Dieta keto

Ce reprezinta starea de cetoza ?

Starea metabolica de cetoza este reprezentata de momentul in care cantitatea de corpi cetonici ( compusi hidrosolubili care apar in urma reactiei de transformare a acizilor grasi in energie, la nivelul ficatului si rinichilor ) din sange are valori peste cele normale. Cand corpul se afla intr-o stare de cetoza, metabolismul energetic al grasimilor este intact. Acest lucru inseamna faptul ca organismul va incepe sa foloseasca ca principala sursa de energie grasimea pe care o are deja stocata. Intrarea in starea de cetoza se petrece atunci cand carbohidratii se mentin la un nivel foarte scazut, in jurul zonei de 30 g / zi , si astfel grasimile vor deveni principala sursa de energie a organismului.

Beneficiile dietei keto

Principalul avantaj este reprezentat de faptul ca se creste capacitatea corpului de a folosi grasimea drept sursa de energie. Pe o dieta bogata in carbohidrati, organismul se bazeaza pe aportul zilnic de carbohidrati pentru energie, pe cand pe o dieta keto, organismul isi foloseste rezervele de grasime pentru energie. Din moment ce organismul are resurse suficiente de grasime, corpul nostru se va invata sa foloseasca corpi cetonici drept sursa principala de energie, in locul glucozei, si astfel chiar vom economisi proteine, intrucat acestea nu vor mai fi oxidate si transformate in glucoza, prin intermediul procesului de gluconeogeneza.

Alt beneficiu al dietei keto este legat de nivelul scazut de insulina pe care dieta il induce. Pe o dieta obisnuita, un nivel crescut de insulina blocheaza procesul lipolizei, astfel blocand transformarea acizilor grasi in energie. De asemenea, un nivel scazul al insulinei produce si alte beneficii, cum ar fi cresterea nivelului hormonului de crestere secretat de catre organism.

De asemenea, energia continuta de un corp cetonic este de doar 7 Kcal, desi acesta provine dintr-un gram de grasime care avea 9 Kcal. Astfel, veti putea arde kilogramele mai repede, intrucat, pentru o persoana care se afla in starea de cetoza, un kilogram de grasime nu inmagazineaza aceeasi cantitate de energie, ci cu ~ 30 % mai putin.

Nu in ultimul rand, un beneficiu important adus de consumul crescut de grasimi este reprezentat de faptul ca un consum ridicat de grasimi inhiba in mod natural apetitul.

Dezavantajele dietei keto

In primele saptamani ale dietei, organismul trebuie sa treaca prin procesul de “schimbare a metabolismului”. In momentul trecerii prin aceasta perioada, va puteti confrunta cu usoare senzatii de oboseala si de incetosare a privirii. Insa odata incheiata aceasta perioada, odata ce corpul se va obisnui cu producerea corpilor cetonici pentru energie, veti avea mai multa energie decat in perioda in care va bazati pe carbohidrati pentru energie.

De asemenea, din moment ce aportul de grasimi va fi cu mult crescut fata de o alimentatie baza in special pe carbohidrati , exista o ingrijorare asupra nivelului crescut de grasimi din sange care ar putea sa apara. Studiile nu sunt concludente in aceasta directie, intrucat pentru unele persoane nivelul colesterolului a crescut, iar pentru altele a scazut, ca urmare a folosirii dietei keto. Trebuie totusi avut grija sa pastram o balanta intre consumul de grasimi saturate si de grasimi nesaturate.

Un alt minus al dietei este faptul ca pe dieta keto , prin reducerea aproape la minimum a carbohidratilor, ne asiguram o parte foarte mica de vitamine si minerale. De aceea se recomanda folosirea unui supliment de vitamine si minerale, care sa fie administrat de 2-3 pe zi.

