What is your favorite drink? (Giveaway!)

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Blog Of The Week

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

by Stephanie Moram from Good Girl Gone Green

I am a heavy drinker. I mean a heavy drinker of water, green juices, green tea and kombucha. I always find myself with something to drink in my hand. I am not sure if I subconsciously do this to avoid overeating, but it works for me.

I remember a time when I was the queen of green tea sweetened with aspartame and the diet cola. I knew they were unhealthy and I knew I shouldn’t be consuming them, but I lived in my comfortable bubble of denial for many years.

The decision to ditch the artificially sweetened drinks was a no brainer when I found out I was pregnant, and that’s when I decided to pop my denial bubble. I knew I needed to nourish my body with healthy drinks and foods for my little one. Out went the artificially sweetened beverages and in with the healthy alternatives.

My current drink of choice is either a green juice or smoothie. Not necessarily for it’s taste though, but for the health benefits associated with it. Here are a few of them:

Juices are a great source of nutrients.They provide loads of anti-oxidants which helps improve the function of the body’s immune system. Juicing helps fill the gap for people that many be deficient in certain nutrients they are not getting from foods.
The nutrients from juices are easily absorbed by the body. When we consume the fresh juice it requires little digestion, which means all it nutritional goodness gets rapidly absorbed into your system.
Juicing allows you to consume a larger portion of vegetables and fruit in an efficient manner in one day. Lets be honest most people do not eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables and juicing would solve this problem.
By juicing, you are able to add a variety vegetables and fruit to your diet. Most people tend to eat the same fruits and veggies every day,but by juicing you can have all the health benefits of Kale without the taste (that is if you are like me and do not like the taste of kale).
Juices help build your immune system. Juicing different veggies and fruit can provide a tremendous support to the immune system especially during the cold and flu season. Seeing as nutrition plays an important role in protecting us from those nasty seasonal viruses, there is no better way to help support and strengthen our immunity than by extracting delicious and nutritious nourishment from your favorite vegetables and fruits.

Most of the juices we find in our local grocery store are pasteurized which means most of the vital enzymes, vitamins and minerals have been lost during the heating process. Pasteurization also extends shelf life of the juice in the stores.

Seeing as a large portion of the nutrients are stripped away, you are mostly left with sugar. Fructose which is naturally occurring and found in fruit and vegetables is fine in moderation when consumed raw.This is because the live enzymes and nutrients that chaperon the sugar, offer the body much needed nourishment, and help the body to break down and assimilate itself, all the while, nourishing the body.

Instead of drinking juices lacking in all the nutrients we need especially our growing children why not try a green juice. If you do not have a juicier you could always make delicious nutritious smoothie in the mean time.

Here are my two favorite drinks:

The Green Juice

1 cucumber
1/2 bunch of parsley or as much as yo can stand
1 handful of spinach
2-3 carrots
1-2 apples

Juice it all in your juicer and enjoy all the goodness in a glass!

The Green Smoothie

1-2 bananas
1 large handful of greens like spinach or kale
1 cup of water or enough to blend it all together.
Sweetener such as raisins or dates (optional)

Now wasn’t that easy? All the yumminess of greens in a your very own glass. Enjoy.

So who is up for the liquid revolution challenge? Join Healthy Child Healthy World and yours truly for one week and replace your not so healthy drinks with healthy options like the ones above. Could you give up your soft drink or artificially sweetened tea for one week?

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Time for the GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Congratulations to our winner, Dina Young! She says, "I am a soda junkie. I can go through a 2 liter in a day. I got gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy and cut back tremendously, drinking more water and tea. The baby is two months old and I'm back to my old habits and can tell the difference. I'm trying but it's really hard." Thank you everyone for your submissions! We hope that you've been inspired to choose healthier drinks in your diets.

Comment here about your experience with the liquid revolution challenge by Tuesday, December 6, 2001 at 11:59 PM for a chance to win a 6-month supply of O.N.E. Coconut Water (one case per month). O.N.E., One Natural Experience, is a beverage company with a deep commitment to the Earth and its people. Their products are responsibly sourced and harvested, filtered naturally and packaged in environmentally conscious Tetra Paks. O.N.E. Coconut Water is a naturally sweet, low-calorie, hydrating beverage, with no fat or no cholesterol. Visit their website to learn more.

