Juice Booster Ingredients > Want to Elevate Your Smoothie or Juice Blend to the next level?

 
If you are looking for 5 new ingredients to add to your morning smoothie or juice, please read on! These five organic, natural and raw ingredients will pack your drink with lots of nutrition, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and trace elements that will keep you going through the day! If you missed SET 1 – JUICE BOOST INGREDIENTS, click here or our new SET 3 – SMOOTHIE BOOSTERS. Otherwise, here are 5 new nutritious ingredients that will give your juice a boost!

 

spinach juice booster or smoothie boost in the morning
 

Juice Booster #6 > Just Add Spinach

An easy way to elevate the health benefits and nutritional value of your juice blend, spinach is one of nature’s best superfoods. A cup of spinach has nearly 20% of your daily dietary fiber requirements which will help in your digestive processes and lower your blood pressure. Recent studies also link spinach to fighting prostate and other cancer with its high levels of phytonutrients. Adding spinach as a juice booster also improves your vision, disease immunity, and brain function in addition to maintaining healthy bones and skin. Just adding spinach to your juice or smoothie will also fight inflammation. Spinach is also very high in antioxidants, which help in combating atherosclerosis as well as osteoporosis. You can find organic spinach at any local grocer or farmer’s market or you can easily grow your own. Spinach is one of our favorite juice boost ingredients!

 

superfood hemp seeds are a perfect juice boost for your morning smoothie
 

Smoothie Boost Ingredient #7 > Just Add Hemp Seeds

One of our favourite juice boost ingredients at Just Add Good Stuff is hemp seeds. This is nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acids. Hemp Seed as a smoothie booster ingredient will aid as an anti-inflammatory agent, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, there are no known allergies to hemp seeds, so they are completely safe for people who are sensitive to lactose, sugar, gluten or nuts. In addition, food cravings are reduced and therefore, hemp seeds are often added into a weight loss program. A juice boost ingredient like hemp seeds will also help you increase focus and energy levels in addition to reducing stress. Hemp seeds are a superfood and there are several reasons for this. They contain high levels of protein (including 20 amino acids … and all 9 essential amino acids). In addition, the hemp seed juice booster also contains fatty acids, Vitamin E and lots of fiber. They are easy to digest and offer a rich source of natural phytonutrients, the disease protection that will aid in your immunity against diseases and infection. Just Add Hemp Seeds!

 

maca powder is a great addition to a smoothie or juice because of its superfood status
 

Juice Booster #8 > Just Add Maca

Derived from a herbaceous plant that is found on the high plateaus of the Ande’s Mountains in Peru, South America, the maca root vegetable has often been referred to as the ‘Peruvian Ginseng’ because of its many health benefits. Often coming in powder form, adding maca as a juice booster will give you lots of added nutrients and energy. A relative of the turnip and rash, the maca root smells a bit like butterscotch and adding maca to your morning smoothie or as a juice booster will help treat everything from chronic fatigue to anemia. Not only that, but maca in any form when consumed will reduce stress levels, anxiety, depression and help balance your mood. In addition, the maca juice booster can also contribute to clearing acne in a natural way in addition to promoting sexual function in both femals and males. Athletes use maca juice boosters to increase energy. WARNING > DO NOT add maca to your smoothie or juice booster if you are breast feeding or if you are pregnant.

 

lemonhealth benefits are awesome and should be used as a juice boost
 

Smoothie Booster Ingredient #9 > Just Add Lemon

Many of us forget that lemons help us balance our body’s pH levels. Although acidic in taste, once our body metabolizes lemon, they are alkaline which is the key to good health. Just add lemon into your daily smoothie or juice to boost your immune system as lemons are very high in Vitamin C and potassium. In addition, studies have shown that pectin fiber in lemons help curb food cravings and therefore have been an essential ingredient in many weight loss programs. As well, the smoothie booster ingredient also aids our gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving in our digestive system. Another often overlooked property of lemons is that they hydrate our lymph system which prevents dehydration and adrenal fatigue. The lemon juice boost also decreases blemishes, acne and wrinkles, promoting healthier skin.