O alta ingrijorare provine din faptul ca, daca avem prea multi corpi cetonici in sange, acestia vor fi eliminati prin urina. Acest proces poate conduce la probleme ale rinichilor doar daca nu ne hidratam corespunzator. Pe keto, necesarul de apa creste semnificativ, putand chiar ajunge la 5-6 litri de apa pe zi.

Efectul anticatabolic al dietei keto

Inafara de motivele hormonale, principalul motiv pentru care catabolismul se va realiza in momentul in care proteina va trebui arsa, catabolizata, pentru productia de glucoza. Acest lucru se petrece deoarece creierul are un consum foarte mare de glicogen, aproximativ 25 % din totalul corpului. Astfel , pe o dieta saraca in carbohidrati, dar care nu a facut inca pasul spre keto, organismul va avea in continuare nevoie de glucoza pentru creier, glucoza pe care o va obtine din proteine.
In schimb, in momentul in care suntem intr-o stare de cetoza, creierul va prefera pentru energie corpii cetonici si astfel nu se va mai realiza arderea proteinei pentru energie.
Intrucat in procesul de slabire dorim sa pierdem mai ales grasime, si NU muschi, efectul anticatabolic al dietei keto poate fi de real ajutor.

Cum intram pe keto ?

In primele 2 zile de dieta, se recomanda ca dieta noastra sa arate astfel : 80 % grasimi – 20 % proteine iar cantitatea de carbohidrati sa fie redusa la 0, cu exceptia cantitatilor foarte mici de carbohidrati din oua, branza, etc. Datorita nivelului foarte scazut de proteine, nivelul insulinei va scadea mult mai repede, deoarece proteina poate fi transformata in glucoza la o rata de ~ 60 %. Astfel, cu mai putina proteina la dispozitie, corpul va intra in starea de cetoza mai repede.
Dupa primele doua zile, vom creste aportul de proteine la 30-35 % , pastrand grasimile la 65-60 % si carbohidratii la procentul de 5 % din totalul caloriilor. Astfel, vom pastra starea de cetoza si in acelasi timp vor acorda suficienta proteina pentru muschi astfel incat acestia sa creasca.

http://sanatatea.net/dieta-keto.html

Anabolism si catabolism

Procesele biochimice care au loc in corpul nostru pot fi grupate in doua mari categorii: anabolismul si catabolismul. Impreuna, ele formeaza ceea ce denumim ” metabolism “.

Anabolismul reprezinta procesele prin care origanismul acumuleaza si contruieste, in timp ce catabolismul se gaseste la polul opus, el fiind reprezentat de procesele de distrugere si ardere. Pentru a contrui moleculele si pentru a sustine viata, organismul are nevoie de energie, necesara reactiilor chimice.

Cand procesele anabolice le domina pe cele catabolice, are loc cresterea, acumularea, iar cand domina procesele catabolice, organismul incepe sa scada in greutate. Anabolismul include reactii chimice care determina moleculele mici sa se uneasca si sa formeze meleculele mari, complexe. Rezultatul acestui proces il constituie materialul celular, ca de exemplu enzimele, proteinele, celulele, membranele celulare, tesuturile.

Anabolismul sta la baza cresterii, mentinerii si reinnoirii tesuturilor. Catabolismul cuprinde totalitatea reactiilor prin care moleculele mari sunt desfacute in melecule simple, in scopul producerii energiei, pentru a recicla componente celulare sau pentru excretie. Odata produsa energia, ea este stocata sub forma de glicogen sau grasimi. Tendinta noua in sport este de a ne concentra asupra metodelor pana la epuizare, iar fibrele musculare sufera microtraume, nivelul cortizonului creste foarte mult, grabind distrugerea tesuturilor. Antioxidantii si unele fitochimicale au efecte anticatabolice.

