Tag: green drink plan

Your Decision To Do A Chef V Detox + Green Drink Is Now Supported By Clinical Research!

Chef V

triglyceride levels down

For the thousands of people who have tried a Chef V 21 DAY DETOX, the proof is in the pudding. Or more accurately, the proof is in the Organic Green Drinks, Vegan Protein Shakes, Detox Soups, recipes, and healthy-meal-creation resources. 

Weight loss, more energy, better sleep, more balanced mood, clearer skin … 

…These are just some of the anecdotal/social proof benefits of the cleanse and detox programs created by Veronica “V” Wheat, founder of ChefV.com. 

If you’ve never tried a detox before and you’re skeptical, well, you should be… 

That’s because the global detox drink market size was valued at nearly $5 billion in 2021. And the vast majority of detox drinks have three major problems: 

  • They’re either ineffective or:
  • The results don’t last long (Temporary water weight loss; no lifelong healthy eating habits developed). And:
  • There’s hardly any research that supports nutrition-based detox plans. 

So rather than just relying on social media testimonials and hype, Veronica and ChefV.com CEO Brandon (V’s husband) decided to boldly go where few natural food companies have gone: get the (very expensive) backing of an independent clinical trial. 

clinical interview

Chef V’s 21 DAY DETOX Put To The Test

All the benefits of a CHEFV.com detox listed here wouldn’t hold much water (no pun intended) if a clinical trial did not find the results “statistically significant.” 

Statistical significance in research studies refers to the likelihood that the observed results are not due to coincidence or chance but occurred directly because of the intervention. 

And in this case, the intervention was following Chef V’s 21 DAY DETOX (details), followed by a 7-day period during which the 38 participants of the study consumed one 16-ounce serving of Organic Green Drink and consumed a healthy lunch and dinner with ingredients, recipes and resources suggested and created by Veronica Wheat. (These suggestions and resources are provided to all ChefV.com customers who purchase a CLEANSE or 21 DAY DETOX.)

The 38 subjects (male and female) were between the ages of 31-65 and in relatively good health with no chronic health problems. This fact is important because if someone was recruited in the study who had, say, obesity, it might be easier for them to lose more weight than somebody who has a smaller Body Mass Index (BMI), thereby skewing the average weight loss results. 

However, this isn’t to say that the participants were pictures of perfect health. They had to self-report that they were tired several times a week, experienced brain fog, sleep issues, trouble with focus, or experienced a busy and stressful life. Participants were also recruited if they experienced consistent gastrointestinal issues such as bloating. With these common health concerns, it would be easy to study whether the participants experienced improvements in these areas after finishing the 28 day trial. 

The clinical trial was conducted by Santa Monica, CA-based Citrus Labs in February 2023. 

The 38 participants completed baseline surveys and had blood samples collected by a third-party lab. The participants also completed surveys and had a blood sample taken after 28 days of using ChefV.com products. 

Order a 21 Day Detox Challenge – followup with a Green Drink subscription.

Over a 28-day period, the Chef V 21 Day Detox + Green Drink Program resulted in positive health improvements:

weight loss – an average of eight pounds.

– ‘bad’ cholesterol decreased – (LDL cholesterol) and the ratio of total cholesterol to LDL cholesterol improved. This is really promising for overall cardiovascular wellness.

– inflammation – went down 33% (based on c-reactive protein levels).

– A1C levels improved, crucial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and avoiding diabetes.

– bloating decreased – relieving the traffic jam inside your stomach.

It’s truly rewarding to see these positive changes happening in just under a month, making a difference in people’s lives.

You can carry out your own Chef V program and experience the proven results! Order your 21 day detox today!

Chef V Blood Test Results On Day 28 

The clinical trial tested the participants' blood levels for: 

  • Total cholesterol
  • LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol)
  • Cholesterol/LDL ratio (high levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease)
  • Triglycerides (fat in the bloodstream)
  • C-Reactive Protein (a marker of inflammation)
  • HbA1C (“A1C” measures blood sugar levels over a 3-month period)

The results of the clinical trial, according to Citrus Labs:

  • Total cholesterol: 9.2% reduction
  • LDL cholesterol: 10.7% reduction
  • Triglycerides: 23.3% reduction
  • Cholesterol/LDL ratio: 7.7% reduction
  • C-Reactive Protein: 34.1% reduction
  • A1C: 1.7% reduction

“Overall, participants saw a statistically significant improvement in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, cholesterol/LDL cholesterol ratio, and HbA1C. These findings suggest that the Chef V protocol, as used in this trial, is effective at bringing about positive changes in each of these biomarkers in just a 28-day test period…

“The Chef V program led to many statistically significant improvements in biomarkers critical for overall health and well-being,” Citrus Labs researchers concluded.


happy people high five

How Well Did Participants Feel Better Overall? 

What about the wellness markers that can’t be measured by a blood test, such as? 

  • Weight Loss
  • Energy Level
  • Sleep Quality
  • Concentration and Focus
  • Skin Complexion
  • Digestion/Elimination
  • Hair fallout
  • Headaches
  • Congestion
  • Muscle/Body/Joint problems (aches, stiffness, pain)
  • Compulsive Eating

How effective was following a Chef V Starter Detox plan for 21 days followed by a 7-day Green Drink plan?  

At the end of the 28 days, Citrus Labs researchers reported that participants saw a significant improvement in dark circles under their eyes, congestion issues, excessive mucus production, acne, dry skin, hair loss, constipation, excessive belching and flatulence, and bloating. 

“These positive improvements were quite large and represented significant symptom relief during the trial. Overall, Chef V products positively influence skin, hair, and GI health when used over 28 days,” the researchers concluded. 

But that’s not all…


fat in veins

The participants experienced significant improvements in muscle fatigue, body aches, joint aches, back pain, and neck pain as well as mental clarity and brain fog. There was also a significant improvement in sleep quality with less daytime  fatigue. 

Other key findings reported after day 28 day of the study:

  • On average, participants lost nearly 8 pounds (Study participants were considered healthy with no significant overweight issues; many people lose far more than 8 pounds after a 21 DAY DETOX.)
  • 39.8% improvement in hair loss
  • 46.2% improvement in bloating
  • 49.6% improvement in muscle fatigue
  • 48.6% improvement in back pain
  • 43.8% improvement with sleep issues
  • 43.7% improvement in energy levels.
  • 32.3% improvement in the ability to focus
  • 78.8% of participants said they felt in a better mood.
  • 72.7% felt they had more energy.
  • 87.9% of participants felt better overall.
  • 84.8% of participants would recommend Chef V products to family and friends. 

Be A Chef V Detox Participant & Experience The Results For Yourself

The clinical trial data speaks for itself. Following a Chef V 21 DAY DETOX and continuing with healthy habits such as continuing with an Organic Green Drink subscription isn’t a quick weight loss fix. It’s a lifelong health transformation. 

And the best part is that after the 21 DAY DETOX, you can indulge in some of your favorite not-so-healthy treats from time to time. 

It’s all about balance. If you stick to Chef V’s healthy eating routine (resources provided) at least 80% of the time, you may experience the same results as the study participants. 

As Citrus Labs explains, the reason why Chef V’s cleanse and detox program works is because:

“It’s not a diet that encourages people to skip meals but to use green juices and other products alongside foods that can supply the nutrition needed for optimal health outcomes. The detox program provides the three primary macronutrients alongside antioxidants to promote detoxification.”

Want to experience a safe, effective, and enjoyable health transformation? Learn more about the 21 DAY DETOX here. 

Chef V Detox + Green Drink Lowers Inflammation: C-Reactive Protein down 34.1%

Chef V


Chef V Clinical research results

Good news if you’re on a CHEF V GREEN DRINK PLAN or about to do a 21 DAY DETOX… A study Chef V commissioned from an independent laboratory concluded that when study participants completed the Chef V detox and continued to use the Chef V GREEN DRINK plan, “CRP levels were reduced by 34.1% from Baseline to Day 28. This is a substantial improvement in a biomarker tied to stress and the stress response”.

High levels of C-Reactive Protein indicate chronic inflammation in the body. 

Did you hear the news? 

Yes, I’m pregnant. But that’s not what I wanna talk about. 

We commissioned a neutral third-party lab testing company to conduct the effects of doing a STARTER 21 DAY DETOX, followed by 7 days of consuming ORGANIC GREEN DRINKS and eating a healthy diet. 

As I expected, the results were incredible. Sure, there was some impressive “beach body” before/after results. And I’ll be telling you all about that soon. But the first specific topic I want to discuss in depth from the study is protein. 

Not the kind you eat, but one of more than 10,000 proteins in your body: C-Reactive Protein. 

If you’ve never had your levels of C-Reactive Protein tested by your doctor, I highly encourage you to do it the next time you get a physical. 

Here’s why…

red-gold-body-inflammation

Why we Studied C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels in our Clinical Research

CRP is made by the liver in response to inflammation in the body. 

Before I further explain, a quick note about inflammation. It’s a good thing our bodies experience an inflammatory response. That’s how we get things to heal, like cuts, bruises, runny noses, and sore throats. 

However, certain factors can cause chronic inflammation in the body. Here are a few things that can produce high levels of internal inflammation:

  • Frequently eating heavily-processed food
  • Drinking alcohol excessively
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Lack of exercise
  • Exposure to environmental toxins

When it comes to toxins, I’m not talking just about things like mold or oil spills. In addition, household cleaning products and body/haircare products made with petroleum-based chemicals can create chronic inflammation. (So spend the money and purchase organic.)

If you have high levels of CRP, it indicates that there’s chronic inflammation in your body. It can even mean there’s an underlying infection you’re unaware of. And more bad news if you have high levels of CRP. The Mayo Clinic suggests that high levels of CRP are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. 

So should you schedule a blood draw at the doctor’s office the first chance you get? 

It’s not a bad idea to have your CRP levels checked. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to lower your CRP levels. 

knee pain

Chef V 21 DAY DETOX Lowers Inflammation Marker By Over 34%

As I said earlier, the research study evaluated the effects of doing the 21 DAY DETOX (Starter version) followed by 7 extra days of eating clean and starting each day with an Organic Green Drink. 

Incredibly, CRP levels plummeted, on average, by 34.1%. 