 

seaweed superfood is a welcome addition to a smoothie or juice booster ingredient
 

Juice Booster #10 > Just Add Seaweed

Seaweed has been around for centuries and it serves as an ideal choice for any morning juice blend or smoothie if you are looking for more Vitamin A and C as well as magnesium, iodine and calcium. Seaweed doesn’t contain any fat, and a serving only contains 5 to 10 calories, making it a great choice for vegetarians and vegans. The juice booster seaweed includes edible species like Red Dulse, Black Hijiki and Green Kumba, and all are equally nutritious and tasty additions to your smoothie or juice booster. Some of the health benefits of seaweed include aiding your digestive system and lowering your high blood pressure. As well, recent studies have shown that adding seaweed into your diet may have anti-cancer properties. So instead of just having seaweed as part of your sushi roll, try seaweed as a juice booster!

 

Just Add Good Stuff recommends adding some or all of the above juice boost ingredients into your daily smoothie or juice. Please consult with a health professional to make sure you are not allergic to any of these juice boosters. The 5 juice boost ingredients recommended in this article are: spinach, hemp seeds, maca, lemons and seaweeds.

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RECIPE > Avocado Dill Dip Recipe

Spring is in the air! When spring comes along, we at Just Add Good Stuff just love the smell of dill and other herbs! In addition, it’s the perfect time for avocados … we mean really ripe and organic avocados from the local grocers.

Combining the two ingredients, organic dill and organic avocados, makes for a great Spring dip or spread. Whether you are hosting a lunch/dinner party or just relaxing outside with a book, try the avocado dill dip and spread for a healthy alternative to packaged dips. As you can see, ALL INGREDIENTS are completely RAW and ORGANIC. This easy-to-make and easy-to-follow AVOCADO DILL DIP RECIPE will only take you 10 minutes or less to prepare. And once you’ve tasted this avocado dill combination, you won’t want anything else!

Check out the avocado dill dip recipe below in addition to some top avocado health benefits and dill health benefits below for your perfect Spring snack that is both nutritional as well as filling!

 

Avocado Dill Dip and Spread

 

Avocado Dill Dip Recipe

If you are looking for a quick and dirty recipe for an Avocado Dill Dip or Spread, here it is! This Avocado Dill recipe is enough for 2 to 4 people with organic crackers or gluten free bread. Can be used as a dip or a spread, whichever you like!

Please share with your friends and family!

Servings: 1 medium sized bowl
Preparation Time: 10 minutes (or less)

Here are the ingredients for the Avocado Dill Dip Recipe:

2 Avocados (overly ripe and organic if possible)
½ cup Lemon Juice (preferable freshly squeezed organic lemons)
¼ cup Dill (preferably fresh organic dill)
1 tsp Garlic (organic and minced)
1 tsp Agave (raw and organic … plus, this is optional!)
½ tsp Salt (unprocessed)

Here are the preparation directions for our favourite Avocado Dill Dip Recipe:

Step 1: Get your food processor out and plugged in
Step 2: Wash all of your ingredients
Step 3: Get the avocado meat out (see below section: The BEST WAY to Peel an Avocado > Avocado Preparation guide)
Step 4: Add the lemon juice into your food processor
Step 5: Add the dill (no need to chop it … but take the stems off)
Step 6: Add the finely minced garlic
Step 7: Add the agave syrup (if you want … no need to add agave)
Step 8: Add a pinch of salt
Step 9: Blend using your food processor for about 30 to 50 seconds
Step 10: Serve with crackers and/or bread
Step 11: Enjoy and share with your friends and family

 

Avocado Dill spread is healthy and easy to prepare with this recipe

 

Health benefits of avocado and dill

 

avacado-dill3

 

The BEST WAY to Peel an Avocado > Avocado Preparation

It is vital that you learn how to prepare an Avocado via the best way to peel an avocado for your avocado dill dip recipe. A recent UCLA research team showed that in California organic avocados, the greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green fruit of the avocado closest to the peel. Therefore, it is essential to learn how to prepare an Avocado the right way. To preserve the area with the greatest concentration of antioxidants, you basically want to peel the avocado with your hands, as you would a banana. The BEST WAY to Peel an Avocado in avocado preparation is as follows!

Step 1: First, cut the avocado length-wise, around the seed
Step 2: Holding each half, twist them in the opposite directions to separate them from the seed
Step 3: Remove the seed
Step 4: Cut each half, lengthwise
Step 5: Next, using your thumb and index finger, simply peel the skin off each piece

By following the above best way to peel an avocado, you can ensure the greatest concentration of antioxidant and nutrient levels in your avocado dill recipe.

 

Avocado Dill Health Benefits

Eating raw and organic avocados, dill and lemons have great health benefits and lots of nutritional value. The key here is that all ingredients are completely RAW and ORGANIC so that they retain all of their nutritional benefits and ultimately their health benefits. Here are some of the most notable benefits for each of the main ingredients in this avocado dill dip recipe.

 

Organic Dill Health Benefits

The health benefits of dill are well documented and tested. Here are our top 8 dill health benefits that you should be aware of: sleep aid, calming effect, bone health, anti-bacterial herb, fights free radicals and digestive benefits. In addition, other health benefits of dill include the treatment of headaches/migraines in addition to hiccups! Bet you didn’t know that!

 

Organic Avocado Health Benefits

The health benefits of avocados are also well documented and far reaching when it comes to personal health, nutrition and well being. Here are some of our favourite avocado health benefits in no particular order (there are many more, which we will write about in a separate article): lower cholesterol levels, assist in a healthy heart and circulatory system, control blood pressure (lowers stress) and features anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, the avocado health benefits also include promoting eye health, regulating blood sugar levels (important for diabetics), preventing birth defects and reducing the risk of strokes. Other great organic avocado health benefits include its use in skin care (treatment for psoriasis) in addition to increase in nutritional absorption during meals and a cure for bad breath! Bet you didn’t know this one either!

 

Organic Lemon Health Benefits

Just Add Good Stuff touched upon some health benefits of lemons in our blog post: WAKE UP AND DRINK THIS! Here are a few more health benefits of lemons that most people don’t know about: lemons can assist in abolishing acne, cure bad breath, help anxiety (lowers stress levels and decrease fatigue), treat canker sores and mouth sores. In addition, other organic lemon health benefits include treating fevers/migraines, treating the common cold or flu, treatment of eczema and healing hypertension. These are in addition to the lemon health benefit that we all know and hear about: balancing our body’s pH levels.

WAKE UP AND DRINK THIS!

In our busy lives, we often forget to nourish our mind and body in the morning.  Some of us go directly to the phone or computer to check email.  Some of us need to take the dog out for a walk, or prepare a boxed lunch for our kids.  Whether you are busy or not, there is one thing that you NEED TO DO FOR YOURSELF when you wake up!  And yes, this is BEFORE any work or play or breakfast or coffee or juice or news …

 

DRINK A GLASS OF LUKE-WARM WATER INFUSED WITH LEMON JUICE AND TOPPED UP WITH BLUEBERRIES!

 

lemon-blueberry1

 

So why would you want to do that?

 

Firstly, after having slept for 6 to 10 hours, your body needs WATER replenishment!

Secondly, LEMONS will balance your pH (they are alkaline in the body!) PLUS lemons boost your immune system.

Thirdly, BLUEBERRIES will give you antioxidants first thing in the morning PLUS promote and maintain digestive health throughout the day.

 

Check below for more lemon health benefits and blueberry health benefits in addition to lemon nutrition and blueberry nutrition breakdowns.

 

lemon-blueberry2

 

So here it is … quick and dirty version for lemon infused water with wild blueberries:

Step 1: Get a glass/cup out

Step 2: Fill it up with luke-warm to luke-cold water (filtered tap water is great)

Step 3: Get a lemon

Step 4: Cut the lemon in half

Step 5: Squeeze at least ½ of this lemon into your water (ideally, squeeze the entire lemon)

Step 6: Take out the lemon seeds (they don’t taste very good)

Step 7: Get some (wild) blueberries

Step 8: Drop about 15 to 20 (wild) blueberries into the water

Step 9: Enjoy your water infused with lemon and topped up with blueberries

 

LemonWater-start

 

BENEFITS OF LEMON JUICE

 

1. Lemons help balance our body’s pH (pH balancing)

So what does that mean?  Although lemons are quite acidic on their own, inside our bodies, lemons are incredibly alkaline. When the citric acid in lemons is metabolized by our body, it does not create any acidity whatsoever.  On the contrary, lemons help pH balance as they are truly alkaline foods.  This is especially important in the morning after our bodies have been in its rest state for up to 10 hours.  Drinking lemon juice will help flush out the acidity that has accumulated in our body and restore the pH balance to normal to alkaline levels.

 

2. Lemons help boost our immune system

Lemons and lemon juice have 2 main nutrients that are essential for a healthy immune system.  Lemons are high in Vitamin C, which is required to fight colds and infections.  In addition, lemons are also high in potassium, which stimulates the nervous system (so helps the brain and nerves function properly).  In addition, potassium is also known to control blood pressure.

