Do you start feeling frustrated and deprived when you’re trying to eat “cleaner”? This approach will help you eliminate those feelings, enjoy the process and keep you on track…easily! Check it out!
…and share the secrets with a friend.
Everyday Green Smoothie
This is SO good! You really could LOVE having it EVERYDAY! In fact, I’ve sampled this in classes and those who would have never even touched a green smoothie ASKED for the recipe! Really!! You’ve got to try it!!!!
4 large handfuls Spinach (up to ½ lb)
¾ cup Pineapple
1 Banana
1 Pear
½ Lime, peeled
½ cup cold Water
Sweetener to taste (stevia, raw honey, agave…) [I use stevia]
Ice*
1‐2 Tbsp Flax oil (optional)
1‐2 Tbsp ground Flaxseed (optional, but golden is my favorite)
Process in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy. (that’s the key…be SURE, it’s super smooth and NOT chunky!) Serve immediately. Makes 2‐3, 16 oz servings.
*Use as much or as little as you like!
Chocolate…How I Love Thee
It’s the love affair that’s hooked us for life! This $7 billion per year US chocolate industry shows just how much we love our chocolate. In America, each of us eats about 10 pounds per year, but this is actually low compared to much of the world. The Swiss, renowned for their chocolates, eat nearly 20 pounds per person per year!
So as you’re savoring each mouth-watering, deliciously sweet, rich, creamy, dreamy bite, use these research-based “justifications” to keep on enjoying more of the yumminess!
Dark chocolate has some very important health benefits. Cocoa’s nutrient content might explain why it was used as a “treatment for many ailments” as far back as the 17th-19th centuries, and why it’s been such a focus of research. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology deemed the findings “to be one of the major advancements in cardiovascular research.” Cocoa is rich in polyphenols, or “phytonutrients.” Science continues to unravel these hidden, plant “miracle-workers,” that serve as potent antioxidants, protecting our cells from damage. The reviews of the findings of these studies show polyphenols in chocolate may help to:
—improve blood flow, keeping vessels healthy and “elastic”
—keep blood from becoming “too sticky”
—fight atherosclerosis by preventing plaque build-up on vessel walls
—raise HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol)
—lower blood pressure
—reduce risk of strokes
—improve insulin sensitivity and lower insulin resistance (fighting diabetes)
—reduce inflammation
—slow the aging process
—lower stress in pregnant moms (interestingly, babies of these chocolate-eating moms smiled more, had better temperaments and were more active than those of non-chocolate-eaters at 6 months)
—increase blood flow to the brain
—improve cognitive function (especially related to memory, alertness, multi-tasking and reaction times)
—supply a great source of iron (67% RDA in just a 100g bar) and other minerals
—release “feel-good” endorphins in the brain, similar to the “falling in love” feeing
—burn belly fat
—trigger relaxation, just from smelling it’s fabulous aroma
and women, for one final “justification”…
—improve appearance and health of the skin
Yes, no break-ups required! The chocolate love affair is here to stay! So, be sure to get your daily dose of love and antioxidants. For the most benefits, be sure to choose non-alkali (or non-dutched, as this processing destroys the antioxidants) and naturally sweetened varieties of cocoa, cocoa nibs and pure, dark chocolate.
Be sure to pass on the chocolate love…
references available on request
How to Actually Succeed with your New Year’s Health Resolutions (and Goals)
Only about 9% actually achieve their January goals and New Year’s Health Resolutions.
It’s time for you to do something different so you can get the results you’re looking for.
Here’s the start of a series of super quick, practical tips and #sweetsecretsforsuccess to help you beat the odds and finally SUCCEED in your health goals.
source: 2018 New Year’s Resolution Statistics
What to do with Flax Seed?
How much flax should you add daily?
Goal: 1-2 Tbsp flax oil and 2-3 Tbsp flax seed daily
Check out the amazing benefits of flax seed and its oil that can impact the entire body!
How do you make flax taste good?
—Add flax oil and flax seed to your smoothies for a silky smooth treat (blend well until smooth)
—And add flax seed to cereal, granola, yogurt, cookie or bar-cookie dough, muffin batter
—Snack on Flax Crackers plain or with hummus, bean dip or any other favorite dip or topping
(Note: Flax oil should not be heated)
Flax Powered
If you could add in just one food supplement this summer, that would give you the most benefits, what should it be? Flax seed. The overall benefits of these tiny seeds and oil are pretty incredible. Here’s why…and I think you’ll agree.
Flax seeds have the power to impact almost every body system. Though some of us grew up with the no-fat/low-fat days of the 90s, the oils and fats we eat play a critical role in our health. Flax seeds and flax oil are unique, as they can help swing you in to the oil-balance your body needs to be at its best. They contain Omega-3s, essential fatty acids that your body can not produce, so they must come from your daily eating. For wellness and healing, Omega 3s need to be part of your daily lifestyle. Here are some of the unique, healing benefits of flax seeds and their omega-3s:
- Form healthy cell membranes and allow for cell “communication”
- Fight oxidation (high antioxidant capacity)
- Prevent and fight cancer, especially breast, prostate and colon cancer
- Lower cholesterol
- Reduce triglycerides
- Help regulate blood sugars
- Lower and regulate blood pressure
- Improve digestion and regularity (great source of fiber)
- Reduce inflammation
- Stabilize and balance hormone levels
- Reduce blood “stickiness”
- Protect and clear arteries
- Regulate and boost moods
- Strengthen the immune system
- Improve poor appetite
- Assist in weight loss, keeping you feeling more full and satisfied
- Aid in reducing belly fat
- Help balance hormones
- Support detoxification pathways
- Improve nutrient absorption
Flax seed is equally important as flax oil. You need both. The amount of seeds to get a good dose of the essential fatty acids would be hard to consume. Yet, the oil doesn’t contain the all-important fiber or typically, the seed’s lignans, the unique phytonutrients in flax. Lignans contain some of the most potent antioxidants, and rank as the top source in our diet, even beating out the well-known, high-antioxidant blueberries.