This is huge because unexplainable chronic pain and autoimmune conditions cause high levels of CRP. According to Medical News Today, conditions that elevate CRP levels include: 

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Disease
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Lupus
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Obesity


cleanse sale

Symptoms of High C-Reactive Protein Levels

You can have high CRP levels without having a diagnosed disease. However, if you do have elevated CRP in your body, you’ll likely feel at least one of these symptoms:

  • Fatigue (even if you’re getting plenty of sleep)
  • Aches and pains or stiffness, soreness and muscle weakness
  • Poor sleep
  • Digestion problems
  • Fevers or headaches

Considering that the Chef V study participants had a 34% average reduction in CRP levels after 28 days, it's no wonder the researchers concluded:

“At the conclusion of the study, participants experienced significant improvements in:

  • Muscular complaints
  • Body and joint aches
  • Back pain
  • Neck pain.”

The Easy Way To Support Normal Inflammation In The Body

Hey, I get it. Snacky foods exert a powerful force on us like a magnet to a fridge. Even I—a certified nutritional therapist, yoga practitioner, and healthy cookbook author—am not immune. French fries are my kryptonite. 

But this is why I formulated Organic Green Drink and started delivering them to customers. Starting your day by drinking 7 leafy green certified organic veggies is so easy. It balances out the toxins you’re exposed to, whether it’s from breathing car exhaust or you just can’t say no to happy hour.  

START IT UP!

And if your diet hasn’t been squeaky clean, there’s no need to panic if it isn’t all organic! That’s why I created the 21 DAY DETOX. It’s the easiest, safest, and most affordable way to reboot your digestive and elimination system. Your liver will thank you in many ways, including having clearer skin and more energy.

If you’ve never done a detox before, select a STARTER plan. It’s the same detox that was used in the lab study that reduced CPR levels by 34%. 

With the STARTER detox, only 3 days out of the 21 do you eat a calorie-reduced diet. But even on those 3 days, you won’t feel famished or deprived of nutrients. We provide everything you need to thrive. Not only that, all our detoxes come with practical nutrition resources that help keep your results going long after you finish the 21 DAY DETOX. 

Keep Up The Good Work!

This news isn’t just for new customers. If you’re already on the CHEF V GREEN DRINK Plan or have completed a 21 DAY DETOX, I want you to know I appreciate you!

I hope that by reading this article and future ones where I’ll be discussing other impressive outcomes from the study, you’ll be motivated to stay on the CHEF V path! 

I’ve been extolling the benefits of Green Drink and 21 DAY DETOX for years. And now, we can say that these benefits are supported by science. 

Love,

Veronica Wheat
Founder, ChefV.com

A Research Study Worth “Weighting” For: CHEF V Clinically Proven For Weight Loss

Chef V

Chef V and weight loss

There’s no need to do a radical fast to lose weight. Instead, you can fuel your body with healthy carbs, lean protein, and a tiny bit of dietary fat and not have to skip meals to achieve a healthy weight loss. I lost 55lbs in three months after having Kaden using Green Drink!

And now we have the science to back it up.

The word “detox” has dubious connotations: Slick-marketed detox pills, crazy fad diets, water fasts, and fruit juice fasts. So it’s no wonder most people put more weight back on than before trying a detox.

It’s also not surprising that few research studies have proven the effectiveness of detox supplements. That is until now! An independent laboratory has recently concluded that Chef V’s Detox and Green Drink leads to significant weight loss.

#MakeDetoxesHealthyAgain

I should implement this on social media immediately!

One question we’re asked almost daily on DM is if Chef V Detox is effective for weight loss. “Will I keep the weight off?” customers want to know. 

Despite thousands of customer success stories, it’s inevitable that not everybody who reaches out to us tries the 21 DAY DETOX. 

And I can’t say I blame them. 

So many people have been burned by ineffective detoxes in the past. Maybe they lost a bunch of water weight (and were glued to the toilet in the process). But they put the weight back on after the detox. 

I get it. Detoxing sometimes has a bad rap. But, unfortunately, there’s a lot of crappy detox products out there.

doctor measuring waist of patient

But doing a safe and effective detox can be transformative. For the better part of two decades, I’ve believed in the power of detoxing whenever I needed to improve: 

  • Elimination: Less constipation
  • Liver function: Clearer-looking skin
  • Digestive enzyme function: Enhanced nutrient absorption and digestion
  • Inflammation: Lower levels of C-Reactive Protein
  • Energy: Better physical energy and mental stamina
  • Body composition: Less stored body fat (WEIGHT LOSS)

That’s why several years ago, I created the Chef V 21 DAY DETOX. My goal was to develop a safe and effective detox program with amazing results that lasted well past the end of the three weeks. 

In addition, I wanted to provide the education that customers so desperately need to keep the weight loss results going and adopt lifelong healthy habits. 

Even though I knew in my heart that the detox program I created was effective, most mainstream health websites will tell you that there’s minimal scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of detox programs for weight loss. 

Well, it was time to put my money where my mouth was and not just rely on anecdotal evidence to back my claims. It was time to put CHEF V’s Detox under the microscope.

Order a 21 Day Detox Challenge – followup with a Green Drink subscription.

Over a 28-day period, the Chef V 21 Day Detox + Green Drink Program resulted in positive health improvements:

weight loss – an average of eight pounds.

– ‘bad’ cholesterol decreased – (LDL cholesterol) and the ratio of total cholesterol to LDL cholesterol improved. This is really promising for overall cardiovascular wellness.

– inflammation – went down 33% (based on c-reactive protein levels).

– A1C levels improved, crucial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and avoiding diabetes.

– bloating decreased – relieving the traffic jam inside your stomach.

It’s truly rewarding to see these positive changes happening in just under a month, making a difference in people’s lives.

You can carry out your own Chef V program and experience the proven results! Order your 21 day detox today!


cleanse sale


cleanse sale

Clinical Trial Results: Participants Lose Avg. 8 POUNDS

Recently, CHEFV.com commissioned Santa Monica-based Citrus Labs to independently analyze the effects of following a 21 DAY STARTER DETOX, followed by a 7-day ORGANIC GREEN DRINK PLAN, for a total of 28 days. 

For the clinical trial, 38 men and women between the ages of 31-65 were recruited. At the beginning of the trial, participants weighed, on average, 176 pounds. By the end of the 28 days, the participants’ average body weight was 168 pounds. Of course, some people lost significantly more than 8 pounds.

(If you check out our SUCCESS STORIES, you’ll see that people who have more weight to lose have lost an impressive amount, in some cases over 50 pounds in just 21 days. And the best part is they have kept the weight off!)

Now, if you don’t think 8 pounds is a lot in 28 days, I want you to consider two things. 

First, none of the study participants had any chronic metabolic disorders such as obesity or type 2 diabetes. In other words, study participants didn’t necessarily have a significant amount of weight to lose. 

And secondly, going from 176 to 168 is a drop of almost 4.5%. Imagine melting away nearly 5% of your body, especially the part you least want to keep. 

But it wasn’t just the impressive weight loss that the participants were stoked about. Nearly 80% of the participants said they felt in a better mood, and over 72% felt they had more energy. And 88% felt better overall. 

I can’t say I was surprised by the results. That’s because in creating the 21 DAY DETOX, I didn’t have just the scale in mind. Instead, my mission was to create a detox program that safely improves digestion and elimination while teaching customers how to eat healthily for the rest of their lives.

“Participants experienced a significant reduction in weight across the trial, losing 7.74 pounds on average. Overall, Chef V products were very effective at promoting positive changes in biomarkers measured during this trial.”

—Citrus Labs 

Mackenzie's Success Story

During my 21 day detox I lost 19 lbs! My BMI went from 24.0 to 16.9! I am super excited for when I do my next detox because I will be doing the expert challenge! LOVE LOVE LOVE Chef V.” – Mackenzie

Chef V Weight Loss Study Detox Method

So how did the participants lose all that weight and feel great? By, as I like to joke, following the directions to a “V.”

A Chef V Starter Detox has 3 phases:

  • Days 1-7: Healthy Routine
  • Days 8-10: 3 Day Cleanse
  • Days 11-21: Healthy Routine

For the first and third phases, study participants prepared lunch and dinner from Chef V’s Meal Planner, which contains delicious recipes, helpful tips, and resources such as a healthy portion guide, an Eat This/Not That chart, and more. For breakfast, participants enjoy a 16 oz. Green Drink and then are encouraged to have a vegan protein shake (also provided by Chef V) 30 minutes later. 

During the 3 Day Cleanse phase, participants consumed four 16 oz servings of Green Drink, two vegan protein shakes, and a Detox Soup for dinner. All three Chef V products—GREEN DRINK, PROTEIN SHAKE, DETOX SOUP—supply the nutrition you need for optimal health outcomes, including healthy and sustained weight loss. 

There’s no need to do a radical fast to lose weight. Instead, you can fuel your body with healthy carbs, lean protein, and a tiny bit of dietary fat and not have to skip meals to achieve a healthy weight loss. 

And now we have the science to back it up. 

Experience what the Chef V study participants felt. Learn more about Chef V Detox options here. 

Rick's Success Story


Rick before aFTER

“I noticed that there is a lack of 21 Day Cleanse reviews, compared to 3 day, 5 day, and 7 day reviews. So I feel obliged to share my experience.

This is not the first time I have done a cleanse, so I have others to compare it to as well. In a nut shell: CHEF V ROCKS! Thats the simple version. The long version is that the 21 Day Cleanse is worth every penny, it is a challenge, and it is positively altering!

So far, I am down a whopping total of 51 LBS, due in part to Chef V's 21 Day Cleanse! From day 1 to day 21 of the challenge, I lost a total of 22lbs….and I continue to lose weight. This cleanse has aftershocks.
(BOOOOOOOM!)” – Rick

The Formula for Sustained Weight Loss with Chef V

Chef V

four people holding green drink

Anybody can do a juice cleanse to lose weight. But for sustained weight loss and a major health transformation, use my Chef V Cleanse + Green Drink and follow my recipes and meals!

My Chef V’s 21-Day Challenge makes nutrition the first priority. It's the only clinically proven long-term program that includes organic Green Drink, plant-based protein shakes, filling detox soups, a varied choice of food, and a plan for sustaining your positive results. 

Michael weight loss

The Chef V Clinical Research Study

“Will I keep the weight off?” customers want to know.  Lots of companies make weigh loss claims, but I want to prove the results people get from my products. 