Prin reducerea ratei catabolismului, anabolismul creste, rezultand o recuperare mai rapida, un nivel inalt de performanta si o crestere mai rapida. Metabolismul cuprinde doar procesele chimice care apar in interiorul celulelor corpului, nu si schimbarile ce intereseaza alte substante, cum ar fi alimentele ce traverseaza tubul digestiv. Organismul are nevoie de o multime de nutrienti pentru a functiona optim. O mica deficienta a unuia dintre ei, a unei vitamine de exemplu, poate cauza incetinirea metabolismului sau chiar perturbarea sa. Aceasta se traduce, in cazul antrenamentului, prin nevoi nutritive sporite.

http://sanatatea.net/anabolism-si-catabolism.html

Cum se slabeste fara riscuri ?

Toti oamenii vor, mai devreme sau mai tarziu, sa slabeasca, insa nu toti slabesc sigur si sanatos.

Dintotdeauna a fost la moda sa urmezi “un regim pe deficit caloric”, desi nimeni nu a enuntat si riscurile acestui tip de regim.

De ce nu este sigur ? Pentru ca iti deregleaza metabolismul, creeaza depresii imense si nu este eficient deloc.

Ce se intampla ? Corpul fiecaruia are o rata a metabolismului bazal (RMB=energia utilizata de organism pentru functionarea normala a organelor vitale). Daca mananci mai putine calorii decat aceasta rata, vei pierde din greutate, dar partea proasta este ca vei pierde doar o perioada de X zile pana cand corpul isi scade aceasta rata pentru a se adapta noului numar de calorii. Scazi din nou numarul de calorii, iar slabesti o perioada de timp, dar iar o sa ajungi la o stagnare. Astfel, intrii intr-un cerc vicios.

Sa luam un exemplu: O femeie are RMB-ul de 1800 kcal si incepe sa tina un regim de 1400kcal. O sa slabeasca cateva zile un numar relativ bun de kg, apoi o sa observe ca acul cantarului nu se mai misca. Trece la 1000kcal si iar o sa slabeasca, dar o sa pateasca la fel ca mai sus. In final, ajunge la 600kcal/zi (cota alarmanta, deja este malnutritie si exista risc de deces), slabeste din nou, dar iar stagneaza. Ajunge la nr de kg dorit si trece pe regimul pe care il avea inainte, fiind sigura ca se va mentine, insa aici intra in joc efectul yo-yo. Dupa acest regim sever, RMB-ul femeii a ajuns la 600kcal, iar din ziua in care va manca din nou 1800kcal, va pune mai multe kg decat stie sa numere si astfel se ajunge la o depresie imensa, creste procentul de grasime corporala, apare riscul de boli, cantarul arata mai mult decat inainte de regim si nu va slabi aproape deloc din grasime, ci doar apa si muschi. De ce doar din cele 2? Pentru ca organismul va topi muschii deoarece obtine mai multe energie decat daca ar umbla la rezervele de grasime. Apa se pierde odata cu glicogenul din muschi.

Cum putem evita aceasta situatie ? Cum putem slabi sanatos, fara riscuri ?Foarte simplu. Prin efectul termic al mancarii(ETM) si efectul termic al sportului(ETS).

ETM – in loc de 3 mese pe zi insumand RMB, mananca 5-6 mese insumand acelasi nr de kcal. Practic, imparte portiile de mancare. Mancand putin si des, iti mentii corpul intr-o stare alerta de digestie(implicit arzand calorii), ai parte de o partitie mai buna a nutrientilor (proteinele, glucidele, grasimile sunt utilizate mai eficient). Fiecare masa trebuie sa contina in mod absolut o sursa de proteina. Astfel, inmulteste cu 2 numarul de kg pe care il ai si apoi imparte-l la numarul de mese. Acel numar de proteine trebuie sa il mananci la fiecare masa pt a conserva masa musculara si a beneficia la maxim de ETM(Proteinele ard cele mai multe kcal pt a fi digerate). O sursa de fibre este necesara. In acest fel, poti manca ORICAT si ORICAND legume (broccoli, castraveti, rosii, ardei gras, salata, sparanghel, conopida, varza, telina). Acestea sunt alimente negativ calorice. In functie de activitatea pe care o ai de-a lungul zilei, poti adauga si o sursa de carbohidrati complecsi(ovaz, cartofi). Neaparat, la micul dejun trebuie sa ai o astfel de sursa pt a te alimenta cu energie inca de dimineata, a umple rezervele de glicogen si a te asigura ca vei folosi kcal provenite de aici.

