My Story: Seeking Perfection

I am such a lover of the Juice Plus+ products, but those who know me, know that I am the furthest thing from a sales person as one can get. In fact it stresses me out beyond belief. Despite the fact I sat side by side two of the best sales people I know for two years and heard every tactic and approach out there (I could coach someone to do sales no problem!), I still nerve out and babble if you ask me to sell and I give the prospect every possible out and am probably welcoming them to say "no".

So I have a hard time figuring out my approach to people I genuinely want to share Juice Plus+ with--whether I think their profession fits, their passion for good health or because they have health issues that I know Juice Plus+ could have help turn around. Sometimes I even feel guilty that I have not shared JP+ with certain people but my sales-aversion keeps me from it. The thing is, I know JP+ is a wonderful thing for everyone.

They say to tell your "story" when sharing Juice Plus+. Some people have great stories--and I love to hear them. People who were in pitiful health and made a complete turn around through Juice Plus+ and changing their diet to whole foods. People who beat the odds with cancer. People who got off years of medication. Children who kicked what doctors had thought would be life-long problems. But what do I have? A young woman who has always been pretty darn healthy, always eaten pretty decent and always been pretty fit? Why am I using Juice Plus+ and how do I know it's even doing anything for me?

Well today it struck me... "young woman"... Yes I still fit that bill, but at the same time... I am just over a year from entering the next decade of my life. A decade, when they say, I'll start seeing some of the "youth" of my body and its ability to recover from anything slip away. I am young...but not THAT young. And then the second thought hit me... When I started taking Juice Plus I was only 25. An age when anybody should be in great health--and I was. My story is that I am trying to write as perfect of a story as possible. I'm trying to hold on to that health as long as possible.

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a very whole-food aware family eating organic veggies from our garden, shopping organic before it was easy readily available... steering clear of processed foods... And about the time I was really out "on my own" (two years out of college and spreading my wings) I was introduced to Juice Plus+. It helped me refocus on the importance of what we fuel our bodies with--not to mention I started using the products to increase my fruit and vegetable intake since I did not exactly have a large income to be buying the healthiest stuff in the world. 

It's been four years and it's actually exciting for me to realize that I have done this for myself for four years... I know JP+ is doing wonders for me because there are not just one, two or three--Over 30 and growing--published scientific research studies proving it IS doing something for me... And, well, to put it most simply, I trust science. 

What's most exciting for me is to think all the years I have ahead. Some people only find out about JP+ once sickness or disease strikes. I have it building in my system now and am creating such a foundation of good health. It's not to say I won't get sick or I won't encounter disease even. But this gives me the confidence that if/when I do... my body will handle it 100x better than it ever would have without this foundation I've built into my make-up for years. 

My victory story with Juice Plus+ isn't that I had a major turn around or recovery. It's that I plan to maintain my age 25 health for as long as possible. 

Sugar Count? ...Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo' Dat!

I will start off by admitting I do not have numbers for you this week. And I will also admit that while I did better in some aspects this week, I did much worse with the overarching goals: No Sugar.

Well, I think I did worse at least... While I did continue to track my food and sugar content this week, the problem came in the fact Mingus packed LouLou "over the river and through the woods" to Mamaw's house in Indiana. 

While Mingus and I are very conscious of our food intake and working to get good nutritional value (and keep out the bad stuff), we are far from perfect. This means, when we travel, usually fast food is involved. That's where things got dicey this week. Over the three days we were away from home we had Long John Silvers, Chick-Fil-A and Arby's. Additionally, we also ate Mexican out with the family. It's not that we indulged in treats on any of these occasions. I even passed on Chick-Fil-A's Polynesian Sauce after I looked at the ingredients and saw that high fructose corn syrup was the first thing listed. (I shouldn't be surprised at all, but it was still a major disappointment... I love that stuff!) We skipped sodas and really we just ate sandwiches and fries on all occasions (minus the Mexican of course). But based on what I am learning about sugar's sneaky ways of getting into our foods, something tells me those sandwiches and fries had sugar in them--at least to some extend, if not a major extent. 

I know I probably could spend a good chunk of time with Dr. Google and find out the exacts on everything I ate, but, really... Ain't nobody got time fo' dat.

In addition to the fast food, we weren't overly picky about the food that was available to us and I'm sure we picked up a little extra sugar in things like the peanut butter I ate or the crescent rolls for breakfast.

Next confessions: I used my once a week cheat allowance.

32oz Frozen Margarita: 156g Sugar Source

Mingus and I split a frozen margarita... Although we didn't exactly split it as half of it was remaining when we left the restaurant. Neither of us had had one in ages. For whatever reason, I felt better about this being my 'cheat' than something like cake. Maybe, because it's truly something I rarely indulge in and in the big scheme of things, when Lent is over, I hope to avoid indulging in sugary treats on a regular occasion (ie, any time the opportunity presents itself) and only for the rarities. The margarita is a perfect example: something I don't have the opportunity to enjoy too often. (The fact Mingus and I agreed, together, to allow this cheating moment also made it feel OK. He and I are in this together.)

