Jugo Juice Blog

As a proud partner of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon and sponsor of the Jugo Juice 10K run/walk in Calgary on May 29th, we’ve got a great nutrition tip from Registered Dietitian Andrea Holwegner to help give your training program an edge!

Nutrition to give your training an edge

Whatever type of result you are looking for, nutrition can help you get there faster with more lasting results. In order to accomplish changes in your body composition, overall health, energy levels, and running performance, you need to exercise and eat well.

The best way to lose weight and change your body composition is by using a combination of nutrition and exercise. If you are trying to lose fat or gain muscle mass by exercising alone and neglecting your nutrition, you will find the process is very slow. Watch out for the common misconception that because you are exercising you can eat whatever you want. Often runners overestimate how many calories are burned during exercise and underestimate how many calories they consume. Keep in mind that it only takes you a few minutes to eat 500 calories, but a long time to burn them off.

Optimal nutrition can also help you to achieve better short-term health and immune function. By avoiding colds, flu’s and other bugs you can keep your workout routine consistent and see the best results. Eating well directly influences your energy levels, motivation, and overall mood. This will help ensure you have the stamina to get to your workouts and do them with vigor.

Nutrition is also strongly related to the prevention of the leading causes of death and disability such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Sound nutrition also helps slow aging and ensures protection against other health concerns. Don’t assume that if you are exercising and/or you are a healthy weight that you don’t have to worry about what you eat. Your body is like a car, and nutrition is the gas, oil, and other components of your car that make it run properly. Neglecting to take care of your nutrition is the equivalent of forgetting to change the oil or failing to fill a high performance sports car with premium fuel.

Proper nutrition will improve your overall running performance (speed, strength, power, and endurance). Genetics and sport/exercise training will only take you so far; examining your nutrition will give you a leading edge. Proper nutrition will also greatly improve your recovery after hard workouts so you are fresh for your next workout.

Andrea Holwegner is president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc., media expert for the Dietitians of Canada, professional speaker and independent consultant to Jugo Juice. To ask Andrea your personal nutrition question, visit the “Ask the Dietitian” section of the Jugo Juice website here: www.jugojuice.com

For more nutrition training articles from Andrea, check out http://www.calgarymarathon.com/news__resources/nutrition_tips_.html .

Cheers,
JJ

Ever feel a little confused when reading ingredient labels on packages? In celebration of April Fool’s Day, Andrea Holwegner (our Registered Dietitian) is providing the low-down on some intimidating ingredients that are actually good for you, and some ingredients with understandable words that can pull a prank on your healthy lifestyle goals.

2 Examples of Ingredients That Sound Intimidating But Are Good For You

Ascorbic acid

Typically a food label will list “ascorbic acid” which is the scientific name for vitamin C when a food has added vitamin C which is an antioxidant good for health.

Inulin

This is a type of soluble fibre naturally found in chicory root and other plants and also added to commercial foods such as some breads, yogurt, and breakfast cereals.  Inulin may be added to a food to increase the fibre content of a food.  Inulin is also a prebiotic which promotes growth of healthy bacteria in the gut.

2 Examples of Ingredients That Sound Healthier Than They Really Are

High-fructose corn syrup

High-fructose corn syrup (also known as corn sugar) is a calorie providing sweetener added to packaged foods such as sauces and desserts as well as beverages such as soft drinks.  Just because high-fructose corn syrup is derived from corn does not mean that it is healthy.  Just like all sugars, we can do better to eat less of them.

Palm and coconut oil

These vegetable based fats contain a high level of saturated fat.  Saturated fat can increase your “bad” or LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood.  Other vegetable oils such as olive oil and canola oil that are liquid at room temperature are heart healthy choices.

As a general rule of thumb if you can understand the words in an ingredient list this is a good start to choosing a healthy food.  Long words that are hard to pronounce may be an indication of unhealthy ingredients although you should be aware that some ingredients sound scary when they are actually just the scientific name.

Have nutrition questions for Andrea? Visit our Ask the Dietitian page to get your questions answered!

Cheers,

JJ

We have partnered with the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon to sponsor the Jugo Juice 10K run/walk! This week is the official kick off of the Jugo Juice 10K training program. We are thrilled to partner with one of Western Canada’s leading marathons!

As part of our sponsorship, our dietitian Andrea Holwegner, has created several articles to help you get ready for the Jugo Juice 10K or any training you may be doing. The first article discusses pre-training nutrition for your body.