For an extra chance to win, sign up for the Healthy Child newsletter and leave a comment saying you did so! We will pick a winner and announce it here on Wednesday, December 7, 2011.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Eligibility Statement: Contest open to U.S. residents. Employees of O.N.E. Coconut Water and Healthy Child Healthy World and their families are not eligible. Entry into the contest is premised on the leaving of a comment and eligibility is not conditioned on the payment of consideration.

Legal Disclaimer: O.N.E. Coconut Water is a Trusted Partner of Healthy Child Healthy World, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring a movement to protect children from harmful chemicals. Trusted Partners are companies that offer superior products that meet Healthy Child Healthy World's high Quality Standards, demonstrate a long-term commitment to their mission by joining their Trusted Partnership program, and contribute financially to the organization.

Photos courtesy Good Girl Gone Green and O.N.E. Coconut Water

Posted by cathy on 12/05/2011 at 06:35 PM

newletter subscriber!!

Posted by cathy on 12/05/2011 at 06:19 PM

I don’t have a juicer, but I love my vitamix. It’s not exactly juice, but my family has been consuming a lot more fruits and veggies than we ever did before. It’s a worthwhile investment!

Posted by dina on 12/01/2011 at 06:53 PM

I am a soda junkie. I can go through a 2 liter in a day. I got gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy and cut back tremendously, drinking more water and tea. The baby is two months old and I’m back to my old habits and can tell the difference. I’m trying but it’s really hard.

Posted by kia on 11/30/2011 at 07:04 AM

I have also been in on this revolution for a while now. My tea drawer is filled with tea from the apothecary so I can blend at home for hot or cold drinks. We juice here a lot and now that my toddler is getting picker with consuming veggies and meals he helps me make him smoothies. We are also coconut water fiends - I made some popsicles for my labor with a touch of cinnamon and they have now become a staple in hot weather or when one of us gets sick and needs electrolytes.

Posted by Heather Tatum on 11/29/2011 at 08:37 PM

I found the recipe for my favorite drink online and, quite honestly, it could have been on the Healthy Child website. The fun thing about it is, I was looking for a recipe to make ‘frozen treats’ for my 2.5 yr old son. What I found out was, not only were the treats a big hit for my son and his friends when frozen in ice cube trays, it also made for an excellent green smoothie. Two bananas, one pineapple, and a cup of spinach. The recipe also calls for some water and flax seeds. My only complaint, the recipe doesn’t yield enough!

Posted by Sue on 11/29/2011 at 03:58 AM

I have already been in on the “revolution” for some while now, in that I drink lots of water & ice tea which I now sweeten w/ stevia! It tastes good & no carbs & no “artificial” anything! I have recently added the occasional ginger root beer that is now out & sweetened w/ stevia!
I had already stopped the colas, uncolas, etc. d/t sugar or artificial subs, other ingredients & the taste—I no longer like most of the drinks I used to like!
Now if I just had a juicer, I’d be set to try some of this other stuff, but I do try very hard to get the fruits & veggies that I should.

Posted by Jodi on 11/28/2011 at 07:34 PM

Subscriber to the newsletter.

Posted by Jodi on 11/28/2011 at 07:34 PM

I too gave up diet coke several years ago because of all the artificial ingredients. My current fave drink is chai tea. Love it!

Posted by Wendy Heilbut on 11/28/2011 at 05:34 PM

I too am addicted to the fresh green juice. I do however, find it to be a lot of work to shop for the veggies, clean and cut up the veggies, juice them and then the worst part - washing the juicer! What I usually do is make a huge batch so that I drink one serving fresh and then freeze individual portions for my son and for me. I know frozen is not *quite* as good - but its better than nothing on those days I just don’t get it together to make it fresh.