ETS - aici este mai simplu. Trebuie sa faci sport. Minim 30min/zi. Cel mai bun sport pt a slabi armonios il reprezinta ridicarea greutatilor. Construind masa musculara, vei creste RMB. 1kg de muschi are nevoie de mult mai multe kcal pt a fi conservat decat 1kg de grasime. Astfel prin a “cara” mai multe kg de muschi vei avea nevoie de mai multe kcal doar pt a le pastra. Mancand proteine vei proteja masa musculara de a fi canibalizata si vei arde grasimi atat ca sursa de energie pt sport cat si ca sursa de energie pt mentinerea masei musculara.

Fetele nu au de ce sa se teama de sala. Nu vei ajunge sa arati musculoasa doar daca mergi la sala. Nu va fie frica sa ridicati ganterele gandidu-va ca o sa va faceti bratele prea groase. Daca ar fi fost asa de simplu, toti baietii aratau ca Arnold.

3 antrenamente la sala/sapt si 3-6 sedinte de cardio/sapt sunt indeajuns.

Concluzii:

1. Mananca mai des, insumand caloriile RMB-ului propriu.

2. Mananca la fiecare masa proteine.

3. FA SPORT.

4. ORICAND, ORICAT -> carbohidrati complecsi fibrosi

5. La micul dejun strecoara si o sursa de carbohidrati din ovaz, cartofi, orez brun; daca esti activ toata ziua, consuma de mai multe ori acest tip.

6. Adauga Omega 3 si Omega 6 la dieta ta. Grasimile esentiale sunt absolut necesare pt a regla sistemul endocrin. Nu te speria de faptul ca sunt grasimi, ele te vor ajuta mai mult decat iti imaginezi.

7. Ultima, dar nu cea din urma concluzie: beti apa! Nu conteaza ce faceti, minim 3l/zi sunt necesari. In functie de cat mancati si cat sport faceti, adaugati peste, dar niciodata sub 3l.

http://sanatatea.net/cum-se-slabeste-fara-riscuri.html

Necesarul caloric

Completeaza urmatoarele informatii pentru a-ti determina necesarul caloric in functie de datele tale, de nivelul de activitate si de scopul tau ( slabire, mentiner, depunere masa musculara ). Va rugam completati corect toate informatiile solicitate.

Inaltime ( in cm ):
Greutate ( in kg ):
Varsta ( in ani ):
Esti femeie/barbat :
Femeie
Barbat

Nivelul tau de activitate zilnica este:
Sedentar
Putin Activ ( exercitii fizice usoare de 1-3 ori pe saptamana )
Moderat Activ ( exercitii fizice moderate de 3-5 ori pe saptamana )
Foarte Activ ( exercitii fizice intense de 6-7 ori pe saptamana )
Extrem de Activ ( exercitii fizice intense zilnice si chiar de mai multe ori pe zi)

Scopul tau este sa:
Sa iti mentii greutatea
Sa depui masa musculara
Sa slabesti

http://sanatatea.net/necesarul-caloric.html

Carbohidratii (glucidele)

Ce sunt carbohidratii ?

