Green Lemonade

This week we have the honor of spending time with a few members from the loveable team at Organic Avenue. For those of you not familiar with them, Organic Avenue is a hip and cool fresh pressed juice, smoothie and natural food wonderland in New York City and now Southampton, New York. They have some of the best drinks and organic treats around. Everyone who has the opportunity to experience the yumminess here adores it.

Each day this week a team member from Organic Avenue has generously offered to share a few thoughts and inspirational words on how they do their best to live a more natural, healthy, happy and fit lifestyle. I hope these suggestions inspire you to feel your best this week – and all summer long.

To kick off the week Organic Avenue’s lovely Fernanda Niven is with us!

Fernanda Niven

Welcome Fernanda! Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Fernanda Niven. I have many hats: I manage the Southampton Store, I am an investor, and I do some business development and PR for Organic Avenue.

Can you give us a little insight into your favorite things to do to be healthy?
I love to take very long walks, bike ride, swim and do Power Plate classes. I love green juice and drink 2-3 a day. I also take wheatgrass shots and ginger shots daily.

What are some of your favorite go-to resources for organic produce and foods for those of us on a budget?
I love both Lifethyme Market and Integral Yoga Market. Souen restaurant and Organic Avenue are also favorites.

If people wanted to reset after a period of indulgence, what Organic Avenue program might they consider? And if Organic Avenue may not be an option right now, is there one change you might recommend people make for a few days to “reset”?
I would suggest Love Fast from Organic Avenue. It is a good way to detox and is Level 2 of the cleanses (after Love Easy which has a slightly greater food vs juice quotient). Love Fast is less raw food and more juices. If not a cleanse, then I would suggest cutting out the bad foods (flour, sugar, and dairy specifically) and add at least one green juice to your diet a day. One large Organic Avenue juice is a meal replacement…which is also easy to do. Just adding one green juice a day will do a lot of good.

Can you recommend a retreat or spa for someone who would like a little supervision in their indulgence resetting/detox program? Or even something closer to home to consider? What do you do?
I would recommend Bikini Boot Camp in Tulum Mexico. It is a beautiful setting, great food and lots of exercise. Closer to home I would really suggest Organic Avenue. All employees can help and guide anyone through a cleanse and we love to do it.

What inspired you to start enjoying a more veggie-centric lifestyle?
I noticed that I felt better from eating and drinking greens. My general sense of well being was clearly enhanced by drinking green juices (which I used to hate by the way) and making my body more alkaline was helping me make all the changes I wanted for myself. I noticed right away that I had more energy, better looking skin, could maintain my weight more easily, and just felt a lot better in general.

What one piece of advice would you give to people just learning about the benefits of a more veggie centric lifestyle?
Go slowly, add new things and try news things gradually. You will find that it makes this change so natural and effortless. Give your self and taste buds time to adjust and change. Also don’t be afraid of green juices! Oddly enough, you will find that you actually want them once you start drinking or eating them.

Is there a favorite treat you would recommend newcomers to Organic Avenue to pick up?
The Green Embrace Smoothie..delicious. The Green Embrace Smoothie contains banana, mango, spinach, coco butter, doc brocs alkaline plant powder, lacuma and spirulina.

Some people are intimidated by green juice, but there is just nothing else like it to get clean at a cellular level and start your day off right with energy and clarity. What is an easy combination you would recommend people start with that might convince them that actually it’s not so bad?
I would suggest mixing Organic Avenue Young Love green juice (celery, spinach and cucumber) with some Organic Avenue lemonade and alkaline water. It is really good and not as potent as just pure greens. You can work your way up to total greens easily. This combo also adds the alkaline element..so it is a two-fer.

When you are traveling and can’t get an Organic Avenue juice or smoothie fix, what do you suggest eating to stay healthy and energized?
Walking, getting enough sleep, eating salad or something green at every meal and fruits too. Go easy on the foods you know are bad for you. I also travel with alkaline drops for my water. I like PuripHy by pH Miracle.

Thank you again for your time and thoughts Fernanda….. It is always nice to hear what other people do to keep healthy. It is such a great source of inspiration. Big hugs to you from the Green Lemonade community.