Disclaimer: I do not endorse Juice Plus nor do I receive payment for any Juice Plus products sold. Professional advice should be sought in relation to all health and treatment decisions. The intention of this blog is to share the perspective of a parent as it relates to nutrition.
This guest blog is written by Krystle Acquafredda, mom of 4 boys.
Growing up, the extent of my nutritious eating habits were applesauce and peas that my mother served us with our dinner, every single night. My breakfast was normally some sort of carbohydrate and sugar mixture, lunch was a processed meat sandwich with more processed snacks and dinner was always followed by some sort of dessert before bedtime.
It was not until I had my own children that I started to pay attention to the labels on what food I was bringing home to fuel our family. I quickly realized that the staple to our diets was full of ingredients that were not meant to be put into our bodies in the first place. The convenient choices that I made for snacks, quick breakfasts or dinners and easy lunches were far from healthy. I was completely aware that I needed to find a way to get my family to eat more fruits and vegetables, but that seemed so hard. Being a mother of four active boys under the age of ten, a wife to a husband that has a crazy work schedule, and a career woman with a daily commute, finding a way to eat more fruits and vegetables was a challenge. I would try new things in phases, but nothing was sustainable for our family.
Several months ago, I was the unhealthiest I had ever been. I was barely making it through the day, living on sugary coffee drinks, and whatever food I could get quickly and easily. I was letting my four boys eat the same way and feeling guilty that I wasn’t fueling them with the nutrition they deserved. It is just natural for a mother to always be worried about everyone else and forget about herself. When I finally realized that I could not give my family the best me if I was not investing in myself, I knew I had to make a change. I needed to find the best solution for myself and my family. Then I learned about a simple way to flood my body with over thirty fruits and vegetables every single day. Not only have I created a healthier me, I have seen an increase in energy and improvements with my skin and hair. More importantly, my family is living a healthier lifestyle and I find it so much easier for us to make healthy choices. The best part of it is knowing that my family, with all of our daily extracurricular activities and daily commutes, is getting the proper nutrition they need to fuel their day.
Juice Plus, the next best thing to fruits and vegetables, has really been a game changer for helping my family bridge the gap between what we do eat and what we should be eating. Our mornings during the school year are hectic to say the least. Getting four kids out of the house early in the morning makes it difficult to provide us all a nutritious breakfast. I first introduced Juice Plus to my family by making all of us the Complete beverage mix as shakes for breakfast. I am able to make these whole-food based shakes, blending in additional vegetables such as spinach, for the six of us in less than fifteen minutes. We are on our way out the door knowing that they will finish them before we even get to school and they are ready to face the day. When the kids started begging for these shakes on the weekends, I figured I would give the other Juice Plus products a try. I was already taking the quad of fruit, vegetable, berry and omega capsules so I purchased the trio of chewables. This trio provides over thirty fruits, vegetables, grains and berries and have the same synergistic effect on the body as the capsules. Again, another hit! If I am not quick enough with getting the chewables out, my kids are begging for them.
Not only have I found satisfaction in knowing that we have made these clinical researched products a part of our everyday routine, I have found us consuming more fruits and vegetables than ever before. Each day it becomes increasingly easier to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into our meals and snacks. Our kitchen pantry inventory of processed foods is slowly diminishing and the fruit baskets on my counter have doubled. The same kids that used to cry and complain about snack options like oranges, apples and strawberries now seek those choices when they come to the kitchen. Dinners that used to linger on because the kids would battle over eating their vegetables have turned into meaningful family gatherings. I know how important it is to be eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every single day and I am so thankful for how Juice Plus has transformed the eating habits of my family in order for us to achieve something that seemed so impossible in this day and age.
For more information about Juice Plus, contact Krystle Acquafredda via email at KrystleClearNutrition@gmail.