I am blessed to get to deal with people from all walks of life, of different shapes, sizes and fitness levels.
It is amazing to find ways to help people reach similar goals. One thing I routinely notice is that people are always looking for a quick fix that is just going to transform their lives -- other than diet and exercise.
This is especially true when someone is really close (10 to 20 pounds) to meeting his or her goal. I've noticed three patterns: the person will desperately search for that quick fix, get over the hump-plateau or quit.
The second option is what I strive to instill on a day-to-day basis: Always get over it, always progress and never stop.
I have gone to juice bars before and had fresh juice just because I like it. But more recently, I have been hearing a lot of talk from people who plan to lose weight by juicing every morning, transforming their lives.
So, of course, I became interested and wanted to experiment with what my clients and other people were saying and doing. It just so happened that a friend gave me a juicer because he was not using it anymore. I immediately started going to the farmers market weekly to get a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables to juice.
I didn't understand what all the hype was about juicing being incredibly healthy because it eliminates all the fiber in the vegetables. I was concerned because I would be throwing all this "waste" away. But it's not waste.
Of course the juice is great -- healthy, nutritious, tasty and easily absorbed -- but there is no reason to dispose of the rest.
I juice about three times a week, making a mostly green concoction with some sort of fruit juice added, to have with my breakfast. I still do this but have created a turkey burger with the juicing remnants:
First, I juiced 4 celery stalks, 2 cups of broccoli, 1 cucumber, ½ heirloom tomato, 1 yellow peach, ½ medium jalapeño and ½ lime. That was the juice I had with my wheat toast and egg whites for breakfast.
I saved all of the remnants and mixed in 1 package of Jennie-O 99 percent lean ground turkey, ½ cup cooked quinoa, 2 egg whites, herbs and spices. This made 8 medium patties that I cooked on my George Forman grill. Or you can cook them on the stovetop with nonfat cooking spray.
This is the most creative and tasty meal I have ever created.
I have had the turkey patties on top of a spinach salad; in a wrap; mixed in with my eggs; topped with tomato, avocado and fresh ground pepper; and between a whole wheat bun as a burger.
This is how I manage to eat healthy, avoid getting bored with my food and still shop on a budget while making nutritious food in bulk.
Juicing is not bad, it's just not the answer if you are looking for something magnificent for your body. You need all the components of fruits and vegetables. So if you juice, don't throw away all the leftovers.
If you are vegetarian, use cooked brown rice and black beans and a food processor instead of the turkey meat.
Eliminating wastefulness and enjoying produce in different ways helps all of us stay fit for life.
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