We are announced husband and wife at 11,000 feet!
Smoothie Anyone?
It seems to me that smoothies and juicing are increasing in popularity these days. Jamba Juice franchises are everywhere and boutique juice shops are popping up left and right. Are there benefits to smoothies and juices or is it just a trend?
I’m not a huge fan of juicing mostly because the sugar content increases in whole foods through the juicing process. And, from my understanding, the nutrients are more abundant in the vegetables and fruit as whole foods rather than their liquid form.
When it comes to smoothies, I believe there is a time and a place for them. The quality of the ingredients are just as important as they are when preparing a whole food meal.
Here is when I recommend enjoying a smoothie:
You’re on a liquid only diet. Maybe you had dental surgery or your tonsils removed and you’re unable to swallow for a week or two. This is where a nutrient dense smoothie will come in handy.
You’re crunched on time. In today’s world, we try to pack everything we can into one day which makes it difficult to consume the nutrients our body needs to have the energy to get everything done on our constantly growing to-do list. One thing I love about smoothies is you can make them in a big batch at once. Gather a few mason jars with lids and divide your smoothie mix up for a few days. Just shake it up when you’re ready to enjoy it as some of the ingredients may settle to the bottom. Most homemade smoothies should last a for a few days in the fridge.
You want to replace your favorite beverages with a healthier version. I used to love getting mochas and peppermint mochas from coffee shops before I was primal. I didn’t drink them too often, about once a week if that, but as I look back I realize it was probably too often. I’ve created my own mocha and peppermint mocha with high quality Primal Kitchen Chocolate Collagen Powder, raw cacao powder, and peppermint extract. Check out the recipe here. When I drink it I feel like I’m nourishing my body rather then putting it into a diabetic coma with low quality ingredients.
You just don’t want to cook or eat whole foods. I’m a firm believer in eating W.H.E.N. (when hunger ensues naturally). I usually fast in the morning and don’t eat anything until about 11:00am. Often times when I am hungry in the morning, I just don’t feel like making eggs, bacon, and veggies so I whip up a smoothie in less than five minutes. Or I’m just craving a smoothie. I fill my smoothie with healthy proteins and fats that keep me satiated until I’m hungry for my salad.
Here are the ingredients I recommend for a satisfying smoothie:
Collagen Protein Powder
Collagen is the largest protein in our body. It’s great for our skin, hair, nails, and joints. Everyone should be eating collagen every day. Primal Kitchen makes a great tasting, high quality collagen protein powder (e-mail me at melissa@honeybee.kitchen if you’re interested in a sample). It’s made with grass-fed bovine collagen peptides, coconut powder (the coconut taste is very mild), monk fruit extract, konjac root, vanilla extract, and sea salt. It comes in chocolate and vanilla. The chocolate powder is made with organic fair trade coco powder.
Raw Cacao Powder
Raw cacao powder is one of the most delicious and nutrient-dense foods you can enjoy. Cacao powder is different than coco powder in that it comes from un-roasted cacao beans rather than from roasted, which is what coco powder comes from. It’s less processed than coco powder and cold-pressed rather than processed at high heat.
Raw cacao powder has many health benefits including monounsaturated and saturated fats in it to help you feel satiated longer. It’s also full of vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, calcium and manganese. In additional to the vitamins and minerals, cacao powder is high in antioxidants, which help prevent oxidation in your body. Oxidation in your body can cause chronic inflammation, negatively effecting your immune system, and premature aging. It has also been known to decrease stress levels and increase energy levels.
Maca Powder
Maca powder is from the root of the maca plant which is the part of the plant that is most edible. It has a nutty flavor to it but I can’t taste it in my smoothie.
