been linked to improved cognitive function and memory as well.

The Importance of a Low Impact Workout

So, I think we’ve now established that walking is great. But this has a special meaning for anything interested in doing a juice cleanse. While you’re on a detox juice cleanse to lose weight, many exercises are a little too hardcore. After all, the point of exercise is burning calories – and when you’re on a detox juice cleanse, you’re going to be shedding those calories quickly.

Of course, exercise isn’t just about weight loss. You need to stay active to get your blood pumping and muscles moving, even if just a little. Walking is a great “low impact” exercise while tackling a detox juice cleanse, from the 3 day cleanse to the 7 day cleanse. While you could try something more ambitious, it’s always the best idea to listen to your body and only take on exercises that you feel comfortable with. Upping your walking pace is also a great way to segway into more extensive activities post-cleanse.

Of course, we’ll give more guidance on proper cleanse care with our cleanse instructions – so go pick the cleanse that seems right for you, and get started today!

Why Weight Loss Matters

If you are interested in low sugar juice cleanses, there is a good chance it’s because you want to lose weight. There’s no reason to be embarrassed by this fact. Let’s be blunt – obesity and weight issues are an epidemic in America. And it’s been a long standing national issue for so long that many of us simply take it as the way things are. However, being overweight isn’t something that should be ignored. Here, we’ll go in-depth over the dangers of being overweight, ways you can address this issue, and Chef V Cleanse weight loss tips. Whether you want to just lose a few pounds, or go for a serious 21 day juice fast for weight loss, Chef V is here to help with your weight loss goals.

Dangers of Weight Gain
We won’t go too much into the definitions of being overweight or obese. As a rule of thumb, you can use Body Mass Index as a way to calculate the appropriate weight for your height and age.

When it comes to the danger of being overweight, there are some a few factors you should be aware of. Many people know that being overweight is extremely dangerous for our hearts and arteries, and increases the chance of high blood pressure, heart diseases, and stroke. Many are also aware that being overweight is linked with the development of type 2 diabetes.

However, there’s a lot more risk to being overweight than that. Being overweight can damage organs beyond the heart, such as leading to gallbladder issues. Carrying the extra weight can also end up doing damage to the cartilage within your joints, leading to arthritis – which can start a dangerous spiral of making exercise painful to partake in.

Being overweight or obese can also increase the chance of developing sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, leading to a lack of sleep that can create further health issues. More subtly, weight loss can lead to imbalances in the brain, creating issues such as depression or anxiety. It’s no wonder that there are many people out there who try maintain a healthy body weight range.

Is it Possible to Lose Weight?

We hear about weight loss success stories all the time. We see them online, on the front cover of magazines or on tv commericals. The truth is, there’s no magic product that can make you lose all your excess weight. Plenty of people out there do their best to try and lose weight and still fail.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that just because you tried to lose weight and it didn’t work, doesn’t mean that it’s entirely out of reach for you; It just requires good planning. One of the most common ways that weight loss plans fail is because it’s not permanent – the weight just comes back. Permanent weight loss requires a permanent shift, a plan and a lifestyle change, though that could be difficult to get started.

How to Lose Weight

When it comes to losing weight, most of you probably already understand the basics. If there’s one rule to take away, it’s that there is no magic potion or formula that will just get you losing weight. The more exercise you partake in, the easier it will be to lose weight. The healthier you eat, the easier it will be to lose weight. The fewer calories you intake, the more weight you will see being dropped on the scale. Here at Chef V, we are not suggesting that you stop eating to lose weight. We believe in making healthy choices to achieve your weight loss goals.

The basics are easy, but as in everything, execution can often be much harder. Just trying to “eat less food” or fast for a period of time will often just end up causing the proverbial pendulum to swing the other way, as you start to overeat and binge eat in accordance with your new hunger cravings.

It’s important, then, not just to try to cut back on calories and carbs, but to try to get your blood sugar levels under control. Spiking and crashing blood sugar levels can leave us lethargic, or craving food. This can make it hard to get the exercise we need and to keep up with our healthy eating.

