Go Green this Summer and Smooth Out! Nutritional Health Tips for Those Hot Summer Days…

OK so it has taken me this long (40 some years) – and well into menopause, midlife crisis, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, OK so it has taken me this long (40 some years) – and well into menopause, midlife crisis, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, and depression – to finally GET IT: Want to feel good again? Check this out….

If you’re like me and millions of others seeking health and wellbeing, you’ve probably tried spas, meditation, fad diets, extra vitamin D, B12 shots, Prozac, a glass of wine at night, running, yoga, breathwork… something/anything to help comfort and offer a sense of vitality and wellbeing. My kitchen pantry over the last 15 years has looked more like a health food store than a food pantry. It is stocked with a solid 45 square feet devoted to nutrients: a self for the B’s; a section for neurotransmitter support; one for detox and liver cleanse; another for amino acids and digestive aids, etc ad museum… If I were to count the dollars spent on these supplements I’m sure I could buy a new hybrid car!

About 10 years ago (oh gosh, entering that “40 something change of life”) I started feeling sick and tired – most all the time! So I started researching, reading and buying thousands of dollars trying various supplements.

Guess what I discovered 9.9 years later? The answer to true healing, mental clarity, freedom from antidepressants, a sense of health and wellbeing is not in more pills…. It’s in what we finally stop putting into our bodies first, and then giving it back the actual building blocks it needs and in a form it can assimilate, that naturally leads to good health and wellbeing.

After literally a life time of struggling with depression; chronic irritable bowl syndrome, and the yucky added weight from sluggish thyroid, burned out adrenals, and messed up hormones that seem to hit so many of us at about midlife, I’ve honest to God found and experienced real and radical healing and restored health. And so are my Center for SoulArts clients!

So let’s think Summer. Think hot. Think Smoothies. Think Green… And get ready for a cleansing, light, nourishing, healing mood-food extraordinaire – that actually tastes delicious! Not only that: Imagine drinking something that sheds pounds, restores brain balance, stabilizes blood sugar, and simply takes away your cravings for junk food, caffeine and alcohol in a matter of days!

Sounds impossible right? That’s what I thought too. Then I discovered Green Smoothies…. And I don’t even like veggies!

Did you know that to be healthy and to nourish our cells and blood, we need 9 servings of high potency greens a day! Impossible, right? Not!

Here’s the short of it: In the last 6 years I’ve made a very comprehensive study of nutrition, functional medicine, neurotransmitters and brain chemistry, the endocrine system, and orthomolecular nutrition. Bottom line is this: We’re killing ourselves and creating disease with what we are putting and not putting into our mouths. We can heal most any disease if we really stop what is toxic and put in it’s place what the body requires to naturally function, heal and nourish vitality. Our body wants to survive and thrive. Give it what it needs to do so, and it knows how to shed toxins.

I’ve now personally watched dramatic life-saving healings in myself and in my clients, by introducing the green smoothie -- that, and a few books to educate and explain the why of it all. The evidence is more than compelling; and the research and stats are unequivocal (…I have a graduate degree in research methodology, so before I “buy into” something, there has to be clear evidence and solid grounds for any claims. There are. And I believe we each owe it to ourselves to take the blinders off and understand what it only takes to be healthy.)

With my research-based understanding of how the body works, what causes diseases of the body and mind, and my own and my clients direct experience of radical healing, I want to offer you this special summer nutritional tip:

1) Get yourself the low down on green smoothies. (“Green for Life” by Victoria Boutenko is the book that got me going.)
2) Decide to take responsibility for your health and understand how the body really works: The Ultra Mind Solution by Mark Hyman opened my eyes all the way on that count!
3) Instead of buying that new “slimmer you” swim suit or “cover up”, make an investment in your real radiance and buy yourself a Vitamix (or other) high powered blender.
4) Make a 1 week commitment to crafting your own green smoothies each day, and simply NOTICE how much better you start to feel, as well as the comments you will receive from friends who WILL notice the increased life force in you too!

Here’s one of my own favorite Green Smoothie recipes – in fact the one I made for myself this morning:

Ronda’s Love’n Me Summer Green Smoothie

1 cup rice (or soy) milk
½ squeezed grapefruit
handful of fresh (or frozen strawberries, blue berries, and/or pineapple)
1 small Mexican lime (whole – the zest adds great fresh flavor)
a scoop of whey or other protein powder (not necessary but added power)
a ½ organic plain yogurt (also not necessary but adds creaminess)
a LOT of spinach (like more than you’d eat in a day) – or substitute chard, kale, dark green lettuce

Whirl until completely blended; put into a pretty glass; add touch of cinnamon or piece of fresh mint; end enjoy.

*Note: in only 4 weeks of drinking green smoothies, I’ve dropped 10lbs (without trying as I’d given up); my skin is glowing; my hair is shining; my mood is FIXXXXED; I have NO more craving for sugar, wine, or caffeine; and I am sleeping through the night! – That, for me, is a miracle. (I won’t even go into the total bowl healing movement ? This program has become an integral part of my SoulArts spiritual spa and wellness retreats, and my clients are experiencing the same amazing results!

Have a Smooth Summer!