Following the 51st annual National Folk Festival, ABC radio Canberra interviewed mobile juice bar Passion 4 Juice about the experience. Trish has been running the healthy catering company for sixteen years and has been attending the National Folk Festival for ten years. There were many highlights this year including the stunning autumn sunshine, special offers for volunteers and performers, as well as a special experience with the Rachel Hore’s Pop Up Choir. Trish shared her favorite festival moment was serving the entire choir a fresh juice after they sang several songs directly outside the juice bar. “there is so much fantastic music on offer, but having the choir sing for their juice was really fun”. A clip of this can be found on the Passion 4 Juice Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Passion4Juice/

From high-end entertainment to the expression of folk-life through grassroots and community activities our multifaceted National Folk Festival is the ultimate celebration of all things folk. There is a wide variety of festival caterers offering food from around the globe. Healthy caterers and those catering for special diets such as raw, vegan were very popular this year. The folk program is designed to inspire, enliven and entertain. From traditional and contemporary grooves to the quirky and the endearing it features all the key elements that make people want to come from everywhere to be part of it.

The ABC Canberra drive time interview featured Passion 4 Juice and the Cannoli Brothers. Both caterers offering high quality catering at this year’s Folk Festival. Pictured is Trish from Passion 4 Juice with Andrew Stefanou from Cannoli Brothers. Mobile catering is a competitive and challenging business to be in. High rents and stock costs can make profit margins tight. “Offering a competitive product that also reflects your passion is key to success” says Trish.

Slow and steady – in this case – most definitely wins the race. It isn’t really a race… One of the most misconstrued ideas around weight-loss is that you need to dramatically cut calories in-order-to lose weight. It’s often accompanied by following strict rules and trying to stick to an unrealistic number of calories each day – does 1200 kcal sound familiar? The average energy intake for adults is approximately 2’080 kcal/day (8’700kj/day). Reducing your energy intake by approximately 500 kcal/day is the best place to start for most individuals – helping to reduce weight by approximately 0.5 kg/week.

In addition – that golden rule “Calories in = Calories out” – #not-always. What happens in the kitchen, doesn’t stay in the kitchen when it comes to weight loss – the biggest contributor to holding on to that extra weight is what you’re putting in your mouth, followed by how long you spend sitting on your bum – a lack of regular physical activity is a major contributor to weight-gain and hinders weight-loss.

So – here are some practical and easy guidelines you can follow:

1. EAT CLEAN
Vegetables are your new best friend. The majority of your diet should consist of lots and lots of fresh vegetables, some fruits and clean-lean meats. Include smaller amounts of grains, nuts, legumes, and dairy/alternatives. Nuts are best when they’ve been soaked or dry-roasted to avoid enzyme inhibitors. Grains ideally should be sprouted or fermented making them easier to digest.

 

2. PORTION SIZE
No need to cut all processed foods (Hello Raw Chocolate) out of your daily life – The idea is to reduce the amounts of not-so-healthy foods you’re having – try and stick to the serve size on the packet, if you choose to have one of those not-so-healthy treats. Applying the 80/20 rule to treats is key. Focus on the maximum amount of fresh vegetables and clean lean meats as the bulk of your energy sources.

 

3. EXERCISE
The guidelines state adults aged 18 – 64 years should do AT LEAST 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week – Think walking/cycling to work, to the shops, taking the kids to school or household chores. For added benefits – increase your activity to 300 minutes per week. Strengthening your muscles is just as important – so be sure to spend two or more days per week strengthening those major muscle groups – think squats, lunges, push-ups and bent-over rows.

 

4. SIGNALS
Sometimes the messages sent from our stomach to our brain, don’t get through – We may be so used to ignoring them that we don’t know what it feels like to be hungry, thirsty or full anymore. Practice listening to your body before you make your meals, while you’re eating and when you’ve finished – CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF.

There’s no need to fit into a diet ‘box’ when you’re trying to lose weight – enter ‘guideline’ number one above. Nutrient dense foods are the way to go as opposed to high energy dense foods. Carbohydrates often get a bad wrap – choose whole-grain, low GI carbohydrates and stick to portion/serve sizes and they’re not as bad as they’re made out to be. If you decide to follow one of those ‘low-carbohydrate diets’ by limiting your carbohydrate intake to 60 – 130g/day – the body starts to metabolise glycogen stored for utilisation as energy – weight loss here is largely due to glycogen breakdown and water/other fluid losses rather than fat loss (and that is hardly ideal).

 

Healthy Weight loss and Ketosis
Creating a state of Ketosis can assist in weight-loss. Ketosis occurs when your body is using fat for energy rather than glucose. Ketosis begins when you consume less than 50g/day of carbohydrates. The reduction in insulin is accompanied by an increase in the breakdown of fat. The liver begins to create more ketones to supply the brain with energy. If you chose to create that state of Ketosis, make sure the rest of your food intake consists of lots of fresh vegetables, healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated) and lean protein (fish, nuts, legumes, and poultry).