Posted by Maryanne on 11/27/2011 at 09:56 PM

My 2.5 year old son LOVES O.N.E. and my husband recently became addicted, as well. We just got our magic bullet in the mail which will do smoothies and juice so I am excited to try some of these recipes. I also already receive the newsletter and appreciate all I learn from it!!

Posted by Shirley Brathwaite on 11/27/2011 at 03:16 PM

I would like to receive your newsletter. I think that adding smoothies and juicing is one of the best thing anyone can do to improve their health .

Posted by Andrew J. Gephart on 11/27/2011 at 01:54 PM

Tremendous! This particular is all I can think pertaining to a blog post like this excellent. This kind of is literally a notably explanatory article post on the blog. You just need to know a lot about this amazing.

Posted by Kerrie Gregory on 11/27/2011 at 11:32 AM

I really like Green Smooties! I can’t even taste the spinach once I add the banana =)
I would love to try Coconut Water I am trying to eat healthier and I like that the Coconut Water is low calorie and 0 fat!

Posted by Jamie V on 11/26/2011 at 09:56 PM

Newsletter subscriber!

Posted by Jamie V on 11/26/2011 at 09:54 PM

I really want to learn to make more smoothies! I love them, but I don’t really know how to make them! And they’re expensive to buy from commercial places. Thanks for the recipes!

Posted by ann sweet on 11/26/2011 at 03:57 PM

Oh! Almost forgot to mention I am signed up for the newsletter and its great! I even share it with my fellow mums.

Posted by ann sweet on 11/26/2011 at 03:55 PM

I just picked up a whole bunch of these…, I needed a major break from the plain ol’ water Ive been drinking and my taste buds dig the pineapple. Very refreshing! (Ps I too was a green tea latte junkie but since green tea is frowned at during pregnancy Ive had to cut cold turkey., )

Posted by Nicole on 11/26/2011 at 12:27 PM

I have replaced artificial sweetener in my tea with local raw honey. Tastes better too!

Posted by Heather on 11/26/2011 at 11:29 AM

I make a smoothie every day with frozen mangoes, frozen blueberries, spinach, a banana and 1 package of coconut water. I did this while pregnant to make sure I got some fruits and vegies and electrolytes but it’s such an easy way to up your nutrition, I do it and even get my kids to drink it!

Posted by chris leach on 11/26/2011 at 11:13 AM

Would Love for my Family to Try ONE coconut drinks….This would be a great healthy start to a new year. Great New Years Resolution to Drink and Be Healthy.. We would love to include ONE Coconut drinks into our News Years Resolutions…

Posted by Shelley Kramer on 11/26/2011 at 08:12 AM

I have been green juicing, growing my own kale, cabbage for a couple of years. I juice every day and add carrots, apples, ginger, lemon, greens. It helps keep my body alkalized and the arthritis at bay. I just bought a brand new Oster after using my old one for over 40 years. It still works, but I wanted an upgrade, and ordered the 7 reversing motor with six blades and automatic shutoff.

Posted by Shelley Kramer on 11/26/2011 at 08:10 AM

My favorite drink at the time happens to be the coconut water, or coconut milk. I love the way it tastes and the way it makes me feel. I would love to win a supply of this declicious and nutritious drink. there was no place to click to enter the contest, so I hope this is the right place.

Posted by FreshGreenKim on 11/26/2011 at 03:26 AM

I already receive your newsletter, which is how I found out about the promotion… what a great partnership!

Posted by FreshGreenKim on 11/26/2011 at 03:23 AM

We are a family of runners and so proper hydration is important, but most of the “hydration drinks” are also filled with artificial ingredients. It’s very exciting to learn a bit more about coconut water and it’s natural properties!

Posted by Karen Rock on 11/25/2011 at 09:59 PM

I would love to win the ONE Coconut Water for my daughter. She is 4.5 and up until recently has been fed formula through her gtube. We are starting to feed her real food in the hopes that she will be more vibrant, healthy and gain weight. I have heard about coconut water thru my gtube grapevine and those parents and i have used it in place of pediatric electrolyte drinks. Plus, maybe it would help me get off my diet cola.

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