So rather than just relying on social media testimonials and hype, I decided to boldly go where few natural food companies have gone: get the (very expensive) backing of an independent clinical trial. 

The clinical trial had participants completing a 21 Day Challenge followed by a week of Green Drink. Before the 21 Day Challenge, the participants weighed, on average, 176 pounds. At the end of the trial, participants’ average body weight was 168 pounds. And some people lost significantly more than 8 pounds.

Most important to me, I designed the Challenge to keep the weight loss results going and help participants adopt lifelong healthy habits.

Above, you can see the incredible weight loss that Michael achieved and sustained with help from Chef V Green Drink. 

Chef V cooking

What's Your Secret? How Can You Help Me?

How can I get people to end their addiction to artificial ingredients, sodium, sugar, and unhealthy processed fats that are so pervasive in packaged foods? What can I do to help people conquer insulin resistance and high blood sugar that lead to so many chronic health problems? 

These were burning questions I asked myself when I decided to pass on going to graduate school after getting my degree in psychology. Instead, I decided to take a leap of faith and launch a career that combined two of my passions: cooking and educating people about health and wellness. 

Over a decade later with thousands of success stories under ChefV’s belt, people often ask me the secret to my Cleanse and Detox programs in helping people safely lose weight, feel great and keep their results going. I would say it’s these elements:

Completely Organic

Organic Foundation – Chef V is a certified organic brand with bicoastal kitchens that exceed the rigorous standards set forth by the National Organic Program. When trying to cleanse/detox your body, you can’t do it with pesticides and herbicides. The ingredients have to be organic! That’s not something I’ll ever compromise on just to save money.

Eat Healthy and Sustain!

Healthy Eating Resources – Before you start a cleanse, do you know how to avoid side effects? Do you know how to keep the weight off once the cleanse ends? Over the years, I’ve created pre-cleanse instructions, a handy Eat This/Not That and Healthy Portion printout, and other resources so you can experience a long-lasting health transformation. The recipes in my cookbook “Cleansing Made Easier” transform your favorite recipes to healthier alternatives. And my blog and weekly emails have hundreds of recipes and articles to keep you motivated.

Every month I send you new “What do I Eat Today” menus that make it easy to plan on a busy day. Michael, whose before and after photos are shown above, was a guest at my “Cooking with Chef V” moussaka video. Watch the video and click the image below for complete recipe instructions.


moussaka meal plan

Cooking with V Video Series

Healthy Cooking Video Series – How does an organic turkey cream-free risotto sound? Or a vegan mousaka. Or a dairy-free, gluten-free chicken pot pie? Maybe you prefer quinoa enchiladas instead? All these delicious recipes and more are available on the Chef V Life channel on YouTube and offer a healthy alternative without sacrificing taste.


COoking with V video series

Support!

No Quick Fix Promises – Everybody deserves to live a healthy life. But there’s no quick-fix solution. It takes some time and effort. But when you have someone holding your hand to guide you on the transition from a diet full of processed food to eating a (mostly) plant-based whole-food diet, it’s an enjoyable journey. Our Facebook Community support each other as they cleanse and after. 


retreat people with green drink at a table

Emphasis on Nutrition while Cleansing

More than Juice – It’s easy to lose weight doing a juice cleanse. That’s because you’ll be consuming way fewer calories than normal. But if you’re just drinking juice containing high-sugar fruits, you’ll starve your body and have blood sugar fluctuations. In comparison, Chef V CLEANSES include 3 products that prevent cravings and maintain lean muscle tissue:

  • Protein-Packed Shakes: Unlike water or juice-only fasts, our shakes provide a significant amount of protein, essential for muscle maintenance and overall bodily function.
  • Fiber-Rich Organic Juice: Many cleansing juices on the market are nothing more than sugary traps. Our organic juice is blended, not pressed and is rich in fiber, aiding in digestion and contributing to a fuller feeling.
  • Vegetable-Enriched Soups: We don't ignore the importance of whole foods in our cleanse. It includes soups with essential nutrients making sure you're well-fed and satisfied.
  • And to keep weight off after your detox you eat delicious (and healthy) food.  


eat this not that chart

Research

Backed By Research –  I commissioned an independent lab to research Chef V products. Citrus Labs concluded that Chef V products, including the ORGANIC GREEN DRINK PLAN combined with the healthy recipes, resulted in improved health and weight loss for all participants in the study. You can check out the findings from the clinical research here.


Chef V clinical research results

Chef V: A Path To A Healthy, New Lifestyle

Before I launched ChefV.com Organic Green Drink delivery, I was a private chef. I’ve always loved cooking and eating flavorful healthy foods, even as a teenager. 

My mission is to help you transform your kitchen into a haven for health. All of the recipes in my cookbook, MAKING CLEANSING EASIER, include 100% cleanse-friendly ingredients. When a recipe calls for sweetness, stevia or a low-sugar natural alternative is used. As I said in the intro to my cookbook, these recipes are so yummy. Not only will you not feel deprived, you will think are indulging big time! 

Experiencing a health transformation as I said takes time but the formula is pretty easy: Eating right + Drinking lots of water + exercising. 

Just remember you don’t have to eat perfectly healthy 100% of the time. Even I indulge in my favorite vice occasionally: french fries. The key is to be consistent. Don’t just try to lose weight to fit into a wedding dress and then go back to eating fast food. 

Veronica with her cookbook

START YOUR HEALTH TRANSFORMATION TODAY!

If you want to look and feel your best, get on a Green Drink Plan. And if you want to accelerate your weight loss and other health goals, try a CLEANSE or 21-DAY DETOX. With all organic ingredients, healthy eating resources, dozens of recipes and cooking videos, and the backing of research, you’re well on the path to success!

Love,
Veronica Wheat
Founder, ChefV.com

Want A Profound Wellness Transformation? Do This, Research Shows.

Chef V

Research shows if you want a physical and mental-health makeover, do this. A Chef V 21 Day Detox + a week of Chef V Green Drink. Certified nutritional therapist and ChefV.com founder Veronica Wheat describes the clinical research study results…

Which supplements should I take to look and feel your best? 

Which foods should I eat so that I’m not always bloated? 

What’s the best exercise that won’t make me exhausted? 

What should I do to improve my sleep? 

How can I stay focused at work—especially in the afternoon? 

Which products will make my skin and hair look healthier? 

What should I do to keep my mood and mental health balanced?…

…It’s no wonder many people feel overwhelmed and quickly give up pursuing a healthier lifestyle. 

There’s just too many variables and conflicting information. Not to mention the hundreds or thousands of dollars in supplements, apps, and other products you need to spend to experience a health transformation.

If you’ve ever wanted a wellness makeover but ultimately gave up, I feel your pain. 

But what if there were just ONE thing you could do that would make you feel both physically and mentally incredible?

You’d probably think it was too good to be true. 

But what if that one thing were backed by research? And not just an in vitro experiment (a “test tube” study) or even an animal study. But a clinical trial—research conducted on humans…

Would you be way less skeptical? 

And what if this clinical trial showed that just one month is all it takes to experience a profound health transformation? 

Would you be willing to give it a try? 

veronica cutting veg

28 Days To A New, Better You: The Research-Backed Results Of ChefV.com 

In case you’re new to ChefV.com and you’re Googling “the best detoxes” or “best easy cleanse for weight loss”, as somebody who has been in this industry for most of my adult life, let me give you some advice… 

You know how those detox diets always promise amazing things like weight loss, fixing gut problems, boosting energy, and making your hair, skin, and nails look incredible? Well, turns out those claims are pretty much B.S. And there haven't been many studies to really check if detox diets actually work.

The truth is there’s hardly any evidence that any detox supplement or product actually works! 

Now why would I be dishing out the dirt on this industry secret when the business I launched in 2012 with encouragement from my husband and biz partner Brandon specializes in short-term Cleanses and the 21 DAY DETOX? 

Precisely to separate ChefV.com from the competition. 

That’s why early in 2023, Brandon and I decided to spend a small fortune on having our products clinically tested. 

Citrus Labs, a Santa Monica-based research company, examined the effects of using ChefV.com products for 28 days on 38 participants. None of the participants had any significant health problems but had complaints that almost everybody else has: low energy levels, occasional bloating, etc. 

The 38 participants first completed the ChefV.com 21 DAY DETOX and then were given one 16-ounce serving of ORGANIC GREEN DRINK for 7 days. The participants’ health was determined by pre- and post-study blood work and questionnaires. 

At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that ChefV.com products resulted in: 

A Detox That Works Without The Suffering

The study by Citrus Labs showed that pretty much every wellness marker had improved after just 28 days, including:

  • 43.7% improvement in energy levels
  • 39.8% improvement in hair loss
  • 46.2% improvement in bloating
  • 49.6% improvement in muscle fatigue
  • 48.6% improvement in back pain
  • 43.8% improvement with sleep issues
  • 32.3% improvement in the ability to focus

“Participants experienced a statistically significant improvement in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HbA1C, and body weight over the 28 days. Participants also experienced a significant improvement in almost all of the subjective perceptions measured via the surveys from Baseline to Day 28. Overall, the Chef V products tested in this trial led to significant positive physiological and psychological health outcomes.” — Citrus Labs conclusion

An incredible conclusion for sure. But will you have to suffer for a month in order to achieve a dramatic health and wellness transformation? 

No! That’s the great thing about the ChefV.com 21 DAY DETOX. But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what the independent research company says about it: 

“The detox diet used in this trial is not a diet that encourages people to skip meals but to use green drinks and other products alongside foods that can supply the nutrition needed for optimal health outcomes. The detox program provides the three primary macronutrients alongside antioxidants to promote detoxification.” 

Whereas lots of other detox programs are actually short-term starvation diets, the ChefV.com 21 DAY DETOX nourishes your body’s trillions of cells with Organic Green Drinks, Vegan Protein Shakes and Detox Soups, plus low-calorie antioxidant-rich recipes. 

Let me know if you come across any detox program online that remotely comes close! 


Chef V with cleanse ingredients

The Journey of Lifelong Healthy Habits Starts With One Step

I’m excited for you to finally experience the wellness makeover you’ve been wanting and waiting for. You can have the confidence that your hard-earned money will be well spent on a research-backed detox that won’t jeopardize your health or make you have energy crashes and cravings. 