There are a number of benefits that come from maca powder. It’s high in vitamin C, iron, and copper. It has also been known to increase energy, endurance, and improve your mood. This is especially beneficial for folks who are have challenges with anxiety and depression.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices. Cinnamon is a sweet and savory spice that’s delicious in pumpkin pie and cinnamon rolls. I love sprinkling my whole milk grass-fed yogurt and raw walnut pieces with cinnamon. One of my non-primal treats is cinnamon flavored gluten-free oatmeal. And cinnamon my “secret” ingredient in my HBK Taco Seasoning.
Cinnamon has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. All you need is about ¼ tsp in your smoothie to add a little extra flavor and get the health benefits.
Healthy Oil
MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) and olive oil are two fantastic healthy fats to include in a smoothie. These healthy saturated fats are a great addition to smoothies to help keep you satiated (feeling full) longer.
It’s widely known that olive oil is a heart healthy monounsaturated fat. But what’s MCT oil? MCT oil is concentrated coconut oil. We buy the flavorless MCT oil so I can’t even taste it when I put it in my smoothie. In addition to helping you feel fuller longer, MCT oil has also been known to give you mental clarity, more energy, improved digestion, and keep your hormone levels in check.
Nut Butters
Nut butters such as almond or cashew add flavor, fat, and protein to a smoothie. I will occasionally add peanut butter to my smoothie as well. Yes, I know peanuts are technically legumes and not primal or paleo, however, I still love the taste of it. And it’s better than other non-primal/paleo foods.
Berries
Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are high in antioxidants. They also have a lower glycemic index than most other fruits which means our bodies process them slower. Your insulin levels won’t spike after eating them.
Banana
I love the consistency bananas bring to a smoothie. It adds a nice smoothness and creaminess. When bananas are more on the green side they are a great source of resistant starch. Resistant starch is food for our good gut bacteria that we want to keep alive. Fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha are also great sources of resistant starch.
Water, Milk, or Cold Brew Coffee
The type of liquid used in a smoothie can make all the difference. I prefer to use almond milk because it gives it a creamier texture than water or cold brew coffee. Cold brew coffee is delicious when I’m on the mood for a coffee beverage that’s a little on the sweet side yet nutritious.
Of course, there are so many more nutrient dense ingredients you can include in your smoothie. The one common denominator in most of these ingredients: they help you feel satisfied longer.
My Six Week Keto Journey
The Ketogenic (or Keto) Diet. You’ve probably heard of it somewhere or know someone who’s following it right now. Some say it’s just another fad diet while others swear by it and make it a way of life. Throughout my training to become a Primal Health Coach, I learned about the keto diet but never tried it myself. I eat clean, nutrient-dense, whole foods most of the time. When I occasionally indulge in non-primal foods (i.e. desserts, pizza) it’s made with high quality ingredients and gluten-free. I do love me a good slightly green banana by itself or in a shake with chocolate collagen protein powder or roasted sweet potatoes with butter and salt.
For those of you who are not familiar with the keto diet, it’s a way of eating in which you eat real nutrient-dense foods and keep your carbohydrate consumption at 50 grams or less per day. There are many health benefits to a ketogenic diet (many of which I will get into more detail in another post) including starving cancer cells. Cancer cells feed off of glucose so when you consume a super low carb diet the cancer cells have no food and they die. It’s also been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes. Of course, everyone should continue working closely with their doctor while treating a disease naturally.
I was inspired to do the keto diet for six weeks (this is the length of time Mark Sisson recommends in his book The Keto Reset Diet) for two reasons. The first reason was to conduct a personal experiment on myself to see how my body reacts to a super low carb diet. The second reason was to experience the keto diet so I can coach my clients who want to follow a keto diet.
I wanted to journal my personal six week keto journey with you. Enjoy!
Week One
The first two days were surprisingly really easy for me. I believe this is because I had never consumed less than 50 grams of carbs in one day, I have been following a primal lifestyle for six years already. I was also really excited to try new recipes. As an artist in the kitchen, this was a way for me to express myself and expand the menu of meals that eat.
There were two challenges to the first week.
