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3 Reasons Why Summer’s The Best Time To Do A Cleanse

May 21, 2023 Jean Yates

summer cleanse

Thinking about doing a cleanse? There’s no better time than now. Here are 3 reasons why summer is the best time to do a cleanse.

Last week, I admitted that I indulged to the max while on my European vacation, and how when I got back home, I decided I needed to be a Chef V customer.

I’m happy to report that I just wrapped up a 7 Day Cleanse.

So far so good.

I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.

In fact, I feel so good, I might do a 21 Day Detox.

And right now, in the heart of the summer, there’s no better time to do a cleanse or a longer detox.

Let me share with you my top 3 reasons why it’s easy to do a cleanse in summer.

Hack #1: take a walk

A simple way to have your blood sugar return to normal after a meal is by taking a walk. It doesn’t have to be a super vigorous hike, but getting enough exercise is important for managing diabetes and this is especially true if you’re sedentary for most of the day.

Even more important than the advice to exercise is learning when to exercise. And if you only have time (or the motivation) to move your body once per day, research strongly suggests you should do it after dinner.

Most people eat their heaviest meal at night. And the biggest spike in blood sugar occurs after eating a large meal, especially if it contains lots of carbohydrates that have the potential of converting into sugar. (Think: pasta, bread, rice and other starchy carbohydrates.) Walking after a heavy meal is a proven way to improve blood sugar levels.

Consider this study from New Zealand. Two groups of people, most of whom had type II diabetes for 10 years, were compared. One group walked for 30 minutes a day for two weeks. The other group went for a 10-minute walk after each main meal. The results: blood sugar levels were significantly lower when participants walked after meals compared with the group who only went for one walk a day.

Meanwhile a different study compares exercising before a meal and after. The group with the lower blood sugar levels exercised after their meal, not before. This supports the first study that it’s vital to move around after eating a meal.

chef v summer cleanse

Summer is Best Time To Do a Cleanse — Reason #1: You’re not as hungry

Ever watch a nature documentary that shows bears and other animals seemingly eating non-stop during the summer?

The reason bears and other creatures of the forest binge eat in summer is, of course, because they have to fatten up for the winter hibernation.

Sometimes in winter, I feel like hibernating.

But I also feel like eating a lot more in winter than I do in summer. The hot, sticky weather in summer kills the appetite, at least for hearty foods that we usually crave in the winter like stews, meat and starchy carbs such as pasta and bread.

Most people tend to crave fruit in the summer. And unlike meat and starchy carbs, fruit is a safe food to eat while doing a cleanse.

How I start off each morning while I’m doing a cleanse is drink two glasses of water. I like to add some electrolytes to the water to provide the energetic spark plug my cells need (pink sea salt does the trick).

About a half-hour later, I’ll have 16 oz of Organic Green Drink. Shortly after that, I’ll have a handful or so of berries.

This holds me over until it’s time for my vegan protein shake.

Even though I’ve done plenty of cleanses in winter with no problem, I have to admit that summer is my favorite season for detoxing. Simply for the fact that I’m usually not as hungry as I am in the winter.

But be careful to not exercise too much when you’re doing a cleanse in summer. You’re already limiting your calorie intake to begin with. Plus, with the heat, you’re at risk for heat stroke.

So just stick to walks early in the morning and/or evening.

Summer is Best Time To Do a Cleanse — Reason #2: Swimsuit Psychology

It might sound too good to be true. But we’ve had plenty of customer success stories with weight loss of 10 pounds or more within just 7 days.

Reading these success stories that make their way to my email inbox every day is a huge reason why I wake up excited to get to work.

I love hearing from women that a Chef V cleanse helped them look and feel sexier, especially in time for the summer swimsuit season.

Here’s what “Wenderful” says about her experience:

“I lost 10lbs!… This was the perfect start to leaning out for summer….Thank you Chef V….What a great experience!!

Now, I know what you might be thinking….

Sure, it’s great she was able to lose 10 pounds. But what’s going to happen once the cleanse is over?

Well, if “Wenderful” follows my cleanse daily schedule and post-cleanse tips, she’ll have no trouble keeping off the excess weight.

In winter, my hubby Brandon likes to joke that my legs need to be shaved with a lawn mower. Because of body consciousness, summer time gives us extra motivation to get leaner and look our best.

Summer is the best time to do a Cleanse
Reason #3: Salads

If you’re doing a cleanse or longer detox, one of the hardest things is going to a restaurant with friends.

