Drink Your Veggies

Your parents have been telling you to EAT YOUR VEGETABLES since you were a kid turning your nose up at Brussels sprouts. Now that you’re all grown up and happy to eat the “stinky” - and now trendy - sprouts, you may be surprised to learn that modern farming practices deplete most of the nutrition you would have gotten 60 years ago from those veggies.

Kelley Sibley was certainly surprised to learn about this agricultural trend when researching why she felt sick and weak despite having a clean, plant-based diet.  She realized she wasn’t focused on where the plants were coming from, the farming practices of the growers, or how she consumed her vegetables. Kelley studied the world’s healthiest people and cultures and found out there are plenty of ways to make sure your body is properly nourished.

Feed yourself with local, fresh, organic produce from regenerative farms, because those farmers know they need to rotate crops and varieties for healthy soil and they don’t use chemical fertilizers to expedite plant growth. She also learned of the benefits of raw cold-pressed juicing, a method of pressing fruits and vegetables without spinning blades or heat that is more effective in retaining nutrients. Determined to feel better, she started her own cold-pressed juice company, Bamboo Juices.

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Why is cold-pressed and raw juicing better than other methods? Modern juicers use fast blades to chop up produce and separate the juice from pulp, and this combination of oxygen and heat can rid some produce of nutrients. Cold-pressed juicing is a slower process, leaving the juice closer to its raw, natural form and retaining more vitamins and minerals essential for nutritional value.

Another reason cold-pressed juice is better than other juices is that it isn’t pasteurized. We’ve been trained to hear that as a bad thing because the process kills harmful bacteria and extends shelf life…but fruits and vegetables aren’t MEANT to have a long shelf life! They are alive, which is why you wouldn’t buy a banana and eat it 2 weeks later. Pasteurization also removes the flavonoids and phytonutrients that protect our bodies from cell damage, inflammation, and other harms. If the sell-by date is more than 4-5 days from when the juice was made, or if it has HPP on the label, it is pasteurized.

Serenbe residents have been able to take a short walk through the trails to pick up their Serenbe Farms’ share since the neighborhood began, and now current (and future) residents can do the same with Bamboo Juices. And Bamboo is closing the agriculture circle. Since they only use organic ingredients, they are able to provide 30% of the compost Serenbe Farms needs to become compost self-sufficient.

Bamboo Juices only serves raw, organic, cold-pressed juice. Buy at their juice bar on Serenbe Lane in the Mado Live Works, open 7 days a week. Or order online for home delivery at bamboojuices.com.