A juice cleanse is a process of purifying your body through a juice diet. The juice cleanse has been gaining popularity in Montreal, as the pandemic has made people more health-conscious. When you start a juice cleanse, it’s a good idea to choose local fruits and vegetables instead of the imported ones when possible, as they tend to be more fresh, and thus more nutrient dense. The benefits of a juice cleanse are immense, and we’ve explained some of them below:

1. Weight loss

A juice cleanse is a very effective method to lose weight, as fruits and vegetables are healthy, but low in calories. People often opt for a juice cleanse to achieve their weight loss goal along with their gym schedule. According to a survey, people who have seriously undertaken the juice cleanse diet in Montreal have a 95% success ratio in achieving their weight loss goal.

2. Immunity booster

Fresh fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, which are extremely helpful when increasing immunity is your goal. In these times of Covid-19, it’s key to maintain a healthy immune system that fights back against diseases and helps you recover faster. There are various fruits that are specifically used in immunity booster supplements, as well. 

3. More active

If you are trying a juice cleanse diet, you will be able to start seeing the results within a couple of days. You’ll be more active during the day and feel refreshed. As your juice is made up of fresh fruits and vegetables, there is no intake of oil, artificial sugar and junk food. You will feel much lighter and healthier within a couple of days. The juice cleanse diet can last 3, 7, or 14 days, depending on your capacity and goals.

4. Improves digestion

Fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, which helps in increasing the metabolism of the body, which results in improved digestion. Even the enzymes present in the fruits are very helpful in the proper digestion of food. When you become sick and suffer from poor digestion, some doctors may advise a juice cleanse to improve your digestive system. A juice cleanse removes  many toxins from your body during the diet process.

There are even more benefits of a juice cleanse in Montreal, but we’ve gone over the main ones here. There are even more benefits of a juice cleanse in Montreal, but we’ve gone over the main ones here.

Juicing is considered to be a simple and convenient way to supply nutrients to your body. Every day, we need about 8 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits, but the problem is that most people do not get those.

So, one of the simple ways to get your daily servings is to opt for cold pressed juice. Here, are given some of the most important benefits of cold pressed juice in Canada that you should know about.

1. Provides A Lot Of Vitamins And Nutrients

One of the most important benefits associated with the cold pressed juice is that it tends to provide a large amount of vitamins and nutrients to your body.

It is also an efficient way to get a lot of vitamins and nutrients directly into your system. This is specifically because the fibers are removed during the juicing process in Canada.

2. Very Easy To Digest

The cold pressed juice is very easy to digest. This way, our bodies do not require a lot of energy for the digestion of food. During juicing, everything is already in the form of liquid, so you do not have to use up the same amount of energy for digestion.

3. Best Way To Get Fresh Vegetables And Fruits

Cold-pressed juices are known to be an effective way to get fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet.

By consumption of these juices in Canada, you are getting all of those important nutrients quickly without even chewing vegetables and fruits. This is especially beneficial during the winter-time in Canada. As a result, it will be much easier and take much less time to intake and digest the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables when compared eating raw fruits and vegetables, but it’s similarly beneficial.

4. Boost In Energy Levels

One of the key benefits associated with cold-pressed juices is that they effectively boost energy levels in your body. Many research studies have provided evidence of this.

Your energy levels are effectively boosted by having a good intake of raw fruits and vegetables as a part of your regular diet. Since juice is rapidly absorbed by your body, the Canadians who drink cold-pressed juices feel an instant boost in their energy levels.

5. Provides A Support To Your Immune System

Cold-pressed juices effectively support your immune system by flooding your body with the vital vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants that it needs to help fight off and supress bad entities and inflammation. Cold-pressed juices also help your body detox and flush out these bad entities naturally which in aids your recovery.

Final Words

Therefore, these are some of the important health benefits of drinking cold-pressed juice in Canada that one should know about. Therefore, these are some of the important health benefits of drinking cold-pressed juice in Canada that one should know about.

