Dans le Jus / health
Top 3 Reasons to Choose Organic!
Cooked Versus Raw Food: Which is Better?


shown to have antioxidant properties and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

heat damages the enzyme myrosinase, which breaks down glucosinates (compounds derived from glucose and an amino acid) in broccoli into a compound known as sulforaphane. On the other hand, indole, an organic compound, is formed when certain plants, particularly cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, are cooked. According to research in The Journal of Nutrition in 2001, indole helps kill precancerous cells before they turn malignant.


Keep Calm and Go Organic!
3 great reasons Rejuice uses organic produce, and why you should too!
The number one reason people tend to avoid organic produce is price. These consumers are not convinced that the benefits outweigh the cost. Our hope is that after reading the following, you may find that there is a much dearer cost to your health, your families, and the planets, in opting for conventionally farmed produce.
Before we begin, note that when we say organic, we mean farming practices that rely on crop rotation, compost, biological pest control and that excludes synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators or hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. As opposed to conventional farming practices that not only utilize all the above practices but that are heavily dependent on pesticides. The sad reality is that even the inactive ingredients in herbicide and pesticide brands have been found to be just as toxic, if not more so, than the active ingredients, and these ingredients aren’t tested for human health impacts before being released.
There are many reasons we can give you why organic is better, but we are counting down our top 3 reasons:
- Organic Food Contains More Nutrients! The facts: According to a recent study by the Globe and Mail and CTV Newsof the nutrient quality of fruit and vegetables, compared to 50years ago, today’s regular fruit and vegetables contain dramatically less vitamins and minerals. The average potato has lost 100% of its vitamin A, 57% of its vitamin C and iron, 28% of its calcium, 50% of its riboflavin, and 18% of its thiamin. Similar results applied to 24 other fruits and vegetables. For broccoli, all seven nutrients fell, including a 63% decrease in calcium and a 34% decrease in iron. In April 2001, a US study examined 41 comparisons of the nutrient levels in organic and regular foods. In every case, the organic crops had higher nutrient levels - 27% more vitamin C, 29% more iron, 14% more phosphorus. At the June 2001 meeting of the American Chemical Society, a chemistry professor reported that organic oranges contained up to 30% more vitamin C than regular oranges, even though they are half the size. (Conventional orange trees are fed nitrogen fertilizer, causing the fruit to absorb more water, which makes them bigger.) In a French study, a cancer specialist studying the nutrient qualities of food grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France showed that for the twelve foods where his study is complete, the organic foods showed increased quantities of vitamins A, C, E, and the B group, increased elements such as zinc, increased minerals such as calcium, and increased fibre.
- Organic Farming Protects the Climate and Wildlife! The facts: Organic soil is full of living creatures, which carry carbon. In soil experiments across the globe, organically managed plots stored muchmore carbon than the conventional plots. In the Broadbalkexperiment, soil fertility increased by 120% in the manured plots, versus 20% in the chemical plots. The same results occurred in the Swiss experiment. A study in California’s Central Valley showed that as well as producing similar yields and suffering similar pest damage, organically managed fields produced 28% more organic carbon. By storing more carbon in the soil, organic farmers help to stop global climate change. A report by Britain’s Soil Association shows that wildlife is substantially richer and more varied on organic than on conventional farms. A typical organic field has five times as many wild plants, 57% more species, and 44% more birds in cultivated areas than a regular farm. Two 1996 studies show that organic farms have twice as many skylarks, and twice as many butterflies. Every time we eat an organic lettuce or tomato, we help restore wildlife.
And the #1 reason:
Organic Food is Safer: The facts: Farmers in Canada, Kansas and Nebraska who use the pesticide 2,4-D suffer a higher rate of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a cancer). The same applies to dogs that play on lawns that have been sprayed. In Sweden, exposure to phenoxy herbicides has been shown to increase the risk of contracting lymphomas six-fold. In the US, the death rates from myeloma (a cancer) are highest in rural farming areas18. And so it goes on. Migrant farmworkers suffer an abnormally high rate of multiple myeloma, stomach, prostate and testicular cancer. Organic farming carries none of these risks. There is a strong association between breast cancer and exposure to chemical pesticides. Atrazine, a common ingredient in pesticides, causes breast cancer in rats, chromosomal breakdown in the ovaries of hamsters, and hind-limb deformities in frogs. A Finnish study showed that women whose breasts stored the highest levels of a lindane-like residue were ten times more likely to have breast cancer than women with lower levels. (Lindane is a pesticide).
