Eileen Valazza

When I read The China Study I became massively motivated to make changes in my life. I knew I wanted to cut out quite a few foods from our family diet, but it seemed way too overwhelming to do it all at once.

So I started very slowly, by adding small amounts of healthier foods to to our lives. I didn’t worry too much at the beginning about restricting any foods. Those faded away later.

Here’s the thing, if you really truly want to make a lifelong change: you have time.

You don’t have to worry right now about the fact that you can’t imagine giving up cheese, or chicken, or whatever it is.

When you add food that truly nourishes you, you are literally re-assembling the molecules in your body. By the time you get to that step that scares you, you’ll be thinking with a different brain, in a different body, with different cravings.

You don’t have to worry about the finish line, just take the first step.

Okay, enough philosophizing. What’s the first step?

If you want my opinion (and really, that’s all you’ll get since this is my blog, ha!) I would say  buy a Vitamix and make green smoothies.

Why green smoothies?

Ahhh, green smoothies.

If you are anything like me, you may have been cruising along not eating very many vegetables. I won’t get into why leafy greens are the most powerful, essential nutrient-rich food you can eat–there are plenty of places to do that research (I recommend the book Green for Life for a quick read on how amazing green leafies are.)

The main appeal of green smoothies for me is this:  you will get the benefits of green leafy vegetables easily and quickly. If you drink one of these every day or as close to every day as you can, you will start to crave vegetables. You’ll be nourishing the molecules in your body, creating a new container.

Why a vitamix?

There are all sorts of gadgets and equipment that can make vegan cooking easier and more appealing. A juicer…a food processor…even a dehydrator…all wonderful. But if you’re going to make an investment at the beginning, I would choose the Vitamix for several reasons:

• It blends really, really smoothly. No weird chunks or grittiness. You haven’t had a green smoothie until you’ve had one made in a vitamix.
• It’s really, really strong so nothing gets stuck, you can put in a whole carrot and it will handle it just fine.
• It (mostly) doubles as a food processor, so in addition to the quintessential green smoothie, you can experiment with other things like oatmeal bars and yum sauce.

Okay, you have a vitamix. Now what?

The internet is full of recipes for green smoothies, and seriously they are all fantastic. Throw a bunch of greens into your vitamix with some fruit and you really can’t go wrong.

However, I know when I’m trying something new I like to have step-by-step directions to follow–so that’s what I’m going to share here. This is by no means a definitive smoothie recipe, just an easy one that works well for us.

Here is my go-to recipe:

• 1/2 bunch of (fresh-frozen*) kale or other leafy greens
• About a cup and a half of non-dairy milk (such as hemp, almond or coconut)
• 3 bananas
• 1 apple
• 2 scoops Amazing Grass
• 2 scoops Sun Warrior Protein Powder
• A couple spoonfuls of hemp seeds

This recipe makes enough for me and my husband to each have a 16 oz smoothie, and for about 6 oz to go in Zane’s cup. We drink this every morning (rotating the type of greens and the type of milk every week).

System notes:

• (*) Buy a few bunches of kale or other greens, wash and separate into single servings and store them in the freezer. In the morning just pull out a bag of frozen kale. This is why my recipe does not call for ice. Also: it limits the greens-going-bad-in-the-fridge guilt if you skip a few days of smoothie-making. (Aiy, vegetable guilt! it’s the worst!)
• Blend the frozen greens with the milk and any powders first, then add the fruit and blend again. I’m nut sure why but this tends to make everything come out smoother.
• I like this recipe because it doesn’t have a lot of exotic fruit–bananas and apples are easy to keep on hand and don’t go bad very quickly (if your bananas are about to go bad you can freeze those too)
• Also, this recipe doesn’t require much cutting or chopping in the mornings.
• You can always just start with the fruit, greens and non-dairy milk and forget about the protein powder, amazing grasses, and hemp seeds to start with. They’re expensive, and you can always optimize later, I just wanted to show how we raise the protein and nutrient content.
• In the beginning it’s just about getting in the habit of making a smoothie every morning (or afternoon, or whenever). Just start.
• Get those greens in the little ones! Zane has been enjoying green smoothies since about six months old. I used to spoon feed them to him and it was his absolute favorite food. Now he is very insistent when it’s time for his smoothie!

If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! Or if you have a favorite smoothie recipe, do share…

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I can go slow.
I reject the harshness of cleanses and detoxes and instead choose to lovingly broker a peace between my body and brain. I won’t use my brain to beat my body into submission–that is the opposite of peace, and unsustainable.

I can take what helps me and leave the rest.
I can indulge my information junkie tendencies, but I don’t have to act on everything I discover. It’s amazing how much science knows about how to nourish the human body and prevent disease. I can use information as inspiration, not yet another thing to feel bad about.

I get to make positive change.
When I add enough that truly nourishes me into my life, the negative will fall away on its own. I don’t need to focus on restricting “bad” things, they will fall away when I no longer need them.

I get to explore.
Some things won’t turn out and that’s okay. Nothing is so important that it can’t turn into a giant mess. This is a form of creativity. I get to play!

I get support.
Sometimes I have to provide my own support and that’s okay, it still counts. I don’t need to have energy about this at all times. I can create systems that hold me when I’m burned out. I can seek out supportive people.

I don’t have to be hungry.
I get to eat, really and truly eat, when I am hungry. As I nourish myself with essential nutrients, my body will get stronger and stronger.

I am not a “before & after” photo.
The old way of eating was not bad, the old way of being was not bad. Because nothing about me is bad. It filled a need at the time. I may find other ways to fill those needs, but the needs themselves are legitimate.

The way I eat will save the world.
I will show kindness to myself first. It will radiate outward to other humans, animals, and the environment.

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I wish everyone I love would read this book. Seriously. If you live in Seattle and would like to borrow my copy, let me know.

I’ll even watch your kid while you read.

It’s that kind of book.

I do a lot of reading, and in the past year that reading has focused on diet and nutrition.

As I mentioned before, I’m not an arguer-about-diet. That’s just not my scene and I won’t do it. First and foremost, I think people should do whatever feels best to them.

And second, I dislike debates in general. Especially the kind where people throw facts and figures around at one another. Because I find it so meaningless. It’s always possible to find a fact, a study, a website(!) or a book that supports what you want to say. Especially when it comes to diet and nutrition.

It can be so confusing I want to scream! (And I know part of why it’s confusing is because a lot of very powerful groups have a lot of interest in keeping it confusing. Which makes me feel angry and powerless. So, again with the screaming.)

In order to confidently evaluate claims about diet and nutrition you would need (seriously!) a degree in biochemistry and access to the source data for every study ever conducted. And even then you would probably need a lifetime to comb through and analyze it.

I readily admit I don’t have that level of education or ability (or time!). I just need to get dinner on the table and keep three humans healthy.

In my opinion, this book comes close to that depth of analysis. It is a mac-daddy, a world-changer.

When it comes down to for me is–what feels right? What is capital-t True?

You can look wherever you like for answers. This is the book that started me down the road to finding mine, so I want to share it.

If you read it, I’d love to talk* about it!

*Not debate. I am not going to debate you even if you claim that hot dogs for every meal is the healthiest diet there ever was, because of microscopic disease-prevention fairies that live in hot dogs. I will say good for you for finding what works for you! 

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