2012 ACS Bike-a-thon

Event Date: Sunday July 14th, 2013
Starting Point: Ben Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia, PA
End Point: Buena Vista Camping Resort, Buena, NJ
Team name: Riding for the Moments

This year we will be returning to ride in the American Cancer Society’s 41st annual Bike-a-thon! The Bike-a-thon is an event that enables you to take an incredible journey and make a tremendous difference.  We are riding to raise money that will save lives and help cancer patients celebrate more birthdays.

Together we can make sure that anyone affected by cancer can count on the American Cancer Society to provide tips and tools to help people reduce their risk of cancer; to be in their corner around the clock at 1-800-227-2345 and www.cancer.org; to fund and conduct groundbreaking research into cancer’s causes, treatments, and cures; and work with lawmakers to create laws that defeat cancer.

If you would like to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation to the American Cancer Society to support our team, please visit our team page.  Hope to see you there!

Pottstown, PA, May 2013 – Performance Food Centers (PFC), a wholesale supplier to over 1400 Juice Bars and Cafes nationwide, announces a bold addition to their extensive line of shake and smoothie offerings with their Veggie Shake Program. There are three brand new flavor additions to the 100% Crushed Dr. Smoothie products; Butternut Squash Mango & Veggies, Carrot Orange Vegetable Medley and their exclusive Carrot Ginger with Orange.

Capitalizing on the Veggie-Centric health trends and the ever growing Snacking Culture that are captivating today’s consumers, PFC wanted to help their foodservice operators offer shakes packed with vegetables and fruits, without sacrificing taste. PFC has made it their mission to provide only natural, minimally processed whole food ingredients free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives, just the way Mother Nature intended.

Dovetailing with in PFC’s credo, “Whole Foods Engineered by Nature”, the new shake recipes that PFC has created with the Dr. Smoothie products offer not only the recommended “5 a Day” fruit and vegetable servings outlined by the USDA, but can provide as many as 9 servings with the addition of freeze dried fruits and vegetables. Blend in PFC’s BioWhey Protein, and you’ve created a powerfully nutritious “complete meal in a cup”.

To help convey the message of the nutritional value of all of the new Veggie Shakes to consumers, PFC works behind the scenes offering strong design imagery, marketing programs, and nutritional support to all of their customers.
Dan Young, Founder and President of PFC says, “Our mission has always been a simple one, to provide whole foods to people who care about their bodies, all the while simplifying the complex world of nutrition.” Dan continues, “We have helped thousands of people everywhere to achieve their wellness and performance goals with our Fruit Shakes, and this is what drives me. I came to realize, however, that people were not consuming enough vegetables to keep their bodies in the alkaline state that promotes optimal health. It was time to perfect a veggie shake that people actually like and now we’ve done that.”

All of the new Veggies Shake recipes that are on PFC’s menu are not only delicious, but nutrient dense. The Dr. Smoothie Artisans carefully packed each new Veggie Smoothie with over 9 fruits, veggies and greens combined to boost immunity and energy, while aiding in digestion and reducing cholesterol. With the addition of PFC’s enzymatically-alive freeze dried Spinach, Kale, Beets or Avocado, the team of Dr. Smoothie and PFC have made eating your veggies fun, easy and delicious!

For additional information on Veggie Shakes, Freeze Dried Fruit and Veggies or any of PFC’s programs, contact Jared Secrest at 610-474-0440 ext. 111 or online at jsecrest@performancefoodcenters.com.

Simply offer PB-Lite as a low fat alternative in all your shakes!

• Only 44 Calories per serving
• 100% Natural
• Non-GMO
• Gluten Free
• No added Sugar or Salt
• Low Fat, Low Sodium
• Great Taste
• No Cholesterol
• De-fatted

For those wanting to make a PB-Lite shake at home … try one of our favorites: Banana Nut Jump

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Skim Milk or Vanilla or Chocolate Soy Milk
• 2 scps. Vanilla Living the Natural Whey Protein
• 1 scp. PB-Lite
• 1 tbsp. Flax Seed Meal
• 1 whl. Banana

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender, add 12 oz. ice and blend until smooth and creamy. Makes a 20 oz. shake!