We can end all this by shifting to organic food. We can be healthier. Our children can be healthier. Our farmers and farm workers can be healthier. Frogs, worms, butterflies, skylarks and the soil itself can be healthier. All that it takes is to turn away from chemically grown food, and embrace organic food.
Guy Dauncey
#behappybehealthy
The information above all comes from Ten Reasons why Organic Food is better by Guy Dauncey. You can read the original article here: http://www.earthfuture.com/earth/cg-tenreasonsorganic.asp Guy Dauncey is the author of Earthfuture: Stories from a Sustainable World (ecotopian short stories, summer reading!) and Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change, winner of a Nautilus Award at the New York Book Expo (New Society Publishers). He lives in Victoria. www.earthfuture.com. First published in Common Ground Magazine, August 2002
Other sources: Rhodes, Nick Organic Farming for Wildlife on Kansas Farms Published: Spring/Summer Issue – My Wildlife Magazine
Your Guide to ReFUEL After Your Work-Out!
ReJuice’s Top 5 Tips to ReVitalize!
Success in reaching your work out goals depends as much on how you choose to refuel your body as it does just getting your butt to the gym.
Any resistance or strength training actually causes damage to muscle fibers as our body replaces weak muscle fibers with more functional ones. Training harder is not enough, you need to put adequate nutrients in your tank, so you can get the results you want! Doing a spin class or high intensity training? Then you need to refuel with protein and replace nutrients. Hot Yoga? Sip something super hydrating! Your workout does not end at the gym, by fuelling smart you get results!
Here are our recommendations for the optimal post work out fuel:
1.
|
After a butt-kicking interval class laced with weights, plyometrics, and cardio, you need to replace the carb, fat, and protein stores you’ve burned through. If you don’t refuel properly, your muscle tissue will break down. Recommendation for major replenishment after a cardio workout: Rejuice's COCO ALMOND BUTTER CUP: Coconut Milk, Almond Butter, Cacao and Dates with added Vegan Protein! |
2.
|
Calcium rich drinks are ideal after toning classes like Pilates and Barre. Women doing these types of classes to strengthen their bones can really benefit from a nutrient rich smoothie that includes calcium rich greens. Recommendation for calcium rich bone and muscle refueling after a toning and strength training workout: Rejuice's GREEN SMOOTHIE: Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Orange, Romaine, and Kale |
3.
|
Intense weight training can leave you hungry – so fuel up with a strawberry rich smoothie with chia and add protein powder to restore and build muscle. Recommendation for intense weight training session: Rejuice’s CHIA STRAWBERRY BANANA DELIGHT: Strawberries, Banana, Mango, Coconut Milk and Chia Seeds with Vegan Protien |
4. |
After Yoga - you don't need protein because not a lot of muscle is being broken down. You do need to rehydrate. So drink lots of water and go for a juice blend with beets, carrot, apple, ginger, and lemon. Beets can help lower blood pressure. They also contain tryptophan, which can help keep you and your mind calm and relaxed long after savasana is done! Recommendation for replenishment after a moderate Yoga workout: Rejuice's BEET-LICIOUS: Beets, Carrots, Celery, Apple |
5. |
After really hot yoga, you need extra hydration and nutrition. Mango, a true superfood, to rescue! The antioxidant and mineral content of Mango make it an ideal addition to any post workout regime. Chock full of Vitamin A, copper, and potassium, the tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body. The potassium in banana's and the electrolytes from coconut water help to restore the bodies balance after all that stretching and sweating. |
Finally, we have great news here at Rejuice. Studies show that to curb excess inflammation and muscle soreness......
Ginger!
According to a recent study: "Ginger has been found to decrease eccentric-exercise–induced inflammation and delayed onset muscle soreness. In vitro studies have found several chemical constituents in ginger, such as gingerols, shogaols, paradols, and zingerone, that block the production of inflammatory compounds and inhibit enzymes that increase pain and inflammation in the body"1
Another great reason to have a post work out shot of ginger at Rejuice!
Cheers! #beHappybeHealthy
What do you drink after a workout? Share your recipes with us!
1. Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, O’Connor PJ. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. J Pain. 2010;11(9):894-903.