Steve Barney's Juicing and Health Tips

John Jenkins (Example)
John Jenkins (Example)

Hey Friends! Hope all's good in your worlds and you're feeling fit and well.

Don't know about you, but the clocks going forward and having extra daylight has personally given me an extra spring in my juicing step…

Definitely an easier time to stay on track and aim to get some good stuff in for the months ahead as we get closer to the Summer festivals… which links me nicely to this month's blog guest, 'Human Drum Machine' and health nut.

He's graced the Summer festivals, stadiums and arenas with his HEAVY dance beats and electronic genius… not to mention possibly the funkiest looking kit around!
Over the years he's rocked with The Streets and Lily Allen and is currently touring the world with Example. Fire up your juicers… feel the 'heavy bass' of your blenders and welcomeJohn Jenkins!

"I guess I first became aware of how diet affected my health through having Psoriasis (chronic skin disorder). I had it bad through my teens and went through the whole western approach trying to cure it. Unsurprisingly every attempt to treat the symptoms failed. I've since discovered pretty much every disease known to man is curable by diet and environmental factors.

"When I first went to LA in 2003 I saw a whole movement of people eating raw foods and juicing wheatgrass, I just had this feeling I should be doing the same. Since then over the last 10 years I've slowly got to the point where I'm verging on a vegan diet. I'm not there yet but it's the goal. When you feel the positive effects in every aspect of your life eating this way, you know it must be the right way!

"The most important thing I've discovered in all of this is getting your body in a more alkaline state. The water in our bodies is of a saline nature and must be this way in order toconduct the electricity that animates every single cell in our bodies. Getting the right alkaline mineral balance is key to staying hydrated and conducting this electric life force. It's the way to stay vital, healthy and disease free!"

"Being on tour it can be harder to stick to this type of lifestyle all the time, there's nothing wrong with eating for pleasure or having a drink every now and again! However the whole band and crew are juicing daily now so the road is a much healthier place than it used to be!"

John's favourite recipes:

Green Juice/Blend

"This one is a kinda juice/smoothie combination to maximize nutrient intake."

Into a juicer:

2 handfuls of kale (or spinach leaves)

1 nugget of ginger

1 celery stick

1 apple (try and juice in this order as the apple will wash all the lovely green juice through the centrifuge)

Set Juice mix aside. Into a high-speed Blender:

Handful spinach

1 celery stick

Nugget of cucumber

Half a ripe avocado

Then add the Green juice mix into the Blender & a splash of filtered or mineral Water. Squeeze half a Lemon (or lime) on top for good measure!

Blend up! (Usually make's little bit more than a pint.)

Note: It's important to chew each mouthful before swallowing to release the important digestive enzymes contained in the saliva, this goes for any juice or smoothie. Drink/eat slowly. It's an incredibly powerful drink that's really alkalising and oxygen rich. For me its pure LIFE FORCE in a glass and Iwouldn't start my day any other way.

Favourite staple drink (2/3 times per day):

Lemon, lime or grapefruit (red pink or white) water

Squeeze one of the above into a pint glass.Fill to the top with filtered, tap or mineral water (where possible, a brand that's alkaline eg: Evian or Fiji) and again, drink slowly.

Follow John on Twitter: @chequerplate
For more on John's Chequerplate Drums, click here!

For more on juicing, check out Barney's healthy inspirations.