However, in summer, it’s easy to join your friends at dinner. Just order a salad. Make sure to order the dressing on the side.

Most restaurants have at least one veggie they can steam or lightly grill for you, such as broccoli or asparagus.

A large spinach salad (no croutons!) with a side of veggies will fill you up. And because of the hot weather, you’re not going to feel like sinking your teeth into a burger like your friends.

If you’re having a hard time losing those last stubborn 10 pounds, there is no better time to do a Chef V cleanse than right now.

Do it now because in the blink of an eye, you’re going to feel like hibernating. And when that happens, you won’t have the luxury of sleeping the winter off like a bear. You’ll be craving high-calorie foods to make it through those long dark nights.

2 Easy Hacks for Lowering Blood Sugar Levels

September 4, 2022 Jean Yates

walking for diabetes

Living with diabetes isn’t a life sentence. In fact, it is possible to reverse diabetes. Sure, it’s going to take a lifestyle adjustment, including getting regular exercise and diet modification. But with these 2 easy hacks, you’ll be on your way to managing your diabetes.

Hack #1: take a walk

Hacks 1.1 and 1.2: When weather is bad, Use an App and watch lots of TV (while moving)

Hack 1.1 within this hack is to either set a timer or use an app to alert you to move and remind you to be more active. It’s important to emphasize that you just need to go for a walk. Not a power walk. And not a steep hike, or a jog. Or, God forbid, wind sprints. Just a casual stroll after each meal is all it takes to lower blood sugar. The problem with this solution of post-meal walks is that many of us are so busy that we often forget to go for a walk. The gravitational pull of the couch is so strong when you’re tired at the end of a long day. All you want to do is binge watch your favorite Netflix show.

Hack 1.2 is to beat the weather with a treadmill, or just walking in place. Weather can prevent some people from walking after a meal. If it’s -30 degrees outside, the last thing you’re going to want to do is go outside. The easy hack: walk in place while you watch TV. If you can make it a habit to just walk in place (or if you have a treadmill at home) while you watch TV, before you know it, you’ll have walked 30 minutes or even an hour. And you don’t need to be drenched in sweat to reap the benefits of a post-meal walk.

To reiterate, just move. Walk at a comfortable but not laborious clip. That’s all it takes to normalize your blood sugar level after a meal.

(Suggested reading: “Blunting post-meal glucose surges in people with diabetes”)

medical cannabis

Hack #2: Eat Healthy Cereal – Easy Way to Lower Blood Sugar

Breakfast cereal is one of the most popular meals in the morning for people who need to quickly wolf something down before school or work. But most breakfast cereals are loaded with heavily processed grains (which are carbohydrates.) In fact, using as an example, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, just one cup (and who eats just one cup?) contains almost 50 grams of carbs. That means if you pour yourself a big bowl of cereal in the morning, and add some banana slices you’ll start your day with over 100 grams of carbs. And that’s not even counting the sugar from milk.

It’s no wonder that many people by 10:30 or 11 in the morning need their third cup of coffee just to stay awake and be productive until it’s time for lunch. That’s because high carb breakfasts such as cereal and bagels, toast, muffins, danishes, donuts, etc. contain too many quick-burning carbs. These carbs quickly spike blood sugar levels. And what quickly goes up must come crashing back to Earth. It’s these blood-sugar fluctuations that produce mood swings, not to mention chronic metabolic disorders such as type II diabetes.

So what’s a cereal lover to do? You can’t paint stripes on a donkey and call it a tiger. Telling someone to stop eating cereal who has been eating it for decades may not be the best coaching advice. Instead, try Chef V’s Recipe for Healthy Cereal.

We’ll be offering more easy blood sugar lowering hacks and recipes in the future. But for now, enjoy a bowl of this yummy low-carb cereal. The recipe comes from the cookbook, Making Cleansing Easier by Chef V, aka Veronica Wheat Kress, the first entrepreneur to offer nationwide overnight delivery of 100% certified organic, cold-blended Green Drinks.

Healthy Cereal Recipe With Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk

Healthy Cereal

½ cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk – recipe below – or use coconut milk
¼ cup crushed raw almonds
¼ cup crushed raw walnuts
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

To make the cereal, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Chef V's Raw Almond Milk

3 cups raw almonds
3 cups filtered water
High power blender (I prefer Vitamix)
Nut Milk Bag or Cheesecloth

Instructions

To make the almond milk, process 3 cups of raw almonds and 3 cups filtered water in a Vitamix until liquefied. Strain through a cheesecloth into a mason jar and seal. Will keep for up to 3-5 days refrigerated.

