juices, smoothies & spring water

Last week my mum and I went on a road trip and visited the natural spring at Mt Donna Buang, which is near Warburton in Victoria, Australia, so that we could collect spring water. It was so refreshing to breathe in such a beautiful, almost untouched place where the water continuously flows up from the ground! The spring water we collected was cold, clear, and best of all, uncontaminated. Pure, clean water! Take a moment with me to think about how sick dirty water can make you; imagine how well clean water could make you. The water that comes out of our own ecosystem is the water that is the healthiest for our body. After less than one day of drinking this water my energy levels improved and my stamina increased. After less than a week of drinking this water the pain and swelling associated with the arthritis in the little finger on my mum's right hand has eased and is better than it has been in a long time. There's something in the spring water!!! Or maybe, there's something that's not in the spring water...

The human body made up of 60-70% water. The water we drink is even more important than the food we eat. If you don't have access to a natural spring at least look into drinking filtered water. The water coming from your tap is not clean and is not chemical-free. If you want to eliminate toxins and heavy metals from your diet, you need to change the water you are drinking. Spring water is the best choice!

Now for a topic change. Out in the health and wellness world there exists an ongoing debate about whether juices or smoothies are the better choice for, well, health and wellness. I personally think that both should play a role in our diets. To simplify this ongoing debate think about it like this: juices are medicine, smoothies are meals.

I've found that taking this approach makes the juice or smoothie decision easier. If I want to increase my nutrients I choose a juice, which is absorbed within 15 minutes, and if I am hungry and want my body to be satiated I choose a smoothie. My breakfast is half a litre of a green smoothie every day, which is not only easy on my digestive system due to the fruit and greens being blended, but a smoothie keeps me full throughout the morning and gives me energy throughout the day.

carrapple juice

This juice is a twist on an old favourite of mine that I grew up drinking - apple juice! But, this is the real thing. No preservatives, no concentrates, no refined sugar. You are drinking a concoction of beta-carotene from the carrots, a precursor for vitamin A, which is vital for healthy hair growth, quercetin from the apples, an antioxidant compound that prevents cellular damage, and vitamin C from the lemon, which aids your digestion and acts as a cleansing agent, detoxifying your body. 

2 medium carrots

2 small apples*

Half a lemon, peeled

Pass the ingredients through a juicer or blend the ingredients in a high-powered blender and strain through a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or an old stocking. Enjoy!

*If you have candidiasis I suggest using green apples instead of red apples as the natural sugar content is lower. You can also substitute an apple for a handful of greens to increase the nutritional value of this juice.