10 Tips to Improve Digestion this Thanksgiving + Recipe Suggestions

10 Tips to Improve Digestion this Thanksgiving + Recipe Suggestions

by | Nov 20, 2018 | Energy Practices, Healthy Eating, Recipes

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Which means the start of the holiday eating season. Wouldn’t you love to make it through all the festivities feeling great!? To help you out, I’m sharing 10 tips to help you optimize your digestion so you can feel energetic and bloat-free after your Thanksgiving and other holiday feasts. These tips are based on what I learned as part of the Functional Nutrition Alliance’s Digestive Intensive course.

 

 1. Take a few deep breathes and relax before eating

If you eat in a stressed state, you will certainly end up with a tummy ache. Simply taking a few deep belly breathes prior to starting your meal (and taking time for gratitude – tip #5), you can switch your body from fight or flight mode to rest and digest mode.

 

 2. Take time for gratitude

Before starting your meal, take time to give thanks for your meal. It can simply mean taking a few moments before you eat to pause and reflect on what you have to be grateful for. In doing this you are actually activating the cephalic phase of digestion in which your brain signals saliva to release and gets your digestive fires going.

 

3. Boost stomach acid

If you frequently get heartburn, or experience a lot of belching, gas, fatigue or headaches after meals, this could be due to low stomach acid. Yes, I did just say that heartburn is likely a sign that you have low stomach acid (not too much stomach acid, as people often wrongly think). Therefore, you do not want to take antacids, but instead you want to gently boost stomach acid. Try adding fresh lemon juice to your water throughout the day prior to the Thanksgiving feast, or add one tablespoon of raw fermented apple cider vinegar (Braggs is the brand I use) to a glass of water in the morning and/or 20-30 minutes before your meal.

 

4. Increase your digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes are needed for the breakdown of fat, carbohydrates and protein. However, many people lack sufficient digestive enzymes to properly digest their food. The best source of these are from raw foods so make sure you have a fresh salad with your Thanksgiving feast – and if you’re going to be eating at someone else’s house, offer to bring a salad along if it’s not on the menu.

However, if you often experience digestive problems then I suggest taking a high quality digestive supplement such as this one, which I recommend because the enzymes come from organic whole foods, and it also includes a potent blend of probiotics & prebiotics which also support healthy digestion.

I always like to take a digestive enzyme supplement at the start of meals when I might be indulging in some gluten- and dairy-containing foods (which I usually avoid), and Thanksgiving is one of those times! The supplement I use helps to break down the difficult to digest proteins.

 

5. Drink water before your meal & avoid cold beverages with your meal

Water is actually one of the top nutrients for digestion. The stomach needs water for digestion. Water hydrates the mucosal lining (i.e. your stomach wall), which supports the small intestine bacteria for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. A lack of water in the digestive system can result in ulcers, indigestion, heartburn, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, and constipation. However, make sure you drink most of your water up to 20-30 minutes prior to your meal, and avoid drinking a lot of water with your meal – especially cold water, or other cold beverages which slows down digestion.

 

6. Sip on ginger tea or an herbal infusion before, during, and/or after your meal

My favorite is fresh ginger tea; sipping on it 20-30 minutes prior to your meal will help stoke your digestive fire. And sipping on it post-meal will also aid in digestion. Or make an herbal infusion for increased digestive support. Boil any or all of the following for 10-20 minutes with water, then drink to reduce gas and bloating — fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, and/or mint. 

Or simply chew on a fresh piece of ginger or some fennel seeds on their own.

 

7. Fill half your plate with veggies

Fill at least half your plate with veggies first, rather than potatoes and stuffing. If you’re the one cooking, try to choose recipes using only whole food ingredients. Look for healthier versions of your Thanksgiving favorites, or try making at least one new veggie side dish this year (such as a big Autumn Kale Salad – I love kale salads not only because they are so nutrient dense and taste great, but they also keep well as leftovers). See end of post for more recipe suggestions.

 

8. Remember the 80/20 Rule: Stop eating when you’re 80% full

This may seem impossible on Thanksgiving, but try to stop eating when your stomach is about 80% full – at least until it’s dessert time (smile). You’ll enjoy your dessert much more when you don’t feel like you’re over-stuffing yourself, and your food will digest better too. Remember that Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food – right? And also remember that leftovers can be equally delicious.

Eat mindfully and truly enjoy what you’re eating, but also try to focus on enjoying the conversation with family/friends between bites. When you slow down you’ll more easily avoid overeating, and when you follow the 80/20 rule you’ll be happy you did, because no one likes that feeling of being overly full.

 

9. Chew your food well

This is probably the simplest and most effective thing you can do to improve your digestion – both because it will help you to slow down and thus avoid overeating, and because it will enhance the breakdown of your food. Chewing is the start of the mechanical phase of digestion and the longer food is in your mouth it will not only be broken down into smaller pieces from chewing, but the food will also have more time to be mixed with saliva which begins the enzymatic breakdown of your food.

Think about all the hours and effort put into preparing the food and slow down to really savor and appreciate the taste. And avoid chewing and talking at the same time – that definitely won’t help you chew your food well.