Losing Weight With Low Sugar Juice Cleanses

So it’s pretty easy to get a grasp on the idea that if you want to lose weight, you need to cut down on foods that are high in fats and sugars. In particular, sugar is a significant cause of a lot of weight gain out there. Getting a handle on your sugar cravings is key to getting a handle on your weight loss.

This is one reason why low sugar juice cleanses are such an effective tool in helping with weight loss, and why so many people have found success through Chef V Cleanse weight loss green drinks. But how exactly does a low sugar juice cleanse help?

Firstly, while you’re undergoing a blended juice cleanse, whether a short-term one or a 21-day juice fast for weight loss, you are dramatically cutting back on carbs and calories. However, you’re also lowering your sugar intake, which stops blood sugar spikes. On top of this, you are detoxing your gut, and promoting more effective digestion.

All this means that a low sugar juice cleanse won’t only help you lose weight, but can help you cut the cravings that would cause you to put that weight right back on again.

Of course, just moving on to a juice cleanse after unhealthy eating can be difficult. And just trying to starve yourself isn’t particularly healthy either. This is where Chef V’s juice cleanses really have the chance to shine.

We don’t just provide bottled juice and expect you to make it through a 21-day juice fast for weight loss. Rather, we make sure to provide a mix of healthy green drinks as well as protein-providing detox shakes, and fiber-providing detox soups.

This means that Chef V provides low sugar juice cleanses that you can actually, you know, finish. And if you can gain the confidence from completing them, you can have the confidence to tackle any and all of your weight loss goals.

Why Plant-Based Pea Protein Rocks

A good 21 day juice cleanse will ensure that you’re getting all the nutrients you need to carry you through to the end. Many of these nutrients are pretty easy to include – fruits and vegetables tend to be heavily packed with all the good stuff.

Protein is generally the more difficult nutrient to get efficiently through your juices during a juice cleanse. However, there are some options for those willing to do the research. A great way to get protein during a 21 day juice cleanse is through protein smoothie recipes for intermittent fasting. And the best way to put protein in those shakes is through pea protein.

Why Protein Matters

So what’s the big deal with getting protein during a juice cleanse? Isn’t the point of a juice cleanse to drop high-protein and high-fat foods like meats and other animal products?

The thing is, protein is about as essential as nutrients get. Pretty much everything in your body consists of protein to some degree. In order for your body to build and maintain energy and repair itself, you’re going to need a source of protein in your diet.

This is especial during a blended juice cleanse. If you aren’t getting protein, you will feel terribly uncomfortable as a 21 day cleanse progresses. You’ll be very low energy and lathargic which will lead to irritability, lack of focus and dizziness. You’re also much more likely to simply give up on it halfway through. And yet, a lot of high-protein foods are also high in fats or carbs?

Here’s where pea protein comes in.

Why Pea Protein?

As the name suggests, pea protein is a protein source that has been isolated or concentrated out of peas, generally yellow peas. This pea protein can then be added to things like detox smoothie recipes for intermittent fasting. So why not just toss whole, raw peas in there?

Well, firstly, peas, as much as we love them, don’t necessarily blend well taste-wise into juices or smoothies. The creamy texture of pea protein powder is also much easier to work into a detox smoothie. More importantly, you can get more bang for your buck by extracting the protein from the pea vegetable. Pea protein powder will have double or triple the protein of the same amount of peas.

So pea protein powder brings its A-game to protein, sure. But why use it over other protein options? Well, there are plenty of reasons, including some of the following:

#1 Vegan
If you want a vegan option for getting your protein, pea protein is a great way to go. There’s no need to get your protein from any animal product, making it one of the most widely associated forms of protein.

#2 Hypoallergenic
Some of you are probably naming some other plant-based protein sources right now. Some of these are great, sure, but can also be allergenic. Take, for instance, protein gained from nuts. Pea protein is hypoallergenic, meaning it’s safe for everyone. No gluten, lactose, or anything else allergenic.

#3 Easily Digestible
Measured against other options, pea protein is very gentle on your stomach. This means that more protein actually gets into your body, and you don’t have to worry about your detox smoothies giving you any digestive issues.

#4 High in Iron
Do you know what else your body needs apart from protein? Iron. Do you know what has a ton of iron and protein? Pea protein powder. This means pea protein won’t just keep you full and healthy, but energetic as well.

