The other day I posted in one of our groups a nice little article about balancing your chakras. One of the members (who removed herself from our weird group) posted:

"I think I'll avoid the pseudoscience woo click bait."

In this day and age I am surprised that people don't realize that there has been quantifiable science on chakras since the early 1990's. There are a number of ways to balance the chakras in order to harness their power and live a life that is more in harmony with the world around you. If you are feeling stuck in a particular area of your life, try balancing your chakras and see what a difference it can
make in your life.

The chakras are powerful energy centers in the body, associated with different areas of the body and different kinds of power. It has been the bane of my existence to keep my chakras aligned, and ground my energy centers. It's hard work when you are an empathic energy healer.

The easiest way to balance the chakras is through focusing on the one's you wish to balance, or working on the full set of seven. You can focus mentally though meditation, picturing each colored swirl.

Each chakra has a visual representation called a mandala, which means universe. Meditating on the mandala will focus your energies. So too will chanting the mantra for each of the chakras, either silently or aloud, as part of your meditation or yoga, as we will discuss in a moment.

Touching the chakra also works well. You can rest your hand on the area, front or back. Or if you wish to magnify the energy of the chakra, lay a chakra stone upon it. Massage, either self-massage or massage done by a professional or a partner, also uses the power of touch to balance and open each chakra. You can reach all of your chakras easily from the front, and most of them from the back. If you want to reach your solar plexus and heart chakras from the back, either do it in the shower when your hands are slippery with water and soap, or rub them vigorously with your towel when you are drying off.

Massage can be done on its own, or with aromatherapy, that is, using special botanical essential oils to balance the chakras. I love using a waterfall effect with essential oils, and there are kits that you can get for just this. However there are a wide range of amazing oils to choose from to connect, to uplift, center, or even just surround yourself with wonderful scents.

Yoga is an amazing exercise (even if my type A fights it so), but Kundalini yoga offers a range of ways to stimulate chakra energy and move it up and down the body to harness its power to create
profound changes in your life. It uses a range of poses, or asanas, in sets designed to accomplish certain goals, such as losing weight or improving intuition.

Many of the poses drive the energy up the chakras to balance them and transform any areas in which you find yourself stuck. You will also chant a range of mantras, some of them related to the chakras. The most well-known mantra is OM, which is related to the third eye and crown chakras.

I also love using Reiki. The Japanese word 'reiki'  {ray-key} can be translated as 'universal life energy' and the Usui System is a way of working with reiki for healing of self and others. This is one of the forms of energy work that I use in my private practice. This form of alternative medicine developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. I went through the certification for Level 1, 2 and Master Level and use it with clients, family and myself.

Life is busy, charged, ever moving fast and furious. Once you gain that glint of Reiki Energy in your life, how do you continue using it?

Start with meditation. Meditation in the morning seems simple, easier to move into when trying to open your eyes and take on the day. When you have limited time to get everything into that power hour or power fifteen minutes, you have to start where you are at. Stop, and breathe. Create that connection using your breathe and the Gassho {two hands coming together} Meditation. Lying in bed place your hands in prayer position at the heart, eyes closed. Breathe in the Reiki Energy through your nose, feel it through your entire being going where it will do the highest good. Exhale it through your entire being, into the the universal flow of energy to return or move to where it is needed.

Steps for Gassho Meditation:

• begin by creating intention for yourself and your practice asking for the greater good of the Universal Life Force be present and protective in your session.
• draw the Usui power symbol or Reiki Sandwhich in front of your body and with your hands or visualize it over your body moving the energy into your body.
• invoke the name of the power symbol, or other symbols, as you prepare to begin.
• breathe in the Reiki through your nose and be present in the intention of the session.
• visualize the Reiki Energy as you inhale and exhale for five to fifteen minutes while you stay present in your intention.
• acknowledge that you are holding the full light of the Reiki energy with gratitude and ask that it will be with you through your day.