This shake can be used for a Low-Glycemic Meal or as a Recovery Shake after a good workout. Remember, even though the healthy fats from peanut butter normally slow digestion, after a hard workout of weights, your metabolism is heightened for a much longer time, sometimes hours. So enjoy these four whole-food ingredients. Be sure you select a ripe Banana, anything else will give your shake a slight bitter aftertaste. You can substitute the Vanilla Protein with Chocolate and make your own Chocolate Elvis. Mmmm good!

To Order:

You can order 3.5 lb. PB-Lite wholesale by calling PFC (1.888.732.9151)  or  buy online 1 lb. containers at Dan’s Essentials to keep it all to yourself (we won’t tell)!

If you are already using PB-Lite, we would love to hear how you use it, please submit your recipe here!

This year, nearly 1.5 million people will hear the words “You have cancer,” and there’s a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. That is why we will be getting on our bikes and riding 66 miles this time next week to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays – where cancer never steals another year from anybody’s life – by helping the American Cancer Society’s work.

Together we can make sure that anyone affected by cancer can count on the American Cancer Society to provide tips and tools to help people reduce their risk of cancer; to be in their corner around the clock at 1-800-227-2345 and www.cancer.org; to fund and conduct groundbreaking research into cancer’s causes, treatments, and cures; and work with lawmakers to create laws that defeat cancer.

If you are in the area and want to join our cheering team, please email Annmarie Hocker or if you would like to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation to the American Cancer Society to support our team, please visit our team page. Along with our riders and cheer team, we will be passing out our new grass fed protein to keep the riders going. Hope to see you there!

Our Reason to Relay

The Forever Friends Team started in 2011 when Shirley Norquest and Pam Kehl decided to start the team. Shirley named the team and it is so very appropriate since Shirley and Pam were best friends. Shirley was faced with brain cancer in July, 2010 but lost her battle in April, 2011. She was excited about having a Relay team and is always with us in spirit. Her inspiration is with us whether we are attending a meeting, fundraising, or walking the track during the Relay event. Birthdays were always special for Shirley and by participating in the American Cancer Society?s Relay For Life, it is our hope to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

At the event, our team will camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track to raise money Saving lives from cancer starts one team, one participant, and one dollar at a time. Our team is doing our part to make sure that cancer never steals another year of anyone?s life.

Please join our team, make a donation, or stop by for a shake! The impact we can make together is much greater than what any of us could do alone!

Pottstown, PA June 1st 2012- Dan Young, Founder and President of PFC & Dan’s Essentials, experienced firsthand how whole food nutrition could cure his body of disease for which conventional western medicine said there was no cure for. Since then, Dan has made it his mission to help others understand the healing powers of whole foods. Dan says, “From reversing disease to reaching sports specific performance goals, all is possible when you eat the right foods – after all, we are what our food eats.”

Dan’s mission is to give people access to healthy minimally processed whole-foods free of all artificial ingredients and synthetic sweeteners while simplifying the complex world of nutrition. He created the online store to share with the world the very products that helped him during those critical years as well as today as he competes in endurance events, hikes tall mountains and raises an ever expanding family.

Most recently, he created a Certified Grass Fed Protein which was inspired by Dan’s motto, “We are what our food eats.” After all, our bodies are constantly rebuilding and trying to heal. Each day of our lives, approximately 300 billion cells die and are replaced with new cells. Every new cell is created from the nutrients of the foods we eat and all cells require proteins. Dan adds, “Your ability to think, see, hear, move and have a healthy immune system, all depend on healthy cells built with the amino acids of proteins, but protein that is free from all man-made junk is even more important, because eventually, those nasty ingredients become part of you.”