Check Out our Detox Smoothies

At Chef V, we want to create the healthiest blended juice cleanse products possible that are also achievable by anyone. No starving out and giving up with us. That’s why we include detox smoothies full of pea protein in our 21 day juice cleanses. Make sure to check them out today!

What to Eat After a 21 Day Juice Cleanse

You did it! You finished that juice cleanse. Whether a 3 day detox or an impressive 21 day cleanse, you should be rightfully proud of your accomplishments. After a 21 day juice fast, you’re surely going to be eager to get back to a regular meal schedule. Before you put down that green drink and pick up a burger, you might want to consider planning out your post-juice cleanse meals. We’ll provide a guide here.

General Guide to Eating After a Juice Cleanse

You are going to want to go big after a juice cleanse. We get it. However, you want to make the most out of your 21 day cleanse. This means that you will have to be thoughtful and strategic as you come out of your juice cleanse. Your digestive system is going to be used to taking in a lot of green drinks, detox soups, and detox smoothies. This means that it’s not the best idea to leap right into big heavy meals. Here are some things consider during your meal planning in the days post-cleanse.

Be Mindful of Eating: You can easily make yourself sick by binge eating or eating too quickly after a long 21 day juice cleanse. Eat slowly and steadily as well as paying attention to your hunger levels. The simplest and best idea is to start with small meals and reduced portion sizes. This keeps your digestive system happy by gently reintroducing foods into your diet again and prevents suddenly regaining your lost weight.

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine: Cut back on alcoholic drinks and caffeinated beverages for the moment. Your digestive system isn’t going to be quite ready for them yet. If you’re out with friends, try a fun mocktail made with club soda and fruit juice (in moderation of course – they can be packed with sugar!). There are also a great array of decaf teas and coffee’s you can try instead of your morning cup of joe.

Keep Sugar Intake Low: Your 21 day cleanse should have done a good job at helping you beat your sugar cravings. Lean into this. Try to go for foods that are low in sugar, and don’t give in and binge on the sweet stuff. If you really feel yourself about to cave, try drinking some water. Most times, we are just thirsty and we get our bodily cues mixed up. Or reach for a piece of fruit!

Eat Whole Foods: Eating whole foods will give you more of the nutrients you need, without adding in anything that could be damaging to your health. This includes unprocessed and fresh produce. Whole grains, seasonal vegetables, fish, meats, meat alternatives, legumes and beans are just a few really great options to start with.

Drink Plenty of Water: This one is huge. Drinking water will keep your health and let you better manage your appetite.

Ideas for Post 21 Day Cleanse Meals

All those tips are well and good. But what should you actually be eating within those rules? It’s a good idea to develop a meal plan with some healthy options. You can use the meal plan format to slowly increase your meals’ size after your 12 day cleanse. Take these ideas to get you started.

* Soups: Soups are known for being easy on the digestive system. They can also be super healthy! Ingredients like pumpkins, squashes, and leafy greens are good places to start.

* Salads: After plenty of green drinks, salads are a natural way to return to a regular diet after a 21 day cleanse. You want to make sure to prioritize salads that feature plenty of leafy greens.

* Fruit Dishes: If you’re looking for snacks after your 21 day cleanse, fruit is the way to go. This is a safe way to satisfy your sweet tooth without overloading with sugar. Fruit salads and fruit parfaits with yogurt are the way to go here.

* Healthy Fats: Once you’ve started to move back to regular eating with salads and soups, you’ll want to start upping your intake of more substantial foods. Try to keep it to healthy fats – dishes with avocados and nuts will be winners here.

Of course, no matter what you eat after your 21 day juice cleanse, you can always boost your nutritional value with Chef V’s Green Drink. You can get it delivered fresh, right to your doorstep.

Best Countries to Go Vegan

It might be presumption to say that going vegan is the way of the future. Still, finding vegan food options is much easier in some places compared to twenty, or even ten years ago. That said, the vegan revolution has hit different parts of the globe at different levels. Some places its easy to get a green drink delivery. Other places it can be quite difficult to find people who know what a good green drink should contain! As a quick guide to hungry world travelers, here’s some countries that are considered great places for vegans to live, travel and eat.

