How to Incorporate Juicing into Your Diet

In the last 10 years or so, juicing has become more and more popular, but people are using its benefits all wrong. Unfortunately, most just focus on doing a cleanse or “detox” for a quick-fix to lose a little bit of weight, but that’s not why we love juicing here.

Yes, doing a cleanse has its benefits, but that’s for another time. Where you see REAL and LASTING results from juicing is incorporating it into your daily/weekly diet.

Let’s look a little further into how you can incorporate juicing into your lifestyle.

Why Would One Juice?

This is a good place to start. Before we can look at how to juice in the best ways, let’s chat about why you should incorporate juice into your life.

1. Easy to digest

2. Easily absorbable nutrients

3. A great way to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables you might not normally consume

4. Helps change your palette to enjoy more healthy options

5. A great way to get an energy boost without the crash from caffeine

6. It’s DELICIOUS!

And many other reasons, but these are good start. We all need every single one of these and juicing provides them all at once.

So, now what is the best way to juice? A one-off cleanse? One juice every so often?

NOPE.

How to Incorporate Juicing into Your Diet

Truthfully, this depends on your goals and why you are juicing in the first place. So, let’s give a few examples and then how you would incorporate it accordingly.

Disclaimer: none of the following statements are intended to treat or diagnose.

Weight Loss

This would be the most common. Weight loss is a combined effort of good diet, exercise and self-care. However, where you will make most progress is with good diet. So, how does juice fit into this?

Having a juice for breakfast, or 2 snacks in your day would be the best option.

This could be done 3-4 times per week for success. This would also need to be combined with reducing processed fats and choosing whole foods, proteins and fats.

How will this help with weight loss?

• you will be flooding your body with essential vitamins and nutrients

• you will be changing your palette so that you will crave healthier options

• juice is filling

• you will have more energy to then workout and keep up with your day

• and more!

Using Juice for an Ailment or Disease

This is pretty broad, so I will talk more in the terms of using it for Gastroparesis, since I am very aware on how to do that.

Depending on the severity, you will need to do a few days of all liquids, like juice. This would need to be between 5-7 juices per day.

After the few days, you will ease back into regular food over a 2 week period, slowly reducing the amount of juices drank within a day.

You should also be mindful of what your particular condition needs.

How will this help with conditions?

• providing your body with the needed vitamins and nutrients

• giving your body a fighting chance

• more energy to help fight off whatever it is

• and all of the above for weight loss

No matter your reason for juicing, it is something that will need to be done consistently and not for just a 1-time cleanse with temporary results.

Check out our juices here!

Until next time,

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

Aubrey

The Defender - Support Your Immune System

February Juice Highlight - The Defender - For Immune Support

This month we are highlighting The Defender, partly because it’s still cold/flu season and we need the immune support and partly because it’s a red color and that’s more fun for February!

What’s In It?

• Pineapple

• Beet

• Orange

• Carrot

I know, I know, people freak out when they hear beets! However, no need to freak here! The beet flavor is perfectly complimented by the other ingredients, you don’t even mind it at all! And for those of you who love beets, you’re going to love this flavor pairing.

What is it Good For?

Every single ingredient in this juice plays a crucial role in supporting your immune system. It is often our best selling juice from November-March, because of it’s immune supporting abilities.

Each ingredient has a slew of beneficial vitamins and nutrients, but for the sake of not writing and entire book, I am just going to address a few from each and how they relate to the immune system.

First, the Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body's natural defenses. There is Vitamin C in the oranges and pineapple.

Next, is pineapple. It is FULL of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that help your body combat oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is a state in which there are too many free radicals in the body. These free radicals interact with the body’s cells and cause damage that is linked to chronic inflammation, a weakened immune system and many harmful diseases. This anti-inflammatory property is crucial in this juice.

We all know the great benefits from carrots but let’s move on to beets. They are also incredibly high in Vitamin C, but they also stimulate the production of antibodies and white blood cells to help combat invaders in the body.

Best of all, it’s absolutely delicious!

How to Drink The Defender:

Although it is a great immune support juice, you do have to be mindful of the sugar content from the natural fruits, so here are our suggestions on how to drink this juice.

• as a meal for breakfast

• 2 snacks in your day

If you would like to give The Defender a try, click here!

Stay tuned for March’s juice highlight.

The Sparkler - January Juice of the Month

Juice Highlight - The Sparkler - For Energy

This month, we are highlighting The Sparkler. It is easily our most popular juice.

What is it?

The Sparkler is the first green juice we ever created, and it remains the most loved. Why? Because it doesn’t taste like other green juices. We like to refer to it as our introductory green juice, because the sweetness is still there from there other ingredients.

The Sparkler contains:

• Green Apple

• Kale

• Orange

That’s it. That is all it takes to make a delicious, yet incredibly healthy juice, that everyone will love!

What is it good for?

The Sparkler is good for energy! Throw away those yucky energy drinks that are awful for you, and replace it with this green juice, and the benefits far extend beyond just energy.

We once had a guy buy one, and came back the next day wanting more, because he was so energetic at work and so productive, without the crash, that his boss gave him money to get more of “whatever was making him so productive”. This is one of my favorite stories, because it shows the true effects of what leading a healthy lifestyle can do for you.

The antioxidants, amount of Vitamin C and the amino acids that mix together in this juice help reduce oxidative stress on the body, lower fatigue levels and improve brain function. All together, it’s much more effective at boosting energy for longer periods of time, than standard caffeine or energy drinks.

How to drink this juice:

• great as any meal, but if I do drink it as a meal, it’s typically for breakfast.

• can be the liquid base for smoothies. Provides a wonderful tropical twist on smoothies

• 2 snacks in your day

If you would like to give The Sparkler a try, click here!

Stayed tuned for next month’s juice highlight!

The Nutrient That Boosts Immunity and Healing

During the fall & winter seasons, people become more aware of taking care of their immune system, and there is a nutrient that you should focus on, and it isn’t Vitamin C.

Ps. you should be treating your immune system right all year long, so here is a previous post on How to Boost Your Immune System All Year Round.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace mineral that is vital for human health. It is a component of more than 300 enzymes and hormones and plays a crucial part in the health of our skin, teeth, bones, hair, nails, muscles, nerves, and brain function. Zinc controls the enzymes that operate and renew the cells in our bodies and regulates the sensory organs for sight, smell, and taste. While this essential micronutrient is significant throughout life, it is especially important for times of rapid growth, such as childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy, due to its role in helping cells grow and multiply.

So, let’s talk in more detail about the daily requirement for zinc, how to find it in its most absorbable form, why a deficiency may occur, and different signs and symptoms you may experience if a deficiency exists.

According to the National Institute of Health, the daily requirement of zinc will vary depending on your age. On average, babies will require approximately 2 mg/day, children 3-5 mg/day, teenagers and adults 9-11 mg/day, and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers 11-13 mg/day. As always, it’s best to consult with your healthcare provider to determine your precise bio-individual need.

Where Do I Get Zinc From?

In terms of where to find it, zinc is present and readily absorbable from many types of food.

• Oysters! A typical oyster weighing approximately one ounce will contain about 8-9 milligrams of zinc, which is close to the daily requirement for an adult!

• Organs and meat of pasture-raised beef, chicken, and lamb, as well as wild-caught fish and crustaceans, like crab and lobster.

• Nuts & seeds

• Shiitake and Crimini mushrooms

• Spinach

• Asparagus

• Quinoa and oats

• Raspberries & other berries

However, some of these plant-based sources of zinc come with a caveat.

Many of these plant-based sources have a substance within them, commonly referred to as an anti-nutrient, called phytic acid. While these phytate-rich foods are typically healthy, in terms of zinc absorption, they pose a problem. The phytic acid in seeds, grains, legumes, and nuts actually binds to minerals like zinc, iron, and calcium which greatly inhibits their absorption.

One way to reduce phytic acid content is to soak and sprout your seeds, grains, legumes, and nuts before consumption. Another way to increase zinc absorption is to ensure the consumption of animal proteins with any phytate-rich food as they improve zinc absorption. So, eating your meat with your greens has more weight to it than just a balanced meal!

How Do I Know If I’m Deficient? 

Unfortunately, zinc deficiencies are far too common among populations whose main food sources come from grains, cereals, and processed foods.

Due to the many roles zinc plays in the human body, there is a broad range of physiological signs of a potential deficiency.

Organ systems known to be affected by such a deficiency include the skin, gastrointestinal, central nervous, immune, skeletal, and reproductive systems.

Signs of a zinc deficiency can vary depending on the severity of the condition but may include things like

• loss of hair

• frequent infections

• poor appetite

• lack of taste or smell

• skin sores

• slow growth rate

• trouble seeing in the dark

• or wounds that take a long time to heal

There are two other important things worth noting about zinc.

1. For women on birth control, a side effect of the pill is inhibited zinc absorption. For this population, it’s especially important to incorporate zinc-rich foods.

2. On the flip side, too much zinc, whether from diet or supplementation, can impair copper status. Here, the recommendation is to focus on food sources that are rich in both zinc and copper.

Zinc is critical to every aspect of our biology and must be incorporated into our diet on a daily basis. As always, be sure to focus on high-quality, nutrient-dense whole foods that include a variety of macro and micronutrients to ensure adequate balance and absorption! 

So, which juices would have good amounts of Zinc in them?

1. The Guardian

2. Brain Booster

3. The Shrinker

Until next time!

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

Juicing Cured My Gastroparesis

Juicing Cured My Gastroparesis

A lot of people ask me the same question “Why did you start juicing?” and I never thought so many would, because I figured they would just chalk it up to me wanting to be “trendy”.

This is not the case, though, and I find it pretty cool that people are so interested in my story. So, I am going to lay it all out there. Maybe it will help you find some peace in something you’re dealing with. Maybe it will give you hope for your health. Or maybe it will just be a little extra layer of info about me. Whatever it may be, here it is.

I Wasn’t Eating

You read that correctly. Let’s take it back to 2014. As each month passed, I stopped being able to eat more and more. I would always sit down to try, and sometimes I would force myself and then end up being really sick afterwards. It was not a good direction I was heading, nor was it a good lifestyle to be living. I could literally eat a piece of apple and be full for 2 days. That is not normal and that is not healthy.

I was running out of hope and ideas on why I was feeling this way. I tried everything, cutting out lactose, cutting out gluten, cutting out even certain fruits and vegetables. Nothing was working. Every trendy diet you can think of out there, I tried, and it failed me. Finally, I decided it was time to go to the doctor.

No One Knows

From October 2014 until May of 2015 I endured test after test, pill after pill and plenty of heartache. Doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. By all standards, I was a perfectly healthy 22-23 year old with a tummy ache.

We did tests for colitis, Crohn’s, IBS, IBDS, cancer checks and many more. Finally, my mom and I sat on her bed one night scouring the internet for any possible answer, and that’s when it came to us. We clicked on the link for something called, Gastroparesis. Sounds scary, but more than that, it was confusing. The only thing we could find, at first, was that it was for diabetics. I am not diabetic.

With more digging, we found that you can get Idiopathic Gastroparesis. This simply means they don’t know why it happens or what caused it. AWESOME. Gastroparesis technically means “paralyzed stomach”, but it has everything to do with your stomach not emptying the food in an appropriate amount of time and not being able to digest and then all the repercussions that follow that. EVEN MORE AWESOME…

The next appointment I had with the doctor, I mentioned the possibility of Gastroparesis and they looked at me and said, ”It’s highly unlikely, but if you really want to do the test for it, we can order it for you”. I am glad I asked. I went in for the 4 hour test and after 2 hours, the nurse told me “Oh honey, you don’t even need to stay for the next 2 hours. It’s plain as day that you have this.”

The test is comprised of you eating a completely balanced meal. So, 1 egg white and two pieces of toast with jelly and some water. You then lay down and literally just lay there. A machine monitors the emptying of your stomach. After 2 hours, you are supposed to have emptied 50% or more of your food. After just 2 hours of me laying there, I had emptied 32%. Now, this might not seem like a big deal, but it would take a normal person 4 hours to empty their stomach and digest, it would take me anywhere from 6-9 hours, depending on the meal. That can be painful, trust me. Food sitting there for hours, stomach acid building, and so many more things happening.

The Next Steps

Ok, so we figured it out. Now what? How do you cure a disease that you don’t even know how or why it happens? You take a guess and try every pill under the sun!

My doctors gave me EVERY pill they knew of that MIGHT help. The reactions were detrimental. One gave me anxiety so bad I couldn’t handle myself. I’ve never had it, and I can tell you that I never want to again. The next cramped my body up so bad I couldn’t walk. The final pill changed my moods so drastically that I was a nightmare to be around. I didn’t even want to be around myself. I knew taking medicine my whole life was not something I was wanting to do my whole life, either.

That was it. Those were all of my options. BUT WAIT, there was one more. The doctors said I could get a pacemaker put into my stomach. 23 years old and you want to do major surgery on me that might not even work? No thank you. I don’t want to have to return every 10 or so years for major surgery.

“Where do I go from here? Am I just doomed to feel like this for the rest of my life? I can’t even hold a normal job, because I am so sick. How will I be self-sustainable?” These were the daunting thoughts that ran through my head most days. This is not a good life for someone so young and just starting out.

Family To The Rescue

After expressing all of my pain and struggle to my older brother, he mentioned I should try juicing. At the time, he lived in Austin, so I just thought he was being a “trendy, hippy Austinite”. So, I wrote it off for a while. He then sent me 2 recipes to try.

