juice-related stories
Diet-Smart Protien, Celeb Skin We Love and When Juice Becomes Unhealthy - Links We Love
Think you're as protein-savvy as they come? Did you know that a handful of peas or a serving of oatmeal or split peas are good sources of filling, lean protein? Discover more diet-smart protein sources and what amount of protein you should strive to eat each day.
Being famous does not guarantee good skin (See: Brad Pitt), so we went to the experts to see which celeb skin came out on top, and how to steal the famous looks.
Fruits -- fiber-filled, low-calorie, wholesome and healthy. Fruit juice -- well, new research indicates too many glasses could lead to liver disease. Learn the explanation behind the study at AOL Health.
Kill Cravings With ... Celery Juice?

Very rarely do I drink juice -- so often it has added sugar and is high in calories for the amount of nutrition it provides. I'll just eat the apple or orange instead. But, some juices have distinctive properties and benefits, so I might need to adjust my attitude toward juice.
For example, celery juice is known for curbing cravings. And that sounds great, except ... well, I've never had celery juice. Have you? I like celery well enough (especially with some peanut butter on it), but I'm not sure how actual celery juice would taste. Maybe it kills the cravings because, after you choke it down, you don't want anything else -- I have no idea. But I'd be willing to try (as long as somebody else tries it first).
VitalJuice has a whole list of unusual juices with special properties, and it's worth checking out. And, if you've tried any of them, leave a comment and let me know how they were. Because, raw potato juice? Blech.
A Healthy Waste of Time
Do you have a few minutes to waste? I know, I know ... you're busy. But everyone deserves a few minutes just to relax, right? Check out this new game on Shockwave.com. The Wonder-Juice Machine is a fun way to give your brain a little challenge. A minor mental workout like this is a great way to take your mind off of your troubles for a few minutes and relieve a little stress.
As as added perk, the game includes actual recipes for nutritious smoothies that you can try at home. And keep your eye out for the health tips about different fruits and vegetables. Who knew a game could include such handy health advice?
Champagne Cocktails - How Many Calories?

It's New Year's Eve, and what better way to celebrate than by getting giggly on champagne with your friends and loved ones and indulging in a kiss with a special (or not-so-special) someone at the stroke of midnight? If there is a better way to spend the last night of the year, I haven't found it -- have you?Champagne, of course, is the drink of choice this night, and the good news is that it's relatively low in calories. But not everyone is crazy about champers -- if it's not your drink of choice, you might make due with a champagne cocktail. Containing champagne mixed with sugar, juice and possibly more alcohol, these added ingredients will sweeten a dry glass of bubbly right up, but I suspect they won't do your New Year's resolution a favour.
What do you think?
Water - Five Ways To Get It, Even If You Don't Like It
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
You know that rule? The one that says you should get eight to 10 glasses of water a day? What do you do if you don't actually like drinking water? Hey, some people don't. After all, it is, by nature, the most bland beverage out there. But drinking lots of water is important for your health and losing weight, especially during the holidays. If plain old agua isn't your thing, try ...
- Eating lots of produce. It's mostly water!
- Making or ordering soup. Again, it's mainly water, but try to stay away from high-sodium canned soups because they will cause you to retain water as well.
- Warming up with herbal tea. Vanilla, peppermint ... there's an endless variety of flavours to choose from, so choose one and drink up.
- Drinking juice. Most juices have a ton of sugar, but if you're not getting any other sources of hydration, juice will have to do. Add some carbonated water to give it a kick and up your water intake at the same time.
- Adding stuff. Things like lemon wedges and mint leaves will add a bunch of flavour and none of the calories, so it can't hurt to try.
How do you drink your H20?
Kid Foods - Make Them More Nutritious
Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

- Juice. Dilute it with water or add a few ice cubes (each cube generally holds an ounce) into flavored seltzer for a low-sugar treat. If you must serve juice, make it OJ -- at least you'll be boosting your little ones' folate, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and E. And serve no more than four to six ounces of juice per day. Too much sugar and calories, so don't go overboard. There isn't anything your kiddos need in juice that they can't get from whole fruit.