Chef V’s 3 Men’s Health Tips: Gift-Wrapped For Father’s Day

June 1, 2022 Chef V

What better present than giving the gift of health. If you know a daddy or a childless dude that could use a health makeover, give them the gift of an Organic Green Drink subscription. And for a sweet cherry on top, share these 3 men’s health tips, courtesy of “V” herself…

Hey guys, I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I focused my attention on you. With Father’s Day around the corner, it’s the perfect time to dispense some health tips to make sure you’re living your best life. So let’s jump right in…

Alcohol In Moderation

Is it gender bias to think that men drink more alcohol than women? I think not. Let’s be honest, guys toss ‘em back way more than the ladies. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for enjoying an occasional glass of wine. But I think there are far too many guys out there who are drinking way too much.

Do I really need to explain what the risks are of consuming alcohol excessively? Maybe you won’t end up needing a liver transplant, but drinking alcohol can elevate cholesterol in the blood. High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attacks.

Really, I’m not trying to be a buzzkill but it seems to me that because of the increased levels of stress—because of the pandemic, tribal politics, economic hardships, etc.—people in their 40s and 50s are tossing them back like they’re back in frat boy mode.

I would also pay attention to what kind of alcohol you’re drinking, fellas. Many guys I know love beer. I live in San Diego, which has become a microbrew Mecca. The greater San Diego area is home to over 150 craft beer joints (microbreweries).

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying one or two IPAs every now and then. But having a few pints several nights a week can lead not only to high blood cholesterol and triglycerides, it can also cause fatty liver disease.

Even if fatty liver disease doesn’t manifest, all that gluten and empty calories in beer can bloat the belly and cause systemic inflammation in the body. I’ve run into guys I haven’t seen in a few years who used to be thin now appear bloated, with puffy chipmunk faces. I’m telling you it’s the beer! Personally, I think if you’re going to drink, you’re better off having one or two high-quality shots of an expensive spirit like vodka, whiskey or mezcal; something that won’t go right to your waistline.

Get Checkups

Another thing guys tend to do is put off medical appointments. Again, I don’t want to perpetuate gender stereotypes but this neglect of medical care is something I have seen more often in men.

If you’re a guy of middle age, say 45 or older, get an annual checkup that includes basic metabolic blood work for cholesterol, vitamin D, thyroid hormones and sex hormones. This is especially recommended if you’re feeling sluggish. I also recommend getting a full-body scan at the dermatologist. Skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer.

Another type of cancer that affects men and is even more common than skin cancer is prostate cancer. Which is why men 50 years of age and older should get a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test to screen for early detection of prostate cancer. It’s not a perfect test but it’s the best thing most doctors have access to.

Also at the mid-century mark is when guys should think about having a colonoscopy. It’s not fun to think about getting digitally probed but as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Exercise The Right Way

It goes without saying that both men and women need to exercise. Although women do the very thing that I’m about to call men out on, I’m seeing this pattern more often in men. Here’s what I’m noticing… Increasingly, more men seem to be doing very high intensity exercise whether it’s CrossFit, Jujitsu or Ironman training.

Hey, it’s certainly better to train like a warrior than be a couch potato. But some men (yes, and women, too) lead very hectic lives, juggling very demanding jobs. For anybody, male or female, that has a very stressful lifestyle, the object of exercising should be to lower levels of stress hormones, not burn the adrenal glands out.

If you’re a guy with a type A personality and lifestyle to match, maybe you’re better off doing a more mellow form of exercise like yoga or hiking? It’s just food for thought.

And on the flip side, there are far too many great guys out there who don’t devote enough time to staying fit. Not to get all preachy on you, daddy, but if you want to witness not your child’s wedding and your grandkids graduate from high school, you need to start getting regular, moderate-intensity exercise every day.

Eat real food at least 90% of the time and keep a positive, grateful attitude.

Happy Father’s Day!

Can You Exercise During A Blended Juice Cleanse?

November 30, 2021 Chef V

Veronica working from home

There’s a lot of information (and misinformation) about exercising on a blended juice cleanse. We’re tackling the topic head-on, so you can make an informed decision on whether to hit the gym or the couch while cleansing. Let’s dive in.

