Of all the topics to begin this adventure in lifeyumTV, never thought it’d be fun with a juicer, kale, some cukes, celery, apple and turmeric root.

Or learning how to pronounce cen·trif·u·gal. (It took practice: senˈtrif(y)əgəl/.)

But here’s the bottom line.

1. Make it fun and start simple.

2. Do your own thing because you want to; don’t be a pusher (like I was).

Avoid this:

My first green juice mentor Kris Carr told me: “The only time you can change someone is when they’re in their diapers.” And she was right on.

3. Know that juicing — in whatever machine you’ve got — is a great way to amp up your nutrients, give your digestive system a break, let your body heal (your gut isn’t busy trying to digest fiber)…and it feels good, especially if your recipe is suited to what your body is calling for.

In this first episode of lifeyumTV* {YAY!} I talk with Melissa Rosenthal-Dubin, holistic health coach and mom of four (rockin’ friend and girl scout troop leader, too). She helps women and families eat in a cleaner, healthier way by incorporating nutrient-dense foods slowly into their diets…making the change easy, fun, and natural. Her company is aptly named Adding In.

I especially like the wine glass approach to drinking juice, and that we got to shoot the video in her light-filled, stunning kitchen that looks like a TV set instead of mine — laden with piles of papers, sticky notes, and a lot of dishes.

First things first: the difference between juicing and blending, and my all-time favorite infographic on the topic by Kris Carr:

source: Kris Carr via www.MindBodyGreen.com Get Kris’ crazysexy Juices & Succulent Smoothies at www.Crazysexyjuice.com!

Melissa’s top reasons to juice:

1. Juicing gives your digestive system — your gut — a rest, which is especially helpful if you’re getting sick or eating too much fiber (and feeling bloated)
2. You get the benefits of a lot of produce in one glass: minerals, vitamins, nutrients, phytonutrients, and antioxidants
3. It’s an easy way to add in more vegetables to your diet (especially for belligerent salad-makers)
4. Veggies are the #1 missing food in the American diet: voila! juicing can help us bridge the gap!
5. Waste not, want not. Juicing is a great way to use your produce rather than throwing it away (or letting it become the next science experiment in the fridge)

Helpful info and links:

Environmental Working Group‘s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen: This is gold. A few years ago I was so surprised to learn that two-thirds of U.S. fruit and vegetables have pesticide residues. Bad news. Thankfully, every year EWG highlights the cleanest and dirtiest conventionally raised fruits and vegetables — so until the day when produce labels aren’t needed, thanks be to EWG and their handy shopping guide!

Local Harvest.org Local farmers markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture) are great and cost-effective ways to find organic fruits and veggies near you. We’re incredibly lucky in my community to have Field Goods, a revolutionary company that brings the farmers market to you.

Melissa’s handy produce label guide:

Melissa’s top two juice recipes:

Cold Buster

• one orange
• four carrots
• ginger root

Add the ginger root into your juicer with the orange, then add carrots. You will get more ginger flavor that way!

Glorious Greens

• kale
• cucumber
• celery
• pear/apple

Melissa always runs the kale through first as the cucumber juice helps push the residual kale juice through most juicers. Note: If you can’t find organic cucumber, peel the skin. 

Cheers to getting juiced!

* lifeyumTV wouldn’t have lifted off the ground if not for the amazing Kaleb Dubin and his executive producer, Dan Ainspan. I’ll be turning the camera on them before the season ends. 🙂