Most days we get exposed to foods that taste irresistibly delicious but offer us little to no health benefits. I'm talking about foods that are on the left side of the scale - pies, fries, and little gingerbread men. After all, it's almost time to celebrate the holidays which makes it that much more intensifying to want to chow down on all the high-sugar, highly-processed, nutrient-devoid goodies. Here's how you can improve the right side of the scale.

First of all, I suggest you don't set too strict of rules for yourself. Instead, live in the moment with your friends and family. Too many rules and restrictions are bound to backfire which can leave you feeling miserable, low-willed and uninspired. Step back a little and take a larger view of food in general and you'll notice that its not so black or white, but rather it's a spectrum of best-to-worst foods for your body and mind. 

Second, instead of always restricting food items, do the opposite and add in delicious natural foods like fruits and your favourite veggies (oranges, grapes, pomegranate, bananas, grapefruit, tomatoes). The more you add versus restrict, you'll notice a feeling of satisfaction because you're eating the right stuff. Over the course of a single day, you'll see that you've actually snacked on more fruits and veggies than you would normally. Plus, you'll start to see that your sweet tooth cravings reduce and you won't reach for the milk chocolates and pastries as often.

Third, make sure you have a ton of healthy snacks lying around. When you have a fruit bowl that's full of juicy fruits, you'll be reaching for these more often than you think! This will help you with tip number two. 

Fourth, add in the protein! High quality protein that's highly digestible and has all essential amino acids (essential amino acids are not produced in the body so you need to get these from food sources and they are the building blocks for making proteins) is key to feeling satisfied, reducing body fat and increasing muscle density, feeling energized, maintaining a stable insulin level and so on. You'll find excellent sources of protein from high quality and ethically sourced animal products and if you don't eat meat, you'll find that legumes combined with rice help bridge the gap. Many people do often experience unpleasant digestive issues with too many legumes so you'll want to minimize this by washing your beans to remove phytic acid and the galaco-ligosaccharide coating (a carbohydrate). In addition, you'll want to watch your carbohydrate-to-protein ratio if you're vegan or vegetarian so that overall, you don't overload on carbohydrates and start packing on the glycogen and fat. If you're somebody that really wants to target body fat and improve your muscular physique, you'll want to make sure you're getting the right amount for your age, your biological gender, and your current body mass composition (BMI).

Fifth and final tip: Exercise. Studies have shown time and again that frequent short bouts of intense exercise will have the most beneficial impact on your health. The idea is to stress your body's neuromuscular system so that it has to constantly re-adapt to your workout environment and forcing it to produce amazing biological results - increased mitochondria (the powerhouses of each cell) to improve your muscle stamina, thicker muscle fibres making you look more fit and trim, more neural connections to muscle fibres for improved strength and agility and an improved metabolic rate so that more of the food you eat gets used up as fuel rather than stored as energy.

Follow these general tips and watch your cravings for processed foods significantly reduce!

Happy Holidays from everyone at URBAN JUICE PRESS!

Winter has finally arrived in Ottawa as if somebody suddenly flicked the nasty weather switch. But it was an inevitable fate and it’s easy to take it out on our ancestors for settling in this northern region of the world. Then again, I think about how lucky we were to have had such a warm and long-lived summer and how it will be back again! For now, it’s time to embrace the seasonal change and welcome all the great things that winter has to offer in our Nation’s Capital!

Ottawa is home to some of the best activities during the winter months and I’ve added some of my fav obvious ones below to help inspire some adventure and keep you moving! The human body was built to move and keep active so get inspired!