Number one: I was REALLY hungry all the time, even after I ate a meal full of healthy proteins and fats. I was tracking my macros using the My Fitness Pal app on my phone which was extremely helpful. I learned that I was eating a bit too much protein and not enough fat. Fat is more calorically dense than protein and carbs so it keeps you feeling full longer.
Number two: I felt really fatigued during my workouts, especially during sprint workouts. I did ride my bike to and from work one day and I felt a little fatigued but not as much as during a sprint workout.
Week Two
At the start of week two I was still feeling hungry most of the time and struggling to get through my sprint workouts. I decided to temporarily cut out my sprint workouts and stick to my strength training and low level cardio.
I increased my fat in take and decreased my protein and that seemed to help me feel more satiated. I was craving bananas and sweet potatoes just about every day. The interesting thing is that I was not having any sugar cravings. This was surprising to me because I have a big sweet tooth. Put a dark chocolate gluten-free cheesecake in front of me and I’ll devour a piece while making weird noises.
Week Three
This was the week that I would be tested. We were heading up to Reno for my friend, Stephanie’s wedding in which I was a bridesmaid. Stephanie and I have been friends for many years and I was truly honored to be a part of her big day so I wanted to celebrate as much as I could with her.
The morning of the wedding, the bridal party went to get pedicures at a really cute boutique nail spa called Soak. After we sat down and our feet were soaking in a warm bath of soapy water we were offered an adult beverage. Whenever I do a strict primal eating challenge I usually avoid alcohol. However, I gave myself permission to make an exception since it was Stephanie’s wedding. I promised myself I would not go overboard. I’m not a big drinker to begin with so going overboard would not have been an option even if I wasn’t doing a keto.
So, I ordered a Bailey’s and coffee with whipped cream. It came in a giant mug with lots of whipped cream. I only enjoyed half of it before it became too sweet for my taste. Later on I had a few glasses of champagne while we were getting ready.
I may have exceeded 50 grams of carbs (though probably not by much) that day but I wasn’t hard on myself because of it. I knew the next day I would get back on track and that’s exactly what I did.
Week Four
At the beginning of week four I started to get a sore throat and it became a full blown head cold within a few days. This was most likely from the lack of sleep from the previous weekend. I’ve learned to pay attention to what’s happening in my life when I get sick (which is not that often). If I’m eating clean when I get sick, I’m usually feeling anxious or not sleeping enough and my immune system shuts down.
Whenever I’m sick my go-to comfort meal is tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread. Of course my craving for this made it very difficult to stick to my keto challenge. I was very tempted to go to Trader Joe’s and buy all the ingredients. Instead, I ate some tomato soup with broccoli to help me feel better. We tend to eat comfort foods for psychological reasons rather than the fact that our bodies actually needing the nutrients. Even though the tomato soup was not that low carb, the ingredients weren’t too bad.
Week Five
Week five was a real challenge for me because I knew we were over half way done. By this time, I was really craving a banana every time I laid eyes on one. Especially the bananas that are still slightly green and when you bite into them they’re the perfect consistency: not too hard and not too soft. This week felt like the never ending trail when we hiked Mt. Whitney last October. After hiking 11 miles with 6,000 feet in elevation gain up to the summit of Mt. Whitney we still needed to hike 11 miles back down to the portal. We had about 3-4 miles to go and it felt like the trail was never going to end. Every time we turned a corner I expected to see the signs at the trailhead and all I saw was more trail. I kept walking (eating keto aligned foods) and I knew eventually I would get to the finish line.
Week Six
And the finish line was in sight. During week six, I was reflecting on my keto journey. I learned a lot about myself and my body the past six weeks. Toward the end of the week I gave myself permission to give in to temptation and enjoyed some gluten free toast and white potatoes.
Takeaways
1. My favorite workout workout to do is sprints, preferably hill sprints. When I ran sprints during my keto challenge I did not have as much power as I usually do. I learned this the first week and thought maybe my body just needs to adjust. During my sixth week I still didn’t have as much power. I learned that my body does better during a sprint workout when I’m eating clean starchy foods like sweet potatoes and bananas.