 

Healthy Weight loss and Fasting
Intermittent fasting can also induce mild ketosis, generally developing after a 12- to 14-hour fast – generally fasting for two out of seven days has shown benefits for some people. Reports of increased energy and regulated hunger signals (meaning you’re eating less in general on the non-fast days thereby promoting weight loss in the long term) are common statements from people who have followed it over the long term. During those fasting days – energy intake can be as low as 500 kcal/day (which if you remember is the amount that you reduce energy intake by for healthy weight loss over the long term) – this limits the amount of food you can consume – This is where juicing can have lasting and significant benefits.

 

Healthy Weight loss and Juicing
Fresh juices contain lots of vitamins and minerals that help cleanse our bodies, helping them function at their best. Juices packed with veggies rather than fruit are the greatest – Think cucumber, celery, lime and some green apple – Hello Zingy Energy! On those fasting days – vegetable juices are fantastic because they’re packed with flavour while being lower in energy/calories, keeping you within the reduced energy range suitable for weight loss. Juicing can also be added to the non-fasting days as well – ‘a freshly pressed juice each day keeps the doctor away’.

 

This blog was written by Tess Heinonen who has collaborated with Passion 4 Juice, over several years. Tess is currently completing her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics at Sydney University. She has completed clinical placements at Alice Springs Hospital and at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

Juicing is a healthy way to lose weight if done properly. But just like many weight loss techniques, it can backfire if you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t worry because once you understand the concept of juicing and how it helps your body to lose weight and be healthy, you can easily make smart choices on the types of fruits and vegetables that you choose to juice. There are great recipes that you can follow to use juicing as a technique to get the nutrients that your body lacks, boost your metabolism, and strengthen your immune system.

The great thing about juicing in the comfort of your home as compared to buying ready-made ones at the store, is that you have more control of what goes in your juice as well as the portion for each ingredient that you want to use. Fresh juices contain a wealth of minerals and vitamins that aid in cleansing your body, especially vegetable juices. It will also provide you with more energy throughout the day. Most of all, a well-prepared vegetable juice with the proper ingredients will help lower your calories to keep you within the energy range suitable for healthy weight loss.

 

How Can Juicing Aid in Healthy Weight Loss?
Notice the emphasis on “healthy” weight loss? That’s right, there are tons of crash diet guides out there that promote weight loss but not in a healthy way. Sometimes, they do more harm than good. If you decide to give juicing for weight loss a try, you should not rely on it solely to be healthy. Before we look at some easy recipes you can use, let us first try to understand how juicing works to help your body lose weight.

 

* Helps in Digestion

One of the greatest benefits of drinking fresh juice is that the nutrients are easy for your body to digest, as compared to eating your fruits and vegetables whole. For example, you can juice a combination of tomatoes, celery, cucumber, spinach, and carrots, and all of its nutrients will be packed in one glass of refreshing beverage – ready for you to drink, providing multiple nutritional benefits to your body, instead of having to eat and cook them one by one.

Consuming them by eating takes a lot more effort and time to digest. Whereas, if you juice them, you can get large quantities of vitamins and minerals just by drinking a single glass.

 

* Reduces Cravings

Drinking a glass of fresh vegetable juice helps fill your cells with detoxifying minerals and lots of nutrients. This helps reduce your cravings particularly for sweets and processed foods because your body is getting all that it needs.

Your body will refrain from telling your brain that you crave a particular food with the vitamins and minerals that you lack. So it helps you lose weight more quickly.

 

* Not Difficult to Follow

Once you incorporate juicing into your lifestyle, you will notice the improvements in your weight without so much struggle. The best thing is that it is not difficult to follow because you don’t have to deprive yourself or go hungry.

 

* Extra Benefits

There are certainly more benefits in juicing other than weight loss. It will also help you have clearer skin, brighter eyes, and healthier hair growth. Most of all, you will have more energy and feel good.

 

What Are the Best Fruits and Vegetables to Juice for Weight Loss?
Knowing the proper combination of fruits and vegetables for juicing can make a huge difference on your journey to weight loss. While we cannot cover everything in great detail, because there are lots of them, here are some of them.

Kale and lettuce – These two have plenty of mineral and chlorophyll content that gives energy, and also has lots of plant protein.
Pineapple – Pineapple has anti-inflammatory effects and promote healthy sleep.
Ginger and chili – Both of these have wonderful effects on metabolism and helps to stabilize blood sugar.
Parsley and celery – These have decent mineral content and has alkalizing effects.
Turmeric – You can also use turmeric as an anti-inflammatory substance and it also helps in detoxifying your liver.
Lemon – A squeeze of lemon is always a good addition because it improves insulin sensitivity. That means it will also help balance your blood sugar level.
Other healthy fruits and vegetables include: cabbage, beetroot, wheatgrass, aloe vera, watermelon, gooseberry, pomegranate, cranberry, and a lot more.

 

Simple Green Juice Recipe for Weight Loss
Here is a basic recipe you can follow for weight loss. Over time, you can revise it and add or replace ingredients as you see fit.