Living the Natural Whey is made of 100% natural whole food ingredients and can be easily added to any meal or snack where macro balance is needed- a great staple for the whole family. The Grass Fed milk used to make this protein has excellent levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), is free of rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormones) and contains no GMO’s. It is rich in branched chain Amino Acids – Isoleucine, Leucine & Valine and Digestive Enzymes which aid in digestion. Living the Natural Whey comes in convenient 1 lb. containers in Vanilla and Chocolate, each naturally sweetened with Organic Stevia. It blends perfectly with Smoothies, Oatmeal, Pancakes, Cookies and Parfaits. Recipes can be found at DansEssentials.com.

This signature protein supplement accompanies over 800 whole food products on Dan’s Essentials that include: Smoothie & Shake Ingredients, Natural Supplements, Proteins & Builders, Organic Coffees & Teas, Handpicked Healthy Snacks, Granolas and Oatmeals, Whole Grains, Natural Sweeteners and Staples for Everyone’s Diet- all designed to help individuals reach their performance and wellness goals.

Dan invites you to try his new Certified Grass Fed, Hormone Free Protein and enjoy knowing that every time you include this in your diet, you’re rebuilding a better you!

About Performance Food Centers/Dan’s Essentials

Performance Food Centers is an industry leader in the planning, design, operation and supply of juice bars across North America. Serving over 1300 juice bars, fitness centers, schools and coffee shops, Performance Food Centers offers expertise in every facet of juice bar and café business. PFC launched Dan’s Essentials in January of 2012 to help individual reach their performance and wellness goals through whole food nutrition.

2. Stop junk mail
Go to optoutprescreen.com to stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers and sign up on catalogchoice.org to reduce the amount of unsolicited catalogs sent to you. If everyone in the United States reduced the junk mail he receives every week, 100 million trees would be spared each year.

3. Buy green power
Visit the Green Power Network’s U.S. map at eere.energy.gov/greenpower to check out if your state offers green energy.

4. Reuse and Recycle
To learn which items you can leave out for curbside pickup, and how to dispose of those you can’t, log on to earth911.org for contact info for local recyclers of more than 250 materials―from cooking oil to hazardous waste (including batteries). Americans already recycle about a third of their trash (double what was recycled in 1990), but we can do more.

5. Carry a water bottle with you
Save some money and the consumption of plastic bottles- buy a “green” reusable bottle. Americans use 3.3 million plastic bottles every hour but recycle only one in five. We have one here and a cooler to match.

6. Buy local produce
Your last meal may have traveled 1,500 miles to get to your table. Find food near you. Green markets, farm stands,and conscientious supermarkets all offer locally grown produce. Buy it and you’ll conserve fuel, reduce pollution, and
enjoy fresher food.

7. Bring your own bags to the market
In an average year, U.S. households use about 100 billion plastic bags, 99 percent of which are never recycled. Stash some canvas bags in your car!

8. Give your car a tune-up
Tune up your car (usually every 30,000 miles) and raise your car’s fuel efficiency
anywhere from 4 to 40 percent. Go to greendrivingusa to find some great gas saving tips!

9. Turn off the water
The average faucet releases about three gallons of water a minute, so shut it off while you brush your teeth or shave.

10. Skip red meat once a week
It can take seven or more pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef, and livestock consumes 70 percent of America’s grain. Eat less of it (cut out one day a week) and when possible, choose pasture-fed, sustainably raised beef. If you alone gave it up once every seven days, you would save the 840 gallons of fresh water it takes to produce a single serving. Check out Meatless Mondays for great meal ideas or Dan’s Essentials recipes.

Click here to see the video.

