Misty's Coconut Milk, Whey Protein and Blueberry Smoothie (Can be used for Weight Loss)

by Linda  

   I am elated to report, that after weighing in at my acupuncturist's office yesterday, I lost another 10 pounds on my new healthy eating plan. This brings my total weight loss to just over 20 pounds since embarking on my new way of eating on January 23rd of this year. My weight loss has begun to generate interest among my co-workers, and several of us have gone gluten and sugar-free with me in the last few weeks. They too are experiencing rapid weight loss. I want to make sure to clarify that this is not a low-carb diet. It is a diet that is low in refined carbohydrates. I am still eating plenty of carbohydrates from berries, vegetables, squash, sweet potatoes and a small amount of white rice. I allow myself a "splurge" day once per week when I may include potato, corn, beans or a surprisingly delicious gluten-free pizza. However, splurge day never includes wheat and rarely includes any sugar. My diet is abundant in high-quality fats and protein, so I feel sated and have plenty of energy. This has never been the case when I embarked on one of the many diets that I have used in the past to lose weight (all low-fat plans). On the low-fat plans, after losing the weight,  I would return to the way I like to eat normally. Then the pounds would creep back on.

   This time it feels like I have a plan that I can live with permanently, and in time, after I achieve my weight loss goals, I may choose to eat sourdough bread made from sprouted grains at a holiday meal, but the bread that I have known and loved (and have been addicted to) will never be a part of my diet again. It is with sadness in my heart that I make that statement. I love bread. However, I don't love bread enough to stay overweight and develop diabetes and heart disease. Both of which are prevalent in our family. My last blood work showed that my blood sugar was in the "high normal" range, and my doctor told me that any higher would mean that I would most likely develop diabetes. Talk about food for thought.


Tera's Whey is a Products We Love.

   I finally began this radical overhaul of my diet after the New Year with the support and encouragement from Misty Humphrey. She is the Nutrition Educator at the Whole Foods Market that I work in. Misty lost 85 pounds twelve years ago and has managed to sustain that loss all these years. In the process of losing the weight, she also healed herself from some serious health issues from which she was previously suffering. Once I had sufficient information to convince me that drinking a fat-laden coconut shake everyday was not going to cause me to gain even more weight (a prospect that terrified me), I decided to make the dietary changes. I am so glad that I did. I am 20 pounds lighter after a month and a half, and have not spent a single day feeling hungry and crabby. And I have not cheated... this regimen is easy to stay on. Once I got past the first week, when the beautiful loaves of artisan bread were literally calling to me from the mouth-watering displays at my store, my craving for wheat has gradually subsided. The hardest part is just developing new habits. A sandwich, burrito or a pizza slice are no longer my "go-to" lunch items. I have learned to plan ahead and bring my own food. The smoothie being the foundation of my day has made this easy. This practice has also saved me money.

   Misty recommended that I make up her Coconut and Blueberry Smoothie in the morning. I drink half and pour half into my Thermos. This has become my new and easy routine. Then when I get hungry at work, I grab a couple of hard-boiled eggs, or I bring a grass-fed ground beef patty or similar protein from home, and I usually include leftover vegetables or a salad. In the afternoon I drink the rest of the shake which has also eliminated the sugar cravings that I often experience in the latter part of the day. Dinner is whatever I want, minus of course, wheat or sugar. I even have rice pasta every now and then. Last night I had marinated lamb chops, artichokes with homemade aioli, and asparagus roasted with olive oil and lemon. I also enjoy having a glass of wine with dinner. No counting points or worrying about portion size.

 So without further ado, here is the recipe for the smoothie that has become the foundation of my diet plan. It takes me five minutes in the morning to make it in my Vitamix. It travels well and satisfies, and has helped me to lose twenty pounds in 43 days.

Yummy Kombucha and Kale Smoothies

Adventures in Herbalism by Linda

Red kale, blueberries and cherries blend to make a purple smoothie.

   Today we take a step back from the indulgence of the past three weeks. Yes, it's true, even for the Salvation Sisters, three cocktail recipes in a row is bordering on excess at the end of our Sistercation adventure. This week we will journey back to the land of healthy and sensible eating. You may even consider my Kombucha and Kale Smoothie innovative... a revelation if you will. What cannot be disputed, is that it provides a nutritional power punch. Give it a try, and you may find the results are just what you are in search of, as Michelle and I did recently.