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Pizza. Order pizza "easy on the cheese" and pick thin crust instead of thick (it will slash about 80 calories). Top slices with veggies, chicken or ham (better than pepperoni or sausage) and pass on extras, like stuffed crusts and breadsticks.
- Mac and Cheese. For boxed brands, use skim milk and reduce the margarine from four tablespoons to one (this will save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup). When making your own, whip up a sauce of skim milk, margarine and flour and melt in shredded cheese. Boil whole wheat noodles for six grams of fiber per cup. Stir in broccoli bits and diced carrots.
For the skinny on bettering ice cream, cookies, chicken nuggets and French fries, take a stroll over here.
Mulled Wine - How Many Calories?

Spending time in the great outdoors this winter? If you live in a place that gets true winter weather, you'll need a warm coat, some fleece-lined mittens, a quality pair of snow boots ... and something warm to drink. In my family, it's tradition to pack a thermos of mulled wine when we head out to the wilderness for our annual Christmas tree hunt -- the warm, boozy liquid really hits the spot when it's the kind of day that makes your nose run.
Red wine is considered the healthiest of the alcohols, and since red wine in the main ingredient in mulled wine, it's probably healthy too, right? What do you think?
Grapes - a good choice for heart health
A recent study divided mice who were specially bred to be susceptible to high blood pressure into diet-defined groups -- one got a low-salt diet, another got a high-sodium diet, a third got a high-sodium diet with the addition of a grape mixture, and a fourth got a high-sodium diet with a small dose of hydrazine (a common blood pressure medication). At the end of the study, the mice who got the grape mixture came out on top with lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation, and less heart muscle damage.
Grapes make a convenient and healthful snack as is, but there are lots of other ways you can enjoy grapes. Freeze them for an alternative to other frozen treats. Top your salad with some red or black grapes. Or sip on a few ounces of 100% grape juice.
Cranberries: Like candy but healthy
I love dried cranberries on my salads. They taste a bit like candy to me, which causes me to wonder: Can something that tastes like candy be good for me? Why, yes it can, I've just discovered. Get this: Cranberries, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries are excellent sources of antioxidants. OK, then. Good enough for me.
Here's the dirt, according to one new study: Frozen, juiced, and dried cranberries all have high levels of antioxidants. Frozen cranberries have the most, followed by dried cranberries, whole cranberry sauce (not jellied), and 100% cranberry juice. What's more, one serving of 100% cranberry juice is richer in antioxidants than a serving of Concord grape juice or red wine. Compared with other dried fruits, dried cranberries have the highest antioxidant content, followed by prunes and raisins. And dried and frozen cranberries have higher antioxidant capacities than green tea, vitamin C, and vitamin E. My salad topping is looking better and better. Read on.
One serving of cranberries provides more phenolic antioxidants than the average daily consumption of antioxidants from all fruits, says the lead study author, who reports this: "Cranberries have the highest antioxidant content among 20 commonly consumed fruits, yet they are underconsumed, ranking 16th in the US."
Top 7 fruits and veggies for juicing
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
A couple months ago, Martha was debating whether or not she should invest in a juicer. A valid question. After all, when you prepare your own juice you have complete control over the ingredients. You choose what fruits and veggies you include and you're guaranteed to have no preservatives, no artificial colors, and no sweeteners.When you juice fruits and vegetables you keep all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in the fresh produce. You do, however, sacrifice much of the fiber. So while juicing is a healthy practice, it shouldn't take the place of all of your fruits and vegetable intake.
Natural Health lists the top 7 fruits and veggies for juicing. Check out the gallery for the complete list.