The first step towards a new, healthier, happier you is learning more here.

Love, 

Veronica “V” Wheat
ChefV.com founder
Certified Nutritional Therapist

Can’t Sleep? Try CBT!

Chef V

koala bear sleeping

If you think CBT is the latest, greatest form of CBD, like CBN, good guess, but not quite. CBT stands for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and just like Chef V products, it has the backing of research for improving sleep quality. ChefV.com founder Veronica Wheat provides an intro to CBT.  

Over the last few weeks, I’ve covered something I’m incredibly proud of. ChefV.com products were recently the focus of an independent clinical trial by Citrus Labs, and the results were amazing. 

The 38 participants who completed a 21 DAY DETOX and then continued on a GREEN DRINK plan for 7 days saw vast improvements in all areas of their life. This includes a 34% reduction in inflammation, an average weight loss of nearly 8 pounds, and for what I want to focus on in this article, a 44% improvement in sleep quality.

So that got me thinking…

What else can help the Chef V community get more restful ZZZs? 

I’m not going to bore you with how important sleep is. I’m sure every article you’ve read details how sleep is linked to every facet of health. I don’t know about you but when I don’t get good sleep and I read about how important sleep is, it stresses me out a little. I’ll also skip the statistics on how many people suffer from poor sleep. (It’s obviously a lot of people.)

So I won’t pour fuel on the fire. Instead, I want to dive right in and tell you about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) because it’s received a lot of attention but many people are still unfamiliar with it. 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? 

This is the textbook definition of CBT: It’s an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that focuses on identifying and modifying negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It aims to transform maladaptive patterns into healthier ones. 

So what exactly does that mean? Well, to put it simply, your thoughts and actions/behaviors have a profound influence on how you feel. And obviously, if you have negative thoughts, it can interfere with your sleep quality. With CBT, under the supervision of a therapist, you learn how to basically rewire your brain in order to think and act more positively. 

How Does CBT Work?

Again, let’s avoid textbook definitions and instead use an example of how cognitive behavioral therapy works for sleep. 

Picture yourself in a CBT session. Suppose the therapist asks you about your concerns and thoughts about sleep. Maybe you tell the therapist something like, “I’m afraid that if I don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep, I’ll feel like crap and won’t be able to function.” 

In response, the therapist would point out those thoughts contribute to anxiety, which can cause insomnia. 

therapist in session

The therapist then might ask you, “Can you think of any times when you thought you weren’t going to fall asleep but you did, or when you thought you wouldn’t be able to function on less than 7 hours of sleep but felt ok nonetheless?” 

You then reflect back on those nights when you were anxious about not being able to fall asleep yet you eventually did, and even though you may have needed a cup of coffee or two to wake up, you rallied and persevere through the day. 

The therapist would then make you realize that your negative thoughts centered around your inability to sleep or function are just stories in your head; they are not entirely accurate. In addition, the therapist would help you reframe your thoughts about sleep anxiety. For instance, if it’s 1 a.m. and you’re thinking, “I'll never be able to fall asleep,” you recognize this thought and replace it with a more positive one such as: “Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep, but I can find strategies to help me relax and eventually fall asleep.”


good vibes only sign

CBT: Reshaping Sleep Perspectives

CBT teaches you that having occasional sleep difficulties is normal, not a crisis. If you’re feeling anxious at night about not getting enough sleep, a CBT therapist might encourage you to recite this phrase before you try to fall asleep: 

“Even if I have a less restful night, I can still find ways to manage my day and take care of myself.”

It’s not exactly as simple as an Om mantra. But it helps take the pressure off; not everybody needs to get 8-9 hours of sleep, especially not every night. 

Ultimately, a CBT therapist helps you develop a healthier, more positive perspective on sleep. You’ve probably experienced several challenges in life that you have overcome, whether it’s difficult breakups, moving to a new location, being stuck in a dead-end job, etc. Sleep can be a challenge at times, but through CBT, you learn tools to cope with the challenge and overcome it. 


woman sleeping outside with book over face

Longer-Acting Than A Sleeping Pill

Most people want a quick fix for their sleep problems. But the problem with most sleep medications is that they can be habit-forming, or eventually, they don’t work as well and you need to take a higher dose. Not to mention the potential side effects.

Although CBT is not a quick fix, it is a clinically-proven long-term solution. According to the American Psychological Association, the therapy works for a long time because it teaches one to face fears instead of avoiding them. CBT also employs role-playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others and teaches relaxation techniques. 

Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Really Work For Insomnia? 

According to the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, CBT is “the most effective nonpharmacological treatment for chronic insomnia.” CBT “produces results equivalent to sleep medication, with no side effects, fewer episodes of relapse, and a tendency for sleep to continue to improve long past the end of treatment.”

The study authors add that the long-term improvements in sleep quality “seem to result from the patient learning to support and promote the body's natural sleep mechanism.”

And in another study published in the journal, Cognitive Behavior Therapy,  the positive effects of CBT were still present after 10 years. “Insomnia severity remained low, and two-thirds of participants no longer fulfilled the criteria for an insomnia diagnosis,” the study authors concluded.

woman sleeping with remote in hand

CBT & Sleep Hygiene

You’ve heard of oral hygiene (brushing, flossing, tongue scraping, oil pulling), but sleep hygiene? 

Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleep practices. For instance, before I go to sleep, I put my phone in airplane mode. I don’t want EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) potentially interfering with my sleep cycle. I also make sure the room is dark and turn off all other electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. I also try to go to sleep at roughly the same time every night. 

I treat my bedroom as a sacred sleeping space, not a workstation or an entertainment room. If you have trouble sleeping, a CBT therapist will teach you these and other healthy sleep-preparation habits.

Breathing & Visualization For Sleep

Learning how to perform relaxation breathwork techniques, visualization exercises, and gratitude consciousness are other important components of CBT for sleep.  

There’s a ton of free YouTube videos for each of these stress-management techniques. The problem, however, is that there are so many of them it can be overwhelming if you have anxiety—and the vicious circle of anxiety about not being able to sleep. 

So if you need guidance on how to incorporate these highly-effective stress-management techniques, CBT is worth trying. 

glass sound bowls

The Downside of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Sleep

Hopefully, you have good health insurance because if not, you may need to pay out of pocket, and CBT sessions aren’t cheap. A weekly session can cost $150 or more, depending on where you live. And you’ll likely need at least a handful of sessions to overcome sleep problems. 

But in the end, I think CBT is worth it because not only can it help improve sleep, but it can also help improve your quality of life in other ways, such as feeling calmer throughout the day and having more energy—Just like ChefV.com products. 

According to the conclusion of Citrus Labs study on the Chef V 21 Day Detox (followed by 7 days of daily Green Drink consumption), nearly 80% of participants said they were in a better mood after the study, nearly 75% said they had more energy since using Chef V, and 88% said they felt better overall.

In conclusion, Chef V and CBT make for an effective sleep-improving combination. 

To your health and ZZZZ’s

Love, 

Veronica “V” Wheat
Founder, ChefV.com

How “Fat” Is Your Blood? Organic Green Drink Clinically Proven To Lower Triglycerides

Chef V

triglyceride levels down

Do you have any idea what your triglyceride levels are? If not, you should. One of the key markers of cardiovascular health, triglycerides are largely affected by your diet and lifestyle. The good news is that according to a clinical trial, there’s one easy way to dramatically reduce your triglyceride levels: doing a Chef V 21 Day Detox.

Dietary fat has a negative connotation. You see, far too many people don’t eat enough healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, salmon, and olive oil. One reason for the lack of healthy fats in the diet is that many people still believe that eating fat makes you fat, even though studies show that eating healthy fats may be beneficial for improving obesity.   

But there is one way in which fat deservedly has earned a dubious reputation: fats in the blood, better known as triglycerides. 

What Are Triglycerides? 

Triglycerides are a type of fat that circulates in your bloodstream. The most common type of fat in your body, triglyceride levels are determined by two primary things: 

  • The food you eat
  • Calorie intake

If you’ve never thought about your triglyceride levels, here’s why it’s so important. You see, when you consume more calories than you burn, the extra calories are stored as triglycerides in fat cells. In other words, triglycerides are essentially stored fat. 

When you exercise, your body will release some of the triglycerides for energy through hormone signaling. Intermittent fasting is another example of when your body burns triglycerides for energy.

So in this respect, triglycerides are important for overall health. If you had no triglycerides, you’d have no energy. 

But, like with everything in life, too much of anything can be dangerous. And it turns out that approximately 1 in 3 Americans has high triglyceride levels. 

bar graph

The Dangers of Having High Triglyceride Levels

High triglyceride levels in your blood can raise your risk of heart disease and stroke, explains The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. 

So what causes excessive triglyceride levels? Sometimes it’s genetics, but most often, it’s lifestyle, starting with diet. Again, most people think that if you eat fat, you’ll get fatter. And if triglycerides are fat in the blood, then it stands to reason that the more fat you eat, the more fat you’ll have in your blood. 

But that’s not necessarily the case, especially if you consume a Mediterranean diet rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, like the type of healthy fats I mentioned at the beginning. 

The biggest dietary culprits that contribute to high triglyceride levels are:

  • Added sugars (soda, fruit juice, energy drinks, etc.)
  • Refined grains (cereal, bread, bagels and other baked goods)
  • White flour
  • Wheat flour
  • Alcohol 
  • Fatty cuts of meat

If you exercise every day and eat a diet that consists mostly of fruits and veggies, low-starch grains (quinoa, wild rice, ancient grains), lean protein, and healthy fats, you’ll likely keep your triglyceride levels in a healthy range (below 150 mg/dl). 


happy people high five

Chef V: Clinically Proven To Reduce Triglycerides

The problem is that for some people, switching from a sedentary lifestyle and eating healthy is not easy; it’s a radical transformation. The question then becomes, what’s a relatively easy way to experience a health transformation? And in the process, lower your triglyceride levels, which reduces your risk of developing heart disease. 

The answer is doing a CHEF V 21 DAY DETOX. 

Now, I know that if you’ve never done a detox, it sounds intimidating. But what if I told you that it’s so easy to follow and there’s no guesswork involved? Not only that, what if I told you that your triglyceride levels could be slashed by over 20%? 