Ingredients: 1/4 pineapple, 4 kale leaves, 2 celery stalks, 4 large lettuce leaves, flat parsley, curly parsley, 1 lemon, 1 inch piece of ginger, 1 inch piece of turmeric, 1 chili

Directions Wash all ingredients well under cool running water. Peel the pineapple and lemon if preferred. Add all the fruits and vegetables in your juicer and process them.

Serve and enjoy.

For further research and reading you may also like:

https://www.bestblenderusa.com/juicing-recipes-for-weight-loss/
https://juicerecipes.com/health/benefits/juicing-for-weight-loss/

The human body needs so much more than basic calories to produce plenty of stable, reliable energy. Minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and countless other nutrients all have an important role to play when it comes to managing energy production. Just a little bit of deficiency in one of your vitamin levels could seriously affect how you feel.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are incredible sources of all the nutrition that you need to look and feel your best. With a juice cleanse, you could clear your system of all the unreliable sources of energy like caffeine and refined sugar that could be damaging your health, and fill your body full of fantastic resources, designed to create a better you. All that, and you could even lose weight too!

Why Fruit Juice and Energy Go Hand in Hand

The freshly-made fruit juices that you create yourself are one of the best and simplest ways a person can improve their energy levels. This is because the nutrition in freshly juiced vegetables and fruits is great for saturating your cells in vitamins and minerals. Vegetables and fruits are brimming with electrolyte-based materials like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. All of these substances are great for managing your metabolic function, and improving the numerous cellular processes involved with energy production.

Even trace minerals like manganese, iron, zinc, and selenium in your juices can be important for maintaining and creating energy within your body. Pro-vitamin C, A, and B minerals are also particularly important for stable physical and mental energy. When your levels of these nutrients are low, your brain and body will suffer, but fresh juice can increase your intake of naturally absorbable vitamins instantly.

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve your overall vitality and increase your energy levels, then a juice cleanse could be the perfect way to rid your body of toxins, enhance your health, and make sure that you’re ready to tackle the world around you.

Here are a few energy-rich juices to get you started.

 

1. The Beet Treat
While beets are brimming with energizing minerals and phytonutrients perfect for cleansing the blood and liver during a juice detox, carrots are full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that will all help to get your natural system back on track. You should drink this juice before and after your exercise routines to give you the biggest dose of energy, or first thing in a morning. You’ll need:

3 carrots
2 small beets
2 stalks of celery
An inch of ginger
Some ice cubes

2. The Breath of Fresh Air
This delightful juice is perfect for re-starting your digestive system during a juice cleanse. Papayas are rich in antioxidants, and they also contain an important enzyme for the digestive system known as papain. This substance is great for breaking down undigested proteins in your body that might harm your energy levels over time. You’ll also get a delightful amount of sweetness from the strawberries in this blend, which are used to add an extra dose of vitamin C to your system. The nutrients in strawberries help your red blood cell production, and battle against oxidative stress. You’ll need:

1 handful of mint
1 cup of strawberries (Fresh)
Half a large papaya

3. The Green Revitalizer
This incredible juice is packed full of lycopene thanks to its tomato content, which is perfect for keeping your eyes and body healthy. What’s more, cucumber is great for rehydrating the body, which is fantastic when you want to banish fatigue. Apples add a range of antioxidants and sweetness to the mix, while Kale is one of the world’s most powerful multivitamins. To make this green power juice, all you’ll need is:

2 handfuls of kale
2 apples
1 large cucumber
2 tomatoes

4. The Tangtastic Juice
Finally, if you’re relaxing on a hot summer’s day and you want to awaken your taste buds quickly and effectively then this is the perfect juice for you. The kiwi adds a delicious tanginess to this juice, while raspberries pack your system full of fantastic phytonutrients for higher energy levels. Watermelon will help to improve circulation and regulate high blood pressure and it’s also a great source of the lycopene that we mentioned above. To make this juice you’ll need:

Half a watermelon
A cup of raspberries
2 kiwi fruits

For more reading https://www.bestblenderusa.com/ninja-blender-review/

Passion 4 Juice are delighted to announce support for the Rainbow Serpent Festival. It is a hot, dusty, dance event where staying hydrated is key to raving safe.

Fresh pressed juices and smoothies to keep you hydrated and dancing longer. Delicious, thirst quenching, lifesaving nutrients and energy in a cup. Passion 4 Juice have been keeping people healthy at festivals in the UK and Australia since 1998. Look for the iconic spikes! The team of nutritionally trained experts will have you feeling energised and restored. Our aim is the keep you dancing. We are open 24 hours when you need us most. Voted as serving the best smoothies, pure guarana energy shots, gut healing kombucha, and the best hangover cure ever. Discounts for reusable cups. Our pulp feeds the land – our juices make your soul shine!

We aim to ease tiredness, bring back energy, promoting a healthy diet whilst having fun at an event. Run by fully trained staff who promote the ethos of juicing and its benefits and offering guidance when needed. Bringing advice, care, attention, entertainment, great value and apparently, we are “lifesavers” at each event we attend.

Check out all the amazing food on offer at Rainbow Serpent Festival this year.

https://www.rainbowserpent.net/application/passion-4-juice-spikey-juice-dome