The United States

Of course, we have to put the USA on here. After all, its the one place in the world (as of now) that you can get a delicious Chef V green drink delivery, right to your door!

We are being serious here. The US has a bad reputation as a difficult place for vegans among many foreigners, due to the slow start that the vegan movement had here. The US is also associated heavily with high fat and calorically dense foods that aren’t the best for our overall and long term health..

However, current stats show that 6% of Americans are vegan, and that number is steadily growing. More impressively, many Americans are looking to cut back on the meat they eat in their diet. As a caveat, the vegan love in America is somewhat unequally shared. If you want great vegan eating, then make sure to join us on the west coast!

Canada

If we’re going to mention the United States, it’s unfair to not mention Canada as well. The two countries have many places that have similar cultures, and that holds true for their attitudes towards veganism as well. The best places to get vegan food in Canada are going to be the larger cities, which mix together vegan options from all over the world.

Over the last few years, many restaurants have opened their eyes to the vegan community. Chains, dine in restaurants and mom and pop restaurants are offering at least a few vegan friendly options. Making their menus more accessible to a broader audience.

The United Kingdom

This one might seem surprising to many. England is best known for fish and chips and sausages, right? Traditionally, you might be right, but something big is stirring in the British Isles. Veganism has taken off in a big way over there. Especially notable hotspots are cities like Bristol and Brighton. It seems like concerns about health are fueling this sudden takeoff in vegan options in the UK.

Germany

If there’s a country more associated with sausages than Britain, it has to be Germany. Continental Europe is known for its love of meat and dairy dishes after all. However, Germany might surprise you in this regard. German’s secret vegan power is its innovation. More new vegan products are launched in Germany than even in the United States! With an estimated 1 in 10 German youths being vegan, it seems that green drinks and the like are very trendy here.

Indonesia

Many people aren’t aware that some of the best countries to go vegan can be found in the Muslim world. With foods like hummus and falafel being staples, however, you’ll certainly find lots of tasty options in this country.

And in the Muslim World, Indonesia shines as the crown jewel of vegan cuisine. Dishes like Balinese Urab have captured the imaginations of vegans around the globe. If you’re looking for new vegan dishes to try out, Indonesia is the place to look.

Israel

If a country can hope to lay claim to the vegan crown, we might have to award it to Israel. This country manages to mix together the vegan cuisine of Arabic countries, the vegan ingenuity of Europe, and the plant-based zeal of the most vegan-friendly cities in America. Over 5% of Israelis are fully vegan. When new vegan products are created, there’s a good chance that they came from Israel.

No matter what country you go to, Chef V wishes you the best of eating on your vegan journeys. And if you return to one of the states where we deliver, we have our green drink delivery waiting just for you!

There are so many human enthusiasts of our Chef V green drink that we sometimes forget all our four-legged fans. However, animals love our green drink, proving that pets can be just as intelligent as their owners. While you’re giving your pet some of your delicious green juice delivery, did you ever realize that they’re giving you just as much of a health benefit? Pets are one of the best secrets to a healthy life. We’ll explain here.

Pets and Physical Health

You might figure that pets are good for you since they’re fun to have around. And being able to relax and have fun is always good for you, right? But did you know pets have physical benefits as well?

Firstly, pets like dogs will require that you get out and walk them every once in a while. This means that just by owning a dog, you’re automatically getting more exercise than you usually would. (Low impact exercise like dog walking, by the way, pairs great with a 3 day juice cleanse!)

Owning pets also has been linked with a reduction in allergies, particularly if you start interacting with pets at a young age. Humans are animals, after all, and living too sterile a life can leave us unprepared for the more infectious parts of nature. Having plants and animals around helps us keep our immune system ready to roll at any time.

And if you have a health condition, having pets around is excellent insurance. Some pets can smell the effects of things like diabetes. There are even trained diabetic alert dogs and seizure alert dogs that can help save lives. When they said dogs were man’s best friend, they weren’t joking.