But don’t take my word for it. Take the results from an independent study by Citrus Labs that studied the effects of doing a CHEF V 21 DAY DETOX, followed by a 7 day period where the 38 participants consumed a 16 oz serving of Organic Green Drink.

At the start of the trial, participants had a baseline average triglyceride level of 143mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter). 

By the end of the 28-day trial, the 38 subjects’ average triglycerides plummeted to under 110—a reduction of over 23%. 

Not only that, but the participants also experienced an improvement in other metabolic markers.

“Overall, participants saw a statistically significant improvement in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, cholesterol/LDL cholesterol ratio, and HbA1C (A1C blood sugar). These findings suggest that the Chef V protocol, as used in this trial, is effective at bringing about positive changes in each of these cardiovascular health biomarkers in just a 28-day test period.”

—Citrus Labs' conclusion


fat in veins

Chef V: “Using As Directed” Is Easy As 1-2-V

If you’ve never done a 21 DAY DETOX, choose the STARTER option. That’s the plan the 38 participants followed. There are 3 phases during the STARTER plan. On Days 1-7 and 11-21, you’ll follow my Healthy Routine. On these days, you’ll get a 16oz Green Drink and Protein Shake, then choose your lunch, snack and dinner from my Meal Planner, which contains delicious recipes, helpful tips and resources. 

In between those two phases, on Days 8-10, you’ll follow my 3 DAY CLEANSE, which I created for safe yet maximally effective weight loss and detoxification. Each day during the 3-Day Cleanse, you’ll get four (4) 16-oz Green Drinks, 2 Protein Shakes, and a Detox Soup for dinner.

To boost your results, I’ll also send you a free digital copy of my recipe book, “Making Cleansing Easier”, which contains hundreds of ideas for creating healthier and cleansing meals for you and your family. 

I always knew that the detox and cleanse plans I created would lead to health transformations, like Sabrina’s 100-pound weight loss success.

But now Chef V has the backing of a clinical trial to prove it!

I look forward to helping you create your own health success story. 

Love, 

Veronica “V” Wheat
Founder, CHEFV.com

Chef V’s Top 12 Foods For Conquering Seasonal Allergies

Chef V

super bloom California poppies

The wild, wet Winter and Spring of 2022/2023 are mercifully over. Thanks to all the rain that drenched San Diego, West Coast headquarters of ChefV.com, there’s a super bloom of flowers. But with the beauty comes the beast of seasonal allergies.

No matter where you live, certified nutritional therapist and ChefV.com founder Veronica “V” Wheat serves up the best foods for fighting seasonal allergies. Dig in!

Before I reveal my top foods for fighting seasonal allergies, let me come to the defense of flowers. You see, I think pollen needs a new publicist. While it’s true that some people are naturally very sensitive to pollen, I don’t think we were put on God’s great green Earth to suffer at the hands of microscopic flower dust. 

At the very least, pollen isn’t the only reason that inflammatory molecules like histamine in many people goes rogue, never letting its foot off the immune response accelerator. 

I think a big reason for the spike in allergies is exposure to chemicals. That’s why I highly recommend not using household cleaners and beauty products that contain fragrance and other synthetic chemicals. 

cleaning supplies

So is it your imagination? Does it seem like the rate of allergies is skyrocketing? No, it’s not you.

A 2022 study published in the journal, Nutrients, says that a “prevalence of allergic diseases and asthma has increased significantly in the last decades, especially in the western world.” Along with obvious reasons such as poor diet, stress and chemicals, the study offers an interesting theory.

“This phenomenon [increase in allergic diseases] has been attributed mainly to changes in environmental exposures and lifestyle. It is understood that a lack of natural stimulation of the immune system by the microbes from the external environment favors an allergic response. Our hygienic, modern lifestyle lacks sufficient contact with nature and has changed our immunity and reduced the diversity of our internal microbiome.” 

In other words, could it be that over-using disinfectants and hand sanitizers has caused a spike in allergies? Hmmm. Food for thought. 

Now let’s check out some of my favorite foods for preventing an overactive immune response and seasonal allergies.


bee with pollen covered legs

1. Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is so last week, when I talked about it at length here. But one thing I didn’t mention: Is using bee pollen the equivalent of fighting fire with fire? After all, if pollen makes people sneezy and go through half a box of tissues, how can consuming bee pollen help? For starters, I should point out that bee pollen is not safe for everybody. Some people may be allergic to it. But if you’re not, bee pollen works by reducing histamine. 

A 2008 study showed for the first time that bee pollen inhibits the activation of mast cells. Mast cells secrete histamine and sound the alarm in your immune system. 


honeycomb in bowl

2. Raw, Local Honey

Pollen isn’t the only functional food from bees. Of course, bees make honey. But not any honey will do for the relief of seasonal allergies. You need to consume raw, local honey. Why raw? Because with regular honey that’s pasteurized, the antioxidants are destroyed. (It’s the same reason Chef V Organic Green Drink is never pasteurized!)

And why is it important to consume local honey? When you consume local honey, you’re getting small amounts of pollen that’s local to your area. This will get your immune system to recognize that pollen is not a threat. 

How good is honey overall, according to the research? This 2021 study says that the “therapeutic properties of honey such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing have been widely reported. A number of interesting studies have reported the potential use of honey in the management of allergic diseases.”


black kale in basket

3. Quercetin-Rich Foods

Quercetin is the queen of antioxidants, and one of the best phyto(plant)-nutrients for getting those mast cells to chill out. So where can you find quercetin? The mighty duo of black kale and green kale, which are 2 of the 7-certified organic leafy veggies in Organic Green Drink. 

You can also find quercetin in broccoli, onions, capers, blueberries and apples. I’ll be the first to admit that quercetin won’t work as quickly as Benedryl. So the key is to start eating plenty of these foods before allergy season begins. (You can also take a high-potency quercetin supplement.)


citrus fruits

4. Citrus Fruits

No surprise here, because vitamin C acts like a natural antihistamine. 


citrus fruits

5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

This is a tricky one for vegetarians because the best sources of omega-3’s are wild salmon and other cold-water oily fish. These fish contain DHA/EPA, which are more potent omega-3 fatty acids than ALA, the vegetarian source.

For vegans, I recommend taking an algae oil supplement. Algae is naturally-high in omega-3s. Salmon feed on algae and this is the reason why they are rich in this anti-inflammatory healthy fat. 

Tomato Paste

From what I’ve read, tomatoes are a great seasonal allergy fighter. That’s because they’re high in vitamin C and lycopene, another type of antioxidant. But I don’t think adding a few slices of tomato to a sandwich or salad is going to do you much good if you’re suffering with seasonal allergies. 

Instead, I’d go with tomato paste, which is much richer in lycopene per serving than a regular tomato. A 2021 study says that lycopene was “effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, and this effect was found to be stronger with increasing doses of lycopene.” 


nettle leaves to make tincture with

7. Nettle Leaf

Want the sciency explanation how nettle leaf works? Here’s straight from the horse’s mouth (this 2009 study) “Nettle inhibits several key inflammatory events that cause the symptoms of seasonal allergies. These include … activity against the Histamine-1 receptor and the inhibition of mast cell…preventing degranulation and release of a host of pro-inflammatory mediators that cause the symptoms of hay fevers.” 

So start drinking nettle tea. 

8. Fermented Foods

Remember those researchers from the Nutrients journal who suggested that people aren’t exposed to enough germs in the natural environment as a reason for the soaring rates of allergies? 

They also said that we should be consuming more fermented foods like all-natural, sugar-free, plain yogurt, tempeh, kefir and sauerkraut. “The metabolic and enzymatic activity of microorganisms involved in fermentation can exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action.”


ginger cinnamon turmeric

9. Ginger 

A 2016 study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry says that ginger “suppresses cytokine production for T cell activation and proliferation, thereby not causing B cell and mast cell activation and resulting in prevention or alleviation of allergic rhinitis symptoms.” 

10. Turmeric/Curcumin

Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, contains potent anti-allergenic properties. A 2016 study showed for the first time that curcumin may “improve nasal airflow and modulate immune response in patients with allergic rhinitis.” 

11. Pineapple

Bromelain, the main enzyme in pineapple is best known for supporting digestion. But it also may help reduce inflammation associated with allergies. A 2012 study found that bromelain “was found to [prevent the] development of allergic airway disease (AAD) … From this reduction in AAD outcomes … bromelain may have similar effects in the treatment of human asthma and hypersensitivity disorders.”

12. A Rainbow of Veggies

As if you need another reason to eat veggies! Eating a diverse range of colorful veggies like green leafy veggies in Organic Green Drink, squashes, red bell peppers and carrots ensures that you’re getting adequate antioxidant pigments called carotenoids. 

Carotenoids support healthy inflammation levels. But don’t just take my word for it. Says this study:

“High plasma carotenoid concentrations reflecting a diet high in various fruits and vegetables might have a protective effect on allergic rhinitis in adulthood.”

I include many of these seasonal allergy fighters in my recipes, which you can find here. 

Good luck this allergy season!

Love, 

Veronica “V” Wheat
Founder, ChefV.com

What’s All The Buzz About Bee Pollen?

Chef V

Chef V and weight loss

Chef V explains why bee pollen is the ultimate boost for Green Drinks and low-sugar smoothies. (Hint: there’s more to this super topping than allergy prevention!) 

I’m no history expert but was surprised to learn that bee pollen isn’t just a recent health fad. When I was geeking out on some bee pollen research, I discovered that both the Bible and ancient Egyptian texts tout bee pollen like it’s the bees' knees. 

Most people first hear about bee pollen because it’s one of the best foods for seasonal allergy prevention. That’s one reason to add bee pollen to Organic Green Drinks, low-sugar tropical smoothies like my Tropitaya smoothie, or breakfast bowl smoothies. 

I’ll cover bee pollen and allergies below. But first, I want you to know that there’s a lot more to bee pollen than preventing an occasional sneeze when you stop to smell the springtime flowers. In fact, for thousands of years, people have been using pollen for all sorts of physical ailments. 

“Since antiquity, people throughout the world used bee pollen to cure colds, flu, ulcers, premature aging, anemia, and colitis,” says a research review in an allergy and asthma journal. 

So let’s get to know more about bee pollen. 

What is Bee Pollen?

When honey bees construct a hive, they mix saliva and wax to create a sticky, resiny substance like super glue. This resin is known as propolis. Bee pollen is a mixture of this propolis, nectar, and plant pollen. 