2. It was more difficult for me to fast during keto. I rarely eat breakfast since I’ve switched over to a primal aligned eating pattern so I’m not hungry in the mornings. While eating keto I was usually always hungry in the morning. I like getting the benefits of fasting.
3. Before our keto challenge, I was getting a little lazy with my food intake and eating more non-primal aligned foods than I should have been. I definitely felt very energetic and had a clear mind while eating keto. Even though I’ve chosen not to eat keto 100% of the time it was a good reminder to be more mindful of what I put in my body. Even as a Primal Health Coach it was a really good reset for me.
What I Ate During My Keto Journey
Breakfast: Coffee shake with Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel protein powder, MCT oil, and cacao powder or eggs and veggies.
Lunch: HBK Salad with healthy proteins (sardines, grass-fed sausages, hard boiled eggs) and fats (HBK Ranch Dressing, olive oil, avocado, etc).
Dinner: Healthy protein (salmon, mahi mahi, grass-fed burger, grass-fed sausages, grass-fed bison, or eggs) and non-starchy veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, kale, or spinach).
If you’re interested in seeing if keto is a good fit for you, please feel free to reach out to me for coaching. I’m happy to help!
How to Maintain Your Primal Lifestyle Throughout the Holidays
The holidays are coming soon, at lightening speed this year it seems. With the holidays comes many stresses including choosing the perfect gift for your special someone, potential weight gain from indulging in too many sweets and adult beverages, dealing with crowds, and many more. I’ve found the holidays tend to become more stressful and not as enjoyable as an adult.
I’ve always loved this time of year when the leaves were turning color, the weather starts to get cooler, and it’s ok to start making and eating everything pumpkin. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to getting the 1,000 page JC Penny catalogue and turning the pages for hours on end circling all the cool toys and gadgets I wanted Santa to bring me. I never felt stressed about the holidays coming up, just excited to see what would be under the Christmas tree the morning of December 25th.
As an adult, my values have changed (obviously) and the holiday season has a different energy to it. I no longer think about the presents I want to find under the tree. Instead, I decide which steps I’m going to take to be proactive to lower my stress levels instead of allowing them to rise due to the pressures of the holiday season from our current society. Do I indulge a little on non-primal food and drinks this time of year? Yes, absolutely! After all, I am human and there are still certain foods and beverages I like to enjoy occasionally.
It’s so easy to get on the internet and spend money on material items that will likely take up space in someone’s home and not be used. It’s also easy to allow ourselves to eat anything that’s in front of us because “it’s the holidays, it’s ok to indulge.” We tell ourselves, “I’ll start my eating better and working out on January 1st. Until then I’ll enjoy the holidays and eat whatever I want.”
In my opinion, the holidays should be treated like any other time of the year. You should still focus on eating nutrient-dense foods but also indulge every now and then. You should also focus on keeping your stress levels low as much as possible. And you should keep moving.
Here are my tips for having a fun, relaxing, and meaningful holiday season:
Focus on quality time spent with loved ones and friends rather than which material items to buy them. My siblings and I decided years ago we were only going to buy gifts for the kids and not for each other. Even though we all live in different parts of the country and we can’t always spend the holidays together, a phone conversation getting caught up on everything exciting happening in our lives is more meaningful than an item of clothing or piece of jewelry. I have more fun hanging out with my family enjoying a good meal together or watching Christmas movies than I do opening gifts.
When purchasing gifts, focus on gifts someone will use frequently or give them an experience they might not otherwise give themselves. When I do give a gift, it’s usually an item they can use on a daily basis or a gift certificate to a place they can have a meaningful experience. For example, we usually get my parents a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant or a restaurant that they might not normally go to.