Pets and Mental Health

The idea that pets benefit your mental health is a no-brainer. Everyone wants to be loved, and pets give love unconditionally. Staving off loneliness is worth getting a pet on its own, helping you battle conditions like acute anxiety or depression. (Pet’s are also a great excuse to get out and meet with other pet owners, strengthening your social circles). Some of the different ways pets improve your mental wellness might surprise you.

For example, did you know that owning pets can reduce your blood pressure? Petting animals seems to reduce a hormone that helps regulate stress levels in humans.

The happiness that pets bring can also cause your body to release more endorphins. These hormones are some of the most potent pain relievers humans can naturally produce. This means that having pets around is a way to combat chronic pain.

Pet’s Love Chef V!

Pet’s and Chef V products are a natural pairing. Both help you with your physical health, and both make you feel great at the same time. If you’re taking a break to enjoy a 3-day juice cleanse, there’s no better way to spend it than chilling out with your pet.

What’s great about Chef V is that it’s made from entirely organic, natural ingredients. This means that it’s perfectly safe to share with most pets. So if you have cats or dogs, pour them out a little bit of green drink. From our experience, they’ll love it just as much as you do – so make sure to save some of that green drink for yourself.

Of course, our green drink is always best enjoyed fresh. So make sure to order your Chef V green juice delivery today!

Weight loss is a challenge no matter the time of year. Whether you’re working out or trying low sugar juice cleanses, staying fit is a lifelong commitment. And yet, some times of the year are more challenging than others. Some of our readers may be in places where winter is just a distant worry, while others are still having to shovel the snow.

These can be some of the most challenging times to stay fit for those who have to deal with months of ice and darkness. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some ways that you can beat the winter woes and keep that healthy edge – with a bit of help from Chef V cleanse for weight loss, of course.

What Makes Winter So Tough on Weight Control?

There are quite a few challenges that winter poses to a healthy living regime. Just how much of a roadblock winter can be to your health goals very much depends on where you are in the world.

For many, the weather will absolutely prevent you from leaving your home. If you live in the Mid West, you know exactly what we’re talking about. This means that your regular exercise options such as an outdoor way are limited. If you don’t have easy access to a gym or workout equipment at home, you’re going to have to rethink your exercise plans.

People have always realized that winter is a miserable slog. This is why our ancestors decided that this would be the perfect time to put as many holidays as possible to try and cheer us all up. While a nice thought, big holiday meals tend not to be the best for your waistline. From huge Christmas dinners to New Years Eve snacks to Valentine’s Day chocolate, the cold months are associated with tons and tons of fatty and sweet food.

Despite all that festive cheer, many of us still feel pretty down during the winter. A lack of sunlight and Vitamin D can cause a downturn in the brightest person’s mood. This can then cause a lack of motivation and energy to get active and eat right. Once you fall off the healthy lifestyle wagon, getting back on board can be pretty tricky.

Of course, all these worries pale in comparison to the fact that winter tends to be the season of health bugs, bacteria, and viruses. This is the time when flu, colds, and other diseases tend to spread the furthest and the fastest. If you’re not feeling well or bedridden, you’re not going to be getting activities.

So what are you to do during those chilly months?

Exercising in Winter

At some point, you have to get some exercise. Even if you’re in the middle of a low sugar juice cleanse or a long 21-day detox, you should be moving your body around a little bit. While winter can be brutal to be active, it doesn’t need to be.

Firstly, have you considered picking up some winter sports? Depending on where you live, skiing or skating could be an option. You might need to pack on some extra clothes, but winter hiking can be just as enjoyable as walks in warmer weather. If you get outside, you’ll also maximize what little sunlight you get, which is good for keeping up your Vitamin D.

Some days, Mother Nature will decide on there being a snowstorm. You’re going to need a plan to get active even as you’re stuck inside. If you have home workout equipment, that’s great, but not all of us are that lucky.

Thankfully, there are ways to stay active even while stuck inside. With the help of an online fitness video, aerobic exercises are one method. Yoga is also an option to keep active if you have no other equipment to use. Plus, yoga is a great low impact exercise to do if you’re on, say, a low sugar juice cleanse.