How much and how do you make flax taste good? Here are some great tips.
(If you’re struggling with high estrogen levels, you may want to use caution and balance your flax use with chia seed.)
Rainbow Stir-Fry
Stir frys! Super versatile way to get in lots of veggies! Check this out and tweak it to make it your favorite!
Rainbow Stir Fry
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 cup petite peas
3 Crimini mushrooms, sliced
3-4 large Rainbow chard leaves, chopped
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
Protein of choice (I used tuna for a change)
Sauce:
1/4 cup San-J Gluten Free Teriyaki Stir-fry and Marinade
1/4 cup water
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp raw honey
Combine sauce ingredients and stir, shake or blend until well mixed.
In large skillet, saute onions, add carrots and broccoli and cook until veggies just begin to soften. Add peppers, stir-fry and soften briefly, then add mushrooms, continuing to heat. Add peas, protein, cashews and sauce to desired taste. Continue to stir and heat to desired veggie “crispness.” Finally, add chard, stirring well and heating until chard just begins to wilt.
Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
Chocolate…Let me Count the Ways I Love Thee
Chocolate. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Here are a few quick chocolate fixes that can help you keep it innocent and guilt-free. These low-sugar, sugar-free and even naturally sweetened chocolates just scratch the surface of your options for nibbling and baking.
Divine Chocolate: 70% Dark Chocolate
Sugars: 11g sugar/ 42g (1/2 bar)
Fiber: 5g
Divine Chocolate: 85% Dark Chocolate
Sugars: 6g sugar/ 42g (1/2 bar)
Fiber: 6g
(be sure to look for the various percentages in baking bars, powders and chocolate chips!)
Lily’s Dark Chocolate with Almonds:
55% Cocoa, No Sugar Added
Stevia and Erythritol: 5g (1/2 bar)
Fiber: 11g
(available in mini chocolate chips and baking bar)
Simply Lite Dark Chocolate (Trader Joe’s)
50% Cocoa, No Sugar Added
Maltitol: 11g (1/4 bar)
Fiber: 3g
(comes in dark chocolate with almonds too)
Heavenly Organics: Peanut Chocolate Honey Pattie
100% dark chocolate, No Sugar Added
Raw white honey: 4g (11g treat)
Fiber: 2g
(comes in mint chocolate too…individual or “bar” servings)
Available at most natural markets and Trader Joe’s.
What do You SEE?
Checking in…how are you doing with your 2017 health goals? As we’re moving into the end of January, we’re hitting the point where resolution excitement begins to dwindle, motivation starts to wane, monotony (or boredom) starts to set in and the focus and clarity even start to fade.
Numbers motivate. At least for a short time. But let’s be real. Sometimes they’re just too hard to look at. Sometimes it feels waaaaay easier to be an ostrich with its head buried in the sand than to face the truth and reality (and sometimes the ugliness) of what’s really happening.
Numbers like these…
- In 2012, approximately 50% of all adults (117 million), have one or more chronic health conditions; 25% of adults have two or more. –Prevention of Chronic Disease 2014
- About 47% of adults have at least one major risk factor for heart disease or stroke: uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled high LDL cholesterol National Center for Health Statistics 2012
- Less than 18% of adults consumed the recommended amount of fruit and <14% consumed the recommended amount of vegetables
- Reversed, that means 82% do NOT eat recommended fruit servings
- 85% do NOT eat recommended vegetable servings —2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Report, Center for Disease Control
- Chronic diseases and conditions—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis—are among the most common, costly and preventable of all health problems.” –National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, 2012
- The numbers you see on the scale or on your lab results.
But there’s a MUCH better long-term motivator…and one we just can’t live without:
VISION.
Yes. It’s THAT important. You see, without a vision (or a dream or goal) discipline and motivation will be non-existent. Literally, without a vision, people tend to have no guidelines and even run in circles and direction-less, since they don’t know where or what they are really running towards.
Take just a few minutes and get a really clear vision of what “good health” will look like for you.
- What is it you want?
- What exactly will this look like?
- What (different) clothing/styles will you be able to wear?
- What kind of energy will you have?
- What will your labs look like?
- What symptoms will you be without?
- What are some specifics you would like… in your muscle tone? endurance levels?
With each season of life, the vision may change and need to be updated. But, without knowing what exactly it is that you are working to achieve, there will be no guide to motivate you to make the better choices and keep you encouraged at your progress along the way. Most importantly, you want to be able to celebrate your success. And then even move on to a new vision (and goals).
So, get specific. What do your health goals and health vision look like for 2017?! Don’t forget to write them out. There’s something special that happens as you clarify and set your vision on paper (or on a screen) in words!!!
(And YES…this works for more than health goals!) 🙂
Veg Perspective
This. Changes. Everything.
Seriously.
Size, shape and texture can make ALL the difference. Here’s a perfect example. It makes veggies go down much better and also adds a lot of fun variety!
Slivers – shred veggies to top salads or even add to soups
Ribbons – peel or mandolin into very thin strips for a “fettuccine” vegetable, top with sauces as a pasta replacement or layer into baked veggie dishes (think lasagne or enchiladas), stir fry, steam and use as a “bed” for chicken or fish
Spears – cut into wedges to use with your favorite dips, spreads or hummus, bake or even stir fry
Waves – slice into thin, thick or wavy circles or ovals to make a side veggie, grilled kabobs, dipping discs, soups and more
Spirals – great for angel hair replacement, Asian “noodle soups,” raw salad toppers or a artistic side dish
Be creative. The possibilities are endless!