Food (Warning...this is LONG)

Lately, I've been trying to eat better. I kind of gave up on exercise and a healthy diet for way too long, and as a result, I gained weight, felt lethargic all the time, and my stomach would always have problems. It's so easy to be tempted to go on a diet, which for many people means depriving oneself of certain foods, or severely limiting calorie intake. There are so many fad diets that people buy into because they promise quick results. The first problem is, they usually aren't good for your body. A popular diet that I can think of off the top of my head is the Atkins diet. I'm not super familiar with it, but from what I gathered when one of my co-workers was doing it, it involves little to no carbs and mostly protein. Your body needs carbs! I think most people think of bread, pasta, potatoes, etc, when they think of carbs. Yet, according to the food pyramid, a large portion of our diet is supposed to be comprised of carbs, good carbs, like fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains. Another problem is that people don't realize that if you eat too much protein and your body can't use it all for fuel, your body will store it as fat!

A second problem with fad diets is that they don't force you to change your lifestyle and maintain it for more than a set period of time. Sometimes people think that they can lose weight by not allowing themselves ANY treats whatsoever. But after a while, you will probably start carving sweets or junk food, and once you break down, you are more likely to overindulge. Complete deprivation is not a healthy way to diet.

In order to get myself back on track with my eating habits, I started making green smoothies. They are a super easy, healthy way to get lots of vitamins and minerals. I get my daily serving of fruits and veggies in a smoothie that takes me about 5 minutes to drink. How easy is that? The great thing about green smoothies is that they are made up entirely of fruits, veggies, and water. Lots of times, people will make a smoothie in an attempt to eat better, yet they will add things like yogurt, milk, juice, and honey or sugar because that's what we think of when we thing "smoothie." Those things aren't bad, but they add unnecessary sugar, fat, and calories. It's better to use water instead of juice, because juice is full of sugar. Yes, it's "good" sugar, meaning not refined white sugar that you buy from the store. But it's better to get that sugar from whole fruits so that you are getting the fiber from the fruit as well. I love to add ground flax seed meal to my smoothies to add some healthy fats. Flax seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which can help lower cholesterol, among other things. Most Americans eat way too much Omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in red meats, and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids. I could go on and on about the benefits of green smoothies, but I won't bore you :)

All I can say is that green smoothies are amazing. No, I won't claim that they've cured my every health problem and helped me to lose weight instantly. But I do have a ton more energy. My skin is more clear. My digestive system has never run more smoothly...if you catch my drift. And the best part is, I crave fruits and veggies ALL the time now! When I'm hungry for a snack at work, I will cut up a bell pepper and eat it, or an apple, or carrot sticks. I can't say I NEVER crave junk food or sweets, but when I do, it's pretty rare and after a few bites, I feel a bit sickened by so much refined sugar. Trust me, I do have my cheat days, and that's ok.


(picture from Google)

Want to make your own green smoothie? It's easy! I just fill my blender with some water. I usually start with about a cup. I add a banana to thicken the smoothie. I usually add an apple, frozen pineapple chunks, or frozen mixed berries (I use frozen fruit because our ice cubes always evaporate in our freezer before I get a chance to use them...but ice is great in smoothies if you have it!). Then, I add a huge handful of spinach. When starting out, I suggest you use 60-70% fruit and 30-40% veggies/spinach. I usually make mine with so many veggies that they don't taste sweet, but not everyone likes that. Then I blend everything together, add more water if I need to, and ta-da!

Here's a list of great things to put in a smoothie:

Bananas, apples, pears
Frozen or fresh berries (These are generally low in sugar and won't cause your blood sugar to spike!)
Kiwi, pineapple, mangos
Spinach
Kale
Collard Greens
Parsley
Mint leaves
Celery
Cucumber
Bell peppers
Flax seed powder...or any others, like hemp, chia, or unflavored protein powder.


One last thing. If you love potatoes, like I do, try substituting a sweet potato (or yam, because although technically they are two totally different things, most of the time when you see a "yam" at the grocery store, it's a sweet potato) for a regular potato. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A and beta carotene. It's a great food for someone who's diabetic, because they help to stabalize blood sugar, not cause it to go up. One of my favorite foods ever is oven-roasted sweet potatoes. I love to add carrots and onions, too. Just cut everything into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, (or cooking spray, which is all we have at work in terms of oils) and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder. I bake mine at 400 degrees for roughly 40 minutes, or until everything is tender. It's so delicious! And very simple.