I did great! I honestly think having so much water in me curbed my eating a little. A little. I felt like I ate sometimes just because I was used to eating and not because I was hungry. So now you get to choose for yourself: are you going to keep it up or not? Please comment--I would love to hear from you.
This week's challenge is to have at least one green smoothie every day. I know it sounds gross, but they're really good. Well, they can be--I'm not one of those crazies who gags something down just to be healthy. If I'm going to eat it, it's going to be palatable.
I like to put a few cups of spinach in the blender with maybe 1/4 C water and a banana or some frozen peaches or strawberries. Sometimes I put in apple juice or applesauce.
You'll have to experiment with the amounts, but try to make enough to fill a nice, tall glass for yourself (and extra for the kiddos to taste. Isaac loves green smoothies!).
I've been throwing in some collard greens to add some variety. I also put in flaxseed oil to add some Omega fats (really good for you), but you have to be willing to spend some $ for that (I paid $11 for a bottle that will probably last a month or two with a smoothie a day)
Apparently you can go pretty crazy with green smoothies, but we're keeping it simple around here for now.
Why we are doing this:
Everyone knows that we should be getting several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I come up short more often than not. This is a quick, easy, tasty way to get more of both in your diet.
"Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with little to no fat and only a small number of calories. Fruits and vegetables also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients." (From this article)
Spinach: the super food. I got this off of wikipedia:
Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of vitamin A (and especially high in lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine, iron, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Recently, opioid peptides called rubiscolins have also been found in spinach.
Now, I'm not sure what a rubiscolin is, but doesn't it sound healthy?
I have a theory that the more nutrient-rich food we get in our body, the less we will experience cravings and our appetite will decrease. It's just a theory, though. I started on the green smoothies last week, and I have felt awesome. It's probably all psychological, but even if it is, at least I'm doing something good for my body- even if the increased energy and better mood have nothing to do with it. And if they do, all the better!
This week's challenge is to have at least one green smoothie every day. I know it sounds gross, but they're really good. Well, they can be--I'm not one of those crazies who gags something down just to be healthy. If I'm going to eat it, it's going to be palatable.
I like to put a few cups of spinach in the blender with maybe 1/4 C water and a banana or some frozen peaches or strawberries. Sometimes I put in apple juice or applesauce.
You'll have to experiment with the amounts, but try to make enough to fill a nice, tall glass for yourself (and extra for the kiddos to taste. Isaac loves green smoothies!).
I've been throwing in some collard greens to add some variety. I also put in flaxseed oil to add some Omega fats (really good for you), but you have to be willing to spend some $ for that (I paid $11 for a bottle that will probably last a month or two with a smoothie a day)
Apparently you can go pretty crazy with green smoothies, but we're keeping it simple around here for now.
Why we are doing this:
Everyone knows that we should be getting several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I come up short more often than not. This is a quick, easy, tasty way to get more of both in your diet.
"Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with little to no fat and only a small number of calories. Fruits and vegetables also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients." (From this article)
Spinach: the super food. I got this off of wikipedia:
Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of vitamin A (and especially high in lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine, iron, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Recently, opioid peptides called rubiscolins have also been found in spinach.
Now, I'm not sure what a rubiscolin is, but doesn't it sound healthy?
I have a theory that the more nutrient-rich food we get in our body, the less we will experience cravings and our appetite will decrease. It's just a theory, though. I started on the green smoothies last week, and I have felt awesome. It's probably all psychological, but even if it is, at least I'm doing something good for my body- even if the increased energy and better mood have nothing to do with it. And if they do, all the better!
Good luck!
P.S. Here is an article about foods that promote healthy skin (and those that don't) and why, as well as a green smoothie recipe.
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You might consider using some apple cider vinegar to your smoothie. I don't know how it will taste but the health benefits of acv are pretty extensive. I'm sure there's more out there, but here are a couple of resources:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/health-booster-apple-cider-vinegar.html
and
http://www.delightedmomma.com/2011/08/skin-care-tip-of-week-many-benefits-of.html
and
http://www.homeremediesweb.com/apple_cider_vinegar_health_benefits.php
I don't know how reputable these sites are but I've seen so many sites with so much of the same things listed. It couldn't hurt right?
Thanks, Melissa!
ReplyDeleteOk. I'll try this one, too. But I have to go to Costco & get a bunch of spinach. My mil adds pineapple & its juice & ice. If I get all the ingredients, I know I can do better at this challenge than the water one. I probably had half the water I was supposed to. :( But I am trying to drink more than I used to...
ReplyDeleteCoconut milk, too, is really good for you.
ReplyDeleteI try to drink a couple fruit smoothies a week with some spinach or kale thrown in. I don't know if I can go for a totally green one. How about this? I'll start progressively adding more green stuff to my smoothies - maybe they'll look green after a few tries.
ReplyDeleteI would love to drink more smoothies, but here is my confession - I hate washing my blender!!
Whitney, me too! Ed and I have an agreement: he washes the blender and I wash the caulenders. Well, we used to have an agreement. Now the agreement is: whoever has a free second, make whatever kind of dent you can in the dishes.
ReplyDeleteGot up to 2 glasses of water a day but it took me all week to build up to that. I'll try the smoothies but no promises. I like spinach just fine but drinking it just looks nasty. Can I just eat it instead?
ReplyDelete