   A few weeks ago we had an event at my Whole Foods Market called "The Vitamix Roadshow". Watching the Vitamix Man whip up smoothie after smoothie which he sampled out to customers, gave me a renewed interest in getting my own Vitamix out of semi-retirement, and using it on a daily basis. Raise your hand if your are someone who is not getting your daily servings of things like kale and fresh spinach. How about your whole fresh fruit (not juice)? According to an article by Roxanne Webber published in the blog CHOW, over 90% of us do not get our recommended 2.5 cups of vegetables or our 2 cups of fresh fruit per day. Embarrassingly, I was in that majority, and I resolved to change my ways.
   In planning out my smoothie recipe, I knew that I wanted to include fresh fruit, kale and spinach, but I was hesitant about what liquid to add to the mix to aid the blending of the ingredients. The Vitamix Man just added water. I thought I could do better. I wanted to keep my smoothie dairy free and I did not want to add fruit juice because of the high sugar content. In the end I chose to add Kombucha, and I will explain why in a bit.

Prepping the kale.

   The benefits of fresh fruits are widely known, and they are in a word delicious, and yet the research shows we still fail to get our recommended daily servings. But as for the tough and chewy, slightly bitter and hyper-green kale... why should we eat it? The simple answer is that kale is considered to be, ounce for ounce, the most nutritious vegetable on the planet. Not only is it a treasure trove of Vitamins A, B, C and K, but it also provides a plentiful profile of trace minerals like calcium and iron. It also contains powerful antioxidant compounds such as lutein and zeaxanthin. As an added bonus, the high fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels. There is mounting evidence that eating cruciferous vegetables with their high Vitamin K content and powerful antioxidant profile helps reduce our risk of dying from cancer. These same benefits, in my opinion, cannot be gained by swallowing a multitvitamin pill daily. Getting our nutrients from food is what our bodies are designed to do. This is why I use herbal supplements. They come from plants...they are food. Which brings us to Kombucha.
   Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that has centuries of history behind its consumption all over the world. The fermenting process combines tea (an herbal drink) with Kombucha cultures, which are a combination of different strains of yeast. The fermentation process creates beneficial enzymes and bacteria (probiotics) and a whole host of beneficial compounds. It is also low calorie and low in natural sugars. There has been a "kombucha craze" of sorts over the past few years. It has been a renaissance of epic proportions, and at Whole Foods Market we sell cases upon cases of the beverage on a daily basis.


Michelle's favorite flavor is Pomegranate.

   An added benefit to the Kombucha and Kale Smoothie, is that it provides a completely raw meal. This means that along with the minerals, vitamins and plentiful antioxidants being consumed, this shake provides raw enzymes. Our bodies and our immune systems all function based on a complicated series of processes that involve using enzymes as catalysts. Cooking our food harms most of the enzyme activity in foods. Thus, millions of dollars are spent on acid reflux products, which only treat the symptoms of the problem, they do not cure it. Starting off your day with a drink packed full of raw enzymes contributes to your body's healthy functioning for the rest of the day. You feel more alert and have more energy, as a result of your body functioning better. The smoothie is replenishing fuel, literally concentrated with sunshine, which is what plants convert and store into their cells.

   The Kombucha and Kale Smoothie is now my breakfast and afternoon snack five days per week. I take five minutes in the morning (really, that is all of the time required), and I drink half while I am getting ready for work, and the other half I pack with me to work in a thermos to have mid-afternoon.
   Michelle became an advocate almost immediately when I suggested it to her after I began drinking it for a few weeks. She was delighted with the great taste, because it is actually delicious and refreshing, and much to her amazement, according to Weight Watchers Point System, the smoothie equals only one point! Having the smoothie for breakfast has allowed her extra points for things like a glass of wine with dinner, which made her really, really happy.
   As for me, I no longer have to listen to that naggy little voice in my head. The one that reminds me that the lettuce on my sandwich does not qualify as a serving of dark leafy greens, and that those four grapes I snagged from the sample bag in the produce department earlier in the day, does not equal my two cup requirement of fresh fruit. Give this refreshing smoothie a try and see what you think.