If you have any burning nutrition questions, we’d love to get them answered for you – check out our Ask a Dietitian page to submit your health questions!

Cheers,

JJ

We’re all about leading a healthy balanced lifestyle – small changes make a big difference! No one explains this better than our Registered Dietitian Andrea Holwegner. Check out our first-ever video blog about how Imperfect is Perfect!

Cheers,

JJ

Hospitals are typically seen as a place for people who are ill, to become healthy once again. Many of us have been in hospitals, either to get well or visit someone who is working on becoming well, with less than exciting food options from the hospital cafeteria.

This week we launched our first hospital location – Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) Jugo Juice in Barrie, Ontario! We are proud to be a part of this emerging trend to offer healthier food, beverage and snack options. With over 5+ real fruit servings in our regular sized fruit smoothies and no fillers, binders, or emulsifiers – this is definitely a step in the right direction to help hospital patients, visitors and staff lead a healthy balanced lifestyle!

The following links to an article by Simcoe.com about the hospital’s new food court – http://www.simcoe.com/community/barrieinnisfil/article/960393

Cheers,

JJ

Our current feature, the Short n’ Sweet Chicken Classic & Mini Mango combo, has been well received at Jugo locations across Canada, but that doesn’t mean our marketing department can take a break just yet because they’re already busy planning the next feature.

This week our team worked on a photo shoot for the next feature – which focuses on breakfast. Although we can’t tell you exactly what the feature will be just yet, we can tell you that the photos look delicious!

With each feature, a lot of behind the scenes work goes into the pictures you see in-store and online for each campaign. From selecting props, to preparing the food exactly how it’s made in-store, to styling the food so that it looks just right – a photo shoot takes a lot of work in order to get images that are worthy of being showcased to our amazing customers in-store and online.

Is there any behind the scenes information you’re dying to find out about?

JJ

We recently found an interesting article about faking it – what kind of faking you ask? Well it has nothing to do with personal appearance or faking it till’ you make it (as the common expression goes), but faking something that can effect your health…BLUEBERRIES!

In a recent LA Times article, an investigation found that several companies are adding fake blueberries to their food products “that contain labels or photos suggesting real blueberries were used in the products…the investigation found  ”blueberries” that were nothing more than a concoction of sugar, corn syrup, starch, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors and — of course — artificial food dye blue No. 2 and red No. 40.”

We were shocked to read this, and proud to say that at Jugo Juice we only use real whole fruit in our smoothies. When our menu says “blueberries” we really mean it. Besides, we’re just not that into faking it!

FULL ARTICLE – http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-fake-blueberries-20110120,0,7536769.story

Cheers,

JJ

We’re half way through the first month of a new year. Hard to believe, especially if you’ve been working on a New Years nutrition resolution. Keeping up with your resolution may seem like a struggle, but Jugo is here to help!

We’re helping in-store by offering our new Mini Combo – 14oz Mini Mango smoothie and 8″ Short n’ Sweet Chicken Classic, this delicious duo comes in at 434 calories and 765 pennies (http://www.jugojuice.com/menu/feature-mini-combo).

We have also compiled some useful links (below) to help keep you motivated and nutrition savvy!

- Our Registered Dietitian, Andrea Holwegner, offers insightful and inspirational blogs – here’s two that will help with your nutrition goals.

Opportunity or Obstacle – http://healthstandnutrition.com/blog/?p=568

Sustaining your nutrition resolutions – http://healthstandnutrition.com/blog/?p=596

- Health Canada offers interactive tools to help understand portion sizes, compare products and more – http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/cons/dv-vq/interact-eng.php

- The USDA also offers a set of interactive tools to help you better understand nutrition – http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html

We’d love to hear how your nutrition resolution is going and any advice you have for others working away at their’s!

JJ

Below is an interesting article about some of the ‘sexier’ benefits of eating more fruit! This article can be viewed online at http://ca.sys-con.com/node/1670118

CAMBRIDGE, England, January 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Eating dark-coloured fruits such as peaches, plums and nectarines makes your skin more attractive to potential partners, according to a new academic study.

Researchers at the University of Bristol and the University of St Andrews have found that eating pigmented fruits alters your complexion – which in turn affects boosts the perceived attractiveness of your face.

The study points to a link between skin radiance and the carotenoid pigments that we get from the fruit and vegetables in our diet, particularly produce that is dark in colour. These dietary pigments are powerful antioxidants and are the same that brightly coloured birds and fish use to display their health and attract mates; researchers believe there is a similar biological mechanism at work in humans.