Bees don’t intentionally set out to pollinate plants. Instead, bees consider pollen a superfood, just like a Whole Foods shopper does! So bees collect pollen from flowering plants, place it in their shopping carts (true story: bees collect pollen in mini baskets), and eventually bring it home to their pantry (hive) to munch on with their honey as a healthy snack. 

Beekeepers carefully collect the bee pollen by placing a mesh screen at the hive entrance, allowing the bees to enter but separating the pollen from their bodies. The collected bee pollen is then carefully dried to preserve its nutritional content.

Bee Pollen: A Gold Mine of Nutrition

After reading the research about bee pollen, I’m all abuzz about adding it to my daily morning Green Drink and smoothies. For instance, a 2021 study published in the journal, Nutrients says bee pollen “is a gold mine of nutrition due to its active components that have significant health and medicinal properties.”

And what are those components? Bee pollen contains bioactive compounds, including proteins, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols, which are potent antioxidants. Polyphenols are essential to include in your diet because they neutralize free radical damage caused by environmental pollution and other forms of stress.

“The vital components of bee pollen enhance different bodily functions and offer protection against many diseases,” the researchers writing in Nutrients conclude.

The Health Benefits Of Bee Pollen

Immunity

Does bee pollen support immunity and help prevent allergies? Let’s forget what health bloggers are saying and see what legit research has to say. 

Remember I mentioned polyphenols, the powerful antioxidant? It turns out that bee pollen contains a type of polyphenol called flavonoids. 

Researchers from that allergy and asthma journal I mentioned say, “Bee pollen flavonoids … have anti-allergic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, … and can be excellent candidates for future studies including phytotherapy, molecular pharmacology and substitutes for chemicals used in treating allergic and immunological disorders.”

In other words, bee pollen may help strengthen the immune system against seasonal allergy attacks. 

Add Bee Pollen to
These Smoothie Recipes 

->  More Chef V Smoothie Recipes

Lowers Blood Sugar and Body Weight

Should Ozempic users consume a daily dose of bee pollen? According to research from the Nutrients study, bee pollen inhibits the production of a particular enzyme and, in doing so, helps to lower blood sugar levels. As for weight loss, in an animal study, obese rodents were fed bee pollen for eight weeks and lost nearly 20% of their body weight. 

Protects The Heart

The same research study suggested that bee pollen’s anti-inflammatory effects may help prevent the lining of blood vessels from constricting. 

Detox

In animal studies, bee pollen removed toxic fluoride.

Mood

Instead of drowning your sorrows in booze, boost your mood with bee pollen. According to a 2022 study in Neuroscience Letters, bee pollen reduced anxiety-like behavior and suppressed inflammation in the brain. 

(It’s important to note that this finding was also from an animal study. Human clinical trials are super expensive; trust me, I know from experience.)

Skin Health

Again, let’s skip the health blog hoopla. Instead, what does the research say about bee pollen for skin health? 

“Bee pollen is a potent antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating agent, and it also facilitates the granulation process of burn healing,” reads a 2020 study in the journal, Molecules.

You won’t find me rubbing bee pollen all over my face. (Hmmm, that gives me an idea: bee pollen facial masks.) But you better believe it when I say I boost my Green Drinks and healthy smoothies almost every day with it. 

These are just some of the health benefits of bee pollen. I should also mention that it’s a great source of B vitamins, so if you need an energy boost in the morning, boost your Green Drinks and smoothies with bee pollen.

Results of Chef V's Clinical Research Study

A Research Study Worth “Weighting” For: CHEF V Clinically Proven For Weight Loss

Chef V Clinical Research Study: 21 DAY Detox + Green Drink Lowers Inflammation: C-Reactive Protein down 34.1%

Essential Detox: 21 Days to Better Health

Chef V

Veronica working from home

Happy hello! Whether it’s hot or cold, every day calls for care for your health. Weather changes and cleansing go together with my Chef V cleanses & detoxes.

My cleanses include delicious Carrot Ginger and Sweet Potato Curry soups, soothing and filling.  Doing an essential detox cleanse right now may protect you from nasty viruses. Plus, doing a detox is like giving your organs a much-needed tune-up. 

 When you’re sharing oxygen in a confined space, that’s when your body is more susceptible to catching colds and flu viruses. At work with lots of people in close proximity, the state of your immune system is a major factor in determining if you’re going to have to call in sick for work.

You might feel totally healthy now. But if you eat unhealthy fast food now that you are back at work  along with alcohol, ice cream and other inflammatory foods, your immune system might be weakened right now without you knowing it.

And if you don’t detox your system now, your immune system’s energy will be spent trying to get rid of the toxic load in your organs, instead of devoting all of its resources to fighting viruses.

Hey, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones and can feast on foods with refined carbohydrates. Perhaps you’re a genetic freak who never gets sick despite a diet rich in foods with white flour, sugar, and saturated fats.

But if you’re not a member of the dietary one-percent I have some advice for you on boosting your immune system right now with an essential detox….

green line

“During my detox I lost 19 lbs! My BMI went from 24.0 to 16.9!
I am super excited for when I do my next detox because I will be
doing the expert challenge! LOVE LOVE LOVE Chef V.” – Mackenzie

Below, my Black Bean Soup, a recipe from my cookbook. A cleanse-friendly recipe created to accompany my cleanses and detoxes.

black bean soup

Ditch Sugar Addiction & Reset Your Metabolism In Just 21 Days

In addition to eating unhealthy food, you might be more vulnerable to getting sick because of stress.

Recently, I wrote about staying healthy for the back to school season. But even if you don’t have kids, many of us feel stressed out. And when stress strikes, lots of people cope by snacking on sugary treats and other unhealthy food.

If you can relate to having felt stressed out or eat lots of unhealthy food, I suggest trying my 21 Day Detox.

My 21 Day Detox is 100% organic. Although you’ll very likely lose weight after doing a 21 Day Detox, my program is far more than just a weight loss solution. More than that, my 21 Day Detox will teach you how to adopt healthier eating habits. Not just for the 21 days but for weeks, months and even years after the detox is over.


21 day detox

How Does The 21 Day Essential Detox Work?

During the 21 Day Detox, you’ll have days when you follow my Cleanse protocol, which provides you with four servings of 16 oz Green Drinks, 2 Protein Shakes and a Detox Soup. Then, on other days, you’ll also have Green Drinks and Protein Shakes, plus my Healthy Routine, which allows you to choose your own lunch, snack and dinner from my Meal Planner. The Meal Planner contains delicious recipes, an approved foods list, a portion-size guide, and more helpful tips that will make completing a 21 Day Essential Detox a breeze.

Plus, when you order the 21 Day Detox, I email you a downloadable copy of my recipe book, Making Cleansing Easier.

A lot of people have no idea what to eat. But I take all the guess work out of meal planning. My recipes are filled with lots of low-starch veggies, healing herbs and spices and healthy, whole grains that don’t promote inflammation. I also include some fruit as part of my Healthy Eating routine (but not too much), as well as legumes, lean protein and moderate amounts of healthy oils such as olive oil.

Squashing VIruses With … Squash, Soup And Other Awesome Autumn Veggies

Introducing winter squash, sweet potato, carrot, beets and other hearty antioxidant-rich veggies this time of year is a good strategy for boosting your immune system and aiding your body in the detox process.

And when you do my 21 Day Detox, you’ll get one of two delicious Detox soups for dinner: Carrot Ginger Zing and Sweet Potato Curry. The carrot ginger soup also contains yam, onion, garlic, turmeric, and sea salt with a base of filtered water.

As for the sweet potato curry, it’s loaded with leeks, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and a gentle curry spice, flavored to taste with sea salt in a filtered water base.

Although the Detox Soups are relatively low in calories, they are very nutrient dense, so you won’t still be hungry and be tempted by empty carbs after having it for dinner.

Here’s what one Chef V customer, Mel H. of San Diego, has to say about the soup on Yelp:

The detox soup is DELICIOUS- I want to try the recipe on my own one of these days. After 3 days of cleansing I feel 100% better. I will absolutely do this cleanse again. Thanks Chef V. !

Mel didn’t jump into the 21 Day Detox. She dipped her toe in the shallow end by doing my shortest detox program, the 3 Day Cleanse. If the sound of a 21 Day Detox intimidates you, doing a 3 Day Cleanse (or 5 day or 7 day) is a good alternative.

Whether you choose the shorter cleanse or the 21 Day Detox, I’ll tell you exactly what foods to eat in the days leading up to the program and for the days that follow it after you successfully finish it.

So give your organs a tune-up now and get them in tip-top shape for the cold/flu season that’s right around the corner.

To your health,

Chef V

Veronica and Coco

Boost your Immune System: Eating Healthy

Jean Yates

Veronica working from home

Flu season might be severe this year, according to the medical community. So how to avoid getting it?

There’s no cure right now for the flu and the best way to fight it off is to increase your resistance. And that means eating healthy to boost your immunity.

I’ve built my little Green Drink and Cleanse/Detox empire over the last decade in part by telling people what to eat. A big reason why I created my Making Cleansing Easier Cookbook along with all the other Healthy Eating Resources you get when you’re on a Green Drink Plan is because when I first started Chef V, I was asked the question so many times, “Hey Veronica, what should I eat?”

More than anything, you need to keep eating healthy. When you’re stuck at home and bored, you start eating more.

Don’t buy what you don’t normally eat. Don’t stock up on cookies and chips and snacks but stick to healthy choices. If you don’t eat junk food normally you shouldn’t be eating it now.

Time to clean your body

While some people are going the snack route, a surprising number of people are saying – some of my friends have the flu – “this is the time to do a 21 day detox – its getting colder, I don’t want to eat a bunch of crap, so why don’t I have Chef V deliver a 21 Day Challenge to me for 3 weeks and make a huge change in my health.”

I think that’s sort of genius, and we’ve not advertised it, but so many people have been ordering a Detox or Cleanse from us.

Right now is a great time to cleanse – people are cleansing their houses, cleaning their surroundings, and it all fits together – cleansing to nourish your body and boost immunity. Plus you get everything you need for a 3 week Detox delivered to your door.

#1: Give Intermittent Fasting A Try

One of the reasons my hubby, Brandon, and I have kept the weight off is that we are doubling down on intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting not only works for weight loss, it makes your mind sharper and may even support your immune system and prevent infection as this study suggests. 