 

10. Rest then Walk

For at least 15 minutes after eating you should first relax. If you want to lie down, lie on your left side and set a timer for 15 minutes so you don’t fall asleep. According to Ayurveda, lying on your left side for 10-15 minutes after a large meal will allow food to stay in the upper portion of the stomach longer, and to empty more effortlessly, thus supporting good digestion. If you lie on your right side, or get up too soon the food can be hurried and forced out of the stomach prematurely. (1,2) I have actually just recently read about this so I can’t tell you how effective it is – but give it a try and find out for yourself!

After your 15 minute rest, take a short gentle walk to help stimulate your digestion (but don’t walk immediately after finishing your meal). And about an hour later, go for a brisk walk. Moving your body helps move your intestines too and thus will aid digestion, and prevent constipation, but you don’t want to do any vigorous activity or sleep within an hour of eating.

 

 

Thanksgiving Recipe Suggestions

Below are a few of my favorite plant-based recipe sites and links to Thanksgiving recipe ideas:

 

Minimalist Baker – This is one of my go-to sites for easy, healthy & delicious plant-based recipes. If you’re looking for gluten, dairy-free or vegan dessert ideas, she has a lot of amazing ones to try!

 

Cookie + Kate

 

Oh She Glows

 

Joyful Belly — This site has ayurvedic recipes that are especially great for optimizing digestion.

 

Green Kitchen Stories

 

Detoxinista

 

 

 

 

 

How to Make Your Green Smoothie Into a Meal

How to Make Your Green Smoothie Into a Meal

by | Oct 9, 2018 | Energy Practices, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Superfoods

People often ask me: “Aren’t you hungry having just a green smoothie for breakfast?”

 

And my answer is always: “No, because the green smoothie is usually not the only thing I have for breakfast.”

 

Some days it is — depending what I ate the night before, or if I just want to give my digestive system a little bit of a break — but most days, I have my regular green smoothie first (after drinking some water of course, sometimes with lemon), then about 30 minutes to an hour later I have part 2 of my breakfast.

 

Recently this is what I’ve been having after my regular green smoothie when I’m on the go:

 

My Filling Green Smoothie (with added protein)

 

I like to make a big batch of green smoothie in the morning and drink one glass of it as is (as more of a detox drink), then I add some extra fillers to the remaining green smoothie in my blender to make a more filling one that I take to go and usually drink after about an hour.

 

What I usually add is:

  • ½ tsp turmeric powder (for its anti-inflammatory effects, since I just started strength training)
  • ½ tsp ceylon cinnamon (also high in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects, and studies have shown it can lower blood sugar by improving insulin sensitivity) (1,2)
  • ½ tsp ginger (this spice ALSO has powerful anti-inflammatory effects, and has been shown to help with exercise induced muscle pain, support digestion, and has loads of other health benefits) (3). Note: I’ve already included a knob of fresh ginger in my regular green smoothie recipe, but I find that adding a little more ginger and cinnamon masks the turmeric and black pepper taste nicely and I get even more health benefit from my green drink.
  • Few cranks of black pepper (to help my body absorb more of the turmeric)
  • 1 scoop of collagen peptide powder (which gives me 10 grams of protein and can help reduce joint pain, reverse skin aging, help with building muscle, and may also help reduce cellulite and improve digestive health) (4) – I use this one.
  • ¼ cup of rolled oats
  • 2 brazil nuts (for my daily dose of selenium – brazil nuts are the #1 food source of selenium which is an important mineral that is often hard to get enough of in one’s everyday diet — selenium is also anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting, a mood lifter, and great for the health of your skin) (5)
  • 12 soaked almonds, or some hemp seeds, if I’m feeling more hungry (for some added protein and healthy fats — see my post on the importance of soaking nuts and seeds & how — though, no need to soak the hemp seeds)
  • A couple small dates or some date paste, or more banana, if I feel it needs a little added sweetness or I just want to make it more filling – it’s always best to opt for whole food sweeteners and while many recipes these days call for stevia, I personally don’t like the taste but if you do by all means, add some stevia)
  • Ice (because a chilled smoothie always tastes way better!)

 

You can be creative and add many different things to your green smoothie to make it into a complete meal. Other options include:

  • avocado,
  • protein powder (I like this plant-based protein powder which I actually add to my post-workout smoothie bowl or shake with frozen berries and a little peanut butter or tahini and ground flax),
  • Any other nuts or seeds (pre-soaked for better digestion and nutrient assimilation, as well to make them easier to blend)
  • 1-2 Tbsp nut or seed butter,
  • sweet potato or canned pumpkin.

 

And if your smoothie becomes very thick, just make it into a smoothie bowl. Pour it into a bowl and eat with a spoon. I like to add some toppings to have something to chew on — such as sprouted ground flax, homemade granola, coconut flake, etc.

 

Just don’t go overboard with adding too many fillers or topping or you’ll tax your digestive system and end up feeling tired afterwards.

 

One easy tip to enhance digestion it to consume your smoothie/smoothie bowl SLOWLY and remember to chew so that you mix your smoothie with the digestive enzymes in your saliva which starts the physical process of digestion – not only will this prevent bloating and/or fatigue afterwards, but you’ll assimilate more of the nutrients.

 

Your breakfast should give you energy, not zap your energy or give you an energy crash an hour later (which is why you need to include some healthy fat and extra protein).