Remember, the Recovery Shake is most important meal of the day. The body only has a 30 minute window to optimize its workout. If you miss this opportunity to give it what it needs, the window quickly closed. You will not be able to store as much glycogen as just prior to your workout because the cells that once contained your stored sugars have decreased slowing down your metabolism. By drinking a high Glycemic drink with 3 to 1 ration of carbs versus protein, respectively, immediately following your workout, the sugars race into your muscles replenishing the lost glycogen keeping your metabolism humming. This is key to weight lose or muscle gain, your body will not gain an ounce of fat but you WILL realize your fitness goals much quicker.

Your body runs primarily on glycogen. The best time to store glycogen is right after exercise. Timing is Everything!

Eat Well!

Pottstown, PA March 16, 2012: The Chefs in the world-class Vegas hotels Caesars and Aria were in search of an all-natural protein supplement to use in their restaurants and hotel room service smoothies, so they confided with Chef Chris Young, formerly the Executive Chef of the Mirage and sports enthusiast. Chris recommended Performance Food Center’s (PFC) Bio-Whey Protein as his Protein supplement of choice for its unique natural ingredient profile and ability to mix well with smoothies, oatmeal, parfaits, cookies and so much more.

PFC created their line of Bio-Whey Protein in order to offer a completely natural whey protein to people who care about what they put in their bodies. Generally, most protein supplements on the market today are not worth their weight in cheese. Most manufacturers’ protein labels claim that Whey is the main ingredient, but there are big differences between them all and choosing the right one could mean the difference between great absorption and utilization or high BV rating or low absorption, stomach aches and poor absorption. PFC chose to use the best concentrate available in their Bio-Whey Protein, which is 80% protein, replete with immune- supportive nutrient profile, immunoglubins, bovine serum albumin, beta-lactoglobulin, lactoferrin, lipolic acid and CLA. Guests of the hotel and restaurants report that they can taste and feel the difference.

PFC refuses to use any artificial additives or synthetic sweeteners; instead their Whey Protein Supplements are sweetened with low-glycemic fructose and the natural herb, zero calorie Stevia extract. All ingredients and flavor systems are whole-food compliant and PFC Approved for Living Well. They believe that you are what you eat AND what your food eats, so PFC has certified all farms that produce their whey protein to be free of all hormones.

PFC is proud to offer their natural Protein supplements in Caesars and Aria hotel and restaurants; after all, what a better place to recover and take care of your body then the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas.

Recently, we stumbled on an actual bottle of our competitor’s product. We have never denigrated another company, because after all,  these are all good people with good intent; however, the ingredients being served to their customers do not fit our definition of natural. They use ingredients like Sodium Benzoate, Caramel Color, Sucralose, Corn Syrup and many more – most can be found on the Bad list.

Look good for you?

Apple- Contains 50% Juice

Apple Juice, Fructose Corn Syrup, Filtered Water, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium, Metabisulfite, Caramel Color

Passion Mango- Contains 50% Juice

Fructose Corn Syrup, Pasteurized White Grape Juice Concentrate,  Pasteurized Apple Juice Concentrate, Filtered Water, Pasteurized Mango Concentrate, Pasteurized Passion  Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium, Metabisulfite, Glycerol Abietate

Low Carb Guava- Contains 50% Juice

Filtered Water, Pasteurized Guava Puree, Pasteurized White Grape Concentrate and/or , Pasteurized Apple Juice Concentrate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sucralose,  Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium, Metabisulfite, Xantham Gum

PFC Approved for Living Well

We have cleaned out countless Juice Bars that were filled with syrupy products filled with ingredients like these listed above. They all ended up switching over to our Natural line of Juice Bar products and now their customers report that they can taste and really see the difference.

Just remember, you are what you eat and what your food eats. We understand this and that is why we have made it our mission to offer only Natural whole food Ingredients in all of our products.  The PFC approved stamp means that the product contains no artificial ingredients, synthetic sweeteners or additives of any kind. You can feel good about giving your customers food that is actually good for their bodies and helps them reach their performance and wellness goals.

Call/email us today to find out more about our Natural line of Juice Bar and Cafe supplies.