In my last post, I shared why I was making several changes to my diet and what those changes were. You can read it here. I have noticed a world of difference in my overall health. I have better energy than I did a few month ago, my body composition has changed, my skin is glowing, and I have seen improvements in my vitamin and mineral levels.
One of these changes that I know has contributed to my success is drinking a green smoothie for lunch every day.
There are numerous scientific studies showing that eating greens every day is incredibly beneficial for your body. Greens are chalked full of so many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and other nutrients that are essential for helping every cell in your body function properly. Greens also protect our cells from damage that leads to disease. Eating greens daily have some major health benefits. They…
- Help burn fat
- Protect your brain from degeneration
- Promote glowing skin
- Protect your heart against disease and damage
- Fight diabetes
- Feed the good bacteria in your gut aiding in digestion
- Provide sun protection
- Protect your body against toxins
I am pretty discipline about eating greens every day. That list of health benefits motivates me. I get those greens through eating a salad everyday for lunch. I may be a bit weird, but I REALLY like salad. They never get boring to me. Maybe because I feel I can change it up with different toppings, dressings, and herbs/spices. Honestly, I would eat one for every meal if my husband and daughter liked them as much as I did.
Though eating a green salad for lunch every day is healthful, I realized that I could actually take in more nutrients if I drank a loaded green smoothie instead of eating a salad. For one, you can combine more foods into a smoothie than you can in a salad. It’s hard to eat 4 - 5 cups of vegetables in a salad, you just get full and probably tired of chewing. Yet, you can drink 4 - 5 cups of vegetables in a smoothie.
You can also more easily absorb all the wonderful nutrients from these vegetables in a liquid form because you aren’t having to go through the multiple steps of the digestive process.
And this is exactly the boost of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients I needed to help in my healing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love chewing my food. It is my preference. There are also wonderful benefits in going through all the steps of the digestive process. But I believe there are seasons where we need extra nutrients and help in absorbing those nutrients. We may need help in recovering from illness and/or injury. Our body needs extra care after a season of being under huge load of stress. I just went through one of those seasons, and drinking a green smoothie for lunch every day was a game changer for me.
I always make sure to have the nutrients fat, fiber, and protein in every meal and snack.
In my smoothie recipe, the fat and protein come from the chia seeds and walnuts. The fiber comes from not only the vegetables, but the walnuts and chia seeds as well. This combination satisfies my hunger, keeps me full until my mid afternoon snack, and revs up my metabolism.
If you are feeling sluggish or tired mid day or feel you need an extra boost of nutrients to help you get through a healing season, I promise drinking a loaded green smoothie can help you. It is worth giving it a try!
My Lunchtime Green Smoothie Recipe SAVE RECIPE
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of greens (spinach and kale work well)
1 tomato, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 handful of walnuts
2 tablespoons aloe vera juice
1 cup warm waterDirections:
Dump all the ingredients in a high power blender and blend!
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash