The New Year is synonymous with the resolution routine: dusting off those gym shoes, breaking out the blender and swapping whatever junk food survived the holidays with protein powders, detox teas and anything that passes as green. This attempt to abruptly change weeks of acquired cuisine-inspired vices adds an additional and unnecessary chill to our already gloomy Pacific Northwest January.
But as always, we like to have our craft beverages and drink them too. We reached out to a few health-savvy experts to shed some light on getting clean with foods and drink in 2016. If you’re looking to find a satisfactory balance between your blender and your favorite red blend, you’re in the right place.
Elena Razmpoosh || Dietitian || Jujubeet || Bellevue, WA
One obstacle health-seekers face during the New Year is setting overwhelming goals. Razmpoosh suggests choosing one small goal to focus on instead. “In order to create sustainable changes, it is better to focus on less instead of more,” she says.
Maintaining a steady pace primarily requires planning. “Planning is typically half the battle,” says Razmpoosh, who suggests keeping pre-cut veggies on hand in the fridge. She also recommends adopting mindful eating habits and avoiding multitasking. “We typically eat faster (when multitasking) and thus tend to eat more and don’t feel our body’s fullness cues until we have already had too much to eat,” she says.
Kari Brunson || Owner || Juicebox || Seattle
According to Brunson, mindfulness at the grocery store is key. “Try shopping around the grocery store as opposed to the middle aisles,” she suggests. “Everything around the store is your fresh meats, fresh dairy, lots of vegetables, even wine—a different type of fruit, fermented,” she says.
By shopping around the outside of the store, Brunson says you’ll be able to strip your pantry down to the basics—don’t worry about scouring the inner aisles for ingredients to concoct an unidentifiable smoothie with. “We don’t use a lot of protein powders,” continues Brunson of her Capitol Hill neighborhood juice bar. “Everything is plant-based and vegetable-focused.”
Jeanette Genson || Events Coordinator || Portland Juice Co. || Portland
Once you’ve got the right ingredients, try your hand at a juice cleanse, which Genson says allows your body to rest from having to process fats, additives and countless other toxins that work their way into our diet. “It’s basically a spring cleaning for your body,” she says. “We suggest trying to get as many calories from fresh food as possible.” Genson also recommends ginger and turmeric for energy and immunity.
Lauren Kron || Health Food Blogger || So Fresh n So Green
When clean eating and grocery shopping are said and done, Kron points out the importance of staying hydrated. “There’s been a ton of research that has shown people commonly mistake dehydration for hunger,” she says. Kron suggests toting a water bottle throughout the day to keep track of how much you are drinking.
To cap off a health-filled day, Kron recommends relaxing with an Epsom salt bath in warm water to release toxins, stimulate circulation and sooth muscles and joints.