The first one I ever sold, The Beginner, was a version of the juice he told me to try. It changed my life. I was feeling so much better, because my body was getting these nutrients I needed, but not putting the stress on it to digest solid food. I was able to “eat” without eating, without feeling sick, without all of the pain. This was my first step to getting my life back.

I decided to commit to juicing every day for at least breakfast and I did it for about 6 months and then tried a 3-day cleanse. Everything in my body was changing, for the better. I was feeling healthier, stronger, happier, full but not sick. BUT, my stomach wasn’t quite there. When I wasn’t juicing, I was trying to eat normal food, but my body still wasn’t having it.

The Final Step

Juicing had helped me out tremendously, but I still had what felt like a baseball once I ate real food. My mom and I started searching again! We found acupuncture. Wow. Just wow. I drank a juice and headed off to my first appointment, nervous and very reluctant. This was my missing piece.

I went to Marr Physical Medicine in League City. Dr. Marr is a Chiropractor that studied acupuncture. He was kind, and listened to all my complaints and knew exactly where to put the needles to help me out. After that first appointment, I finally felt like my old self again. I went back for 6 more sessions and then I continue to go about every 4 months. When I explain it to people, I equate it to jumping your car’s battery.

My nerves weren’t firing to my stomach, but as soon as he put those needles in and a heat lamp over them, it was like my whole body got a fresh charge. It was the most incredible feeling. I walked out of that first appointment with a smile and then about an hour later, I felt hungry for the FIRST TIME IN A YEAR AND A HALF. I almost confused it with being sick again, because I had forgotten what that felt like.

Here Comes Real Peel

Fast forward to 2016 and, I have done it. I have “cured” myself back to about 85% and I couldn’t have done it without juice and acupuncture. Once I realized the magnitude of what I had done, I knew I HAD to use this knowledge to help others. My thought was “If juicing could almost cure my incurable condition, then what could it do for the person with indigestion? Or the person with chronic migraines? But more than that, I thought, with all of this knowledge of juicing and nutritional therapy, how can I help others with Gastroparesis?”

Enter Real Peel.  I got certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and did research on what each fruits and vegetables did for your body and I created juices around those. For those with Gastroparesis & other digestive issues, I always suggest The Guardian. Even something as simple as low energy, there is The Sparkler.

The possibilities are endless with nutrition and if you ever thought that Real Peel was created just to be a part of a trend, then you are mistaken!

Then, I knew juice wasn’t the only way, so I wrote down all of the things I tried to help with my Gastroparesis and created programs to help others. Just in a faster way than I figured it out.

It is now 2023, and I have spent years feeling great! For an update, click here.

But aside from my own health, I have helped countless women and men suffering with Gastroparesis with my One-On-One services. Want to learn more about Gastroparesis and how I have helped myself and many others get their Gastroparesis under control?

Follow these few quick steps:

1. Have you downloaded our FREE 3-Day Gastroparesis Guide? If not, click here to download.

2. Then, click here to head to our Gastroparesis page. There is so much information on there to go over and learn.

3. If you are interested in Juicing for Gastroparesis, we have an Ebook containing recipes for Gastroparesis for all severity levels. You can find that ebook here.

I am here to help you heal, to enhance your health, and to make your quality of life so much better! I want you to THRIVE, not just barely survive.

But, that’s just me. That’s my story of how juicing (and some other protocols) healed my Gastroparesis.

That’s also my why. That’s why I get up every day and help clients, write blogs, put out as much information as I can. To continue to make juices and provide you with nutrition information.

I don’t want anyone else to feel how I felt. I want to change the way you feel.

Until next time,

Aubrey.

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

Foods to Boost Your Immune System

Our previous blog post focused on How to Boost Your Immune System, but you now know that one of those tips is a nutrient-dense, healthy diet. So, you might be asking, what kind are the foods to boost your immune system?

Here are 10 foods that are great for your immune system, year-round:

1. Citrus: I feel like this is the most obvious, but it’s a MUCH better option than a vitamin-C supplement. Include Oranges, Lemons, Limes and Grapefruits as a regular part of your diet.

2. Red Bell Peppers: Most might believe that oranges have the most vitamin-C, but they would be wrong. Red bell’s have more than double the amount of vitamin-C than an orange!

3. Ginger: an inflammation killer. Inflammation is a major immune response, and ginger can help reduce the inflammation in the body, which helps reduce the stress on the body and the immune system.