When my mom asks us each year,”What do you want for Christmas?” I usually don’t have an answer for her. Last year Scot and I told her we want a burr coffee grinder. We make homemade cold brew coffee quite frequently in a large batch. This requires grinding lots of coffee beans at once. We have an easy-to-use hand grinder but we found it was too time consuming to grind all the beans using this we need for a large batch of cold brew. So, we asked for nice burr grinder that we would use frequently. This was one of the best gifts we’ve received because we use it quite often.
Instead of focusing on the foods you don’t eat since you’ve started eating real nutrient-dense food, focus on finding new fall comfort food recipes that are primal friendly. I’ve become really good at recreating my favorite comfort foods and making them primal. I do this because I love to cook and create new recipes. It’s one way I like to challenge myself and I always learn something new related to cooking. One of my favorite recipes I’ve created in my kitchen is my Bacon Kale Butternut Squash Soup. Butternut squash is a great fall starchy vegetable to have after a sprint session or high intensity workout or if you’re just wanting a hot soup. You can make and freeze this soup in single size portions so you can enjoy it on a busy day by just heating it up. However, you don’t have to do this on your own. There are so many recipes online and many primal/paleo cookbooks that have done the job for you.
Get moving! Keep up your normal workout routine regardless of how busy your schedule is this time of year. Take 10-15 minutes breaks every few hours or so to go for a walk or do 20 burpees, 20 push ups and 20 squats. If you don’t have 10-15 minutes, take a one minutes break and do 10 push ups or 10 squats. When you’re at the mall shopping for gifts park really far away from the entrance so you have to walk farther. Better yet, park on the other side of the mall from the entrance and walk all the way around. If you haven’t started a workout routine get started. If you need help figuring out how to fit exercise into your busy schedule, please reach out to me. I’m happy to help!
Give yourself permission to indulge in some holiday treats in moderation. This is really important because if we’re stressed out over what we eat our cortisol levels increase which could cause weight gain regardless of what we eat or don’t eat. One holiday tradition that we have in our family is to drink mimosas and Bailey’s Irish Cream in our coffee on Christmas morning. This is a holiday treat I look forward to every year.
If I’m having a holiday dinner at someone else’s house I always offer to bring a side dish or dessert and make sure it’s primal friendly. I don’t get caught up in whether or not the turkey is pasture-raised or the vegetables are organic. I also indulge in a piece of bread if it’s available. As long as you don’t have celiac or a gluten intolerance I think it’s ok to enjoy a piece of bread every now and then. The one food I won’t eat at all is margarine or any other kind of fake butter. Besides the fact that it’s not good for you due to the vegetable oils that are high in omega-6 fatty acids, I won’t eat because it is I just don’t like it. However, I will enjoy a piece of bread with real butter on it every now and then. I fill my plate with a little bit of protein and the rest with vegetables, focusing on eating the protein and vegetables first and the bread last. I have a big sweet tooth so I usually always have dessert especially if pumpkin pie is served.
Take time each day to be alone and enjoy some quiet time. This is a great way to start your day before the busyness of the day takes you away to your to do list. Take frequent breaks throughout the day to take a few deep breaths or go for a walk to get some fresh air. Give your mind a break from focusing on the task at hand and just be still. Even one minute of this can make a difference in your mood and stress levels.
Hire a health coach to be your accountability partner throughout the holiday season. One of the reasons I chose to become a health coach is to help others become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves. One of the benefits of having a health coach (or a coach of any kind) is having someone who is your ally and will hold you accountable to taking the action steps that will help you reach your health and fitness goals. I have a 30 day program that will help you get jump started on your health goals. I also offer a 12 week program that will help get you through the holiday season and have an amazing start to the new year. If you’re looking for a longer commitment I offer a 6 month program which will get you through almost half of 2018.
The holiday season shouldn’t be a time of worrying about whether or not your favorite jeans are going to fit at the end of the year. It should be a stress-free time of celebration and fun along with a little indulgence in your favorite holiday treats. They should be enjoyable!
Thanks for reading! I’d love hear your takeaways from this post.
Happy holidays!
Paleo f(x)
We had such a great time in Austin, Texas, this past week visiting family and friends and making new friends at Palo f(x). If you haven’t been to Austin and you like to eat delicious food and enjoy the outdoors (when it’s not 95 degrees and 100% humidity), I highly recommend visiting this fun city.
Austin is considered the Paleo capital of the United States so it’s only fitting that the ancestral health convention, Paleo f(x), is held there. The conference was held downtown at the Palmer Events Center right next to Lady Bird Lake, renamed in 2007 from Town Lake to Lady Bird Lake in honor of the former United States First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. This reservoir type lake is great for kayaking or paddle boarding. We kayaked on this lake when we were in Austin last November. There’s also hiking and bike trails around the lake to enjoy as well.
Here are a few highlights from my first Paleo f(x) experience.
When I walked into the expo for the first time on Friday morning I was thrilled to see the Primal Blueprint booth right in the front. Primal Blueprint was founded by Mark Sisson, who is one of the people on the forefront of the ancestral health movement. Mark writes the widely popular paleo/primal blog marksdailyapple.com, which I have been reading for the last five years. Scot referred me to his blog when we met and I’ve been hooked on it ever since. Mark is also the creator of the best healthy mayonnaise in the world, Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise.
About three years ago, Mark launched the Primal Health Coach Certification, which is the first ancestral health coaching certification. When this certification was launched I signed up for it and became certified. I was excited to have the opportunity to meet Mark and take a picture with him. And he gave me a hug for completing the health coaching certification. I also met two of the ladies, Erin and Laura, on the Primal Health Coach support team. It was awesome to be able to thank them in person for they’re hard work they do behind the scenes to support us and give us the resources that help us build a successful coaching business.
I also had the pleasure of sitting in the audience during Mark’s keynote talk about creating your life’s work out of your passion. The number one takeaway from his message for me was that your passion finds you and you don’t find it. And it can change depending in your interests and where you are on your life journey. My passion on this part of life journey is helping others optimize their health by living a primal lifestyle. It brings me so much joy to teach a cooking class on how to create nutrient dense meals at home that are quick and easy. Or coaching a client to help them achieve their weight loss goals by making small changes that are simple but not always easy. Not only are they losing weight, but they are healthier in all areas in their life by making better lifestyle choices.
One of my other passions at this time is fitness. Although I’m really passionate about improving my own fitness level, I’m also passionate about helping others achieve their fitness goals. Darryl Edwards is well known in the paleoshere for his expertise in primal play. He teaches folks how to incorporate primal play into their lifestyle. Part of this play is teaching folks how to move like animals: bears, ducks, cats, rabbits, etc. It may sound and look easy but it is definitely challenging. Scot and I attended one of Darryl’s Animal Moves workshops at Paleo f(x) and it was definitely one of the most challenging workouts I’ve done. It was a lot of core strength in which I don’t have a lot of at this time but I’m working on improving. He is a master at primal play and animals moves and makes it look easy. He moves like a bear or a monkey with such grace that it looks so simple. I was definitely inspired by Darryl to incorporate animal moves into my daily movement routine.
After the workshop, I asked Darryl if he would take a photo with me. He said, “Yes, but you have to give me a piggy back ride.” I said, “Are you serious?” He said, “Yes!” I said, “Ok, let’s do this!”
There’s always something unconventional coming up in the paleoshere. The newest up and coming thing is camel milk. Yes, it sounds weird, but it actually tastes a lot like cow’s milk. We had the privilege of sampling camel milk at the expo. It’s lower in lactose which means it’s more easily digestible for most folks who are lactose intolerant. It also has less fat and calories and more vitamin C and B3 than cow’s milk.
They were offering free camel rides at the conference. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to ride one of the camels. One of the camels did agree to take a photo with us.