 

Experiment to find the right combination that leaves you feeling satisfied but not overly full.

 

What do I eat for breakfast besides green smoothies?

 

These days I’m trying to avoid bread. So, if I’m not on the go, and it’s not a gym day, I might have a bowl of oatmeal or quinoa porridge about 30 minutes to an hour after my green smoothie.

When I make oatmeal or quinoa porridge I usually add some dates or banana to sweeten, homemade almond “milk”, fresh or dried berries, and either chopped walnuts or some seeds – chia, ground flax, or pumpkin seeds that were soaked overnight if I was planning ahead :D.

References:

 

  1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon#section5
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22671971/
  3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger#section6
  4. https://www.healthline.com/health/collagen-powder-benefits#top-benefits
  5. https://draxe.com/brazil-nuts/ 
The Importance of Soaking Nuts and Seeds (& How)

The Importance of Soaking Nuts and Seeds (& How)

by | Oct 6, 2018 | Book Insights, Energy Practices, Healthy Eating, Recipes

Have you even felt bloated after eating a lot of nuts, or felt your energy and focus just plummet? This could be because your body was having a difficult time digesting those nuts. But rather than cutting nuts out of your diet, you just need to start soaking them!

Nuts and seeds are one of my FAVORITE foods to add to all my meals because they are such a versatile ingredient in meal prep, taste amazing, and they’re packed with nutrition — good-for-you fats, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. They are definitely an essential food to include in your daily diet to  improve overall health and longevity, and are especially helpful for preventing heart disease.

However, I know many people also fear eating too many of them because of their high fat content. If that’s you, then let me first debunk the myth of fat making you fat (healthy fats that is). Then I’ll get into talking about the importance of soaking and how to do it properly.

Why you shouldn’t worry about the fat in nuts making you fat

Let me first tell you – eating fat does not make you fat. I won’t get into all the details in this post because we’re talking about soaking nuts and seeds, but you should be more concerned about the sugar and refined carbohydrates in your diet than healthy fats such as nuts.

Numerous studies have shown that the addition of a handful or two of nuts a day will not lead to weight gain. (6)

One study in 2012 even had people add over a hundred pistachios to their daily diets for three months and they didn’t gain a pound! (6)

Eating more nuts and seeds can actually help you to lose weight because you’ll likely eat less unhealthy foods when you start eating more nuts and seeds.

The problem with nuts usually comes from eating too many roasted/salted nuts, especially those that have been cooked at high heat in some sort of processed, highly inflammatory oil such as soybean oil.

So when I talk about nuts being a super healthy food, I’m talking about raw, pre-soaked (aka activated) nuts and seeds.

How many nuts and seeds should you eat a day for good health?

Your lifespan could be increased by up to 2 years simply by eating just a handful of nuts 5 or more days a week.

Dr. Greger, as part of his daily dozen for good health and longevity, recommends consuming at least a ¼ cup (30 grams, or 1 ounce) of nuts and/or seeds each day, or 2 tablespoons nut/seed butter.

For example, about 23 almonds would be a ¼ cup (which also gives you 6 grams of protein!).

In Dr. Greger’s book, How Not to Die he shares:

“The Global Burden of Disease Study calculated that not eating enough nuts and seeds was the third leading dietary risk factor for death and disability in the world, killing more people than processed meat consumption. Insufficient nut and seed intake is thought to lead to the deaths of millions of people every year.” (1)

So, as long as you’re consuming sufficient fruits and vegetables (see my post on how many veggies and greens you really need to eat each day) and other high-quality sources of protein, you really don’t need to worry about how many you’re consuming – as long as you’re also being mindful when eating them. This means that you aren’t chomping down on nuts and seeds while watching TV or driving.

When you eat mindfully you’ll naturally stop eating when your body has had enough. When you eat while distracted, or eat too quickly, you’ll overeat before your mind sends the signal to stop because you’ve had enough to satisfy your body’s needs.

Why soaked nuts and seeds are better for you

While nuts and seeds are full of good nutrients, this doesn’t mean your body will absorb the full amount of those nutrients (as with all foods).

 

You are not simply what you eat. You are what you digest and absorb!

 

You can ingest nutrients, but your body may not be absorbing and assimilating them if digestion is impaired – which means you’re actually getting less of the vitamins, minerals and protein from foods that are hard for your body to digest.

Additionally, when your body is able to more easily digest nuts and seeds (and any other food), you’ll avoid stomach discomfort, bloating, gas, AND avoid an energy crash (assuming the rest of your meal was not taxing on your digestive system, as hard to digest foods, or just eating TOO MUCH food at once will require a lot of energy to be broken down — thus leaving you feeling zapped of energy for other functions like moving and focusing on work).

Here are more details (if you’re interested) on why soaking nuts and seeks is so important. (2, 3, 4)

–       Soaking neutralizes enzyme inhibitors. Enzymes in raw foods usually help us better digest our food; however, raw nuts and seeds have enzyme inhibitors to keep them from sprouting until they have the right conditions. This prevents the seed from sprouting prematurely but can cause potential problems in humans by binding to nutrients in the body and contributing to nutrient deficiencies and digestive system irritation. When you soak and rinse nuts and seeds, you remove the enzyme inhibitors and allow the enzymes to be activated. After soaking, the seeds become living food which is easier to digest. This equals more energy and better nourishment.  

