Tight Shorts, Smoothies, and Bone Broth

Swimsuit weather has arrived! So, I got out my annual camping gear. Tried on the shorts I wear once a year, when we're off to the wilderness. Somehow, those shorts seemed a bit tight. Humm...

I used to weigh myself every day on my trusty old scale. I eventually got over-confident and got rid of it. I didn’t need a scale to keep me in line!

But the evidence seemed contrary. So I got a new scale to confirm, one way or another. It was true. I had to get back to a more careful eating habit.

So I got a Vitamix!

I had researched Paleo, Whole 30, GAPS and Gluten-free diets. I went full-circle from a previous vegetarian diet. It was an eye-opener to find that healthy whole foods (like nuts) might actually contribute to inflammation (in the quantities I ate them in). It seemed a bit odd to grab a cup of “bone broth” when a meal was put off. It was surprising to read of the differences in grass-fed cows, free-range chickens (and eggs), and wild caught fish vs. the standard fare at most grocery stores. It was not a surprise to learn that PUFA oils (polyunsaturated fatty acids, as in vegetable oils) are not our friend.

I’m still working out the ideal eating plan for health. In the meantime, I decided to take my nutrition more seriously, and loaded up on organic veggies at our local Farmer’s Market. Plus, our own garden’s starting to produce; I now have a plethora of good ingredients to add to my morning smoothie.

It’s not my old style smoothie, with frozen banana chunks, dates, almonds, and coconut milk. (Although that one’s pretty good for an afternoon snack!) To start the day, I’m filling my Vitamix with beets, kale, carrot, celery, spinach and the like. I process it up with a bit of liquid, and make veggie ice cubes out of it. That saves me from dealing with the whole range of veggie prep every day. All I have to do is drop a few of those ice cubes into the blender with whatever fresh fruit I want to add that morning, and a spoonful of whole flax seeds. (Whole seeds are best, not rancid!)

Did I mention the probiotic brew? I recently started brewing my own water kefir (since I don't have a cow to milk, to get the real stuff). It has been yielding a wonderful, bubbly brew that's perfect to use as the liquid in my smoothies. It gives me loads of healthy probiotics and extra vitamins and minerals. Wow!