Carbohidratii sunt principala sursa de energie a corpului uman. Cand ingeri carbohidrati pancreasul tau elibereaza un hormon numit “insulina”.
Insulina este foarte importanta pentru ca:

1) Ea ia carbohidratii si fie ii stocheaza in muschii fie ca grasime.
2) Ea ia amino acizii (proteinele) si le depoziteaza inauntrul celulelor musculare pentru recuperare si reparare.
Cele mai multe persoane care sunt supraponderale si sunt in diete cu continut redus de grasimi/continut ridicat de carbohidrati au intrat in aceasta conditie pentru ca ei mananca o cantitate foarte mare de carbohidrati.
O cantitate prea mare de carbohidrati cauzeaza o eliberare foarte mare de insulina. Atunci cand exista prea multa insulina in organism, corpul tau se transforma intr-o masina de stocat grasimi. Prin urmare, este important sa mancam necesarul de carbohidrati, nu mai mult.

Tipuri de carbohidrati

Carbohidratii sunt impartiti in doua categorii, si anume: carbohidratii complecsi care dau energie de durata, pe cand carbohidratii simplii care dau imediat energie. Este recomandat sa mancam carbohidrati complecsi, in principal, pe tot parcursul zilei, exceptie facand dupa antrenament in cazul in care organismul are nevoie de carbohidrati simplii in scopul de a umple nivelurile de glicogen imediat, fapt care ne ajuta la recuperare mai rapida si a reconstrui muschii.

Surse de carbohidrati

Carbohidrati complecsi:
1: apretate (tari)
- faina de ovaz (1 ceasca)
- cartofi dulci (200 gr)
- cartofii simplii (200 gr)
- orez (1 ceasca)
- porumb (1 ceasca)
- mazare (2 cesti)
Fiecare portie este egala cu aproximativ 40-50 grame de carbohidrati.

2: fibroase:
- broccoli (jumate de ceasca, crud)
- morcovi (1 ceasca cruzi)
- conopida (jumate de ceasca, cruda)
- fasole verde (jumate de ceasca, cruda)
- salata verde (5 cesti, cruda)
- ciuperci (1 ceasca, crude)
- ardei (jumate de ceasca, cruzi)
- spanac (jumate de ceasca, crud)
- dovleac (1 ceasca, crud)
Fiecare portie este egala cu aproximativ 6 grame de carbohidrati.

Carbohidrati simplii:
- mere (1 mar)
- banane (1 banana)
- grapefruit (1 grapefruit)
- struguri (22 struguri)
- portocale (1 portocala sau jumatate dintr-o portocala)
- pere (1 para)
Fiecare portie este egala cu aproximativ 20-25 grame de carbohidrati.

http://sanatatea.net/tag/carbohidrati

If I had cancer

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/12/if-i-had-cancer.html

Raw Chocolate Macaroons

I recently picked up a few raw food "cook" books from Amazon and I HIGHLY suggest you check out these books! It's very helpful in my opinion to master a few recipes so you can have some sort of base of foods you can work with and make rather easily. For example some standard foods I know I like to eat everyday are salads, almond milk , green smoothies (fruit and chocolate), raw chocolate fudge and green juices. Then as snacks I like to eat pieces of fruit, (be careful not to over do it), veggies like pieces of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery nuts, seeds and superfoods like chocolate or cacao nibs, goji berries etc.




But on top of that I like to make things that I can learn in certain raw foods books. I like to have these snacks handy so when I get hungry they are there for me. These chocolate macaroons are one of them. I also like to make mint chocolate chip ice-cream with raw chocolate sauce. I also like to make breads, crackers and pates so I can make sandwiches or raw burgers with an avocado almond butter spread with sprouts. It's invaluable to have a few reference books around. My favorite three books are Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life and Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes

By the way these chocolate macaroons are amazing and take about 10 minutes to make! All you have to do is follow exactly the Recipes in Raw Food/Real World which is my favorite out of the 3 raw food cook books that I have.

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/01/raw-chocolate-macaroons.html

Raw Chocolate Chip Mint Ice-Cream...

This Raw Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream is insane. I actually got the recipie from the book Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow and it comes out perfect. I only added some Spirulina to make it green, some raw cacao nibs for the chips and then some mint leaves and a few drops of peppermint oil to make it taste like mint. We have it all now...

