Bev-talk and the Smoothie Savior

get sassy!

Something I haven't mentioned thus far are beverages... probably because they rarely cross my mind anymore-I don't find myself debating a soda or Baybreeze or even glass of juice!  All mentioned have astronomical amounts of sugar, carbs, and spike your blood sugar very quickly-you may as well eat a candy bar.  I rely on loads of hot tea, sparkling water with a squirt of lemon juice, and filtered water.  (Oh, and do allow myself ONE cup of coffee each morning, and what a fine cup it is, sweetened with organic Stevia, cinnamon, and some milk).  If you want a detoxifying tasty water, try Sassy Water-it's amazing-I haven't tried it with the ginger yet, but I imagine it only enhances the taste and digestion properties.

As for sugarfree drinks-sodas, juices, etc-don't even get me started-well, I will post about these and their dangers in the future, but please please stay away from anything claiming to be sugarfree-the chemicals in these choices are downright scary, and to be honest, I'd probably choose the sugary option over them-bad, bad news folks.

Loves me a drink drink, but in addition to holiday food overload ending, so has the amount of cocktail nights-save them for weekends, special occasions, or social outings-it's more fun that way, and you won't need much-go for a dry wine, red or white, a light beer, or a clear spirit with club soda-and stick with one or 2... sipping helps;)  You also won't hold your liquor like you used to if you lose a little weight and lay off the carbs-that is a bonus in my book-save the dough and cals!

One sweet beverage that is a wonderful (and acceptable!) "treat" is a good ol' smoothie!!!  Smoothies are so fab because you can truly adjust them to your taste buds, have them as a meal, post-workout snack, or sweet treat when leaning towards that cookie jar!  And talk about a refresher on a hot summer day... I'm going to give you the smoothie recipe I tend to use, but like I said, the sky's the limit, and I'll give some substitute ideas as well:

Standard Becca Jean Smoothie: combine all & blend!

• 1/2c frozen blueberries 
• 5 large ripe strawberries
• 1T ground flax seed
• 1/4c unsweetened coconut
• 1 banana
• 1c milk of your choice
• few sprinkles of cinnamon

We buy and use all organic ingredients which I highly recommend, which I'll get into in future posts, but of course that is a personal preference!  To break it down, I use the:

• blueberries for their amazing antioxidant properties, resveratrol (anti-aging & heart health), and being a very low-sugar fruit  
• strawberries for the low-cals and antioxidants
• flax for digestion and getting daily fiber easily into your system
• coconut for taste and well, it's not called the "tree of life" for nothing!!
• banana for the protein and carbs you need in a meal (and yum:)
• milk for calcium and protein-i prefer almond or whole milk, i stay away from soy-I'll discuss in future posts
• cinnamon to sweeten naturally AND lower blood sugar!

All of this fruit does have sugar, yes, but it also has fiber to break down that sugar.  That is why juice is so terrible and unnecessary-you're better off with water and vitamins if you're solely looking for minerals and vitamins in juice-after refraining for awhile, you won't believe how ridiculously sweet it tastes!  If you want juice, invest in a juicer-throw in fresh fruits and veggies-I'll discuss how amazing the juice of veggies are for your health in the future.

Like I said, a smoothie can have anything you wish-sub any fruit, add a healthy protein powder, sub water for milk, add a touch of yogurt (I'm weary of yogurt because of the sugar content, but a little bit or a Greek or Kefir yogurt is doable), or even dash of honey for sweetness.  I added a packet of organic wheat grass powder to mine the other day-sounds gross, I know-but didn't notice one difference in the taste, shared it with my son, and got my greens in for the morning!  Please post any questions that arise and happy drinking!!! Stay chic, stay healthy;)