Why a smoothie?

Four years ago I lost a lot of weight (75 pounds to be exact) but I have since gained it all back. ARGH! My goal now (and purpose of this blog) is to get back to that same healthy weight and level of wellness. You can read my story and what happened exactly on the “About Me” page.

What I did those 4 years ago was adopt a clean eating lifestyle where smoothies were at the center of it all. It took a long time, it didn’t happen overnight. When you change an entire lifestyle it takes time. That thought is sometimes overwhelming for me now but since I had so much success, and I still remember how great it felt, I know I can do this!

Really all I did to start me off in the right direction was make one smoothie a day! By introducing one smoothie a day you are giving your body loads of great nutrients quickly and your body will thank you.

Smoothies can be anything really, the opportunities are endless…what they are NOT however is a low quality protein powder and water…that’s just gross. For a smoothie to be amazing it must contain all sorts of goodness that you love. The ingredients must support health.

Here is an example of some amazing ingredients and why I love them:

Spinach: it took me 6 months (at least) to get the courage to add spinach to my smoothie. When I finally did I didn’t even taste it…seriously! The spinach taste gets hidden behind all the yummy fruit yet you still get the benefits of eating spinach. It provides calcium for our bones, folate to put us in a good mood, and luten for good eye health…just to name a few. You can also experiment with other leafy greens like kale or romaine lettuce once you get used to the smoothie idea.

Blueberries (or any type of berry actually): blueberries are antioxidants which help to fight free radicals and they contain a compound that actually activated a fat burning gene…sweet!

Hemp seeds: these little powder houses are a complete protein which is easily digestible and also contains healthy fats. They provide the perfect balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 that we need for great health.

Maca Powder: I love adding maca (however not daily, we need to take a break once in a while). Maca is an adaptogen that helps the body deal with stress. It is also a natural aphrodisiac! ;)

Cinnamon: I try to add cinnamon to anything I eat whenever I can. If you are dealing with extra weight you most likely have some blood sugar control issues and cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar levels. It lowers the glycemic index of foods.

Banana or avocado: this adds creaminess to the smoothie, it makes it very milk shake like. Bananas have potassium of course and help with mood because they increase tryptophan which is converted to serotonin which is the feel good neurotransmitter. It also lowers blood pressure. The thing with bananas is that they are higher in natural sugar so you don’t want to eat too much (a banana is still better than a candy bar!). If you decide to substitute an avocado you will still get that creaminess without the extra natural sugar, along with healthy fats, Vitamin C, K, potassium, fiber and folate.

Protein Powder: If you want to make your smoothie a meal you might want to add extra protein. Use a good quality protein powder. Make sure it doesn’t have any added white refined sugar, or artificial sweeteners, or anything else you can’t pronounce.

This is just an example of what you can add. Try experimenting with the fruit and vegetables. You can start off by adding half greens and half fruit then as you get used to the taste make the move to more leafy greens and less fruit.

Add water and ice (it’s always best super cold!) and blend until smooth. A high powered blender work best. You want everything to be pulverized so your body can absorb all the nutrients easily, and if it’s too chunky it won’t taste good and will be hard to drink. If this happens then strain your smoothie with a sieve before drinking to remove the leafy bits.

I love to drink mine with a glass straw…yummy!