4. Turmeric: very similar to ginger, turmeric is a major player in the inflammatory process.

5. Green Tea: green tea is packed with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that helps enhance the immune function

6. Yogurt: we talked about how keeping up the microbiome is an important part of the immune system, and one way you can do that is with yogurt. You need live cultures, like in Greek yogurt in order for it to work the way it should

7. Spinach: yes, it’s also packed with vitamin C, but it’s also packed with lots of antioxidants with infection-fighting ability. It’s at its best when it’s not cooked. All the nutrients are in tact.

8. Garlic: garlic is packed with antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. They are rich in antioxidants that help eliminate free radicals in the body.

9. Broccoli: 1 cup of broccoli provides the same amount of vitamin C as an orange. It also contains a few of the needed B vitamins and some other needed minerals that support the immune system functioning.

10. Sweet Potatoes: they contain a TON of vitamin A and about 30% of the daily recommended vitamin C needed. Plus, they have a good amount of fiber. It’s like you’re getting a 3 for 1 deal.

11. Bonus: Pomegranate: I just love this fruit, so it’s my bonus tip. Pomegranates have beneficial compounds that inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Hopefully, this helps give you ideas on the foods you should be regularly incorporating into your diet in whatever way you can.

Some of these can be combined within one meal, making it super easy to have a variety in your diet.

If you are needing help on what exactly you should be eating for your Gastroparesis, make sure you download the Free 3-day Gastroparesis Healing Guide.

Until next time,

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

Love, Aubrey

How to Boost Your Immune System

If you are looking for ways on how to boost your immune system, you are on the right path. However, you are probably looking during this crazy virus, and while that is a wonderful thing to do, you should continue to do these things all throughout the year, so that when the next flu season hits, you will feel a bit more confident in your body’s ability to handle anything.

So, here are 10 things to do year-round to promote a healthy immune system, in no particular order:

1. Get Outside: Many people do the same thing everyday. Go to work, come home and hang out inside cooking dinner, tending to children, etc. Getting outdoors, especially during the daytime, provides the body with needed Vitamin D, but also breathing in the chemicals produced by the plants, can help increase our white blood cell levels. (I don’t mean the manmade chemical plants like in Houston lol)

2. Keep Up Your Microbiome: basically, make sure you are feeding the good bacteria in your body, and replenishing the good bacteria. This can be done by a plethora of fruits & vegetables, yogurts, kombucha, kimchi, etc. Gut health greatly affects immune health.

3. Nutrient-Dense Diet: Speaking of fruits & vegetables, you need to make sure your diet contains plenty of nutrient-dense foods and minimal to no processed foods. Fruits & vegetables have so many needed vitamins and minerals that help your body function properly.

4. Exercise Regularly: Working off the previous tip of eating healthy, you need to make sure you are moving your body DAILY. This doesn’t mean high-intensity exercising or lifting a bunch of weights. This could be as simple as a 20 minute walk. Keeping your body moving will allow your body to produce more of the cells that attack bacteria that are looking to cause infection. MOVE. YOUR. BODY. EVERY. DAY.

5. A Good Sleep Schedule: Why do you think when you are sick that all it is you want to do is sleep? This is the time when your body can restore itself and for the immune system to recharge. Getting 2-3 hours of sleep per night can be detrimental to your body.

6. De-Stress: Americans, especially, are always stressed out. Somehow we think constantly being busy is something good. NEWSFLASH: chronic stress is one of the most dangerous things to your body. It can create inflammation, attack the body and boom, you’re sick. Do something that relaxes you and do it more often than not.

7. Stay Hydrated: Humans are basically water and then a little bit of other things, so why do we deny drinking water? There are too many functions where water is necessary, but think about those needed vitamins that are water-soluble, they NEED water. So, make sure you are drinking no less than half your body weight in ounces. (120 pounds = 60 ounces of water)

8. Cut Down On Sugar: no, this does not mean go Keto, or cut out fruit. This means relax on the amount of sugar you intake. Sugar can weaken your white blood cells, and you need those, because they are the ones that fight off bacteria and viruses.

9. Herbs & Spices: kick up your cooking by adding lots of herbs & spices to your food. Things like turmeric, ginger. garlic, etc. provide anti-inflammatory properties to help your immune system out.

10. WASH YOUR DANG HANDS: this should be self-explanatory, but here we are. Wash them and do it often enough to protect yourself.

Do all or majority of these things year-round and you will find yourself in a good position when the next cold or flu comes around. Do these things now and you are only helping your body get ready to fight anything it comes in contact with!

Part 2 of this blog includes the foods you should be incorporating year-round. Read Foods to Boost Your Immune System here.

Until next time,

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

Love, Aubrey