I Repeat: You Are What You Eat

This is something I believe in and have ingrained in my family’s life since the day they were all born. I run a pretty tight ship around here when it comes to eating habits.

I want to feel beautiful and I want to feel healthy so I ask myself all the time “what am I going to do for myself today?”

I do a lot of reading and research and it is fascinating to me that the food I eat has a direct effect on my health, strength and well-being. If I feed my body with the right fuel I will feel and perform better, never mind live a much longer life!

For me the focus is on fruits and vegetables. Raw, yummy, colourful and simple. They are filled with proteins, vitamins and minerals that help with the glowing of my skin, hair and nails. They contribute to lowering inflammation, improving my digestion and
bloating, increasing dietary fiber, improving my heart health, lowering the risks of arthritis and last but not least, preventing cancer. If I have the chance to control all these critical things in my life how could I not? So one day I changed my thoughts and I decided to add a very important strategic habit; the easiest way to get so many nutrients into my body is to consume one of my green smoothies everyday.

It has become a staple in my morning routine for over a decade now. It must be simple so I have to keep everything extremely accessible and convenient in my kitchen. I keep my nuts, seeds and smoothie powder in jars and tins ready to go, each with their own scoop. I always have frozen berries in my freezer, along with half frozen ripe bananas in Ziploc bags. I conveniently buy my frozen organic berries, coconut oil, nuts and seeds at Costco. If I’m going to do this for the rest of my life I might as well try and get a good deal!
I also want to have fun with my smoothies so I change them up frequently, but I have to say my go to is my favorite:

So, I introduce you to my green smoothie! Sometimes the green does go purple!

Ingredients:

– 1 scoop each of flax, chia, and hemp
– 1 scoop of pumpkin or sunflower seeds
– 1 frozen banana
– 1 cup of frozen strawberries, blueberries or mixed berries
– A huge handful of spinach or kale
– Water, almond milk or coconut water
– 2 pieces of ice
– Vanilla whole food supplement (clinically validated by published research)

The last step is optional if you are watching your sugar intake so I only do a half scoop of my favourite vanilla powder as it makes my drink even more heavenly and adds an extra boost to my energy.

Directions:
Put seeds and nuts in Vitamix. Blend until powder-like. Add one cup of water and continue blending. Add everything else! Blend until smoothie has reached your desired consistency.

TA-DAH!

On top of my yummy smoothie I have certain daily principles that I stick to when it comes to my diet in my life. I thought this would be a good time to share with you some of those tips as quite often they can be packed into my green smoothie. Most of the benefits have been explained above but there are some additional ones to keep in mind.

Easy Fascinating Healthy Food Tips:

– Drink lots of good filtered water and never get thirsty; my skin and organs thrive because of this
– Reduce processed food and read labels to watch the amount of fats, sugars and sodium that are often used for flavouring
– Eat more oily fish that is high in omega-3 such as salmon, raw tuna, sardines, and trout. They aid in many of the benefits spoken about above but as well, research shows are great for memory and brain function
– Reduce the intake of saturated fat’s as they can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood that can contribute to heart disease. Find ways to make healthy cookies and cakes with less butter and oil.
– Use more unsaturated fats like all the goodies in my smoothie recipe plus my favorite simple one: the avocado
– Decrease sugar intake as it can lead to tooth decay, weight gain and cancer
– Eat less salt to maintain good blood pressure levels

How does that sound? Not too difficult and you can start today. Good nutrition is key to a health lifestyle and we only have one chance to live this life!
Discover your balance and keep in mind your own personal goals.

That’s what I do for myself everyday!