Juice It Up! was founded in 1995 and since that time Juice It Up! has been bringing fresh squeezed juices and handcrafted smoothies to communities everywhere. Juice It Up! has grown to nearly 80 outlets operating in full scale retail stores, malls, kiosks, and college campus settings.
They make drinks for the discerning consumer wanting real-fresh-made juice in a variety of healthy blends that enhance the mind, body and spirit. They are true ambassadors of juice and advocates of all the benefits it delivers.
LA Yoga caught up with Carol Skinner, Sr. Director of Marketing and Business Development for Juice It Up! to help answer frequently asked questions of beginning juicers, and provide simple ideas to easily make juicing part of your lifestyle.
LA Yoga: Juicing and juice blends are great ways to get a lot of nutrition on the go, but how can frequent juicers avoid getting too much sugar, even natural sugar, in their diet from juicing?
Juice It Up!: Avoid saturating your juice blend with too much fruits and starchy veggies, such as carrots and beets. Also, use a low carbohydrate base such as cucumber.
LAY: What are some good blends and combinations for beginning juicers?
JIU: Start with using fruits and veggies that you are familiar with and gradually start adding more unknown produce items. You’ll be surprised on how much you’ve been missing out on!
LAY: If someone is concerned about their diet being too acidic, should they be concerned about citrus fruits in their juices or do citrus fruits have more of an alkalinizing effect and why?
JIU: I usually am not too concerned about the acidity of fruits as the body is excellent at keeping its proper pH homeostasis (keep in mind that the stomach’s pH is usually between 1-3). What really concerns me is over-indulging on one type of fruit and neglecting a variety fruits and veggies altogether.
LAY: What are some juices or ingredients that have anti-inflammatory properties?
JIU: My favorite are beets due to the high concentration of betalains which are a powerful class of anti-oxidants and are responsible for its dark red color. Also you can’t go wrong with green leafy veggies due to their incredibly high nutrient density and complex nutrient profile (the darker the green the better the veggie).
LAY: What are some juices or ingredients that can strengthen immunity any time of year?
JIU: Obviously anything high in vitamin C (citrus, peppers, and surprisingly kale!). My rule of thumb is to always juice a variety of colors to insure you cover all of your nutrient needs.
LAY: What is your favorite go-to juice to cool off in the summer heat?
JIU: Chilled cucumber juice with a hint of sweet fruit and a squeeze of citrus.
Here are two recipes that Juice It Up! provided for beginning juicers:
Recipe A:
This blend has the sweetness of carrots with the zesty tang of oranges for a delicious twist on a classic morning drink:
· 2 oranges peeled
· 4 carrots
· ½ inch piece of ginger
Recipe B:
The hallmark of juicing is the classic green drink. The leafy greens fill your body with vitamins and nutrients and the taste is surprisingly good! Once you have this juice you will crave it:
· 2 apples (green for less sugar)
· 4 stalks celery
· 2 stalks kale
· 1 cucumber
· ½ lemon (peeled)
· ½” ginger (to taste)
Recipe Instructions:
Wash and rinse your produce thoroughly before juicing.
Using an electric juicer, make sure it’s clean and sanitized before you begin.
Cut any produce into smaller pieces that might be too large to fit through the juicer whole.
To begin juicing, feed the produce through the juicer. Always start and end with your most juiciest fruits/veggies.
Recipe A recommended order: Carrot, Ginger, Orange
Recipe B Recommended order: Apple, Kale, Celery, Ginger, Lemon, Cucumber
Both recipes will give you approx. 12-16oz of juice
