I must confess, I changed this one a bit. The original advised to drink a glass of wine each day, and I substituted that with a green smoothie. Hey, it's my blog, and if I think that a green smoothie beats a glass of wine, then that's what I'm a-gonna say!
Now, about those berries...
Strawberries, blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries, goji berries, blackberries, boysenberries, cranberries, marionberries, grapes (yes, grapes!) - there seem to be dozens of berries in nature. These brightly colored gifts of the earth are packed full of fiber and nutrients and are ridiculously low in calories. Berries don't ripen after picking, so be sure you choose bright, deeply colored berries with no mushiness. They don't keep well, so buy (or pick) just as much as you'll need for only a few days, and wash them just before eating.
While it's true that nuts come with a high calorie count, you should definitely be including them in your daily diet, even if you are watching your weight. Why? Protein, fiber, healthy fats (great vegan source for Omega-3 fatty acids), vitamins and minerals.
Choose:
walnuts to fight inflammation and the symptoms of PMS,
almonds for high fiber, stabilizing blood sugar and amping your antioxidant intake,
cashews for iron (helps oxygenate your cells), zinc (for immunity and healthy vision), and magnesium (to help boost memory),
pecans for brain health, stabilizing cholesterol levels and keeping plaque from forming in your arteries,
macadamias for high levels of monounsaturated fat (for healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels), be careful about portion size, as macadamias are especially high in calories,
pistachios, the "skinniest nuts", at about 4 calories per nut, are excellent for lowering your risk of cancer, fortifying your muscles and nervous system, and elevating your mood,
hazelnuts for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, eyesight, brain and skin.
Now, when I say eat nuts, I am most certainly not referring to the dry-roasted, sugar and salt coated nuggets you find in the snack aisle at your supermarket (or in a plastic baggie on a cross-country flight). You should be eating raw nuts, soaked overnight in spring (or filtered) water.
What?
Yes, you need to soak your nuts.
In the simplest terms, soaking nuts releases the toxins they contain, while also making their nutrients readily available for your body to use. If you would like to read an in-depth analysis of what happens when you soak nuts and the different techniques for doing it, here's a good place to visit.
If you're like many people who can't, or choose not to, drink cow's milk, nut milk is a wonderful and delicious alternative! Click here for my tutorial on how to do it.
Hint: it's a lot easier than you might think.
You can also watch this informative how to make nut milk video.
This post is getting long, I know, so let's just quickly touch on the green tea and green smoothie suggestions.
In short, the nutrients in green tea have been shown to contribute to overall health, brain health, weight loss and cancer prevention. For a great break-down of the details, read this article.
Green smoothies? Come on, this one is a no-brainer. Just do it, and do it often. I have some truly delicious recipes on the E3Live website. Click here for the yumminess.
Why toast to the bounty in life? Because being grateful for all the good in the world not only lifts your mood, it also draws more good to you.
Really.
I was reading an article on vision health recently, and the thing that really surprised me was to learn that we do not see with our eyes. You read that right.
The eyes are nothing more than tools for delivering information to the brain.
It is the brain that sees. And, what the brain sees is influenced by experiences and thoughts. So, if you fill your mind with thoughts of gratitude for the bounty in life, you will see more bounty all around you. What you focus on is what you see. For example, have you ever bought a new car and, all of a sudden, seen more of your kind of car driving around? Did the cars around you change or did your focus change?
As for toasting to the bounty in life with someone whose company you love, what could be better? Is the meaning of life found in things - the objects we so desperately try to get and hold on to? I don't think so. For me, the true meaning in life is to spend as much time as possible with people I love. And, I suspect, that's true for most everyone else.
As the old saying goes, when you're on your deathbed, you don't wish that you had spent more time at the office.
So, there you have it. The Day 11 challenge is a long one, and it pays off in so many ways. This one just might be my favorite. How about you? Will you be using this challenge to improve your life?
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