RAW VANILLA ICE CREAM
2 cups soaked cashews
2 cups coconut meat
1 cup water
2 thirds cup agave nectar
1 cup coconut butter
1 Big Spoonful of honey
2 tablespoons vanilla extract or seeds of half a vanilla bean
Half tablespoon sea salt
Any other superfoods/seeds on hand.

Directions:
Blend in a vitamix until smoothe. Chill in freezer for about 45 minutes. Then process into an ice-cream maker according to instructions. :)

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/01/raw-chocolate-chip-mint-ice-cream.html

Zucchini Pasta Marinara

What' you'll need:
Food Processor (or blender)
Julienne Peeler(or knife)
Saladacco Spiral Slicer

This recent dish has been my favorite raw food meal lately. The great thing about this particular meal is that it's very quick. I know a lot of times when making our green smoothies, raw chocolate smoothies and other items; they can take a lot of time. This recipe does not require a dehydrator but it does require a Saladacco Spiral Slicer. Don't worry they are about $25 bucks and well worth it.

So many times, especially as we are transitioning to a raw food diet, we try to make our raw food dishes "appear like" and have the same texture as cooked food. Lately I've been shying away from that idea. Raw food is not cooked food. We're probably never going to have that warm soft bread again. We should stop trying to mimic that taste and texture. Now I'm not saying it's wrong or bad, it's just that we need to be happy about and get excited about what we are eating. It's different for sure, but it's not worse. You don't see any traditional cooked food chefs trying to get their food to resemble raw food do you? We're like the little brother copying what the big brother is wearing. We need to do our own thing and be happy with what we are eating and preparing.

So with all that being said. I wasn't planning on the taste or consistency be like traditional spaghetti at all. I was resigned to the fact that at least it looked like spaghetti or pasta and it smelled great. But when I actually ate it, it was the closest raw food meal I've had that actually comes close to the original. The raw desert which is the raw mint chocolate chip ice cream I've made before comes pretty close to real ice cream too.

I like to warm mine up in the dehydrator before eating it. Another tip you could do is run the noodles under hot water and put the marinara sauce into a bowl on the stove just to warm it up a tiny bit. Make sure you monitor this as you don't really want to be "cooking" your sauce and undoing all the work of keeping the enzymes in tact. Just heat it up a little bit for a few minutes. You also might want to take out a portion or bowl full of pasta in the morning and let it get back to room temperature before you heat it up and eat it.

For the Marinara Sauce: (Process in the food processor)
1 bell pepper
A handful of sun dried tomatoes (soaked 2 hours)
4 or 5 or tomatoes
1 clove garlic
Basil (chopped)
Oregano (chopped)
A dash of Salt
A dash of olive oil
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
1/2 cup soaked almonds (I add these because I like the marinara sauce to be "meaty")

For the pasta noodles:
You'll need about 4 or 5 big straight zucchinis.
Peel off the sides with a Julienne Peeler.
Cut in half evenly.
Use your Saladacco Spiral Slicer and you're good to go!

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/12/zucchini-pasta-marinara.html

Raw Burgers With Mayo...

Hey everybody. Yesterday I made some living food burgers with mayonaise. The raw burgers were pretty easy to make and the mayo was made using Julianos Book, Raw: The Uncook Book It's all pretty easy really. These are super tasty and really filling. Here is the recipe for the living burgers:

Living Burgers:
1. Half Cup Almonds (soaked)
2. Half Cup Sunflower Seeds (soaked)
3. Pulp from -
4. 1 Carrot
5. 4 Ribs celery
6. 1 Green Apple
7. Small Hanful of chopped parsley
8. 1 big basil leaf chopped
9. Squirt of Flax Oil
10. Few Shakes of Dried Garlic
11. Few Shakes of Cumin Powder
12. Pinch of Sea Salt
13. Dulse With Cayene
14. Kelp with Garlic
=======
Optional:
15. 1 pack stevia
16. Oregeno
17. Thyme
18. Lemon Pepper
19. Italian Seasoning
20. Flax
21. Cilantro
22. Agave
23. Coconut Flakes
24. Cucumber
25. Zuchinni
26. Pumkin Seeds
27. Olive Oil
28. Salad Lettuce
=======
Directions:
1. Almonds/Seeds into food processor
2. Veggie Pulp into food processor
3. Put all into a bowl and mix
4. Put greens salad mix, parsley, basil into food processor and add to bowl
5. Roll them all into a burger patties and dehydrate for about 8 hours at 110 degrees or until soft (but not hard!)

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/01/burgers-with-mayo.html

Chocolate Covered Bananas

The other day I made some chocolate covered bananas just to have on hand as a snack. Usually I'm not the biggest fan of bananas. Most of them are high in sugar, very starchy and low in minerals. Even though it's a raw food, its profile matches the exact types of foods we should be moving away from, namely high sugar and low minerals. But be that as it may, they do contain potassium and really do a great job masking the flavor of greens in green smoothies.

In any event I went ahead and made these and they really are quite tasty. The recipe is simple:

For the chocolate sauce
Agave
Coconut oil
Cacao powder
Cacao butter (optional)
Dried coconut flakes (optional)

Simply cut the bananas in half and put some Popsicle sticks in them. Then mix together the above ingredients into a bowl until you get the right consistency and sweetness. Then use a knife and spread the bananas with your chocolate sauce. Put them into the freezer and you have your snack. Kids will love these and they're filling too. So even though they are hybridized they are still a fun tasty treat that you can snack on when you have sweet cravings.
http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/chocolate-covered-bananas.html

Raw and Living Superfood Chocolate Shake...

This shake or smoothie is a staple of mine. I have one everyday! :) Sorry I didn't put any measurements down. I usually just do spoonfuls of each one. I'm horrible at measuring! I know bananas aren't the best for you but those along with the avocados really make it filling.

Sometimes I have it with a salad and that'll fill me up for hours. It's crazy. I also put in there any other superfoods I have on hand.

CHOCOLATE SHAKE
Cacao Powder
Cacao Butter
Hemp Seed Protein Powder
Frozen Banana 1
Agave Nectar
Almond Milk
Coconut Milk
Raw Honey
Mint Leaves
Coconut Meat
1/4 or up to an entire Avacado
Maca

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/01/raw-and-living-superfood-chocolate.html

Wheat Grass

So you want to drink wheatgrass but for some reason cannot stomach the taste? I know it can be very very difficult to drink massive amounts of wheatgrass. I mean juicing and drinking 1 ounce of wheat grass per day is something almost anybody can do but how do you drink 8, 10 or 16 ounces of wheatgrass? Well I discovered what "to me" is the best single discovery in helping me to be able to drink as much wheat grass as I want per day. You may not like it as much as I do but several people I have talked to love doing this as much as I do. So here's my trick to drinking massive amounts of wheat grass:

1. Double the amount of wheatgrass with good water. So say you have 4 ounces of wheat grass, put another 4 ounces of water in your glass.
2. Add 1 packet of stevia or if you have liquid stevia, put in 2-3 drops to taste.
3. Add 1 drop of peppermint oil.

And that's it. The stuff is sweet, cold and tastes great. You could drink 3 glasses of that per day (assuming it doesn't detox you too much) no problem at all.

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/03/wheat-grass.html

Green Smoothies

I would say the number one skill I have learned over the years is the art of perfecting the Green Smoothie. The idea in our diets is to gradually over time increase the amount of chlorophyll or greens we consume on a daily basis. It's actually pretty darn easy and a lot of fun to add more leafy greens into your daily diet.

My strategy has been 3 fold. Each day I try to:

Have a green smoothie

Have a green juice everyday

Have fresh raw salad everyday

So I'm essentially blending, juicing and eating greens. From time to time I'll have wheatgrass and green powders as well. Now the art of perfecting it will vary obviously for each person but for me I have dialed it in for myself.