I’m not saying that if you do intermittent fasting, you won’t get the flu. But it’s interesting that some immunologists are exploring its protective effects. How intermittent fasting supports the immune system is the same way it can help you prevent weight gain while working from home. 

You see, when you don’t eat anything for 16 hours—the best way to do intermittent fasting is to limit your calorie-intake window to 8 hours a day, i.e. 12 noon to 8 p.m.; Brandon and I shoot for a 17-hour fast most of the time—your body starts repairing itself. Digestion takes a ton of energy. By giving your digestive system a rest, your body can focus on fixing itself. This process is known as autophagy. 

Technically, autophagy does not directly contribute to weight loss. But by making your metabolism more efficient, fasting can lead to weight loss. And the great thing about intermittent fasting is that if you feel like snacking while working from home, you don’t have to feel guilty about it. As long as you’re eating during your 8-hour window, snack away. 

For info on how to do intermittent fasting and its benefits, read this. 

green drink

#2: Lose Weight Working At Home By Eating More!

If you work a normal 8 or 9 to 5 day, your first main meal will be at around noon. Actually, before your first meal of the day, I recommend drinking some water with trace minerals to keep your energy up first thing in the morning. You can also have green tea or unsweetened black coffee if you must have your caffeine fix. Then, between 11:30 to noon, break your fast with Organic Green Drink. 

By having 8 to 16 oz of Green Drink, you’ll gently awaken your digestive system and flood your cells with high-nutrient-density leafy greens. 

After having your Green Drink, wait about 15-30 minutes, then go to town. Have at it. Eat all you want until your belly is full but not too stuffed. By eating a large meal, you’ll eliminate the temptation for frequent snacking. Like I said, snacking during your 8-hour eating window isn’t a nutrition faux-pas. But in general, it’s good to give your insulin-secreting pancreas a rest in between meals as well as your other digestive organs. 

If you eat your first main meal at noon, I recommend having your second large meal early in the evening like at 5 or 6. Your last meal can then be a light but satisfying one like yogurt with nuts and berries. 

Many people make the mistake of not eating enough at their main meals. This is what leads to over snacking in between meals and late-night snacking, which is terrible for your metabolism. Eating too often prevents your gut bacteria from being able to be swept down from the small intestine into the large intestine (colon). See my article on SIBO for more on this subject.

blueberries

#3: Are You Hungry Or Just Bored? 

True hunger is when you’ve gone 16 hours or longer without food. If your stomach is sending signals to your brain while you’re working that you’re hungry, don’t listen to the message right away. 

Your brain—and belly—could be the victim of a false signal. This is especially true if it’s only been two or three hours since you last ate. If your last meal was large enough and contained the correct ratio of macronutrients (a little bit of healthy fats like avocado, and sufficient protein and low-starch carbs like quinoa and veggies), then you shouldn’t need to eat more food. 

You can satisfy your sweet tooth after a meal by having a large handful of berries and a tiny piece of dark chocolate. This is why I emphasized eating a big meal above. 

But if you’re accustomed to snacking every couple hours, it’s probably not true hunger you’re experiencing. What’s likely happening is that the yeast in your gut loves feasting on the sugars in your small intestine, from the crackers and other carb-heavy snacks. And after the yeast digests your yummy snack, it will tell your brain to feed it some more. After all, your brain and gut operate in a continuous feedback loop (no pun intended). 

If you feed your gut low-sugar, low-starch foods, the yeast in your gut won’t proliferate; it will be kept in check by your friendly bacteria. And that means your belly—when properly nourished—won’t send your brain a signal to snack yet again. 

#4: Sleep, Exercise, and Stress

One of the most powerful weapons in your immune-boosting arsenal has to be one of the easiest – sleep! Not getting enough sleep can ruin your immune system. (If you have difficulty sleeping, a blended juice cleanse might be just what you need!)

Exercise, even in small amounts, is also great for keeping your immune system ready to go. Not only will exercise support a stronger immune system, but it can help you keep your weight low – and as we mentioned, high weight is an immune system risk.

One of the most important things is, of course, to simply not stress out too much about it. It might seem counterintuitive, but worrying too much about your immune system can… weaken your immune system. The mind and body are connected, so stress on one will affect the other. It sounds crazy, but stress is never good for your health in any way.

Veronica and Coco

3 Tips For Eating Right If You’re Working From Home

Chef V

Veronica working from home

If you had an office job pre-pandemic, you probably only ate when everybody else took their lunch break and maybe a quick afternoon snack. But now that so many of us are working from home, temptation is just around the corner all day long. Chef V’s got some tips for you to slim your waistline in no time. Here are 3 tips for eating right while working from home...

I know a thing or two about being tempted by food at the workplace. After all, I was a private chef for many years. That’s where my name, Chef V—aka Veronica—comes from. (I’m a marketing genius.) 

Anybody who has ever had a food job be it server, line cook, head chef or cashier knows all too well that gnawing feeling in your belly when you have to pull a long shift and you don’t have time to even pop a crumb in your mouth.

But then, after that long shift is mercifully over, you overcompensate by stuffing your belly until it feels like it’s going to pop like a balloon. 

These days, however, probably just like you, I’ve been working from home more often. And when you’re just steps away from the kitchen with no boss breathing down your neck and no time constraints save for the occasional Zoom meeting, the kitchen beckons like an inviting pool of mud to a pig. 

When you’re absentmindedly snacking all day and then continue snacking at night while getting your Netflix on, it’s so easy to gain weight. So here’s my tips for preventing overeating and gaining weight while working from home. 

#1: Give Intermittent Fasting A Try

One of the reasons my hubby, Brandon, and I have kept the weight off while working from home is we doubled down on intermittent fasting during the pandemic. Intermittent fasting not only works for weight loss, it makes your mind sharper and may even support your immune system and prevent infection as this study suggests. 

I’m not saying that if you do intermittent fasting, you won’t get COVID. But it’s interesting that some immunologists are exploring its protective effects. How intermittent fasting supports the immune system is the same way it can help you prevent weight gain while working from home. 

You see, when you don’t eat anything for 16 hours—the best way to do intermittent fasting is to limit your calorie-intake window to 8 hours a day, i.e. 12 noon to 8 p.m.; Brandon and I shoot for a 17-hour fast most of the time—your body starts repairing itself. Digestion takes a ton of energy. By giving your digestive system a rest, your body can focus on fixing itself. This process is known as autophagy. 

Technically, autophagy does not directly contribute to weight loss. But by making your metabolism more efficient, fasting can lead to weight loss. And the great thing about intermittent fasting is that if you feel like snacking while working from home, you don’t have to feel guilty about it. As long as you’re eating during your 8-hour window, snack away. 

For info on how to do intermittent fasting and its benefits, read this. 


green drink

#2: Lose Weight Working At Home By Eating More!

If you work a normal 8 or 9 to 5 day, your first main meal will be at around noon. Actually, before your first meal of the day, I recommend drinking some water with trace minerals to keep your energy up first thing in the morning. You can also have green tea or unsweetened black coffee if you must have your caffeine fix. Then, between 11:30 to noon, break your fast with Organic Green Drink. 

By having 8 to 16 oz of Green Drink, you’ll gently awaken your digestive system and flood your cells with high-nutrient-density leafy greens. 

After having your Green Drink, wait about 15-30 minutes, then go to town. Have at it. Eat all you want until your belly is full but not too stuffed. By eating a large meal, you’ll eliminate the temptation for frequent snacking. Like I said, snacking during your 8-hour eating window isn’t a nutrition faux-pas. But in general, it’s good to give your insulin-secreting pancreas a rest in between meals as well as your other digestive organs. 

If you eat your first main meal at noon, I recommend having your second large meal early in the evening like at 5 or 6. Your last meal can then be a light but satisfying one like yogurt with nuts and berries. 

Many people make the mistake of not eating enough at their main meals. This is what leads to over snacking in between meals and late-night snacking, which is terrible for your metabolism. Eating too often prevents your gut bacteria from being able to be swept down from the small intestine into the large intestine (colon). See my article on SIBO for more on this subject.

blueberries

#3: Are You Hungry Or Just Bored? 

True hunger is when you’ve gone 16 hours or longer without food. If your stomach is sending signals to your brain while you’re working that you’re hungry, don’t listen to the message right away. 

Your brain—and belly—could be the victim of a false signal. This is especially true if it’s only been two or three hours since you last ate. If your last meal was large enough and contained the correct ratio of macronutrients (a little bit of healthy fats like avocado, and sufficient protein and low-starch carbs like quinoa and veggies), then you shouldn’t need to eat more food. 

You can satisfy your sweet tooth after a meal by having a large handful of berries and a tiny piece of dark chocolate. This is why I emphasized eating a big meal above. 

But if you’re accustomed to snacking every couple hours while working from home, it’s probably not true hunger you’re experiencing. What’s likely happening is that the yeast in your gut loves feasting on the sugars in your small intestine, from the crackers and other carb-heavy snacks. And after the yeast digests your yummy snack, it will tell your brain to feed it some more. After all, your brain and gut operate in a continuous feedback loop (no pun intended). 

If you feed your gut low-sugar, low-starch foods, the yeast in your gut won’t proliferate; it will be kept in check by your friendly bacteria. And that means your belly—when properly nourished—won’t send your brain a signal to snack yet again. 

Conclusion

If you want to avoid overeating while working from home, do intermittent fasting, eat one to two large meals during working hours and learn to differentiate true hunger from boredom and habit. If you do feel hungry, drink a tall glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice and go for a quick walk. I bet you’ll go back to your work feeling refreshed and not hungry. 

Veronica black cat tropical, green drink

Beyond Sustainable: How Regenerative Agriculture Will Heal The Planet

Jean Yates

Veronica working from home

If you’re really worried about climate change, first of all take a deep breath and know that everything is going to be ok. But in order to curb greenhouse gas emissions, we need food-growing solutions that are beyond sustainable.

I’m sharing what I’ve learned about regenerative ag with you because I’m concerned about making sure that my Green Drink company supports healthy agriculture. And I want you to know about it as well.

Chef V’s Commitment to Healing the Planet

Next time you eat a salad or enjoy a Green Drink, I really want you to reflect for a moment on where your food came from and how it was grown. And the best way to do that is to think about your gut. 