Since it was my 'cheat', I did look up the sugar content of the margarita. I found that a standard 32oz drink has 156g of sugar!! Wowzers! Luckily, Mingus and I only had a 20oz drink... But only drank half of it (10oz) and I (at most) had half of that (5oz)... Which means I had approximately 24g of sugar. Still...so much sugar from 5oz!

Considering what this week could have meant... I did really well. Before our margarita splurge we'd attended our nephew's 4th birthday party, complete with a beautiful cake and scrumptious looking cupcakes. I originally thought this would be my cheat... But when it came time for cake cutting, it just didn't seem worth it. Probably the harder temptation to turn down this week was a brownie... Ooooh brownies. Nothing gets me quite like a ooey, gooey, chewy brownie full of chocolate goodness... But I resisted nonetheless.

At home, everything actually progressed (if that makes up for the weekend at all..) The only bad sugar I consumed came from ketchup, hot dog buns and one can of Campbell's soup. All other sugar was primarily natural occurring with a few things that had natural sweeteners like honey and agave syrup.

What I have learned is what a HUGE amount of sugar--naturally occurring sugar--we get from our fruits. It's crazy actually and when you do realize this, you truly understand why there is absolutely no reason to add sugar to your diet. Our bodies do need some, yes, but when you can easily get more than enough from a single apple, the refined sugars are completely uncalled for. I eat raisins practically everyday because of my oatmeal which means I'm probably getting over 20g of sugar just from that!

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If you are more of visual person, this blog post gives a very simple and easy to understand picture of how much sugar we get from fruits, as well as from other foods. Take a look...then consider what you're eating for breakfast... or what you are feeding your kids for breakfast. 

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On to another week... No major traveling happening so hopefully I'll be back on track!

After 3 Years... I finally said, "I Do!"

Our relationship really began more than three years ago, but you were more just like a good friend that I took for granted. Either way there is no denying that you helped me grow and develop into the woman I became and even though I definitely went through an era of blowing you off more than embracing you, you were always there and I always knew you were an important part of my life.

Then, three years ago, I looked back to my roots and to the ups and downs myself and those close to me had been through. I knew it was time to bring you back into my life and embrace you and all you were willing to do for me. So I did. Healthy eating and getting the nutrients my body yearned for became a daily part of my life again, as well as my husband's (then boyfriend). With that, together we began eating healthy meals together, made from whole, raw fruits and vegetables. We set on a track to begin gardening and preserving our own foods. We also began taking Juice Plus+.

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My commitment to "walk the walk" about healthy eating really began three years ago, as Mingus and I were dating and his food allergies (no dairy, eggs, red meat) forced him to do a lot of in-home cooking. At this time I also began to understand that even with my best efforts to eat well, fruits and vegetables were miracle workers when it came to my health and getting enough on a daily basis was next to impossible. In addition to smoothies being part of "walking the walk", Juice Plus+ also became a part of this walk.

Most people need to be told to "walk the walk" if they are going to "talk the talk". I, on the other hand, have spent three years walking the walk and have finally taken up the courage to "talk the talk".

I'm the furthest thing from a salesman anyone could be as I don't even like to push my general opinions with people unless I know they are are on the same page as me. (Unless we're talking about the color purple. I'll always tell you it's the best color ever.) 

But after three years of learning about Juice Plus+ and making it a part of mine and my husband's life and knowing our good health is a results of it, I can no longer not talk the talk. So I made the commitment to no longer be scared to bring the product to other people, if for no other reason than to simply reinforce and educate people on the unbelievable things fruits and vegetables can do for our health and futures. Health solutions are not all about medications and drugs after the fact. Prevention is a lot easier and cheaper. 

We all know fruits and veggies are healthy for us, but I don't think most people understand the miracle workers they are--and how badly we ALL need MORE of them with the direction our overall health as a society is headed.

I have much to share overtime about Juice Plus+ and why I've chosen to take it, support it, and now share it, but here are the highlights:

• It's whole-food based nutrition (REAL fruits and vegetables, check the ingredients for yourself)
• Fruits and vegetables have important antioxidants and phytonutrients our bodies need that we cannot get through vitamins or anything besides the fruits and veggies themselves, but eating enough a day, everyday, is VERY hard. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap.
• Currently 29 Juice Plus+ published research studies have been conducted in leading hospitals and universities around the world proving its value--That's not to mention the studies that have not been published.
• It's not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease. It's prevention and has been proven in numerous studies to improve poor health.

Juice Plus+ or not, start considering how you can get more fruits and veggies in your daily routine even if you're healthy as a horse. Future you will thank you.