Quench kids' thirst with these healthful drinks
Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements
When my son and I go shopping, we always buy 100% fruit drinks for his school lunches. No matter how many times I insist on the 100% varieties, my son is always drawn to the sugary options. I know why, too. It seems as if the 100% juice products are packaged to attract parents -- with images of fruit and so forth. The sugar-added varieties are packaged to attract kids -- my son is drawn to the pouches that have surfers and skateboarders on their packages. But I insist on 100% juice. After all, fruit juice is sweet enough as it is... why would anyone need added sugar?Healthcastle recommends the five top drinks to pack in your child's lunch box:
- Milk. If the school provides milk, you may want to send your child with the money to purchase milk there. (If you're opposed to chocolate milk, be sure to educate your child on that.) If you pack milk cartons, use an insulated lunch box and a freezer pack to keep the milk properly chilled.
- Yogurt drinks. Try freezing yogurt drinks before packing in your child's lunch box. By lunch time they'll still be chilly, but thawed enough to drink.
- Water. Always the best option for hydration, fill a reusable water bottle with water and ice each morning.
- 100% juice. There's no reason for the added sugar, so if you're going to pack juice make sure to purchase one that's labeled 100%. Keep in mind that 100% juice is still high in sugar, so don't let your child sip on these all day. One at lunch is enough.
- Soy drinks. Be sure to pick a soy drink that is calcium-fortified, lightly flavored, and lower in sugar.
3 stay-thin secrets from TV trainer
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Ever watch the Bravo TV reality series Work Out with trainer Jackie Warner? I've caught a few episodes and generally think Warner is a pretty cool gal. She has some cool stay-thin secrets too and shares them in Family Circle's October magazine. Here they are, some commonsense rules that guarantee success.Set sugar limits Warner doesn't eat a serving of anything containing more than nine grams of sugar. Too much of this sweet stuff in your bloodstream makes hunger levels spike, and whatever isn't burned turns to fat.
Blend, don't juice When making your own smoothie creations, blending gives you pieces of whole fruit in your drink -- these have more nutrients and filling fiber than sugary juice alone.
Effects of fruit juice on medication
A small glass of 100% fruit juice is a good part of a healthful breakfast, right? If you're on certain prescription medications, your fruit juice may be doing more harm than good.Grapefruit juice, for example, can interfere with blood pressure medication and actually increase its efficacy, subsequently creating a risk of overdose. Conversely, recent research suggests that grapefruit juice may prevent certain anti-allergy medications from absorbing into the bloodstream properly. A component of grapefruit juice called naringin appears to be the culprit.
Researchers state that this finding may be the "tip of the iceberg" as other juices, including orange and apple, also contain naringin-like substances that may have similar effects.
Beet juice lowers blood pressure
I stopped at the farmer's market this morning and several booths had beets for sale. I debated about buying some to make a borscht. (Which I love, but I was quite certain it would be a complete miss with my son.) According to Planet Green, I should have just tried juicing beets. Researchers have found that drinking 500ml of beet root juice daily can have a positive impact on blood pressure. Not only is beet root high in antioxidants, it also contains dietary nitrates which benefit blood pressure. Researchers found that the blood pressure of study subjects dropped just one hour after drinking beet root juice, with the most benefit showing three to four hours after drinking the juice.
Want another idea on what to do with beets? Debra has some ideas for cooking beets with the greens.
Sweetened juice linked to diabetes
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Are you drinking fruit juice because you think it's a healthy alternative to soda? Think again. A recent study has linked the consumption of sweetened fruit juice to type 2 diabetes. Women in the study who drank two or more servings of sweetened fruit juice per day had a 31% increased risk of developing diabetes than those who drank less than one per month.Researchers who are trying to zero in on type 2 diabetes say that "calories trump everything," and that drinking or eating heavily sweetened foods are an easy way to overdo it on the calories. My dentist has always given me and my kids the rule "4 oz. per day and after that, it's liquid candy."
Orange juice and grapefruit juice are exempt from this study, both because they are naturally sweetened and because they are more likely to be eaten with a meal, which means they'd likely have a reduced effect on blood sugar. Stick to water to stay hydrated in a healthy way between meals, flavoring it naturally if necessary.