How Our Bodies Burn Fuel for Exercise

Before we can discuss when, how, and how much you should exercise on a blended juice cleanse, it’s best to quickly refresh ourselves on how our body burns fuel in the first place.

On a normal day our bodies prioritize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for fuel. If you have not ingested enough of these three macros to fuel your activity level, your body will begin burning fat reserves and, eventually, muscle mass to make up the deficit.

If your end goal for your cleanse is to lose weight (vs say, detox), this knowledge may tempt you to decrease your macros and increase your activity level/exercise output. However, this is not generally recommended.

Excessive exercise without proper fuel can lead to exhaustion, dizziness, and nausea. Eventually, you may even lose muscle mass and decrease your metabolic rate—the opposite of your end goal.

Exercising on a Regular Juice Cleanse vs a Blended Juice Cleanse

On any ol’ juice cleanse, your body will only be fueled by pressed or squeezed juices. These types of juices are essentially water, sugar, and micronutrients (for example, vitamin A, vitamin B-12, etc). In these circumstances, most people do not have the macronutrients to properly fuel for exercise such as running, swimming, or lifting weights.

In contrast, a blended juice cleanse does not filter out the fiber and carbohydrates found in fruit and vegetables. In other words, a blended juice cleanse provides more fuel for your body than a regular juice cleanse. And by extension, some physical activity may be fine for certain demographics.

blueberries

What Exercise Can I Do?

Unfortunately, there’s no hard guidelines on what exercises are appropriate for who on a blended juice cleanse. The best advice we can offer is to listen to your body and do what feels natural to you.

Try doing what you normally do, but at a slightly reduced output. For example, if you usually jog 5mi every other day, reduce your distance to 3mi and run at a slightly slower pace.

Remember, your body is not getting the fuel (macros) it is used to. Do not overdo yourself.

A few other light exercises we enjoy while cleansing include:

Stretching: Not only is stretching important as an exercise on its own, it is also essential to injury prevention. Not to mention, stretching burns fewer calories than most forms of exercise, making it the perfect activity while cleansing.

Yoga: Wake up your chakras, calm your mind, and focus on a light yoga practice while cleansing.

Pilates: Similar to yoga and stretching but with an added elements of strength building. This low-impact exercise is ideal for cleansing.

Walk: Easily the most underrated form of exercise at any time, but especially while cleansing. Walking keeps your blood pumping, your body moving, and your calories burning, all while remaining low-impact and accessible to everyone.

Exercise Tips

Here are a few extra tips to remember when exercising on a blended juice cleanse:

Listen to Your Body: If you don’t feel great – stop whatever activity you are doing. Cleansing is not the appropriate time to push your limits at the gym or in the swimming pool.

Stay Hydrated: Staying hydrated while exercising is always important, but quadruple-so while cleansing.

Time Your Exercises: Last but not least – try to time your exercises for when you’ll have the most energy. Namely, after enjoying your juice products. Our own Chef V juices are designed to give you a jolt of awareness and energy, so make the most out of it.

NAC: Best Supplement For Workout Junkies

April 18, 2021 Jean Yates

NAC for workout junkies

One of the reasons I love yoga is that it combines strength, flexibility and mental wellbeing. Yoga keeps me centered. But I realize that for some people, yoga’s just too chill. (If that’s what you think, try ashtanga yoga. It’ll kick your butt!) I have friends who are serious long-distance runners, Crossfitters, and Ironman and Ironwoman competitors.

High intensity exercise gets you in phenomenal shape. But there’s a downside to intense physical activity: it’s a form of stress that causes free radicals.

When you’re doing an intense workout, your body doesn’t distinguish stress; stress is stress and hardcore Crossfit workouts, Mud Runs and other obstacle course challenges are just as much of a stress to the body as worrying about how you’re going to pay the bills after you’ve gotten laid off from your job.

I’m a big fan of getting all the nutrients I need from organic local produce and other nutrient-dense real food. But if there’s one supplement I would take if I were a Crossfitter it would be NAC.

What is NAC?

It’s the synthetic form of the amino acid, cysteine. NAC (N-acetyl cysteine). Cysteine isn’t one of the 9 essential amino acids, which you need to get from food because your body can’t produce them on its own. But cysteine should be considered essential because most people don’t get enough of it.

So why take it for exercise? The biggest reason why is that NAC helps restore your body’s most important antioxidant.

