Yes i know it seems like a long, complex road when you have just started on the journey of going plant based. But like anything else good and long lasting, there are no hacks to mastery. It's like learning a language -
1. learn the alphabet - this is learning about the raw ingredients you will need, the Crawl phase
2. lean the grammar - rules of the road. E.g. Do not mix citrus with nuts, Don't try to juice a banana unless you are looking for a reason to get demoralized before you start. This is the Walk phase
3. Start making simple words and sentences. This is the Run phase. After this it's all practice and developing habits that help us create an optimal experience
Here's a simple Crawl, Walk, Run for getting starting with plant powered smoothies
Crawl
AM - Start the day with a smoothie with the following ingredients for a 64 Oz Vitamix jar. This qty. will be good for a family of 4
PM - You had a great start for the day with the AM smoothie. Now the body needs to replenish again ... These ingredients again are good for a 64 Oz Vitamix jar. Adjust as needed if there are less family members/consumers
fill the jar so all ingredients are submersed in water. Add more if you want it more flowy.
Let's skip the detailed rationale for why we choose, what we chose for core ingredients to keep it simple. At a very basic level - we have picked the elements which for majority of people do not create any physical complexities
Stay with Crawl for at least as long as it takes for you to get comfortable with
it typically takes 1-3 weeks in Crawl phase. Next is ...
Walk
AM Smoothie. We will keep the base ingredients the same and drastically increase nutrient density. You can always add/swap seasonal vegetables and fruits. But let's get some good seeds, nuts and fermented material integrated. Point is to build upon existing investment vs. starting from scratch. It's the power of Compound interest vs. Simple interest. Compounding good habits = Optimal health
You will have have to work with the quantity of the base ingredients to fit all these new ingredients in and make sure that the final product is still drinkable and liquid enough .. Water is your friend, if it's too thick - just add more water ..
PM Smoothie
Continue with the same. it's a very good set of ingredients. if you absolutely, desperately want to add more, add more greens. Can't overdo on greens no matter time of the day
Give it another 1-3 weeks to develop the habit and muscle memory to do all the things you need to do ...
Run
If it's not obvious, we started very simple in Crawl phase, added a few more things in Walk phase and drastically increased the nutritional density. Now, let's add ingredients which can help us modulate throughout the year across multiple seasons. These ingredients are season, individual and geography specific.
Again, we are not swapping anything out, we are incrementally adding more
Fall heading into winter and during winter:
Add to AM smoothie
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1/4 inch
Licorice - 1 inch
Amla (Gooseberry) - 1 frozen or fresh
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Add to PM smoothie
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Spring heading into Summer and during Summer
Add to AM smoothie
Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
Pudina (Mint leaves) - 8-10
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Add to PM smoothie
Pudina (Mint leaves) - 8-10
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
In the spirit of keeping it simple, i'll pause here. If you are brand new to a plant powered life-style, start with these basics. It's relatively less important to get fixated on what we cannot change, it is really important to focus on what we can change but do not. Once these Crawl, Walk, Run smoothies become consistent like clockwork - you will be inspired to make more changes to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. But like Lao Tzu said - journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take that first step and have fun in the journey
Disclaimer - This is not a paid advertisement for any vendor. Just a plain, simple sharing of valuable information our and many other families all over the world took years to discover the hard way. One of the things that sets human species apart is our ability to learn from others' experiences vs. other life forms who essentially learn the same things repeatedly. If it's normal to consume toxins and chemicals in the guide of FLOs(food like Objects) and it's rude to point it out because we are surrounded by everyone who subscribes to this skewed version of normality, let's create a new normal for our families for a healthier and holistic life. If you are concerned, it is not paranoia, it is a normal instinct to protect life. The stool of true health has four legs - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. There is no practical way to be healthy if we focus only on one of these legs and ignore the rest. If kids score a 100% for their grades, they could be mentally/intellectually healthy. But if they pass out of school taking anti-anxiety, anti-allergy medications not knowing how to use : 1/a Vitamix, 2/a Pressure Cooker (or a instapot nowadays), 3/a bicycle that is not motorized - they will probably land a great college admission followed by a economically viable career path but would not have learned how to create physical health. We know what do to be economically successfully, we also need to educate ourselves, kids and friends on how to create great health so we can be live, share and give the fruits of our labor.
