Greens are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Increase your intake of leafy greens and you instantly add fiber, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, disease fighting compounds. A green smoothie is one of the simplest ways to incorporate tremendous amounts of greens into your diet and having it for breakfast is even more powerful for your body.
Breakfast comes from the phrase “breaking one’s fast”. When we use the word breakfast we normally think of it as a noun. I want to suggest it can also be used as a verb. “I had a delicious breakfast today” vs. “it’s a great idea to break-fast on a green smoothie.”
We fast everyday. A fast is a period of time where we don’t eat, which is what we do every night while sleeping. The time spent not eating gives the digestive system a much-needed rest, which in turn redirects energy toward detoxification and cellular repair. As a result the digestive system works more efficiently, which for us means absorbing more nutrients, proper elimination of toxins, more energy and stronger immune systems.
This important cleansing process can be extended even maximized if we break-fast with a blended green smoothie. After the digestive system has time to rest during the night, one should ease back into eating and digesting. The blending breaks down most of the cells in the greens and fruits making nutrient absorption effortless. Smoothies contain all the fiber of the fruits and veggies that keep your appetite satisfied. What better way to begin your day? Making healthy choices throughout the rest of day is influenced by the way we start it.
Another relevant point to mention is while breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, it shouldn’t be a heavy meal and it certainly shouldn’t be a sugary meal. But for many people, breakfast has become a giant sugar fix. Think about it – cereal, granola, bread, pancakes, and muffins. These are all just adding sugar to our bodies. That’s not to say we should eliminate all things sweet but getting it from the fruit in a smoothie is much healthier. So the break-fast green smoothie also helps tackle our sugar dependency.
As we begin to enter winter, it’s even more important to have a green smoothie to help keep our immune systems strong throughout cold and flu season. If cold food in the morning doesn’t sound appealing, there are some simple adjustments you can make. Use warm water to create a comforting soup smoothie that still gives the benefits of the raw veggies. Another suggestion is to add a bit of healthy fat to help keep you satisfied like avocado or hemp seeds. My personal favorite is to add warming spices to your ingredients such as ginger, cayenne or turmeric to create deep warmth. All three spices possess anti-inflammatory properties as well as other health benefits. Cayenne helps with pain relief, clears congestion, and its vitamin A content boosts immunity.
One Healthy Breakdown: Break your fast with a green smoothie to boost your energy, your immune system, and your digestive system while kicking the sugar out of your breakfast!
Health coaching isn’t just about giving advice and educating people, because, as Marie says, most of us know what we should be doing (we do, don’t we?), it’s about identifying one or two small goals at a time and putting them into practice. She suggests committing to new one change every day for two weeks, that way it becomes habit without seeming daunting – there’s an end in sight. Usually, by the end of two weeks, people grow accustomed to the healthy change, they begin to feel positive benefits, and they will hopefully continue long-term as a result.