Hit the slopes! Our city is surrounded by nature & rolling hills! It won’t be long before the resorts open their doors and we’ve certainly got our fair share of slopes! It’s seriously a blast & a great workout to get outside with your skis or snowboard on those sunny winter days! I typically avoid skiing when it’s brutally cold out, but thankfully winter isn’t minus 30 degrees celsius every single day and the sun still shines! Checkout Ottawa-Gatineau’s ski resorts here

Shopping just got way better in Ottawa! #TheNewRideau! On those brutally cold days, take shelter at the new Rideau Centre and shop til you drop! With new stores like SImons, H&M, and Nordstrom having just opened their doors this past August, you’ll feel a resurgence of downtown urban energy. Ottawa’s small-town feel is a changin’. Visit the CF Rideau Centre website & check out what they have to offer! Don't forget to visit the Nordstrom E bar cafe or Green Rebel and try one of our freshly pressed juices! 

Holiday Season at the National Arts Centre will help awaken your holiday spirit. That warm and fuzzy feeling you get during this time of year is good for your well being and should be embraced. You can get tickets to see classic holiday season performances including The Nutcracker which runs from November 30th through December 4th or A Christmas Carol which runs from December 13th through December 31st. 

Break a sweat & work those buns when you skate that 8 KM Rideau Canal, otherwise known as the World’s Largest Skating Rink! Once you’re out on the ice, you’ll warm up fast! Take a break at one of the warm up stations. The National Capital Commision recently (a few years ago) introduced new elegantly designed ice huts where you can sit to tie your skates and warm up with family, friends, and laughter. Great memories to be had!

Ottawa 2017! You’ve heard and seen it everywhere! Ottawa has been gearing up for it’s 150 birthday which will put our city on the Cool Map! Just watch their website’s video to get a sense of what we should expect for the duration of an entire year as soon as the Near Year arrives! I’m looking forward to this city’s energetic awakening! 

Then there’s Winterlude! It’s fun for families. Not my cup of tea per se buut, I do enjoy the energy and winter holiday spirit this festival offers. It’s a great time to throw a party or two amongst friends and family! To find out what’s happening and when, check out their website here. Winterlude happens in February.

For smaller, more neighbourhood-y things to do, check out Ottawa Tourism - Neighbourhoods for a quick guide on Ottawa’s main neighbourhood attractions. See what’s cool in the  ByWard Market, the Bank Street Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wellington West and more! From fine dining, to local shops (like ours in Wellington West), and the list goes on!

Finally, you need to go to Spa Nordik. It couldn't be a better time of year to sit in the most romantic outdoor hot tubs and ground in nature! Winter sometimes leaves us disconnected from the outdoors because we're so bundled up but here's your chance to be half naked under the crisp night sky and as comfortable as can be from the hot bubbling water! Take you favourite person or persons with you and enjoy the magic.

The main thing is to not let the fact that we’re the world’s third coldest capital city get you down! Stay active. Stay engaged. Get inspired.

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They’re Must Haves in your food pantry. They pack a crunch when you get those crunchy snack cravings. They’re rich in proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. I’m talking about nuts and seeds – the raw kind.

There isn’t any one kind that’s ultimately the best for you and that’s why it’s better to mix them up and get a variety.

So here’s my list of Must Haves to keep in your food pantry and why they’ll keep you young and sharp!

• Raw Organic Almonds – A sizeable handful each day helps lower your LDL cholesterol within a few weeks!

• Raw Organic Walnuts – Contain a fair amount of ellagic acid that’s also high in berries and has been shown to fight cancer.

• Raw Organic Cashews – It’s your creamy and delicious nut that boosts serotonin, elevating mood and reducing anxiety. This natural Rx is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid and a precursor to serotonin and melatonin. Some argue that a couple daily handfuls compares to today’s SSRIs.

• Raw Organic Hemp Seeds – Almost a complete protein because it doesn’t contain the amino acid, Leucine and it’s also low on the amino acid Lycine BUT it’s rich in so many vitamins and minerals and it contains a good balance of Omega-6 fatty acids and Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega-3’s being in higher concentration. That balance is what you want in order to fight inflammation and support brain health!

• Raw Organic Flax Seeds – Rich in ALA (alphalinoleic acid), an Omega-3 fatty acid for brain health. It’s important to crush or grind the seeds in order to get their nutrients!