When you think of antioxidants, what comes to mind? Vitamin C? Check. Vitamin E? Check. Polyphenols like resveratrol in red wine and grapes? Check. Plant-based foods are loaded with antioxidants. But virtually every single one of the cells in your body contain their own antioxidant. It’s called glutathione.

Glutathione is the master internal antioxidant of the human body. It’s actually composed of three amino acids (cysteine, glycine, and glutamate).

If you’re doing 50 burpees followed by 20 mountain climbers and 20 jump squats, your levels of cysteine are going to drop because of cellular oxidation caused by the intense exercise.

That’s where NAC comes to the rescue. By restoring levels of glutathione, NAC helps you recover from the stress caused by a crazy Crossfit workout.

NAC pills

Benefits of NAC

NAC does more than help your body recover from oxidative stress caused by intense exercise. It also helps detoxify the body in other ways. NAC helps get rid of toxins like heavy metals. And because free radical damage causes inflammation, NAC may prevent pain and swelling in the joints.

Even conventional medicine is on board with NAC. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) are given NAC in medical settings in order to facilitate healing. People who overdose on Tylenol are also given NAC to purge the body.

People with cystic fibrosis are given NAC to thin out mucus in the lungs.

There’s even more reasons I would consider using NAC outside of exercise recovery. For instance, it can help balance mood, blood sugar levels and more.

Boost Performance with NAC

A study in the Journal of Dietary Supplements says NAC supplementation may enhance performance and reduce soreness from acute, repeated-sprint, high-intensity exercise. NAC, it seems, has a knack (sorry, lame pun) for minimizing muscle fatigue and enhancing blood flow to the muscles. I’m not much of a runner, but if I were training for a long race, I’d definitely be down with stacking the NAC before my workouts.

pollution

NAC Dosage

So how much NAC should you take? According to the Life Enhancement Foundation, you should take anywhere from 600-1,800 mg per day.

If you have immune disorders like COPD, LEF says you can take even more, and you can split the dose in two servings. You may want to take NAC without food so that the amino acids from the food don’t interfere with NAC.

Conclusion

We’re constantly bombarded by oxidative damage: Exhaust from car engines (unless you drive a Tesla or Prius). Other chemicals in the air. Pesticides like glyphosate in the food and water supply. Excess alcohol consumption, etc.

We need every tool at our disposal to counteract the effects of free radical damage. Our bodies thankfully have that in the form of glutathione. But with the pervasiveness of synthetic chemicals, some of us are struggling to produce enough glutathione to stay healthy. Intense exercise is stressful to the body and reduces glutathione activity.

I’ll stick with yoga but if Crossfit is your thing, good on ya! You may want to consider supplementing with NAC to support your immune system, boost your workouts and recover faster.

7 Tips For Keeping Your ISHT Together

April 16, 2021 Jean Yates

summer cleanse

I’m lucky. I live in San Diego, CA where I’ll be spending plenty of time outdoors, even during what experts predict is going to be a “long, dark winter” because of the pandemic.

Or will I be basking in the Golden State’s brilliant sunshine this winter?

As I write this, California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, has instituted a state-wide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Also, Newsom has instituted a 14-day at-home quarantine for visitors and residents entering or reentering the state. He has also called on Californians to not fly for non-essential travel.

What’s next? Quite possibly a new stay-at-home lockdown mandate. So if you’re one of my loyal Green Drink customers in Fargo, North Dakota, we might be in the same boat. I might not be able to walk on the beach and you might not be allowed to go ice fishing.

How are any of us supposed to keep our isht together? (Don’t know what ‘isht’ is? Scramble the letters to form another word.)

Granted, when it’s freezing and dark outside, relatively few people are motivated to recreate outside. But considering that some of us may be required via governor mandates to stay at home, this will have a profound psychological effect.

But there’s no need to panic, feel stressed-out and anxious, and race to your local big chain store to hoard toilet paper. Not if you follow my tips to help you not just survive the long, dark winter but thrive. So without further ado….

#1: Morning Mantras

The first thing I want you to do when you wake up in the morning, unless you have to go to the bathroom really bad is recite health-conscious morning mantras.

You can do it with your eyes closed or open, sitting up or laying on your back. Take a few minutes, either reciting out loud or in your head one of the following (or something similar):

“All the trillions of cells in my body are healthy.”
“I am healthy.”
“I am calm, healthy and happy and no external influences invades my energy space.”