–       Soaking removes anti-nutrients like phytates, tannins and goitrogens. For example, brown peel of almonds contains tannin that can prevent absorption of nutrients. As you soak the almonds, the skin will come off easily and allow the nut to release its nutrients effortlessly. And while all plants contain some amount of phytic acid, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds usually contain the highest levels. A small amount is fine because your body can naturally neutralize it during digestion, but large doses can create problems with nutrient absorption because phytic acid binds with minerals in your body and prevents absorption, and reduces the digestibility of those foods – thus leading to bloating and fatigue as well.  

–       Soaking makes proteins more readily available, and thus your body absorbs more of it. According to Dr. James Costello, “Pre-sprouted nuts and seeds are the best source of living energy and protein for the body. When you pre-sprout the nuts and seeds, the protein conversion rate of these particular foods is twice any kind of protein-based foods.” Protein conversion rate refers to the rate your body assimilates and converts the food source into protein for its use. (5)

How to soak your nuts & seeds

For firm nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecan, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc. its best to soak overnight (or at least 7 hours) with some sea salt. Same goes for seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds. The sea salt adds minerals to the water that would be naturally occurring in the soil, and thus create an ideal environment for the enzymes in the nuts and seeds to be activated. For a handful of nuts just a 1/4 tsp of sea salt would be enough, or if you’re making a larger batch to store for later, use 1 tbsp salt per 4 cups of nuts, or 1 tsp per cup of nuts. (7) You might even notice that you’re nuts or seeds start to sprout (have a little tail starting to grow) — this is more than totally okay — you’ll actually be getting even more nutrition!

Chia seeds can be soaked overnight as well, but only need at least 20 minutes, and no need for salt.

Softer nuts such as cashews, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts require less soaking (2-4 hours) as they do not contain inner skins, and therefore not as many enzyme inhibitors.

My favorite ways to consume soaked nuts

1.     Chilled on ice. When I first came to Iraq I was intrigued by the bowl of soaked raw/unsalted almonds served in a bowl of ice at some restaurants. Then I later saw the same thing being sold as street food in Turkey. “Wow!”, I thought to myself — if only we had this kind of healthy street food in the U.S. instead of sugar-coated fried nuts! Anyways, you must them like this! They are so satisfying and much more refreshing than a bowl of salted, roasted nuts. Try serving this at your next get-together, alongside some  cucumber and carrot spears served in a glass of lemon juice (also something I tried for the first time here in Iraq with the soaked almonds on ice).

2.     Blended into soups and smoothies. Adding some soaked, blanched almonds or cashews to a blended soup is a delicious way to get the same creamy consistency that you’d get from using cream, but healthier. Same goes for smoothies. If a recipe calls for “nut milk” you can also just throw in a few soaked nuts with water and get the same recipe (a creamier smoothie, with enhanced nutrition and less additives). Try this vegan cream of spinach soup — it is one of my absolute favorites! And I swap the spinach for other veggies like cauliflower or mushrooms sometimes — the roasted garlic and the soaked almonds or cashews really make it delicious! You can also swap out the parsley for other fresh herbs. And I personally find it delicious with just the green onions, so I don’t use the red onion (because the recipe I follow from her cookbook doesn’t include the red onion). Alternatively, you can blend up a cashew cream and drizzle that on your soup afterwards, just like you might do with cream.

3.     Made into nut juice (aka nut milk) & used in oat or quinoa porridge, or to make chia pudding. You’re probably familiar with almond milk, but you can use any nuts or seeds to make a homemade milk substitute. Rather than using store-bought almond milk that has a lot of additives, try making your own, which is super easy if you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, try using a softer nut like cashews that will blend up more easily.

What if you want to pack your activated nuts as a snack to go?

Since soaked nuts and homemade nut milks and creams will only last a few days (refrigerated) before going bad, you have the option of drying them out after soaking. The best option is to use a dehydrator (if you have one), but you can also just set oven temp. to 150 degrees F and leave the pre-soaked nuts on a baking tray in the oven for 12 to 24 hours, until fully dried out and crispy. Taste test a few to be sure they are completed dried out, otherwise they could go moldy in storage. Once ready, you can pack them as a snack to go; otherwise, keep then in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer to prevent the fats from going rancid (this is a rule of thumb for storing raw nuts and seeds as well).

What is you want the benefits of soaked/activated nuts and seeds but don’t want to make yourself?

If you’re just not interested in taking the time to soak and dry your nuts and seeds and are willing to spend a little extra money for convenience, there are many options available online or in health food stores. For example, I love Go Raw’s sprouted pumpkin seeds. You can buy them here. And I also love sprouted flaxseeds by Sprout Revolution (which I talked about in my post about the amazing benefits of consuming just 1 Tbsp of ground flax seeds daily).

p.s. Stay tuned for next week’s blog post where I’ll talk about why enhanced digestion is SO important and should be the first thing you address when striving to optimize your health.

