Smoothie that changed my life…
This is a dental systems and marketing blog / podcast, right? Why the hell am I writing about a smoothie? Well, I feel compelled to because it literally changed my life and likely will prevent disease / heart attack later on in my life. It’s removed my ‘brain fog’ and gives me clarity so I can be the best dentist, dental leader for my team, husband, father, friend, etc. You get the idea.
So here it is:
- 1 cup of Berry mix – blackberries, blueberries, raspberries
- 1 full Scoop of Green Vibrance
- 2 tablespoons of organic Chia Seeds
- 1 tablespoon of organic Cinnamon
- 1/4 tablespoon of organic Turmeric
- 2 tablespoons of organic almond butter
- 1 tablespoon of raw, organic honey
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of organic Cacoa powder
- 1 scoop of Isoburn Protein powder (vanilla)
- 2 tablespoons of Brain Octane (or MCT oil)
- My multi-pack of vitamins
- Almond milk to desired consistency
Literally I’m sitting here like “why are you posting this recipe? Get back to dental content!” There is a first for everything!
I use this smoothie in the morning as a meal replacement. It’s got enough carbs, fat, and protein to sustain me to lunch (and beyond if needed).
How did it save my life? Well honestly, I was pulling in to Starbucks EVERY morning at 6:00AM, ordering a Venti Latte with a Sausage, Egg and Cheese sandwich. The combo made made me carb crash about 9AM and I just wanted to SLEEP, not do dentistry. Additionally, I think eating processed foods every morning along with a sugar-filled coffee was terrible for me. So saying it “saved my life” is probably a stretch and I’m being a little dramatic but what I found is that WHAT I choose in the morning PREDICTS my food choices for the remainder of the day. It’s like I almost “gave up” the rest of the day because I knew I already had an unhealthy breakfast. Does this make sense? Hopefully I’m not the only one who feels this!
Back to my cholesterol and my heart! I turned 40 last year. I didn’t get REALLY serious about my health until May. Why? Because given my family history, my diet, my stress, etc, I said to myself “You have 3 YOUNG kids and this is a disastrous course!” To me, it became SELFISH to continue making reckless decisions about my health and threatened to cause damage not only to my family, but also my team at work. Dentist’s livelihoods depend on being healthy. My cholesterol in May 2016 was 258! Now, I don’t really care about the total cholesterol number but I DO care about the particle size differentiation. My HDL-C was about optimum range, BUT my LDL was TERRIBLE. I mean scary terrible at 186 mg/dl. Additionally, my lipoprotein A (lpA) was 4x higher then the “danger zone.” LpA potentiates the effects of LDL and it’s almost completely genetic (statins, diet, exercise will not reduce). So, once I did a deep dive on my numbers and CSI’d my health, I got scared shitless. And getting scared like that is the impetus I needed to do a course correction.
Discussion on Ingredients in the smoothie:
Cinnamon – At least 2 grams a day has been found to improve insulin sensitivity in people without diabetes. The compound directly responsible is called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP). Additionally, it’s also been reported to BOOST glucose metabolism by about 20-fold in fat cells. On my laboratory panel, I was showing preliminary signs of insulin resistance, so this is a crucial component to my smoothie.
Cocoa – It’s 100% cocoa. The healthy component in chocolate. It’s one of the most powerful antioxidants containing large amounts of flavonols. Cocoa has also been associated with lifting mood and improving mental alertness. There is a great article about cocoa here. Considering my lipid panel, cocoa is imperative for me.
Berries mix – I’m not going to spend any time on this. Darkly pigmented berries CANNOT be beat for anti-oxidant powers. Not to mention they improve the taste!
Turmeric – I personally think science is going to find that this is a WONDER drug. I know turmeric is powerful for killing cancer cells and preventing more from growing. That alone is reason for me to put a pretty high dose in my smoothie. That’s only a fraction of what medicinal benefits turmeric offers – honestly, looking at the research there is no reason why NOT to take this. Check this article on turmeric.
Green Vibrance – Buy this and read the label. Look at all the constituents that are contained in this mix. There are 74 ingredients – so don’t complain about the cost! It helps with:
- Micro-nutrient support.
- Probiotic dose of 25 billion
- Cleansing and blood purification powers
- Oxidative protection of 1,893mg from herbal antioxidants
- so much more…read this article
Chia Seeds – A superfood. Full of healthy fats (omega 3’s), an awesome source of fiber, high in ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which has been found to help with insulin resistance and reducing belly fat! Here is an article from Dr. Axe.
Almond butter – We all know how healthy a handful of almonds are each day for our heart and for controlling the onset of diabetes. Monounsaturated fatty acids. Almond butter is delicious. Found to DRAMATICALLY decrease the LDL in our body. Check out more benefits on this infographic
To be continued…
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