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Throughout the nearly 15 years that I have been using and recommending* Juice Plus®, one of the most common questions I have been asked has been some variant of  “Just how can they get all that nutrition into those tiny capsules?”

Given the sophisticated (and proprietary) process by which Juice Plus® is made, public explanations and visual images have been somewhat limited.  So, one day, in a moment of facetious fun, I concocted an intricate tale regarding a renegade group of health-conscious Keebler Elves who—armed with tiny golden shovels**—had been recruited and hired to scoop the fruit and vegetable powders into capsules.  At long last, I am delighted to finally grant that hard-working band of elves a much deserved retirement.

All seriousness aside….if you have ever wondered about

• Why you should consider increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables
• How 17 fruits, vegetables and grains actually get into those capsules, and/or
• What difference Juice Plus® could possible make for you or your family’s  health,

then you will find value in a new, 12 minute video that premiered in late March at the Spring 2009 Juice Plus® Leadership Conference in Long Beach, California.

Simply click here so you can see and hear for yourself.  Then, click on “View video” (as seen below)

While you are there, you can also review the impressive body of peer-reviewed, published research findings on Juice Plus®…

plus hear from a few of the 1000’s of other health professionals who recommend Juice Plus®…

I invite you to take a look, and let me know what you think.

And, if you are wanting to bridge the nutritional health gap in your life, consider the difference you could make by adding the  benefits from 17 different fruits, vegetables and grains to your body every day.

Again, simply click here for more information.

* Proclaimer:  I am honored to be a Juice Plus® distributor(since 1995).  Because of the integrity (of both the company and its extensive research program), Juice Plus® remains the only nutritional product that I have ever  wholeheartedly recommended to my clients, family and friends.

** Image credit: Photo-0167.jpg by drauh

Often, when I am speaking with a client, our conversation will turn to the topic of eating and how important it is to “eat a rainbow of colors” each day: Blue, purple, green, white, yellow and red.  There’s even at least one funky little song available on-line that helps get the point across.

Today, a colleague forwarded an great article to me entitled:  “Is your diet color blind?” It covers the same kind of content that I usually cover in a typical rainbow eating discussion.  What got my attention however, was the initial question the author posed.

Wow, I’d never thought of it quite that way.

On the one hand, I love using word play and metaphors to help explain concepts.   So, the color blind reference makes a wonderful addition to my educational toolchest.

On the other hand, I also feel that one of my major roles is to help my clients bridge the gap from their current “here and now” to the “there” of their desired future.

So, if your current eating habits are a bit color blind, and you’re looking for a way to help you eat a healthier rainbow of color each day (that is, increasing your intake of fruits and veggies), I’ve found a great place to start your journey.  It’s called Juice Plus+–providing you with 17 different fruits, veggies and grains in capsules.  Research with both children and adults shows that folks who take Juice Plus not only report eating more fruits and veggies, but also demonstrate signs of being more healthy.

[BTW- If you're contemplating a change of any kind, I've created a guided imagery script entitled: From Here to There: Preparing for Change that can be a valuable resource tool.  You can request it here.]

Image credits (all from Flickr (cc) Some Rights Reserved)

1.  Rainbow Eaters by exepotes

2.  Lunch by bunchofpants

A Love Letter from Alex (printable/pdf version)

Some days it really pays to sort through old files.  This afternoon, I found a stack of love letters and cards from my late husband.

He wrote an especially beautiful letter at a point during our courtship when I was going through a really rough patch at work.  I thought you might find his words as comforting-and inspirational–as I did.   Both then, and now:

I send you my affection and love to be with you….keep us close together during the trying times….calling on our total energies to help you through….but also call on our combined energies and love when it is time to celebrate at the high times of each day – there should be at least 8 celebrations each day….

1. When you awake…to another day, the purr of a cat, to the sneeze of [the dog], to the song of birds or to the first ray of sunlight.
2. Sipping a cup of tea, munching on a crust of toast, peanut butter or crunching a dry cereal for breakfast.
3. Taking a walk in the out-of-doors regardless of snow, rain, sleet, sun, or cottonwood seeds gliding down to earth, smelling the scents of earth, water, cut grass, sweat of a horse, after shave lotion, fresh dab of perfume or baby oil.
4. Greetings from friends, acquaintances, students, strangers, passer-bys, your own image reflected in a mirror or storefront window.  Surprize….being alive to all which surrounds you each moment in each day.
5. Listening and hearing the sounds of your own voice…talking, yelling, singing, laughing, whispering.
6. Touching…oh so many objects, people, animals, buildings, your car, a flower, a caterpillar, the wine in your goblet, the lips of your lover….your own body….with pride, delight and passion.
7. To be emotional….full range and depth…no limit…full limit…restrained and then abounding…internal and external-Yeah!  Take it in…Give and let it out….Human and Full of Life.
8. To sleep and rest after a fantasy called life which has been experienced….throughout each day.

That my Mary Is what you do!  Each and Every day of your creative and beautiful life.  Celebrate the existence of yourself with each and every living creature-

I too will celebrate life with you….each day and each moment of that day-

I enjoy spending these seconds with you.

*****

Image Credits:

Love Letters by Patricia Lazar on Flickr (cc) Some Rights Reserved

Here in the US, we often take our water quality for granted. Except in case of dire emergencies, we simply walk to the closest faucet to turn on the tap for fresh, clean drinking water.

I first learned about the challenges of getting clean drinking water in the developing world in 1967 (at age 17) during my first of several visits to Nicaragua. For example, we had to use bottled water for drinking and brushing our teeth. When visiting in a Nicaraguan home, we were told to request a bottle of soda whenever we were offered a beverage to drink. Strange by today’s standards, but a sugary soda was healthier to drink than water!

During a 3-week stay in a rural district in northwest Nicaragua, we had to haul water from the river to fill barrels in the outdoor shower stalls (unless we had a drenching rainstorm). Eating lettuce-based salads were out of the question because of the high risk of intestinal illnesses. So, instead, we scalded cabbage in boiling water–which we then cooled down with chunks of ice (a foolhardy and risky shortcut, since we later realized that the ice was also made with contaminated water!).

Several years ago, Rotary International launched the BioSand Water Filter project which has helped to provide point-of-use water filtration units to villages throughout the developing world. These economical, low-tech units are remarkably effective in removing most bacteria and parasites from contaminated water, making clean drinking water more readily accessible.

I just learned about another intriguing project: PlayPump which focuses it efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. There are several really great videos on YouTube that describe the project–which uses children’s play-power to operate water pumps from village wells.

Such creative projects and remarkable ingenuity!

(note: The title quote is from Silas Marner’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

(note: image from Foxypar4 !!! on Flickr, some rights reserved)