 

3. Lemons help our digestive system too

In addition to helping our immune system fight off infection and colds and to control high blood pressure, lemon juice is also helpful in maintaining our digestive process.  The luke-warm water in combination with lemon juice helps to stimulate our gastrointestinal tract and the peristalsis.  What the heck is peristalsis you may ask?  Peristalsis is the rhythmic contract of our intestine’s muscles which keeps food and liquid moving through our digestive system.  So lemons and lemon juice actually help in moving things through properly.  Other minerals and trace elements in lemon juice also assist in removing toxins trapped in our digestive system.  Now that’s handy!

 

4. Lemons clear skin, no matter your skin type

We bet you didn’t know this one! Lemon juice is now gaining popularity when it comes to skin benefits.  In the latest studies, lemon juice has shown that it can reduce both blemishes of the skin as well as wrinkles.  This is an added benefit of the high amounts of Vitamin C found in lemon juice.  In addition, lemons clear our skin by removing toxins from our body and skin.

 

5. Lemons act as a natural, non-evasive, non-threatening diuretic

Unlike many other diuretic foods and liquids, lemon juice is very gentle.  The latest studies have shown that lemons help flush out toxins and other unwanted substances from our bodies.  How do lemons do this?  Lemon juice increases the rate at which we need to urinate (do #1s) .. which means that more toxins and bad substances are flushed out of our bodies at a faster rate.  It’s really as simple as that!

 

6. Lemons help in weight loss

One of the key benefits of lemon juice is that it is very high in pectin fiber.  So what is pectin fiber anyways?  Well, it’s a substance that helps fight food cravings.  It’s been well studied and published that people who maintain a more alkaline diet and maintain an alkaline to balanced body will lose weight faster.  So give it a try (if you are trying to lose weight)!

 

 7. Lemons fight bad breath, especially in the morning

Many of us know that are breath stinks in the morning.  After sleeping for hours, bacteria and other substances (and toxins) build up in the mouth to create problems with our morning bad breath.  Lemons have natural substances and trace elements that will remove the bacteria and neutralize our morning bad breath, before our loved one turns over to give you a kiss.

 

8. Lemons hydrate our lymph system

During the night, our bodies get dehydrated with the possibility of adrenal fatigue.  Because of this lack of water and food, our bodies do not function 100% right away and this may lead to a build up of toxins, stress, constipation and many other negative symptoms. Our adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of our kidneys, and along with our thyroid, help us create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by our adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in our body, helping us stay hydrated. Our adrenals are also responsible for regulating our stress response. So, the bottom line is that we really don’t want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!

 

Fresh blueberries macro on white background with shadows

 

BENEFITS OF BLUEBERRIES

 

* Please note that we highly recommend that you pick-up organic WILD BLUEBERRIES (they can be found fresh or frozen in most grocery stores now).  Wild blueberries are different than cultivated or farmed berries.  A 2004 USDA study ranked wild blueberries as the number one anti-oxidant fruit, with 48% more antioxidants than the cultivated kind. Anti-oxidants fight free radicals in the body, which help build our immunity.

 

1. Blueberries fight disease

With high antioxidant levels, it is now proven that blueberries (both wild and cultivated) can assist in helping ward off infection and infectious diseases.  In addition, blueberries also have many cancer-fighting properties.  This is why blueberries are now ranked in the top 10 superfoods in the world.
In addition, blueberries have also been called ‘brain food’ as they may help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.  Other studies have shown that blueberries are an excellent anti-diabetes food.  This is in both preventing diabetes as well as controlling it for people already suffering from this disease.

 

2. Blueberries help lower your cholesterol

Blueberry antioxidants help in lowering your cholesterol, so it is a perfect superfood for those suffering from high blood pressure.  These same properties also assist and promote a healthy heart and a perfectly functioning circulatory system.

 

3. Blueberries reverse the sign of aging

In recent studies, eating blueberries has proven to decrease the signs of aging … like fewer wrinkles, healthier skin etc.  In some best case scenarios, this superfood has been linked to anti-aging by delaying and even reversing aging of the body and mind.

 

4. Blueberries aid in our urinary and digestive health

As well, blueberries have properties that help promote urinary health by removing toxins from the body and flushing them out of our systems.  Blueberries will also aid in maintaining digestive health and keeping us ‘regular’.  This is also linked to weight loss and a healthy diet.

 

5. Other Blueberry benefits

This superfood has also been linked to preventing macular degeneration in addition to being nature’s perfect anti-inflammatory food.