I don't think I need to go on about the benefits of green foods or why they are good. I'd only be preaching to the choir here. :)

I'm hoping this guide will serve as a starting point for you to get good at making them yourself. I picked up these ideas from talking to various raw food chefs over the years and doing my own work at trying to perfect them for myself. It's one of my favorite ways to get the best vegetable nutrition out there!

So I'll share my strategy I use and if it works for you then great. If not, now worries! There's no right or wrong here. Here are the basic ingredients for my green smoothies

1. The Base. What will you use for your liquid base? I use sometimes a nut milk like almond milk, water or herbal tea from the night before.
   
2. Superfoods of any and all types. I like to use sea vegetables like powdered Kelp and Dulse. I also like MSM, Maca, bee pollen, flax oil, Spirulina, camu camu berries. You get the idea. The idea is to use whatever you want here (or nothing if you don't have them!) and whatever you think tastes good.
   
3. Greens of any type. I like collard greens, spinach, dark green salad lettuce, parsley, sometimes small amounts of cabbage, kale etc. You get the idea.
   
4. Fruits. I try to keep it to a minimum. The less sugar the better. Stronger flavored fruits are good here. Bananas work best for masking flavor, although they are the least healthy for you. A small slice of lemon helps to hide the flavor of greens too. Oranges are particularly strong too (make sure all fruit has seeds in them). I usually use about two pieces of fruit.
   
5. The Healthy Fats. According to The Sunfood Diet Success Systemand the Sunfood Triangle outlined there, it's good to have some raw fats with sugars to slow their absorption into your bloodstream. Basically so you don't get a sugar high. :) I like to use about a half of an
   avocado. That seems to work for me. Plus the fats make it more filling and allow you to be able to go longer until your next meal.
   
6. Sugars. I like to use an extra "sugar" in case the greens are too strong. I throw a pack of stevia in there just to help for flavor.
   
7. Frozen Fruits. I usually throw in some good frozen berries in at the very end and this adds so much to the flavor and look. The idea here is to add in whatever berries you have on hand. I like to go to the market and buy bags of organic frozen blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and blackberries.

Putting it all together :
Now this sounds like a lot but it's really quite easy and doesn't take that much time. I usually drink it on the way to work. So if you factor in the time that it might take you to make french toast AND sit and eat it, it's probably about the same amount of time.

Imagine the difference in your body and health doing this for breakfast for 20 years as opposed to eating bacon and eggs? So here's how I make my greens and superfoods smoothie:

- Pour the base into your blender and put your greens and superfoods into it. Blend all of that up really good.

- Put your soft fruit into the blender and your avocado and blend again.

- Then put your frozen berries into the blender (watch your green smoothie turn purple!) and blend for the last time.


- Your done! Pour it into your favorite cup and your out the door.

Some quick tips:

1. Make sure not to drink it too fast. There is a lot of fiber in the green drink and you don't want to overwhelm your system. They will usually last a few days in the refrigerator too. The fiber in the smoothie helps to keep the nutrients nice and intact, unlike green juices, which must be drunk right away.
   
2. Start out with a small amount of greens and work your way up. I started out with 90% fruit, 10% greens! Now I'm at about 40% greens or more. Your taste buds change over time. Be patient but be relentless.
   
3. Remove the spines of the big leafed vegetables like collard greens, kale etc as they are very bitter.
   
4. Blend in stages.The reason I blend in 3 stages is so I don't have to leave the blender on for a long time as this will oxidize your green smoothie. I prefer to blend more often for less amounts of time to reduce oxidation and heat friction. :)

Here are a couple books I've enjoyed on the subject. I HIGHLY recommend them.

Some videos you might find helpful :


Some links you might find helpful:
http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/
http://goneraw.com/recipes/58-Green-and-Gone-Smoothie
http://www.freshtopia.net/vlog/?p=156

http://rawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-smoothies.html