• Raw Organic Chia Seeds – They’re the “Toxin Puller Outer”! You know that these expand and stick to toxins right? They become gelatinous and expand, sticking to toxins and pulling them out of your gut. We’re so impressed with their health boosting properties that it’s why we add them to our JUICE CLEANSES!

• Raw Organic Pumpkin Seeds – Contain heart-healthy and muscle-relaxing magnesium. Most people aren’t getting nearly enough magnesium so add these to your pantry and eat a handful or two daily.

• Raw Organic Sunflower Seeds – They’re a no-brainer because they’re delicious on top of salads! They’re also rich in vitamin E for skin health.

• Raw Organic Sesame Seeds – Super rich in calcium, and also delicious on top of your salad so be sure to get your daily dose for strong teeth and bones!

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One of the common questions we get asked at URBAN JUICE PRESS is "how can I shed these pesky pounds that seem so impossible to lose?"

When it comes to weight-loss and weight management, it can be an ongoing battle and it's easy to look for quick fixes or drastic measures that might not be the healthiest option.

It's better to think of weight-loss as a perk that comes with improving your habits and focusing on your health first.

YOU HAVE IT IN YOU!

We all possess the ability to make or break habits and when you can focus on making more health-positive habits, you'll see amazing changes unfold. To lose that stubborn weight or simply manage your weight more effectively, we recommend following these 6 steps:

1. Know your habits first: 

Jot down a typical day in the life - What do you typically eat? How much water do you consume? Do you smoke? Are you moving and getting enough exercise? This will help to paint a bird's eye view of your holistic health profile and you'll be able to make more informed choices with greater awareness about your habits.

2. SET HEALTH-FOCUSED GOALS INSTEAD OF JUST THINKING YOU NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT:

Now that you have a big picture view of some of your regular habits, set some health-positive goals in areas you identified above. By focusing on improving your health habits, the weight will take care of itself. Maybe you noticed you're not drinking enough water, maybe you noticed you could eat an extra salad each day, or maybe you noticed you mostly drive instead of walk or bike? When goal setting, start small and work by adding positive habits rather than than by eliminating the bad habits all together. Naturally, by adding good habits, the bad habits will eventually disappear. It's a good idea to journal along the way and Happiness Habits 613 is a an excellent community that shares tips for goal setting, journaling, and more.

3. Consistency Pays Off:

When you decide which areas you want to focus attention, don't stress and give up when things don't go according to plan! Building long-lasting positive habits takes time. With some consistency and patience on your part, the weight will take care of itself. If you're not seeing results right away, don't give up. See your goals as a way to attaining long-term health benefits rather than expecting quick surface results. Remember that the long-term approach will have a much more effective and positive outcome!

4. Keep it simple: 

When it comes to food, don't overcomplicate it by calorie counting. Instead, the best thing you can do is to eat and drink a wide variety of high quality and nutritionally dense whole foods and with patience, you'll see dramatic improvements in health and naturally, more effective weight management and anticipated weight loss. 

6. Group them together:

Your proteins, fats, and good-source carbohydrates should be combined together at meals. This will help to keep your blood sugar stable, your muscles happy, and your body burning more calories! Think fruits and nuts together!

5. Exercise daily:

Move lots. Walk. We're creatures that need to move to stay healthy and our natural ability to keep in motion helps keep the weight in check.

Read about "5 Reasons to Eat More Root Vegetables" and "Foods That Boost Immune Health"

You might be wondering what's the best way to transition back to solid foods after doing a juice cleanse. It's a common question we get and so here are FIVE TIPS that we recommend post-cleanse. You'll experience a seamless transition back to solid foods with better results just by following these

1. Begin your morning with a nutrient-packed smoothie! Smoothies are a fantastic way to get your macronutrients and your micronutrients in an easily digestible way that also help to keep your blood sugar and insulin levels stable. A breakfast in thick-liquid form will help you transition more easily because you won't be diving right back in when your stomach might not want something too heavy post-cleanse and first thing in the morning!