“This research has given us an exciting insight into how what we eat can affect our appearance,” said Dr Ian Stephen of Bristol University. “Having healthy looking skin seems to be an important factor in determining how attractive we appear to be, and following a healthy diet, high in fruit and vegetables is the best way to give yourself a natural skin boost.”

According to the study, the effect of eating these fruits on the skin occurs after just a few days.

Dark fruits such as plums, peaches and nectarines are available widely throughout the British winter from South Africa – from December until early April. To boost your skin tone, these fruits can be eaten fresh on their own, or added to salads and other delicious recipes. For a tasty skin-boosting lunch, why not try a nectarine, blue cheese and asparagus salad? Simply char-grill a handful of asparagus spears in a pan for 5-minutes then cool. Combine 1 head of radicchio leaves in a bowl with 25ml of white balsamic vinegar and 60ml of olive oil. Finally, de-stone and slice 2 nectarines and arrange on top of the leaves along with the asparagus spears. Finish by crumbling 250g of blue cheese over the salad.

The work has been published in Evolution and Human Behavior and the International Journal of Primatology and was published with support from the ESRC and the British Academy.

For more information on this study, visit http://www.eatpigmentedfruit.co.uk

written by Andrea Holwegner, Dietician counsel Jugo Juice. Andrea is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, and a media expert for the Dietitians of Canada. Andrea is a regular guest on Global News-Morning, CITY-TV’s Breakfast Television, and a regular writer for CBC News Online. www.healthstandnutrition.com

Food researchers report that people underestimate what they eat by 20-40%. What this means is that you may be eating more than you think. This wouldn’t be a problem if you are managing a healthy weight but if you are trying to lose weight obviously bigger portions than you need can contribute to more calories than your body needs. Also consider that with age our metabolism declines and we actually need to eat less or alternatively exercise more just to maintain our weight. The challenge is that decreasing portions as you age is tough considering you are used to dishing up bigger portions for years when you are younger.

We are surrounded by a culture that has supersized portions, giant kitchens with plenty of storage, big box grocery stores and colossal glasses and plates.

A restaurant pop serving in 1912 was only 6 ounces which is the size of a small Styrofoam coffee cup. Contrast that to the large 16-20 ounce glasses popular in today’s culture. Many restaurants also serve “bottomless” pop beverages and it would be common for people to have one or more litres of pop throughout a meal. Plate sizes have also become massive over the years. All you need to do is visit an antique shop and take a look at the size of dinner plates there compared to what people are using now. Bigger plates are causing us to eat more unconsciously without even realizing it. Our eyes like to see things full. If you plate the same serving of food on a small plate versus a large plate, the food on the big plate may look like a tiny portion since it doesn’t fill up the space. Often subconsciously we will dish up more on a big plate in an effort to feel satisfied. If you are trying to cut back on your portion sizes be sure to use smaller plates, bowls and glasses.

Although many people think they overeat because the food tastes really good or because they are really hungry, Dr. Brian Wansink, a leading researcher and author of “Mindless Eating” has shown that a bigger culprit that contributes to overeating is visibility. The more times you see something, the more likely it is that you will eat it. You can tell yourself a dozen times that you don’t need to eat the cookies you pass by in the large glass jar on the counter, but after a few more times of seeing it you will likely give in and eat some. Keep foods you find hard to manage tucked away out of plain sight. Also consider going out for foods you know that you overdo rather than stocking them conveniently in your house to gobble down mindlessly. The old saying out of sight out of mind will serve you well.

Convenience can also make it difficult to downsize your portions. If you conveniently stockpile large bags of potato chips in the house there is nothing to stop you from continuing to eat a large amount. Research has shown if it is convenient, you will continue to eat until you hit a “pause point” or an interruption (such as reaching the bottom of the chip bag) that forces you to ask whether you want to eat more. You will eat less if you portion out foods into bowls rather than eating them directly from the bag or carton. Research has shown that if you have more, you eat more. For example, if you have 4 boxes of crackers sitting in the pantry you will likely eat more than if you have only one box.

To help you manage portion distortion buy smaller units and pre-portion large packages of food into smaller single grab units. You may also consider dishing out food onto your plate at the counter rather than eating “family style” with bowls on the table.

Dr. Brian Wansink reports that we eat about 20% more or 20% less without really being aware of it. This is good news since if you are trying to lose weight or are finding it difficult to manage your portion sizes many of the ideas listed above may help you without you even knowing it. Test it out and see for yourself!