References:

1.   Dr. Michael Greger. How Not to Die. 2017. 

2.   https://nicolelana.com/sprouted-raw-nuts-interview-james-costello-part-1/     

3.     https://healthyblenderrecipes.com/hints_tips/soaking_nuts_seeds_grains

4.     https://wellnessmama.com/59139/soaking-nuts-seeds/

5.     https://nicolelana.com/soaked-nuts-versus-whey-protein-foods/

6.    https://nutritionfacts.org/video/nuts-and-obesity-the-weight-of-evidence/ and https://nutritionfacts.org/2012/12/27/nuts-dont-cause-expected-weight-gain/

7. https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/appetizers-snacks/is-soaking-nuts-necessary-how-to-properly-soak-your-organic-raw-nuts/ 

The Only Green Smoothie Recipe You Need to Know

The Only Green Smoothie Recipe You Need to Know

by | Sep 10, 2018 | Brain Health, Energy Practices, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Superfoods

If you want:
  • more energy,
  • more focus
  • improved athletic performance
  • clearer skin,
  • less body fat,
  • slower cell aging,
  • improved digestion, AND
  • a significantly reduced risk of cancer and numerous other diseases
without spending a lot of time or money, …
may I suggest you start making this nutrient-dense green smoothie part of your daily routine?

 

My go-to recipe is packed with nutrition and still tastes great — even my husband thinks so, and he was not even a fan of salads until he met me, smile. However, we all have different taste preferences and depending on the season and where you live, you’ll want to vary the ingredients so I’ll also share the basic formula for a nutrient-dense green smoothie that you can follow to easily whip one up with what you have available.

If you haven’t yet read my blog post: How Much Veggies & Greens do I Really Need to Eat Each Day?, check it out here to learn more about the power of green smoothies.

 

While you’ll find green smoothie recipes all over the internet, my go-to is based on Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie recipe, with a few add-ins to further boost the nutritional content and a few variations based on what produce I have locally available.

According to Kimberly, who is a clinical nutritionist and author of numerous books including the Beauty Detox Diet:

“In one delicious drink, we get the fuel to not only lose weight, but rejuvenate our skin, fight aging, and increase our energy. It’s so easy, it’s so simple, and it has worked for all my clients, from Hollywood stars to busy moms and schoolteachers.”

 

In my version of the “glowing green smoothie” I swap swiss card for romaine lettuce (because it’s so plentiful where I’m living in Iraq and more nutrient-dense) and I’m currently using frozen spinach instead of fresh because that’s my only option. I also add a little healthy fat in the form of avocado or chia seeds to increase the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from the greens. And then I always like to add some fresh ginger, cinnamon (for both taste and to help balance blood sugar), and an extra superfood boost such as spirulina or schizandra berry powder for extra antioxidants and other phytonutrients, which also boosts the detox power of my smoothie.

 

So here’s the basic formula that I follow, so you can have fun experimenting with different greens and fruit combos based on what’s in season or cheapest to buy.

 

Basic Smoothie Formula:

  • At least a 2:1 ratio of greens to fruit (or 1:1 when first starting out and up to 3:1 for a super nutrient-dense smoothie)
  • At least 1 packed cup of raw dark leafy greens, or 1/2 cup frozen (Spinach is great for newbies because the taste is mild and it blends up really well even in a normal blender so you won’t even know it’s in there, even if you’re not a spinach fan. Baby kale is another great option when starting out, but it’s best to vary your greens every few weeks and switch between plant families – but there is also nothing wrong with consuming spinach every day unless you’ve previously had calcium oxalate kidney stones and the same goes for kale, unless you’re predisposed to hypothyroidism. Rotating your greens will just ensure you get a wider variety of nutrients. Check out this article if you want to know more about how you should rotate your greens and the plant families.
  • 1 healthy fat (Just a small amount is needed, even one nut would do, to enable the fat-soluble vitamins in the greens to be absorbed. Options include: 1/4 avocado, a few nuts or a spoon of nut butter, chia, hemp or flax seeds – I usually add avocado, chia or hemp seeds.)
  • Liquid base (filtered water, coconut water, or carrageen-free nut or seed “milk” (aka nut juice); I just use water)
  • Extra superfood boost, optional (A superfood is a super nutrient-dense food, such as dark leafy greens. There are many others that I buy in powder form and keep in my pantry to make my smoothie EXTRA nutritious, including: spirulina powder, goji berries, schizandra berry powder, and acai powder (though I prefer the frozen acai packets, but they don’t sell those in Iraq) – I also like to add these to my protein shakes for an added energy boost.) 

 

My Go-To Green Smoothie Recipe:

Ingredients (2 servings):
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
  • 2 medium pieces of fruit (I often use 1 pear and 1 apple, or 2 pears, or 2 peaches.)
  • ½ a small banana (You can always add a little more after you blend up if you prefer your smoothie a little sweeter, but I find that ½ a small one is plenty to make my smoothie taste good, as long as it’s ripe.)
  • 3-4 cups (or handfuls) of greens* (I am currently using spinach and swiss chard because that’s what I have available)
  • 1 small cucumber (I add a Persian cucumber; you could add ½ a larger one)
  • 1 handful fresh herbs, optional but encouraged (my favorite is cilantro but sadly that is unavailable where I’m living currently so I often use parsley because it’s one of the most nutrient dense foods and great for detoxification. I also love adding dill.)
  • 1 Tbsp organic chia seeds (or other healthy fat, such as ½ avocado, flax, or nut butter)
  • 2 dashes of cinnamon (I love the taste this gives but in cooler weather adding ginger and cinnamon as especially good for their warming properties)
  • 1 heaping tsp organic spirulina powder, or other superfood boost, optional (Spirulina is algae and it does smell and taste like you might imagine algae would, but that’s only on its own. I PROMISE you won’t even taste it in this smoothie – I tested it out on my husband to be sure it wasn’t only my taste buds telling me that (smile). It’s an amazing superfood that is rich in Chlorophyll which helps remove toxins from the blood and boost the immune system,2 among many other health benefits due to its wide array of minerals, trace elements, phytonutrients, and enzymes. The other superfood that I used to add until I ran out of it was schizandra berry powder. Now I’m in the habit of using the whole dried berries to make a daily “tea”)
  • Water (About 1 1/2 cups but I don’t measure, I just pour some and blend, and then add more if needed to reach a nice consistency, or just add extra ice)
  • A few ice cubes, if you like your smoothie chilled (It usually tastes better this way but don’t make it too cold or it can be harder to digest. Also, adding at least one frozen fruit will help to chill the smoothie without watering it down – I usually keep frozen bananas in my freezer for this purpose – which is a great way to save fruit when you have too much and it’s about to become overripe; peaches are another fruit I usually slice and freeze.)

 

Directions:
  1. Pack all ingredients (except frozen banana and ice) into your blend and blend well until you’ve reached a smooth consistency.
  2. Add the frozen banana and ice and blend again to chill your smoothie.
  3. Taste to make sure it’s to your liking. Add a little more banana if you think it needs more sweetness, a little more water if it seems too thick and chunky, or more ice if its not chilled enough. Finally, pour and enjoy! If you don’t have someone to share with you can save the other servings for an afternoon energy boost – best stored in a glass bottle.

 

A Delicious Fall Smoothie Recipe for Picky Eaters:

If you’re not a fan of most greens and vegetables, I suggest starting with this recipe. As long as you like cinnamon and pears, I’m sure you’ll love it!

Ingredients (1 serving):
  • 1 large handful spinach
  • 1/2 frozen banan
  • 1 pear
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1 cup water

Blend and enjoy! Add a few ice cubes if you like your smoothie more chilled.

Some additional green smoothie pointers:

  1. Invest in a Vitamix. It is an investment in your health and will save you money in the long-run. It is not required for making green smoothies — any blender will do — but the Vitamix makes the smoothies sooo smooth! I used to have a  Ninja and when I switched to the Vitamix it was like night and day! To save money, buy a refurbished one or watch for discounts on Amazon. And you can use it for so much more! I use mine to make homemade nut butters and nut milks, blended soups and so much more! There are so many recipes that you can use your Vitamix for. However, if purchasing a Vitamix is not an option right now, I suggest sticking with softer greens such as spinach and baby kale so the consistency of your smoothie will be smooth (unless you don’t mind drinking a smoothie that’s a little chunky).
  2. Slowly increase your greens. If you currently don’t consume a lot of greens, then it’s best to start off with less and then slowly increase after your body has adjusted. Otherwise, you could end up with bloating and gas, which is normal in the short-term when switching to a more plant-based diet, but slowly increasing your intake of greens you can minimize any unpleasant side-effects.
  3. Chew your smoothies. Make sure when you consume green smoothies that you actually still chew a little and drink slowly to optimize digestion (which starts in the mouth with the enzymes in our saliva). This will help to optimize the assimilation of all the nutrients and prevent bloating or gas.
  4. Choose clean produce. Use organic when possible or at least for those ingredients on the dirty dozen list. Or choose conventional produce that’s not on the dirty dozen list, or better yet, that’s on the clean 15 list. Here’s the EWG’s 2018 dirty dozen list, and the 2018 clean 15.
  5. Rub, don’t just rinse. If you can’t buy organic, don’t just rinse your produce under water but also rub it. Friction helps remove more contaminants from the surface of your produce. You also can use a vegetable brush for the non-leafy produce.1 For those that you can’t rub, like your leafy greens, you can use a 9:1-part water:salt rinse3.
  6. Save time by prepping in advance. To save time in the morning, you can pack all non-frozen ingredients into your blender the night before so you only need to add water, ice and the frozen banana in the morning and blend. You could even blend the night before and pack into bottles to grab and go (the smoothie is good for up to 2 days in the fridge), but I think it tastes best fresh. You could also portion out all ingredients into 5 glass containers for each day of the week on a Sunday afternoon. And for the days you’re short on time, keep frozen spinach and fruit in the freezer — you can easily just toss in a cup of frozen spinach with a cup of frozen mango and a 1/2 a banana for example.

 

References:

1 https://www.oxygenmag.com/nutrition/why-you-should-rethink-your-veggie-intake#gid=ci022529562000260d&pid=wash-vegetables-hyman

2 Dr. Michael Greger, How Not to Die, 2015.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This is a personal blog written by me, Larissa Popp. This blog is my way of sharing both health tips and things that I love and want others to know about that can help with a healthy lifestyle. I include affiliate links only for products I have tried and love.

How much veggies & greens do you really need to eat each day?

