Last Saturday I attended a wonderful holistic health event in Cornelius with Robyn Openshaw (aka Green Smoothie Girl) and Dr. Rashid Buttar (Center for Advanced Medicine). Both speakers shared their own personal stories of how they became involved in the crusade for natural healing, especially through a whole foods, plant based diet. Much of the information presented on how the SAD (Standard American Diet) is making us sick, how proper nutrition can keep chronic disease away, and the benefits of detoxification was not new to me but I did learn some things. And I left very inspired and motivated to try even harder in my wellness journey, particularly with more mindful eating with less animal protein.
I thought Robyn would be promoting the Blendtec with demos in ways to use it for blending and juicing but she only showed how to make one basic green smoothie. She spent most of the time talking about her personal experiences that led her to the raw food diet and how a plant based diet can change your health and your life. She drinks one quart of green smoothie every day and her children drink one pint. One quart gives 12-15 servings of fruit and vegetables (the average American gets 1-2 servings per day).
Robyn's mantra is that spending 10 minutes a day in the kitchen (making your smoothie) can add hours to your day because you will have more energy, need less sleep and will be more productive and focused.
Robyn is a single mom to 4 children, and talked a bit about how young moms are the most powerful people on the planet.....decisions they make on their children's nutrition and eating habits can change the course of their lives in many ways. It truly is the most important aspect of general health and the the gift that keeps on giving! She started the strict vegan diet for the whole family when her baby boy was chronically sick with severe asthma....soon after he got off all meds, started to thrive in good health and is now getting ready for college with a full baseball scholarship.
A few helpful tidbits that I got from Robyn:
> you can use dehydrated greens (Ormos is one brand) and mix a tsp with water for times when you are not able to blend your own smoothie
> she recommends a combination of 1/3 water, 1/3 greens and 1/3 fruit for beginner blenders; adding some stevia for a more pleasing taste
> you can add a few drops of essential oils to the smoothie (lemon oil is a natural fat burner & appetite suppressant)
> hemp and chia are the most nutrient dense seeds and also help with mood - good to add to the mix
I tried her Hot Pink Breakfast Smoothie recipe and it was surprisingly very good! It is a delicious way to incorporate the goodness of raw veggies and the power of nutritious coconut that will start your day off right and sustain you until lunchtime. Greens can be a little hard to swallow first thing in the morning!
Hot Pink Breakfast Smoothie
1 1/2 c. coconut water (raw from a coconut, or you can find this in cans or cartons)
1 large carrot, cleaned and cut into small pieces (or 5-6 baby carrots)
1/2 of a medium beet, raw, peeled
1/4 c. cashews, raw and unsalted
1/4 c. chopped dates (or 5 whole, pitted)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 frozen strawberries
(makes one quart, about 400 calories)
To view a Youtube of Robyn preparing this smoothie, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRgNVtMU9aw
I will never be a vegan, and can not even imagine totally giving up fish, eggs, butter, yogurt and cheese but people like Robyn who are bringing attention to how critical good nutrition is for the sake of our health and wellness, are so admirable. Moving towards a more plant based, whole foods diet can be life-changing and like Robyn, I have an increasing desire to help others learn about this more natural, holistic way of eating and living.
Next blog: Dr. Buttar!
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