If you do yoga then you’re familiar with “Om,” the sacred mantra, which loosely translated means the entirety of the universe and the soul. What’s interesting about chanting is that research shows that humming increases levels of nitric oxide in the cells. Nitric oxide is in each and every one of your tens of trillions of cells, and its purpose is to keep blood vessels open so fresh blood can pump unobstructed to your organs, including the lungs.

So hum away while you’re driving or taking a shower.

#2: Deep Breathing

Before you get out of bed, after reciting a mantra for a few minutes, practice a round or two of deep breathing. Like humming and chanting, deep breathing increases nitric oxide levels and alkalizes the pH of the body. Many diseases are the result of pH being too acidic.

Deep breathing takes a little practice but it’s not that complicated. To begin either breathe in through your nose or pretend you are sipping a drink through a straw. While doing this, expand your belly like a balloon. The inhale should last 4-5 seconds. The key during the inhale is to also expand your lungs. That’s the part that takes practice. Then, exhale by deflating both your lungs and belly. The exhale cycle should also take about 4-5 seconds.

After about 25 breaths or so, your body might start tingling. That’s a good sign. It’s an indication that your tissues are receiving more blood and oxygen. If you start feeling lightheaded, stop.

#3: 3 Mini Yoga Sessions

If you’re stuck at home, keeping your blood pumping can be challenging. Even if you find the motivation to exercise at home for an hour, there’s a good chance for the other 17 hours or so that you’re awake will be spent being sedentary. And that’s a recipe for stagnant blood flow. Instead of doing one long exercise routine, set a timer for 11 a.m. 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. When the timer goes off stop what you’re doing and do a 10-minute yoga routine. (Not sure what to do? There are a ton of videos on YouTube that you can follow along to.

#4: Get Fresh Air

Even if there’s a lockdown in your area, you will still be able to get outside to buy essential items. Take that time to do some additional deep breathing. Unless you’re in a polluted area, the oxygen in fresh air has healing qualities. Don’t be stuck in your head, paralyzed with fear while walking into a store. Instead, as soon as you get out of your car and start walking, take deep breaths to steady your nerves.

And if you can spend time outdoors at a park or hiking trail, do it, even if the weather outside is frightful. Remember, there’s no bad weather, just bad clothes. Order a ski mask online and use it to protect your nose and cheek bones from the stiff, frigid wind.

#5: Buy a High-Quality Vitamin D Supplement

Research shows an association between developing severe Covid symptoms and having low vitamin D levels. During winter, most of us who live in the U.S. don’t get enough direct UV light from the sun for our bodies to synthesize vitamin D. More than any other nutrient, vitamin D is perhaps most important for supporting a balanced, healthy immune system.

#5: Buy a High-Quality Vitamin D Supplement

#6: Keep Blood Sugar Levels Steady

Sugar is not the devil. Not natural sugars, anyways. Eaten moderately, natural sugars provide your brain and cells with the fuel they need for energy. But most people get too many carbs from starches, which convert into simple sugar.

If you didn’t read my article on resistant starches, do it as soon as you finish reading this. That’s because resistant starches are healthy carbs that you should include in your diet for gut health.

After you finish your morning mantra and deep breathing, start each day with a low-sugar flood of superfood nutrition with a 8 to 16 oz serving of Organic Green Drink. Wait about 30 minutes before you have your first meal of the day.

Make sure you’re eating enough healthy fats at each meal to keep your belly full and happy. Experiment with macro ratios. That means figuring out which proportion of carbs, protein and fat makes you the most satisfied. When you get that dialed in, then you can go 5-6 hours in between your main meals. This will keep your blood sugar levels steady and make your body more sensitive to insulin instead of requiring your pancreas to pump out a ton of it to keep your blood sugar levels down.

(I wish that health officials would stress the importance of blood sugar management for controlling the pandemic rather than putting faith alone in a vaccine.)

#7: Healthy Nighttime Routine

The best medicine is a good night’s sleep. So go to bed by a reasonable time, at the same time every night. Make sure to put your phone in airplane mode and turn off all other electronics well before you close your eyes.

And before you close your eyes, repeat steps #1 and #2. Take a couple minutes to repeat your “I am healthy mantra,” practice a round or two of deep breathing, purse your lips up into a smile and be grateful for the blessings you have in your life.

Before you know it, the long, dark winter will be over and you’ll emerge happier and healthier.