How much veggies & greens do you really need to eat each day?

by | Sep 7, 2018 | Book Insights, Energy Practices, Healthy Eating, Superfoods

How many servings of vegetables did you eat yesterday?

How about dark leafy greens?

Do you even know how many servings you should be consuming to optimize your health and energy?

A serving would be1,4:

  • 1 cup of raw leafy greens or ½ cup cooked greens
  • ½ cup of cooked or raw other vegetables
  • ½ cup of 100% vegetable juice, fresh and without additives

 

While the USDA guidelines recommend between 5-13 servings of fruits AND vegetables a day for optimal health,1 I prefer to follow the independent guidance of health and nutrition experts, including Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Michael Greger.

 

According to Dr. Michael Greger, an internationally-renowned nutrition expert and physician, in his book How Not to Die (which I’m currently listening to on Audible and highly recommend), it is recommended to consume at least 5 servings of vegetables per day, including at least 2 servings of leafy greens daily and 1 servings of cruciferous vegetables. He defines a serving size as 1 cup raw greens, ½ cup cooked greens, or ½ cup raw or cooked other vegetables.4

 

Dr. Mark Hyman, in his book “Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?”, recommends between 7-9 servings of vegetables per day (or roughly 4 cups worth), with a focus on slow burning and low glycemic ones that are the most nutritionally dense — which includes: cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens (of course!), vegetables from the allium family (garlic, shallots, onion…), high fiber veggies like celery and asparagus, and mushrooms.

 

Dark leafy greens are the healthiest food on the planet based on their nutrient density (havig the most nutrition per calorie), and thus are highly effective for preventing and reversing many chronic diseases (including many types of cancer, heart disease and hypertension, diabetes, and more). Eating more leafy greens is also one of the best ways to increase your ENERGY, with only positive side-effects that include enhanced athletic performance. I highly recommend checking out the documentary Powered by Green Smoothies, which can be viewed for free on Youtube (the full movie was actually uploaded by the producer because that is how much he believes in getting the message out to the world about the power of green smoothies!).

 

I challenge you to just try a self-experiment and see for yourself what happens when you eat more greens.

 

I recently returned from a 3 week visit back to the States — from Kurdistan, Iraq, where I currently live — and I started making green smoothies again each morning for my husband and I, as well as big salads for lunch — which is very different from typical Kurdish cuisine.

 

After just two days of consuming lots of fresh greens and fruit from the smoothies and salads, my husband — who is Kurdish, and had been eating lots of bread, white rice and beans, few fruits and vegetables while I was gone – commented that he was feeling much lighter and more energetic!

 

This is the power of eating greens!

 

You may be wondering, what about the advice to “eat the rainbow”?

While striving to eat a wide array of different colored fruits and vegetables is highly beneficial because pigment is an indication of nutrient content, leafy greens in fact contain many of the other plant pigments (which are simply masked by the high chlorophyll content). Therefore, dark greens actually provide much of the same nutrition (and more) than other vegetables and fruits. “So, in essence, when you’re eating your greens, you’re eating the rainbow,” Dr. Greger states.4

 

Some of the most nutrient-dense greens are: seaweed, parsley, swiss chard, kale, watercress, collards, mustard greens, bok choy, dandelion greens, spinach, arugula (which is especially good for hypertension4), beet greens, sorrel, mesclun mix, turnip greens, and romaine lettuce.3,4,5 If you’re not a fan of dark leafy greens, I encourage you to at least give spinach or baby kale a try in a simple green smoothie, like this one (the fruit completely masks the taste of the spinach).

 

And did you know…? 

…that you can actually LEARN to like new vegetables by initially adding some sweetness? There is phenomenon known as the flavor flavor phenomenon, in which you can change your taste palette by linking a less favorable flavor, such as sour or bitter, with a more pleasant one, such as sweet. So by simply adding a sweet sauce (such as a balsamic glaze or honey Dijon dressing) to bitter greens or blending greens with fruit, you are actually training your taste buds to get used to the true flavor of those greens. After just a few days you can start to like the greens more than before. So green smoothies are not only a great way to consume lots of greens by masking their flavor with sweet fruit, but you’ll actually be training your taste buds to enjoy greens more on their own. Try it!

 

So, if you find it difficult to consume 2 cups of leafy greens each day, I suggest you begin a morning green smoothie habit. I find that this is one of the easiest ways to get a sufficient amount of leafy greens and other nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables in your diet daily. You’ll be able to start your day having already gotten 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies.

 

You would likely never consume the same amount of fruits and vegetables in one sitting if you had to sit and chew it. Digestion is also going to be much easier since the blender already did a lot of the work which means less bloating and gas, and increased nutrient absorption.

 

We are not simply what we eat. We are what we digest.

 

Did you know…?

…that many people these days have impaired digestive systems or just don’t chew their food well enough, so often many nutrients from the food are not absorbed and just pass right through without being utilized by the body.

 

If you’ve never tried a green smoothie, don’t be turned off by the contents or color – my husband actually loves the green smoothies I make and I put a LOT of greens (which he does not love on their own). I even sneaked in some spirulina powder (a type of algae that’s considered a superfood) that I brought back from the U.S. and he didn’t even notice a difference in the taste.

