Vividly Hued Fruits and Veggies

Update: Yikes! I forgot the Super Smoothie recipe. It’s been added now. Sorry ’bout that!

“Why Do I Feel So Rotten?” Well, You Are What You Eat …

I know how it is. You didn’t sleep well last night — probably obsessing over trial strategy for that case that’s 4th on the docket of 120 cases this week or that complicated sale/lease-back deal you’ve got to close in ten days — so you overslept.

And because you were running late, you grabbed breakfast on the go this morning. Maybe it was a doughnut from the  local Krispy Kreme drive-through, or a laden-with-fat bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from the Golden Arches … or, marginally worse, maybe you didn’t eat at all.

At lunch, you’re going to be ravenous, so you’ll chow down on some fast food feast in a bag containing more calories than you need in two days, and wash it down with the equivalent of five servings of sugary soda. Worse, you’ll skip lunch (hey, you’ve got stuff to do!) and then gobble up some stale pastries around 3 PM. And you’ll wonder why you’re so tired … why you always get sick every single winter … why you’re gaining weight … why you’re losing weight at an alarming rate … why you feel so freaking miserable …

OK, maybe you don’t feel miserable. But imagine what a minor tweak to your eating habits could do to your energy level — to your immune system — and if that doesn’t get you, how about contemplating a boost to your productivity?

All this can be yours. But are you willing to make a few simple changes to get that good stuff? It might be easier than you think.

Five Simple Changes to Make to Your Eating Practices for Better Health and Energy

Positive, effective change doesn’t have to mean a radical revamp of your diet. Instead, contemplate making these five simple shifts. You can try adopting a new strategy once a week, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, do one a day and reap some serious rewards by the weekend.

Just make sure you give yourself enough time with each new change to make it a habit. Research suggests it takes 21 days to make a new practice into a regular routine that you no longer have to think about.

1. Eat breakfast. Always. There’s really just no excuse to skip breakfast any more. By now, we’re all aware of the studies that show people who eat breakfast are better off in just about every way. If you can’t stand the thought of eating food first thing in the morning, try out different dietary or nutritional shakes such as Ensure or Boost. Or make your own smoothies with frozen fruit (see below for Sheryl’s Super Smoothie Recipe). If you hate traditional breakfast foods, then branch out — nobody says you must eat eggs or oatmeal every morning. Why not have a slice of vegetarian pizza, or heated-over pad thai? Whatever floats your boat, just eat something, and steer clear of the sugary stuff which provides a quick spike in blood sugar levels but doesn’t sustain energy levels nearly as well as more complex carbs.
2. Swap out the sugary sodas for better stuff. Same principle’s at work here. The sugar in sodas is really shockingly high. I know, I know — you love your Coke. So do I. But the way many of us drink sodas — massive quantities, on a regular basis — just isn’t conducive to either good health or optimal energy. Try switching out slowly for other liquids such as green tea, so-called vitamin waters, or even diet sodas (although the carbonation is also a concern, so don’t go overboard). Be realistic with your changes. Don’t go for a total elimination unless you’re one of those “all or nothing” personalities that thrive better with wholesale change.
3. Aim for a mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Choosing what to eat can be as troubling and crazy-making as planning the next family get-together. Instead of focusing on individual foods or the “four food groups” we all learned in grade school, think “three”: the three main types of calories we all intake are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. We need certain amounts of all three groups on a regular basis. So aim to give each meal a smattering of each of those three kinds of foods. Instead of having eggs and bacon for breakfast, for instance, swap out the bacon for whole-wheat toast and add some low-sugar whole fruit spread with a bit of butter.
4. Up your vegetable and fruit intake. Make your meals more colorful by embracing interestingly-hued vegetables and fruits. Aim for a rainbow: think ROY G BIV, and go for vivid red apples, juicy oranges, yellow squash, emerald-green kale, plump blueberries, dark purple eggplant. Aim for four to six servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and strive for at least half of those to be veggies.
5. Take a page from traditional Indian medicine and embrace warm lemon water. OK, I deliberately saved this one for last as I know it might put a few of you off. I know I was skeptical when I first was exposed to this suggestion from a book by Deepak Chopra, who frequently writes about Ayurveda (the traditional system of Indian medicine) and modern health. In the spirit of experimentation (and desperation, because my energy levels were shot at the time) I gave it a try, downing  a glass of warm or room temperature purified water with a healthy shot of natural lemon juice stirred in first thing in the morning. I did experience a definite uptick in my energy levels, particularly in the morning.If you’d like to experiment more with Ayurvedic food principles, which I heartily recommend, start with this page about Ayurvedic healing foods from Yoga Journal, then talk to your physician if you’re on any regular medication or have any chronic health conditions that might be impacted by a new eating regimen.

Simple Changes Can Lead to Great Improvements in Energy and Health

So often, when faced with the certain knowledge that we need to make lifestyle changes, we tend to get a little resistant to the notion. Undoubtedly, this stems from our reluctance to let go of the “devil we know” but also making big changes can be intimidating. Aim smaller and just swap out one not-so-great habit for a healthier one. You might be surprised how much of an improvement in your personal sense of health, energy, and well-being you can create this way.

Sheryl’s Super-Smoothie Recipe

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

• 1 c. of frozen fruit — your choice, no sugar added (suggestions: strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, mandarin oranges) — you can purchase these either bagged, or canned and then freeze them in baggies
• 1/2 banana, cut into slices
• 1/2 c. plain low-fat yogurt w/ live cultures
• 1/2 c. plain soy milk
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 2 Tbsp chopped-up pineapple bits
• Sweetener to taste (optional)

To Make:

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy!