You may wonder how you are going to get in all your fruits and vegetables, water etc and live without your staples like that bag of chips to crunch on with your sandwich! Here are just a few suggestions to get you started...
1. Green Smoothies. They will be your best friend in getting in your 10 fruits and veggies! It will also help you jump start your day in a healthy way. If you do not have a good blender then...I don't know...but if you do...Add about a handful of kale, spinach, swiss chard or collard greens for you base green, add about 2 cups water, almond milk or low fat milk, a banana and a couple handfuls of your favorite fruit...voila! You can also add chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, quinoa, oats, unsweetened coconut, etc to add fiber, protein, omega 3's etc etc
2. Snap peas, carrots and sliced cucumbers next to my sandwich help give me the crunch it just seems like I need in those darn chips.
3. Hummus. Embrace it. Use it. Replace mayo on your sandwiches with it, replace ranch to dip your veggies into it, thin it out and use it as salad dressing...
4. Water. You are going to be drinking a lot of it so make sure it tastes good. You are going to be replacing all the usual soda pop, caffeinated power drinks, juice and so on-so you should be able to kick out 64 ounces, but you'll be happier if it is good tasting water, from a good source or well filtered (like reverse osmosis, alkaline ionized or distilled)! Try to squeeze a little lemon or lime into your water or throw in a few fresh slices of cucumber or raspberries to add natural flavor.
5. Herbal teas. Drinking a cup of decaffeinated herbal tea around 9-9:30pm can help stem the hunger pains and pump your body full of vitamins and minerals. There are specific blends for detoxing and aiding sleep as well as hundreds of other great benefits! (I really like the Republic of Tea brand, you can also get loose herbs super cheap at whole foods stores or throw some mint leaves into just boiling water and let it steep for a few minutes and make your own tea.)
6. Up your fresh herbs! Wherever you try to cut out dairy or fat-replace with fresh herbs or more spices to boost the flavor and get amazing benefits. For example, when you are making a southwest dish leave out the cheese and up the cilantro, cumin, coriander and oregano.
Basil, cilantro, parsley and mint are my favorite fresh herbs-see how you can incorporate these super foods into your dishes!
7. Plan ahead AND don't let yourself get hungry. Hunger = overeating, eating whatever is in front of you or eating the quickest thing...Stock your car with nuts, dried fruit, multigrain preztels etc. After you buy your veggies, cut up a bunch of them so they are easy to grab for snacks or throw into a salad. Plan out a menu that eliminates any BAD FOOD and stock up your cupboards with the good stuff-brown or wild rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain breads and crackers so they are on hand.
8. Get a large BPA free reusable water bottle and take it wherever you go. My husband uses a 32 oz Nalgene bottle-he knows that when he's gone through it twice-he's had his water for the day. Make sure you have a few water bottles stocked up in the car too-then no matter where your day takes you, you'll be drinking enough.
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