 

Want to try my go-to green smoothie recipe? Or learn some tips for upgrading your current green smoothie? Check out my blog post: The Only Green Smoothie Recipe You Need to Know.

 

 

References: 

1 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-rubaumkeller-/fruit-vegetable-servings_b_926400.html

2 https://www.fmtv.com/media/uploads/downloads/heal-yourself-masterclass-fridge-bundle.pdf

3 https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/most-nutrient-dense-foods.php#more-high-nutrient-foods

4 Dr. Michael Greger, How Not to Die, 2015.

5 https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eat-to-live-blog/128/andi-food-scores-rating-the-nutrient-density-of-foods

My #1 Tip for Reducing Post-Meal Gas, Bloating, Indigestion and Fatigue

My #1 Tip for Reducing Post-Meal Gas, Bloating, Indigestion and Fatigue

by | Jul 31, 2018 | Energy Practices, Healthy Eating

Our gut is gaining increasing recognition for its significant role in our body, which is why I recently signed up for a functional nutrition training intensive all about digestion. I have gathered so many juicy nuggets of information that I am eager to share, because while the health of our gut is at the root of most health concerns it is often overlooked in conventional medicine. We are not simply what we eat; we are what we can digest, absorb and utilize. So, if your digestive system is functioning optimally, you aren’t getting all the nutrition that your food might have to offer.

I want to start by sharing one very easy strategy to optimize our digestion, which is so simple and so powerful, yet so often overlooked when it comes to problems with post-meal gas, bloating, indigestion, and fatigue.

To optimize your health and have more energy, CHEW your food more!

The simple act of chewing more can eliminate gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort – and fatigue (because the less energy required for digestion, the more energy there is to use elsewhere). Additionally, with optimal digestion, the energy from our food is getting where it needs to go.

Yes, it’s that simple, but read on if you want to fully understand how chewing plays such a significant impact on your digestion and post-meal energy levels. Often when we better understand how our body functions, we are more likely to adopt strategies to optimize our body’s systems.

You might also find that you eat less when you focus more on chewing (because your brain doesn’t get the signal that you’re full until after a lag of about 20 minutes) – which is why this has also proven to be effective in helping people lose weight. People also lose weight because by optimizing their digestion through chewing more, more of the nutrients from the food are getting to the cells. Overeating sometimes occurs because the cells aren’t getting what they need (which could be due to the consumption of nutrient deficient food, or due to poor digestion and assimilation of even nutrient-dense food).

Now, for those of you who enjoy learning about the connection between food and physiology, let’s explore chewing a little further.

When you take a bite of food, the digestion of that food begins in your mouth with chewing. Chewing mechanically breaks down our food into smaller and smaller pieces, expels air, and mixes the food with saliva. Saliva, with its enzymes, begins the chemical breakdown of our food. The longer food spends in your mouth, the easier digestion is on the rest of your body.

That was probably nothing new to you, but what you might not know is that the act of chewing also alerts the rest of your digestive system to get ready for the food coming its way, whereby more enzymes are released in the body and more hydrochloric acid (or HCL). This means that digestion in your stomach and small intestines will be compromised as well by not taking the time to chew your food well.

In addition, did you know that you also might need to chew your liquids? It can be very easy to quickly guzzle down a high-calorie smoothie, which means that you might not be getting the full benefit from what is hopefully a nutrient-dense drink. While a smoothie doesn’t need the mechanical breakdown that comes with chewing, it does still need the chemical breakdown that comes from mixing with our saliva and being exposed to more enzymes.

Here’s another interesting thing to note:

Heartburn is not a problem resulting from too much stomach acid, but instead from too little. Therefore, by taking antacids for heartburn you might treat the symptoms but you’re actually making the problem worse by further depleting stomach acid that’s already deficient. This is often the problem in conventional medicine today – we are treating the symptoms more often, rather than the root cause.

Your Action Step:

While you could simply pay more attention to how much you’re chewing during your next meal, and try to chew more, I suggest you do a one-week experiment where you focus more intentionally on both relaxing during meal time and chewing your food more.

It’s best if you actually keep a journal to write down any post-meal symptoms prior to starting the experiment, and then writing down how you feel after meals while trying these recommendations to become more fully aware of how chewing impacts your physiology. How much you need to chew depends on what you’re eating but start off trying to chew each mouthful of food at least 30 times to get used to what that feels like (and also chew your smoothies a little). Below is a step by step routine to follow to help you out.

Recipe for mindful eating and chewing to optimize your digestion:

  1. Remove any distractions prior to your meal (i.e. your phone, computer, the TV and any reading material), and if possible, light a candle or play soft music.
  2. Do some light stretching, then take a few deep breathes before you start eating. (This is especially important if you are feeling stressed because eating while stressed, on top of not chewing well, is a sure way to get a tummy ache; you might also wash your face before eating to help shift into a more relaxed state.).
  3. Express gratitude for your food.
  4. Place a bite of food in your mouth, then put your utensils down — and you might also find it helpful to place your hands together.
  5. Begin chewing and really savor the taste of the food.
  6. Concentrate on the act of chewing (try counting your chews for the first few bites).
  7. If you’re feeling stressed, close your eyes and let the act of chewing relax you.
  8. If having a meal with others, try to save most of the talking for after your meal, or between bites.