1. learn the alphabet - this is learning about the raw ingredients you will need, the Crawl phase
2. lean the grammar - rules of the road. E.g. Do not mix citrus with nuts, Don't try to juice a banana unless you are looking for a reason to get demoralized before you start. This is the Walk phase
3. Start making simple words and sentences. This is the Run phase. After this it's all practice and developing habits that help us create an optimal experience
Here's a simple Crawl, Walk, Run for getting starting with plant powered smoothies
Crawl
AM - Start the day with a smoothie with the following ingredients for a 64 Oz Vitamix jar. This qty. will be good for a family of 4
- 3 Bananas
- handful of Mixed Greens
- 1 single stem from celery stalk
- 1 broccoli flower
- 1 Cup frozen strawberries
- 1 Cup frozen blueberries
- 4 dried figs
PM - You had a great start for the day with the AM smoothie. Now the body needs to replenish again ... These ingredients again are good for a 64 Oz Vitamix jar. Adjust as needed if there are less family members/consumers
- handful of baby carrots
- half a beet root
- 1 celery stick from a stalk
- half orange or clementine
- 1 apple
- 4 dried prunes
- half zuchini or squash (indian lawkee) or anything equivalent based on season like Cucumber
fill the jar so all ingredients are submersed in water. Add more if you want it more flowy.
Let's skip the detailed rationale for why we choose, what we chose for core ingredients to keep it simple. At a very basic level - we have picked the elements which for majority of people do not create any physical complexities
Stay with Crawl for at least as long as it takes for you to get comfortable with
- Sourcing the right ingredients from the right places - online, Earthfare, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Organic one's from Costco/Sam;s etc.
- Making sure that enough quantity is always available in stock at home
- Making sure that raw material is available for smoothies before hunger pangs hit. If you are hungry and staring at the fridge, pantry or the take-out menu, it's already too late.
- Developing the muscle memory to use Vitamix as soon as you wake up, enter the home, right before leaving the home, before you ride,run or swim etc.
it typically takes 1-3 weeks in Crawl phase. Next is ...
Walk
AM Smoothie. We will keep the base ingredients the same and drastically increase nutrient density. You can always add/swap seasonal vegetables and fruits. But let's get some good seeds, nuts and fermented material integrated. Point is to build upon existing investment vs. starting from scratch. It's the power of Compound interest vs. Simple interest. Compounding good habits = Optimal health
- Chia seeds - 1 tsp
- Hemp seeds - 1 tsp
- Cacao beans - 1 tsp
- Brazil nuts - 1 tsp
- Walnuts - 1 tsp
- Flax seeds - 1 tsp
- Sauer Kraut - 1 tsp
You will have have to work with the quantity of the base ingredients to fit all these new ingredients in and make sure that the final product is still drinkable and liquid enough .. Water is your friend, if it's too thick - just add more water ..
PM Smoothie
Continue with the same. it's a very good set of ingredients. if you absolutely, desperately want to add more, add more greens. Can't overdo on greens no matter time of the day
Give it another 1-3 weeks to develop the habit and muscle memory to do all the things you need to do ...
Run
If it's not obvious, we started very simple in Crawl phase, added a few more things in Walk phase and drastically increased the nutritional density. Now, let's add ingredients which can help us modulate throughout the year across multiple seasons. These ingredients are season, individual and geography specific.
Again, we are not swapping anything out, we are incrementally adding more
Fall heading into winter and during winter:
Add to AM smoothie
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1/4 inch
Licorice - 1 inch
Amla (Gooseberry) - 1 frozen or fresh
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Add to PM smoothie
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Spring heading into Summer and during Summer
Add to AM smoothie
Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
Pudina (Mint leaves) - 8-10
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inch
Black pepper seeds - 4-6
Add to PM smoothie
Pudina (Mint leaves) - 8-10
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/4 inch
Adrak (Ginger) - 1/4 inchBlack pepper seeds - 4-6
In the spirit of keeping it simple, i'll pause here. If you are brand new to a plant powered life-style, start with these basics. It's relatively less important to get fixated on what we cannot change, it is really important to focus on what we can change but do not. Once these Crawl, Walk, Run smoothies become consistent like clockwork - you will be inspired to make more changes to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. But like Lao Tzu said - journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take that first step and have fun in the journey
Disclaimer - This is not a paid advertisement for any vendor. Just a plain, simple sharing of valuable information our and many other families all over the world took years to discover the hard way. One of the things that sets human species apart is our ability to learn from others' experiences vs. other life forms who essentially learn the same things repeatedly. If it's normal to consume toxins and chemicals in the guide of FLOs(food like Objects) and it's rude to point it out because we are surrounded by everyone who subscribes to this skewed version of normality, let's create a new normal for our families for a healthier and holistic life. If you are concerned, it is not paranoia, it is a normal instinct to protect life. The stool of true health has four legs - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. There is no practical way to be healthy if we focus only on one of these legs and ignore the rest. If kids score a 100% for their grades, they could be mentally/intellectually healthy. But if they pass out of school taking anti-anxiety, anti-allergy medications not knowing how to use : 1/a Vitamix, 2/a Pressure Cooker (or a instapot nowadays), 3/a bicycle that is not motorized - they will probably land a great college admission followed by a economically viable career path but would not have learned how to create physical health. We know what do to be economically successfully, we also need to educate ourselves, kids and friends on how to create great health so we can be live, share and give the fruits of our labor.