Raw Juice - What's the Big Deal?

Can’t I just buy it at the grocery store?

Oh man, do I hear this often. I also get “the one at Starbucks is cheaper”, that one really makes me giggle. Let’s go ahead and lay out some really basic facts before I get into why you should be drinking Raw Juice.

Facts:

1. Yes, raw juice costs more

2. Yes, grocery store “healthy juice” costs less. (this also applies to Starbucks juice)

3. Yes, raw juice has a very short “shelf-life”

4. Yes, it’s still looks like the same green juice

5. Yes, the juice at the store is different

Okay, now that we have those out of the way, we can get to breaking it down.

There is Raw juice and so, what else is there? In the industry, it’s called HPP juice, but to all of you, you don’t see the difference or even know it out-right. These are the juices that you see in the stores and juices from, typically, larger businesses.

Local juice bars, where the juice is made in store, do not HPP, so you are usually safe there. However, you can always ask if they HPP just to be safe.

Raw Vs. HPP Juice - What’s the Difference?

Raw juice is exactly how it sounds. It is where you take the produce, juice it, bottle it and then it has a shelf life of 3-6 days. It’s also the type of juice that Real Peel is and ALWAYS will be.

These juices are not made in a big warehouse, sold at the big stores or ones that are mass produced. They are usually made at your local juice bar. It is the type of juice you make at home when you buy produce and juice it. Or by your local juice girl (hi, that’s me)

HPP - High Pressure Processing

When we say “processed” here, it is not as bad as the typical processed foods you think of. When you HPP a juice, a machine is applying a certain amount of pressure, at a certain time length and more science-y stuff, but that’s the gist. It can be pressurized to make the juice last anywhere from 21 days to 90 days on the shelf.

HPP is not making juice, as it all starts out as raw juice. This is taking it one step further and processing it. What does this do? Kills quite a bit of the enzymes, bacteria and nutrients in the juice.

Well, bacteria and enzymes sound scary, so it’s okay those are killed off, right? Not totally. Those organisms and enzymes in the raw juice will be used by your body to aid in digestive processes, treated like a pre- or probiotic and boosts your immune system.

The nutrient profile also diminishes. So, again, using juicing as a healing method, you would want the most nutrient dense juice out there.

So, Raw or Grocery Store Juice?

The way I, and Real Peel, approach this topic is like this:

1. Always choose raw juice first

2. Raw juice heals the body and provides it all of the wonderful nutrients, enzymes and bacteria!

3. The idea of juicing kale and then letting it sit on a shelf for 90 days makes me shudder, even though I know the bacteria have been killed off.

4. If you do not have a local juice bar, or your local juice girl to make you juice, then yes, a green juice from the grocery store will suffice.

5. No matter which way you turn it, raw juice will always be the more nutrient dense and health beneficial juice out there.

If you are having to choose between a Gatorade, soda, juice on the shelf or picking one of those grocery store green juices, then always choose the grocery store green juice. (or that Starbucks juice)

However, if you have the option between freshly made, raw juice or saving a buck or two on a grocery store juice, then ALWAYS, ALWAYS choose the raw juice. Your body will thank you for it later.

I know that was a little technical, but I get these questions all of the time about the difference between the juices that we make at Real Peel or the juice they can go to the store and buy.

Plus, know that when you go to your local juice bar or company, buying a raw juice makes a person do a happy dance, and you can’t beat supporting local!

Until next time,

Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.

Love, Aubrey

I Juiced for a Month Straight - The Results

It’s Not What You Think

If you have been following me for a while, you are probably thinking, “wait a second, you always say don’t do a cleanse for more than 3 days in a row”, and you would be right.

I did not do a cleanse for a month, because 1. that would be just stupid 2. that sounds like torture 3. your body would be in worse shape. However, I did drink a juice pretty much everyday for the month of February. If I am being totally honest, I did have to miss a small handful of days, because of traveling.

Why Did I Do This?

I have Gastroparesis, and I have talked about it many times, but what I don’t talk about often is how it affects me daily and my diet. It often causes me to be very full after just a bite or two of food, it causes me to have intense sugar cravings, because of the lack of fuel for my body, and it can make me cramp up and feel all around icky.

So, I had been noticing that I was struggling during the month of January, even though I was eating very healthy, and I did some reflecting on when I was feeling my best. This brought me back to when I was juicing daily.

I would wake up every morning and make a juice for breakfast. This allowed me to get a lot of nutrients in my body, fuel me until lunchtime, but without the pain of digesting whole food, the cramping, the bloating and the all around sick feeling. (disclaimer: I will always choose eating food over drinking it, but for one meal, it makes a huge difference)

February rolled around, and I did exactly that. If you have been following me on Instagram, then you would have seen some of the juices in my stories.

The Results:

1. Bye bye sugar cravings. Thank the freaking lord, because it was getting bad, and I was getting really fed up with it. Drinking a juice each morning allowed my body to absorb and assimilate the nutrients in my body and be put to use, instead of being stuck in my stomach for hours on end.

2. Energy for dayyyyyyyys. No, it’s not a sugar rush and then crash. Because my body was getting to use these nutrients, it was fueling my body to perform optimally. One of the days I didn’t get to drink my juice, because my husband drank it, he texted me and was like what the heck is in this juice? He said his energy was insane, and longer lasting than coffee, and no crash. WIN!

3. Motivation. Sounds weird, but when you put something so good into your body, and start feeling good, it motivates you to continue on for the rest of the day. Best part was as soon as I started feeling hungry, I ate food. I didn’t deprive myself. I was, however, more conscious about making really good choices for lunch and dinner.

4. Weight loss. I debated on even talking about this, because it wasn’t my focus and I don’t ever want to give the idea that juicing is a weight loss solution, because it is a piece of the solution, not the whole. More than the few pounds that I lost, it’s the way my clothes fit. I feel good in them, not like ehhhhh I need to lose weight. Y’all know what I’m talking about.

5. Happier. This has other factors that contribute to it, like new business opportunities, learning new things about nutrition and health, family, etc. BUT I do know that when my body feels good, I feel happier, more confident and all around good, which then gets relayed to others and makes them happy.

Should You Do This?

Okay, now you have seen my results, you are wondering if you can get a piece of those feelings, so where should you start?

You need to evaluate what your goals are for it. If they are singularly weight loss, then don’t waste your time. If they are weight loss, but also curb cravings, increase energy levels, teach yourself discipline, etc. then let’s talk.

You drink 1 juice daily for breakfast, then eat regularly for lunch and dinner and any snacks, but ideally you make good choices. If you miss one morning, that’s okay, don’t wait for the next Monday, just start over the next morning. Ideally, picking more green juices is the best route, however, if you are new to juicing start easy with more fruit based ones to get your body used to it.

Overall, I am so happy I did this again. It just reinforced the fact that I shouldn’t deviate away from what makes me feel good. So, I am continuing on into March and so excited to see how I feel after another month.

If you would like to get started, or would like some help picking out juices to start with, please feel free to comment or reach out to me by email at info@realpeeljuice.com.

Until next time.

Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.

Aubrey xoxo