I’m sure you have all seen the milk promotional campaign: "Milk/What a Surprise!" The campaign launched in 1995 to boost sales by advertising the benefits of adults drinking milk using humor and celebrity pictures to convey its message. The photographs by Annie Leibovitz - such as this of Pete Sampras below - showed pictures of celebrities and popular stars proving an instant hit.

Picture by Annie Leibovitz, 1995. Tennis star Pete Sampras, the number-one-ranked world champion from 1993 to 1998—and eventual seven-time Wimbledon winner—was a fan of the milk mustache ads and volunteered to be a celebrity subject.

Well, while I am not totally against milk (although there are many valid arguments against drinking milk), I feel that not enough emphasis is given to a much healthier alternative: fresh raw juice, especially GREEN JUICE.

First I considered taking picture of myself with a green juice mustache, but I am no celebrity. That’s when I thought about Mona Lisa. Not sure if she wouldn’t mind, but I decided to unscrupulously use her image anyway for the greater good!

It’s a fact: nothing is more enzyme-rich and nutrient-rich than freshly extracted vegetable juice. It is also the most easily absorbable form of nutrition available! Unfortunately, when most people think of vegetable juice, they typicaly picture a can of tomatoe juice or a bottle of V-8. What you may not realize, vegetable juices can be surprisingly tasty and even addictive - in a good way, of course.

If you are feeling constantly tired and hungry (like I do) and craving junk food --- a glass of freshly made juice can probably help you and give you a boost of energy.

If you don’t have a juicer, then go and buy one (I recommend Breville juicer, but any juicing machine will do the job) - it’s a good long-term investment in your health. Then buy some fruits and vegetables (see the recipes below for a shopping list) ideas, make some fresh juice, and drink it! Do this twice a day for fantastic results, every day for great results, three times a week for noticeable results, or even just once a week for improvement!

Fresh juice has all nutrients that your body needs in a form that can be easily absorbed giving you instant energy boost! Its also great for your health. If you search the Internet, you can read thousands of stories about people who cured themselves of various ailments, lost weight and improved their well-being by drinking freshly made juices.

If you need some more convincing - watch this video...

There are many recipes that you can try and many books and resources are available on the subject. I am going to give you this one recipe for a Green Juice Cocktail made with green vegetables, apples and lemon:

Simple version (few ingredients):

• 1 head romaine lettuce or 3 stalks of celery
• 5-6 leaves of kale (or other greens, e.g., 1 cup of spinach)
• 1 or 2 apples or pears
• 1 lemon (not peeled)

Optional ingredients ” choose what you like or have in your kitchen:

• 1 cucumber
• 1/4 to 1/2 ripe papaya (1/2 makes the juice sweeter)
• 1 handful of cilantro or parsley (or both for deeper green juice)
• 1 cup of fennel (stalk can be used too)

I like to add some beets or carrots sometimes too, but then of course it is no longer green juice… Some people also like to add a slice of garlic and/or ginger.

Drink it every morning or afternoon to jumpstart your energy!

Note: It is best to drink your juice on an empty stomach.

Unfortunately, the stuff that you buy in the supermarket in cans and bottles is loaded with salt and is certainly not freshly made. However, you can make your own version of V8 by experimenting with the following recipe:

3 large tomatoes
3 stalks celery
5 carrots (medium sized)
1 small beet
1/4 head fresh cabbage
1-2 bell pepper (red or green, or both)
2 cups spinach
2-3 kale leaves
1/4 sweet onion
1/2 clove garlic (optional)

Juice all the vegetables using your juicer, and enjoy as is, chilled, or with ice. If you must, add some chili pepper and/or salt to taste (optional).

For those of you who like sweet fruit juices, here are three recipes for you:

Sunshine Mango Cocktail

1 mango, pitted
2 oranges, peeled
1/2 papaya, seeded
1/4 pineapple (with or without skin)
1 banana, peeled (optional)

Juice the mango first, followed by oranges, and papaya. If your juicer will handle it, simply cut up the pinaplle, skin and all, into pieces and feet them into the juicer.

Sweet Sunrise Delight

1 cup green or red grapes
1/2 lemon, peeled
2 oranges, peeled
4 ounces sparkling mineral water

Juice the grapes first, followed by the lemon and oranges. Mix with mineral water and strir.

Watermelon-Grape Delight

Don't throw away that watermelon rind! Watermelon rind is very nutrient rich:

1 wedge watermelon
1/2 lb. red grapes

You can add just about any fruit or vegetable to watermelon juice, so experiment and have some fun. This is a great weight loss juicing recipe. Find more recipes my best juicer recipes blog.

Now that is a very good question!

Certainly it is best to consume fresh raw fruits and veggies in their natural state. But the truth is we do not consume ENOUGH of these healthy foods. Juicing makes it easy to consume LARGE amounts of fruits and vegetable, without having to chop and then chew all the above ingredients - it sure does take a while!

What the juicer does is it separates the juice from the fiber of the fruits and vegetables making them easier to absorb, leaving you with organic water with all the important nutrients: vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from the plants.

Of course, eating fiber is important too; but when it is removed from the juice, your body will not have to spend precious energy on digestion. The nutrients will be absorbed instantly, going straight to the cells to do their work. So, whenever you are experiencing low energy or any health issues - make yourself some fresh juice. It can’t hurt you, and will most likely help!