Mindful Winter Eating

The temptation is natural to go into hibernation mode in the winter. Eat a whole lot of food, then sleep the darker months away. However, people aren’t bears. Hibernation or dormancy aren’t going to work for your health. You need to do your best to make sure that you stick to healthy eating habits. Go for a regular meal schedule, and avoid holiday binging or excessive snacking.

You’re going to be especially tempted to load up on sweet treats during the holiday season. This might be enjoyable at first, but we both know you’re going to suffer from a severe sugar crash later on. This is why it’s a good idea to search for some vegan, low-sugar options this holiday season.

Enjoy a Blended Juice Cleanse

When it comes to handling your weight in the winter, a blended juice cleanse is going to be your secret weapon. In fact, winter can be one of the best times to tackle something like a 21-day detox.

There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, you’re more likely to have time off or time at home during the winter. This is the best time to do a blended juice cleanse, as you don’t need to worry about focusing on anything else. You can relax, chill out, and enjoy your cleanse.

Being stuck inside isn’t as bad when you’re on a blended juice cleanse. You don’t want to be doing intense exercise in the middle of a 21-day detox, so having your exercise routine limited to low-impact activities is perfect.

A low sugar juice cleanse is the perfect way to help get your body sugar under control after some holiday binging. Better yet, it’s a way to help quickly shed a lot of that winter weight. So relax, pick your favorite cleanse, and let Chef V help you make it through the winter!

It’s one of the most talked-about health issues today, but not everyone is aware of what inflammation is, or why it's a risk to your health. This piece explains the ins and outs of inflammation, including the foods that cause inflammation – and the foods that fight it. This, of course, includes all the great things you’ll find in a low sugar juice cleanse.

What is Inflammation?

If you ever had an injury that got even mildly infected, you might have remembered the vivid redness. Inflammation is a result of your body trying to protect itself. Whenever your body has to deal with infection or injury, it releases chemicals to try to kill off bacteria. These chemicals are called cytokines.

Cytokines can be considered your body’s weapons against infection. However, like any weapon, they are best used responsibly. Think of them like firearms. You want the military and maybe the police to mainly have access to them. If you start giving everyone in a city a handgun, that’s not automatically leading to safer neighborhoods – especially if you have a lot of irresponsible owners.

In this metaphor, you can think of your white blood cells as your body’s army. The “problem owners?” Those would be your fat cells. Yep, your fat cells can make cytokines too. Excess fat cells in your body can start “firing off” cytokines even if there isn’t a real emergency. And they’ll start to do a lot of damage in their reckless use of cytokines.

Dangers Of Inflammation

If you undergo too much inflammation, eventually it’s going to start affecting even your perfectly healthy tissues. This turns your body into a warzone, even if there are no enemy bacteria inside to fight. And the effects can be severely harmful to your body.

Acute inflammation, where the inflammation briefly appears to deal with an issue and then abates, is normal. Chronic inflammation (where the inflammation persists) has been linked to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and even cancer.

What’s worrying is that plenty of chronic inflammation can be happening inside your body, without you noticing. Many of the symptoms of inflammation are also easy to mistake for other issues. These include joint pain, fatigue, and headaches.

How to Beat Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is serious, but there are ways to combat it. Doing so should involve a two-part approach. Firstly, you want to try to alleviate the inflammation itself. Secondly, you want to reduce your number of fat cells, such as through a juice detox diet.

Alleviating the inflammation can be done with medication, but it’s also achievable with choices in diet. Some foods are considered to be “anti-inflammatory” – which includes a lot of fruits and vegetables.

On the flip side, foods that are high in processed sugar or fats tend to promote inflammation. If you have a craving for sugary or fatty foods, you might want to look into a low sugar juice cleanse detox to help you cut back.

To prevent more inflammation, one of the best things you can do is try to lose weight. Making sure that you are getting enough exercise is very important. As is developing a diet that is low in fats, carbs, and processed sugars.

If you want to try and cut down on your weight faster, you should look into a juice cleanse detox, like our 21 day detox. A juice cleanse detox is a great way to quickly shed the fat cells that could be causing inflammation in your body. A low sugar juice cleanse is also a great way to help kick sugar cravings, leaving you ready for an inflammation-free future.