HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN GREEN DRINKS

I went in for hypnosis for weight loss last week. I found out that the main thing I have to do is PLAN MY MEALS. As usual, I fell asleep during the hypnosis process, so I don't know what was said to me. All I know is that when I left, all I could think about was food. All these ideas about what I could eat were flying around in my head. It reminded me of a time when I was pregnant, having a love affair with food, and I had a dream that there were fried chickens flying around, and I was trying to catch one so that I could eat it.

So the entire next day, all I did was eat. I ate healthy, but man, did I eat a LOT. The following day was much better. I started eating as directed by the hypnotist when I was awake and listening. What she told me was this: The most important thing in dieting is that you actually EAT. But you have to PLAN what to eat. You eat a lot of protein in the earlier hours of the day, and try to avoid sugar. I mean, let's be realistic here, no one wants to do a complete turn around from a very poor diet to a very healthy one. You have to do it in small increments, changing things here and there until you are where you want to be.

Cutting out sugar is really hard for me. But she showed me how to make this green drink, and I have absolutely fallen in love with the idea! I dug out the blender. It took me a week, but I finally found it.

There are a multitude of things you can put in a green drink. The first time I made one, I put in one of those bags of spring mix, kale, some mango baby food, some mango sorbet (OK won't be adding this next time), some Cranergy juice, some white grape juice, and some flax oil and processed it on high in the blender. You can also add things like cans of peaches (in water, and include the water) and protein powder.  The base is usually something green, like spring mix, kale, spinach, romaine, etc.  Then you add something sweeter like mandarin oranges or a can of fruit packed in water to make it more bearable.  Flax oil is great for you but tastes horrible, so you can safely disguise that here. 

Later in the day, we made smoothies with all kinds of juices, coconut milk, carrots, apples, honey and ice. You can also use bananas, strawberries, blueberries, anything you want, really. They are filling.  You can pretty much throw anything you like into the blender! 

What a treat! I also make scrambled eggs and high fiber toast. Dutch Country makes a really good Double Fiber bread with a smooth texture that is great for people with diverticulosis or other health problems, like diabetes.

The rest of the day is just high protein (meats and fish, mostly, but you can do beans, if you like them). A small snack in the evening, also. But most of the heavier eating is done early on. And I carry a small meal in the car to avoid going hungry during the day.

Apples are a nice, sweet treat, too. And eating this way helps me to avoid sugar, for the most part. Reading labels has become a priority as I try to avoid high fructose contents. I am really happy with this new idea to make my own green drinks, though. I want to make one with spinach, basil and romaine next time.

Cheers!