Green Lemonade

I recently got an email from a friend in New York who had just recently discovered Green Lemonade. We worked together when I first moved to New York, and we just recently reconnected on Facebook. She said that she loved the site saying “I was perusing your blog today, very cool! I’m going to try one of the avocado smoothies when I’m done with The Blueprint Cleanse” and then she said “Please tell me you occasionally eat pizza or bread!”

I smiled. I, like many of you, enjoy a fabulous piece of good pizza every now and then. I also love a good piece of toast with homemade bread, butter and jam. I don’t eat these foods every day, but I DEFINITELY do enjoy them. I just try and enjoy all this tastiness in moderation and when I can, I try and come up with an alternative spin on these foods to make me feel just as good after I eat them as I do while I’m eating them. It doesn’t always go 100% as planned, but I do try.

In response to a great question, I just wanted to share a few of my personal health successes as well as some health goals that I’m still working on. Each day I just try and do what makes me feel my best. I’d love to hear from you!

My healthy living successes/realizations to date

1. Eating more real, fresh food feels great. As you eat more natural foods you really do start to feel awesome – light and happy.
2. Greater energy and a youthful look is tied to a healthy diet. Eating well and incorporating more fresh, natural foods into your diet really does help your mood, your energy and how good your skin looks.
3. Portion control is always in vogue. You can’t eat unlimited portions of any foods, raw or otherwise, if your goal is a sleek and trim physique. A proper portion of food (any food) is the secret to not packing on the pounds, and allowing more of your body’s energy to be spent on healing and repair work (vs digestion all the time). A Buddha bowl is a great concept to introduce into your life when it comes to portion size. A Buddha bowl is roughly the size of your cupped hands. While it may seem small at first, give your body and mind time to adjust.
4. Eating well can be affordable. Eating more fresh and organic foods (when possible) can be done on a budget. To do so, I try and shop for organic produce which is in season. I also try and support my local farmers at the local markets. I also do my best to be strategic with my grocery shopping and try my best to buy one list of foods that I can make at least three meals from.
5. Expensive supplements are not necessary. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive supplements or super foods.
6. Variety is the spice of life – same holds true in your diet. Try to focus on eating seasonally, and you’ll eat broadly and continually be inspired by new, fabulous, feel-good foods.
7. Good eliminations are key to good health. I never thought about this once before in my life prior to being introduced to this cleansing, rejuvenating way of living grounded in fresh food.

Healthy living goals I’m still working on

1. Consistent weekend eating. I often find that if I’m not prepared and equipped with a few healthy snacks like an apple or an all-natural Lara Bar I will start to crave a toasty bagel or some pizza! Which is totally fine occasionally! I often just don’t feel that super afterwards…
2. Being prepared when traveling. Consistent weekend eating flows into a general goal I have of being prepared and armed with a few healthy snacks when I’m on the move. This is especially true when I’m traveling. I find in general when I used to travel a lot for work, my body always seemed to crave comfort foods over an extended absence away from home. I think I still do on long trips, but having a few healthy snacks usually helps a little. Anyone else have this same issue?
3. Women can’t eat what men eat and feel their most awesome. Yup, it’s true. A woman just can’t eat what her husband or significant other eats and still feel and look her best. I have watched my husband and I eat pretty much the same thing for a week and his body just needs a much higher volume of food to keep satisfied and to keep from getting too thin! I also find men to be less sensitive to the effects that food can have on our moods and overall good feelings as women.
4. Emotional eating… I mean who doesn’t suffer from a bount of emotional eating every now and then? Happy times (pass the champagne!), stressful times (pass the pasta!), etc….Anyone else?

In conclusion, it’s all about the journey

As with everything in life, it’s all about enjoying the journey. Not one way of eating works for everyone and it takes time to experiment to find what specific combination of foods make each of us feel our best. Just because one plan or one way of eating works for one person – it may not work for another. Just take some time trying out some of the meal options that span the healthy eating spectrum in this cleansing, rejuvenating way of living grounded in real fresh food. There really is something for everyone, and something for every situation and for every mood to help us look and feel our best as often as possible. It just takes a little patience and some fun with the journey….