5 Ways to Stay Hooked on Blending

• Educate yourself
  When you learn the benefits of eating a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, and the consequences of eating a poor diet consisting mostly of highly processed foods that are low on nutrients but high in calories (ex: The Standard American Diet, also known as the SAD diet), this should naturally motivate you to choose foods that are good for your health as opposed to having a detrimental impact upon it. When we are educated on the bad, the good and the choices we can make, and then amp up our focus on those that most resonate with us, we get more motivated to take-action.
  
  
• What motivates you?
  Find what motivates you! Not what motivates your parents, grandparents, best friend or kids. We all want to be healthy however what is of the biggest concern for each of us is a little different. If you are not heavily motivated by avoiding cancer and premature death but are highly motivated to get your swim suit body for going to the beach, then focus on that. Either way you get all those other health benefits.

• Keep kitchen workplace, fridge and pantry organized.
  If you keep things clean and tidy, then things are quick to access and are ready to use right away. If you must clean your kitchen counter, wash cutting boards or knives and can’t find ingredients easily than you have a lot of obstacles to preparing your healthy meal. So, when you keep things clean, tidy and organized, you have one less excuse to get your healthy blend of yum. Also, to further set the stage for your success, try to plan meals and prep ingredients whenever it can help save time and make things easier. For example, try prepping your produce the night before for your next day nutritious smoothie, hearty soup, myriad of salad greens or delicious salad dressing. Doing prep work may help you follow through even on busy and time short days – which we all have.  For more on organizing your kitchen and workspace to support your blending routines, check out “Blender Lifestyle: The Beginners Guide”.
  
  

• Keep the blender on the counter top!
  Out of sight is out of mind. Your blender is one of the best tools to support you in consuming your daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. You can whip them up into a countless number of ways, from smoothies any time of day, to soups, sauces, frozen treats and more. Leverage your helper and let it make your journey faster, easier, delicious and fun. Cheers! I’ll drink (my smoothie) to that!

• Keep costs down
  In the ideal world all food would be high quality, fresh and free of GMOs and pesticides. Unfortunately, that is not the case, so always try to buy organic. However, the cost of organic is more than conventional produce and may not always fit your personal budget. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has conducted testing on produce and publishes a list of produce that identifies how much pesticide is typical to each. When balancing budget and health, try to buy organic options of any produce found on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. Anything on the EWG Clean Fifteen list can be bought as conventional produce when budget is a priority.

• Menu Plan and Prepare
  Plan your healthy but delicious menu and have all ingredients on hand to make those meals. By making your own menu plan, you can custom fit meals that match your lifestyle, or preferred eating protocol such as concentrating mealtime into a 6 or 8 hour eating window (common to those doing intermittent fasting).  With being prepared you will not need to run out to get odd ingredients or faced with having to order out for a meal due to missing key grocery items. Having a menu plan also frees you from opening the fridge and trying to figure out what to eat, when you are hungry and tired. By planning and preparing, whipping up healthy and delicious meals is easy and fast.

You do not have to force yourself to eat something you do not like. Let’s say you do not like brussel sprouts? Then do not eat them, top up on something you do like (that’s healthy). You should enjoy your food and eating healthy can be just that. However, do not let your dislike of certain healthy foods hold you back from discovering new ways of having them that could wow and delight you!

When it is enjoyable than it is easy to reach the recommended consumption of fruits and veggies. Most people do not get enough produce or variety in their diet. One of the amazing things of blending is how it makes consuming more produce easy and this includes even types you are not a fan of.  So, you can add in a variety of nutrient dense foods yet not even detect anything other than the yum of the blend.

We all need to eat leafy greens, yet for many this is the least favourite produce. If you do not like leafy greens like spinach or kale but know you need help in reaching your recommended servings of daily greens, blending is an awesome way to help you get them. Give it try! Just start with a small bit of green (or whatever produce you may be taste phobic with) pair with other tasty fruits and veggies you love and work with that. For example, if you want to up your spinach intake, try blending up: 1.5 cup water, 2 cups baby spinach leaves, 2 cups frozen pineapple, ½ a peeled banana, and sweeten to taste with 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey (if adding). It is a perfect example of how to get your feet wet and once you see how tasty that is, experiment with increasing your leafy green ratios in your blends. You may be surprised how blending can make your produce eating, healthy, super enjoyable and how much easier it is to reach your recommended daily produce intake.

When making a lifestyle change it helps to have support. Just talking to others in a supportive community about your goals, can make you feel more accountable to stick with them. Also, by connecting with others on the same journey you may find it helps deepen your commitment and in so doing, help keep you from “falling off the wagon”.  When looking to find a community you resonate with, you may have many options. There may be a community of folks close to your where you live on this same journey. And if you do not easily see a local option you like and are keen to have one, consider starting a Meetup group of your own. There are also many online communities that champion this lifestyle as well, including our own. We invite you to drop in and visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter where we share recipes, tips, and stories of inspiration. Drop in and say hi. Our door is always open.