You see, if you have a healthy gut, that means your large intestine is populated with lots of friendly bacteria from a wide variety of strains. 

It’s the same thing with soil. In order to provide you with abundant nutrients, the veggies you eat have to be grown in healthy soil. Unfortunately, the majority of the soil where our broccoli, sweet potatoes and other veggies is grown is mineral-deficient. The same goes for dairy and meat. Personally, I hardly ever have regular dairy or meat, but if I did, I would only consume it where cows are grazing on grasses grown with beyond-sustainable farming techniques such as regenerative agriculture, which I’m about to explain in just a little bit. 

But most of the dairy and meat comes from cows that are trapped in industrial feedlots. Or, if the cows are given access to fresh air, they graze on mineral-deficient grass. Grass contains beneficial nutrients such as Omega-3 essential fatty acids. So when you’re consuming conventional dairy or meat, you’re hardly getting any of those beneficial nutrients and you’re taking a gamble on your health with inflammatory issues.

It’s no wonder that more and more people are having digestive issues and health problems. If we’re eating food, even if it’s something healthy like kale, that has been grown in poor soil, we’re eating mostly dead food. 

And it’s not just our health that suffers when we eat food grown in poor soil. The health of our planet suffers as well. But if every farm on this planet switched to regenerative farming techniques, we could feed our gut with food that’s rich in vitamins and minerals and all those other amazing phytochemicals that aren’t listed on food labels. This would not only make us healthier, it would make our planet healthier. 

Veronica farmers market

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

How does having healthier soil improve the ecological health of the planet? Well, regenerative ag may actually help reverse climate change by acting as a carbon sink. This means that this beyond-sustainable farming technique can remove excess carbon that otherwise would get released into the atmosphere. If we’re able to remove CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere, the theory goes, the planet will not warm to the accelerated levels it has been.

So what is regenerative ag? According to California State University at Chico, it’s using farming methods and ranch management techniques that restore degraded soils. “By rebuilding soil organic matter and soil biodiversity we significantly increase the amount of carbon that can be drawn down from the atmosphere while greatly improving soil fertility and the water cycle,” CSU-Chico explains. 

This is not meant as an insult, but many people are so out of touch with how food is made. Before I started Chef V, I was one of them. I had no clue about modern food cultivation practices like tillage. 

Tillage basically uses equipment to dig deep down into the soil—up to 10 inches—

before crops are planted. This allows for farmers to effortlessly plant more seeds. Tillage is sometimes necessary to plant new crops in a new season, but the practice is too pervasive and kills fertile soil. 

In fact, Regeneration International predicts that within 150 years, there will be no fertile soil left unless farmers adopt regenerative ag practices. 

farmer with regenerative ag soil

How Does Regenerative Farming Work?

The 7 certified organically-grown veggies in Organic Green Drink are farmed the old-fashioned way without large-scale industrial farming methods that strip nutrients away from the soil. 

Thankfully, modern farming equipment makes it easy for people who grow food to use no-till regenerative agriculture methods. This is essentially how food was grown starting about 12,000 years ago. Besides no-till, regenerative ag methods include crop rotation, composting, and fertilizing with animal manure instead of toxic pesticides. 

What is Monoculture Farming?

Take a look at the produce in a conventional supermarket. There’s a good chance that most of the veggies on display were cultivated using monoculture farming techniques. As the name implies, a monoculture farm only grows one crop like soybeans. Is this a bad thing? Mostly, yes. 

And the reason why comes back to your gut bacteria via the bacteria in the soil. You see, when only one type of plant is grown in a field, the ecological diversity of the soil becomes unbalanced. When you add tillage farming to monoculture farming, you get a recipe for dead soil. 

How Popular is Regenerative Farming?

Even though it’s really the original way people grew food, it’s only now making a comeback. The number of farms that are using beyond sustainable growing techniques like regenerative ag are still a drop in the bucket in comparison to conventional and factory farm operations. 

But the good news is that corporate food is beginning to wake up. The giant food conglomerate, General Mills, for instance, announced that by 2030, it will use regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland. 

blueberries

Healing The Planet With Regenerative Ag

Now I don’t want to bore you with more technical details about regenerative ag. I just wanted to introduce the concept to you, so that when you purchase food you can make the most informed decisions to best support your health. 

The lesson here is that conventional farming practices need to go back to their roots. And from what I’ve read, the good news for farmers is that regenerative ag is more economically viable. The bottom line is that if we want to decelerate global warming, not even sustainable farming will cut it. We need beyond-sustainable farming, where carbon is sequestered in the soil and won’t escape into the atmosphere. 

What’s needed on a massive scale is the restoration of Earth’s soil to capture all those greenhouse gasses that are heating up the planet. And the way we get there is by growing food through regenerative agriculture. 

Veronica green drink

Do you Take Vitamin K? Maybe You Should.

Jean Yates

Vitamin K

You know that Vitamin K is important for heart and circulatory system health, but now a connection with viral disease and mortality makes getting your Vitamin K more important than ever. 

In recent reporting on viral research, The Guardian reports: “Researchers studying patients who were admitted to the Canisius Wilhelmina hospital in the Dutch city of Nijmegen have extolled the benefits of vitamin K after discovering a link between deficiency and the worst pandemic outcomes.”

Dr Rob Janssen, a scientist working on the project says: ““My advice would be to take those vitamin K supplements. Even if it does not help against severe viral disease, it is good for your blood vessels, bones and probably also for the lungs.”

The research, undertaken in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, one of Europe’s largest heart and vascular research institutes, studied 134 patients hospitalized for viral disease between 12 March and 11 April, alongside a control group of 184 age-matched patients who did not have the disease.

Jona Walk, a second researcher on the study, which was submitted for peer review on Friday, said: “We want to take very sick patients and randomise so that they get a placebo or vitamin K, which is very safe to use in the general population. We want to give vitamin K in a significantly high enough dose that we really will activate [the protein] that is so important for protecting the lungs, and check if it is safe.”

Consumer Reports on Vitamin K

Consumer Reports recently discussed three investigations of people with low amounts of Vitamin K and their increased risk of dying from any cause. Other research has shown that too little vitamin K is associated with various age-related concerns, such as cognitive function and mobility.

Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting and is related to healthy lungs – it has been shown to protect lungs by protecting the elasticity of connective tissue, and it makes sure minerals (e.g., calcium) stay in bones rather than the blood vessels, which inhibits atherosclerosis. Both blood clots and difficulty breathing are serious complications of viral disease.

Green Drink has 562% of your daily recommended dose of Vitamin K

If you’re having 16 oz. of my Organic Green Drink every day, you’re getting 562% of your daily value of phylloquinone.

Phylloquinone is the plant form of vitamin K.

And next time you get a cut and you’re bleeding, you can thank my Green Drink for helping stopping the bleeding.

That’s because this critical nutrient produces a protein that helps clot your blood.

(If you take blood-thinning medication, though, don’t overdo the Green Drinks and other foods rich in it.)

Vitamin K in foods

Best Sources

It turns out that two of the top five top sources of vitamin K are in my Organic Green Drink: collard greens and kale.

Now, I never intended to create a detox drink that was specifically high in vitamin K.

That’s because, to be honest, even though I’m a certified nutritional therapist, I, too, tend to treat vitamin K like a neglected friend.

I don’t think about vitamin K often like I do like the B vitamins or C and E (for skin health) or even A.

But next time I get a nick from a bad paper cut, I’m going to be grateful for the fact that my Green Drink not only tastes great, but will help my boo boo heal fast.

Women around my age should consume about 90 micrograms (mcg) a day, of vitamin K. As for men: 120 mcg.

Each 8 oz serving of Green Drink contains 210 mcg (over 250% of your daily value).

That means even if you don’t have any other green leafy veggies the rest of the day, you don’t have to worry about your vitamin K intake.

Which is good news if you’re one of our always on the go customers that don’t get any other greens from food aside from Green Drink. (If that’s you, think of Green Drink as your health insurance.)

In addition to kale and collard greens, lettuce, another of the 7 certified organic veggies in Green Drink is rich in vitamin K.


green drink

Who Needs It Most?

Although it’s not common for someone other than newborns to have a vitamin K deficiency, certain people do need more.

If you have any digestive issue that affects how you absorb nutrients, you might want to consume more vitamin K. Ulcerative colitis, Celiac Disease, and Cystic Fibrosis are examples of malabsorption conditions that may require an increase of vitamin K.

If you have one of these conditions, consider not only drinking Green Drink first thing in the morning, but also eating lots of green leafy veggies in salads.

In addition, the Japanese fermented soy food, natto, is the highest source. However, if you have a FODMAP sensitivity, it might be best to avoid fermented foods.

(FODMAPs are short-chain carbs that don’t get absorbed easily in the gut and can lead to fermentation in the digestive system. This is a good resource that explains FODMAPS.)

Vitamin K capsule

K2: Is it the same?

On certain food labels, you might come across vitamin K2. The plant-based form of vitamin K is K1, whereas animal-based sources are K2.

I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian. But I do believe in popular food writer, Michael Pollan’s famous saying: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

WIthout doubt, you can definitely get enough vitamin K from plant sources.

There’s actually vitamins K3, 4 and 5, but you’ll need a degree in biochemistry to understand what they do.

Health Benefits

Here are some other reasons to have a Green Drink every day….

There’s a protein in your heart that depends on vitamin K. The protein is also located in your bone and cartilage. This protein is very important because it can help reduce calcification (hardening) of the arteries in the heart.

That’s why if you’re not getting enough leafy greens in your diet (either through Green Drinks or salads), you might be at greater risk for heart disease.

In addition, there’s another protein that depends on it for healthy bone formation. That’s why researchers believe there’s a link between low vitamin K intake and osteoporosis.

And when you get older, you’ll especially want to make sure you’re getting enough leafy greens. That’s because the higher blood levels of it you have, the lower your chances of memory loss. Moreover, your blood pressure will be at a more normal level.

Have Some Fat With It

K is fat-soluble. That means you need to eat some fat with it so your body absorbs it.

My Green Drink has zero grams of fat, or at most, a trace amount. So what I do is shortly after I have some Green Drink, I’ll have a tiny amount of avocado, coconut oil or almond butter (or other healthy fat) so that next time I get a boo-boo, my blood will clot fast.

Veronica in NYC

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.