From time to time, I have focused on the healthful benefits of fruits and vegetables. I have written columns titled "Eat the rainbow" and encouraged readers to grow their own "The three sisters garden."

But truth be known, I haven’t always had the time (or discipline) to practice what I preach. And I’m not alone.

Let’s face it — it’s hard to eat the recommended 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. I don’t think we even have that much room in our refrigerator, which is always 35 percent stocked with local beer. But, (as usual) I digress.

Did you know? There is a simple way to get the nutritional benefits of seven carefully selected fruits and 10 healthful vegetables and grains in such a convenient form that it’s easy even for me to swallow.

I am writing  about Juice Plus+ — which the company boasts is "the next best thing to fruits and vegetables."  I’ll go one better — I think Juice Plus+ is much better than broccoli.

The Juice Plus+ people have carefully chosen a blend of fruits and vegetables for a wide range of nutritional benefits. Many of these fruits and veggies aren’t available locally. Now they are, through a team right here in Haywood County.

Juice Plus+ is made from high-quality fruits and vegetables; they are juiced and concentrated into powders using a low-temperature process that maintains maximum nutrient quality; removing the sugar, sodium and the water.

What’s left is concentrated whole food in capsule form.

Juice Plus+ is not a vitamin supplement — it’s a whole food nutritional supplement — a blend of real fruits and vegetables, packaged in easy-to-swallow capsules. And all the natural food nutrients in Juice Plus+ are quickly absorbed through the bloodstream and made "bio available."

Not a pill taker? Juice Plus+ is also available in bite-sized chewables.

The health benefits of Juice Plus+ are documented. In fact, Juice Plus+ may be the most thoroughly researched nutritional product on the market today with studies published in numerous medical journals.

Juice Plus+ is the nutritional choice of Lance Armstrong, Bear Grylls, and three Olympic teams. Closer to home, I have friends who have gone off most of their prescription meds thanks to Juice Plus+, lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

But perhaps the best thing about Juice Plus+ is the company behind it — NSA, which is a 42-year old, $10 billion corporation, operating in 23 countries. NSA has created a business model where Juice Plus+ is distributed locally via home-based franchises. There is no overhead, no inventory, and just a $50 start-up cost — sharing a product everybody needs.

By inspiring healthy living, Juice Plus+ distributors can easily earn $500 per month. And that’s enough to prevent most bankruptcies. Plus there is potential to earn more.

NSA’s newest product goes hand-in-hand with JuicePlus+  — it's called The Tower Garden. It is a vertical/aeroponic system for growing vegetables, herbs, flowers and most fruits in less time than in soil. I’ll be writing more about this system later this summer — because as Liz Lemon (star of 30-Rock) would say, “I want to go there.”

FYI if you want more information about Juice Plus+, contact my nutritional mentor, and local team leader, Trish Hughes, at 400-0923, or visit her Web site — www.trishhughesjuiceplus.com.

Oh, and by the way, Jay Martin (founder of NSA and JuicePlus+) has ties to WNC — in fact, his grandfather once drove a school bus in Sylva.