2. Don’t go from zero to sixty! We recommend going easy during your transition which might take 2 or 3 days. Instead of pure solid grub full throttle, try keeping to a couple smoothies per day as meals or snacks in addition to the solids, do some juicing at home, and drink plenty of water apart from your meals. Drinking too much water with a meal will dilute enzymes, impairing your body's ability to easily digest the food you just ate. Your body will still be in detox mode and many of the impurities that were released into your digestive system can be easily eliminated with a proper transition back to solid foods. Get in the fibre-rich foods from vegetables, fruits, and chia seeds to facilitate the removal of impurities from the gut.

3. Fuel your body with fruits, nuts, and seeds. Instead of reaching for the breads, bagels, and cereals, turn to eating all the fruits you want. Fruits contain natural sugars that will fuel your body and when combined with proteins and fats from nuts and seeds, you’ll feel more alert with stable insulin and blood sugar.

4. Make it raw. Make sure you get plenty of vegetables and fruits with at least 50% being raw so that you're getting plenty of live enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. You'll be fuelling your body with the right sources of macronutrients with an abundance of micronutrients to keep your body working like a charm

5. Eat organics and from the Clean 15. Staying clear of lower quality foods will ensure you’re getting more nutrients in, each time you sit down to eat. Organics typically contain more plant based nutrients due to richer soils from better farming practices. Eating higher quality and more nutrient-dense foods will also optimize the way you look and feel making for a more seamless transition. And once you've completed your post-cleanse transition back to solid foods, we recommend trying to stay clear of unprocessed foods as much as possible because you'll feel amazing!

Boost your immune system with nature’s arsenal! Using food-as-medicine will help you beat the bug and keep healthy all winter long!

Throw in the mushrooms!

Lightly steam them, add them to your salads, soups, and broths. Mushrooms can often be forgotten in the kitchen but remembering to incorporate these babies will seriously boost your immune system’s function! They help to kill bacteria, viruses, yeasts, and even cancer cells according to Christa Orrechio, clinical nutritionist out of San Diego. 

Reishi mushroom: fights cancer! Rich in beta glucans which are polysaccharides or helpful sugars that boost immune function by activating certain immune cells that can trigger an immune response. This “primes” the immune system and makes it more sensitive to and efficient at recognizing cancer cells. 

Maitake mushroom: also fights cancer by inhibiting tumor growth! Rich in beta glucans, they help to alter white blood cells and improve immune responses against foreign bodies such as viruses, bacteria, and abnormal growths such as cancer cells.

Shiitake mushroom: contain beta glucans to kill inflammation, bacteria, viruses, yeasts, and cancer cells. They’re also rich in B-vitamins to help energize the body and improve the breakdown of macronutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Don’t eat them by themselves. Instead, add them in combination and see the results for yourself!

Keep it Spicy with these Hotties!

Turmeric: Turmeric contains a powerful antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and boosts your body’s defence! It’s the superfood that stimulates your own body to stimulate the production and release of glutathione, the mother of all antioxidants according to this Huffington Post article. Have you tried our potent Turmeric Ave.?

Ground Black Pepper: enhances gastric and digestive enzyme secretion to promote digestive health. Black pepper with turmeric also increases the absorbability of turmeric by 3-fold according to Orrechio!

Cumin: enhances pancreatic enzyme secretion to significantly boost digestive function.

Coriander: helps improve liver function and works even better when combined with fennel.

Fennel: soothes gut pain and enhances digestive and gastric enzyme secretion to improve digestive function. Try it in juice form from our Online Juice Shop!

Ginger: contains anti-inflammatory properties to help kill bacteria and viruses. Ginger also helps to deactivate cytokenes which cause pain and swelling in the body.

Cinnamon: add it to help stabilize blood sugar and improve overall energy and immune health.

To learn more, check out Christa Orrecheo's post about combining spices as your immune system's secret weapon. And don't forget to check in again soon! Leave your comments and questions below!