Today I'm sharing an easy way to add health and wellness to your day...
Do you LOVE eating veggies every day?
I sure didn't..
I've never particularly liked vegetables. To this day I find cauliflower loathsome...the foul stench.. I eat salads if they have sufficient tasty dressing on them but I don't know that I could say I often CRAVE a big salad (unless it is a really good Cesar along with pizza!)
But now, the significant contributor to my better health and significant weight loss...
GREEN SMOOTHIES
(Insert the music of the angels singing....)
A little over a year ago I came upon the work of the Green Smoothie Girl. I had been researching wellness and learned that nutritional deficit can lead to cravings and overeating. Even though the body may be stuffed full of food, you can still feel significant hunger if you are not getting all the nutrition the body needs (and that's tough to do these days with so many man made chemical processed foods but that's another story.)
The Green Smoothie Girl recommended having a big smoothie each day packed with greens. Something just captivated me about trying the idea.. I wasn't even positive I could make myself drink one, but I was determined that if it would improve my health, I would do my best to get it down and test this out. It seemed a practical way to get a whole lot more nutrients in me.
When I tasted my first green smoothie ever,
I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW ACCEPTABLE I FOUND THEM,
rather pleasant in taste actually and energizing.
I felt refreshed!
I have had one every day since with rare exception. There are all kinds of recipes from simple to fancy and I recommend visiting Green Smoothie Girl for more resources and recipe ideas but my simple recipe is:
Daily Green Smoothie Recipe:
2 cups organic unsweetened coconut milk or organic vanilla almond milk (or the liquid of your choice)
Fill the blender to the top with greens (I typically use organic spring mix and organic kale 60/40). I do not pack them down - just throw them in the blender until they reach the top.
Blend for 10 seconds or so.. (to get the greens extra blended)
Add 1 banana
Add about 3/4 cup frozen organic blueberries (more if you prefer it sweeter)
Blend on smoothie setting (if you have one) or until well blended
As my Grandma Aggie used to write on her recipe cards,
"Good Luck and Good Eating!"
You can certainly use any other fruits or greens you like (or add a protein powder). I use the above ingredients because they are inexpensive from Costco and don't require thawing ahead. I love organic pineapple chunks in smoothies too, but they sound rather brutal in the blender if you don't take them out to defrost a little while ahead of making your smoothie.
A good quality blender is an important component of a tasty green smoothie. A traditional $35 blender is not going to turn the greens to total smoothie consistency or if it does get close, the blender will likely give out after a few months of making them. Blendtec and Vitamix are really good ones (and there are others).. Costco has both and reduces prices at times as do other retailers. Give it a try with your current blender but if you feel there is a grainy green consistency or chunks of greens - just know a better blender will remove that!
Warning: They are not always a pretty color. People may look at you drinking them with wonder.. You can store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours so you could split it between two meals if you prefer; just shake it a bit before drinking. I recommend large glass smoothie straws for drinking them which are inexpensive on Amazon.
I have embraced a "step at a time" approach
to greater health and wellness.
This makes creating a new habit really easy!
When I began my green smoothie journey, I was not eating a particularly healthy diet. I decided to add this one step to the way I normally ate. As I continued my smoothie habit I felt energized, less hungry through the day and I gradually began to crave healthier food as time went on. I craved less sugar and some of the old foods I used to enjoy tasted more "chemical" to me. My smoothie step became a habit that was a catalyst for other healthier lifestyle choices. I have had a significant weight loss and green smoothies are a major factor.
I can feel the days I don't have one. There is noticeable sluggishness and I tend to have more cravings and overeat.
Give it a try and see what you think!
GOOD LUCK & GOOD EATING!
RSK
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Disclaimer: Please continue following your health care provider's recommendations for you. I am not an MD; listen to trusted medical professionals.