If you need something to support this new habit you can keep your essential oil or oil blend next to your bed and simply apply a few drops to the palms, then cupping your hands and breathing deeply for a moment of calm and meditation as you reprogram your body to your new healthy lifestyle. Make sure you release the energy, drink some water, and wash your hands and ground into the next step of your connection to energy in your life! Walk around barefoot, and if you can step outside and connect to the world around you. Every bit of energy is there for the connection, and can be a part of your Gratitude in Motion moments.


Use any and all of these methods to balance your chakras and see what a difference it can make to your health and energy levels.

Once you have a few harvests from your urban tower under your belt, you are ready to expand and look into other things you can grow in containers just to mix it up if you want to. We already talked about adding things like herbs to your window sill so that you have more room for your greens in the tower. Of course growing a few more salad bowls to get bigger harvest and a larger variety is always an option.

If the gardening bug has bitten you though, that quickly won’t be enough. You’re ready to head outside and dig in the dirt. You want to grow more than a few salad greens and herbs. Here’s where you want to start. As you work through the list below, you’ll progressively go deeper into gardening. Of course this is just an overview. Use the ideas as you see fit and feel free to mix and match to fit your own personal needs.

Patio Container Plants

The first thing you may want to try is growing some tomatoes, cucumbers, or strawberries in containers on the patio, porch, or even balcony. They don't’ take up a lot of space and are a great option for people who want to go into gardening but don’t have the space. I have my lemon tree in a large container on my patio.

It’s also a great option when you’re ready to up your food production, but you’re not quite ready to go full force into gardening. Patio containers don’t need a lot of time or effort to take care of. There isn't a lot of weeding and you can water your vegetables as you water your other patio plants.

Plant Box Gardening

Once you get to the point that the small pots sitting on your patio aren’t quite cutting it anymore, consider making or buying a plant box that you can set in your yard and fill with soil. It's a great idea for the bees as long as you use organic and don't spray any pesticides. It’s much easier to setup and control than digging up your lawn and since it is a raised box, your vegetable garden is contained and looks pretty.

Fill it with good soil, peat moss and compost and your vegetables will thrive. You can grow anything from lettuce and herbs to tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, carrots, squashes and beans in your plant boxes. When you’re ready to expand, add another box.

Hay Bale Gardening

Hay bale gardening works similarly and it’s another way to garden that’s gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The basic idea is to get a bale of hay, sit it in your yard and then push small indentions in, add a little soil and plant your seedlings. As the hay bales decompose, they provide food for the plants, while the bale itself keeps things off the ground, making it easy to water and care for your plants. And since they are off the ground, you don’t have to worry much about weeding or soil borne plant diseases.

A Garden Pot In The Yard

The last step in your journey to become a full-fledged gardener is of course to start digging up part of the lawn in the backyard to create a garden plot. Having a larger garden outside has several big advantages. You can grow a larger variety of vegetables (and some fruit) and of course end up with a more plentiful harvest. Quite a few types of produce don’t grow well in pots like green beans for example. Quality and quantity are your biggest advantages of starting a garden.

The downside of a large garden is that it’s quite a bit of work to plant, weed, water and then harvest. And depending on how much you’re growing, you may also need to put up some of the produce before it goes bad. In the end, the hard work is well worth it though and it does count as exercise. For me, I prefer my urban garden in a tower. We have bundles and some families and communities have purchased these. My daughter's school was given a grant and purchased a Science Lab Bundle for school gardening all year, and they love it!

Salads make great summer meals and are a tasty addition to your lunchbox or dinner table any time of the year. They make the perfect light meal and you know you should be getting more leafy greens in your diet.

Why not start growing your own lettuce so you have a steady fresh supply of greens at your fingertips. It’s a lot easier than you think and there are some very good reasons why you should grow your own salad.

It Tastes Better

Let’s start with the obvious one first. Homegrown salad just plain tastes better. It is fresh, it has been grown in good soil, and it hasn’t been washed, sprayed, and processed days before it makes it on your plate.

If you haven’t had fresh, homegrown lettuce before, you’re in for a treat. If you need a little more convincing get your hands on some fresh lettuce from a gardening friend or your local farmers market. You’ll be ready to grow your own after the first bite.

You Control The Quality And Variety

One of the best parts of growing your own produce is that you control what goes in the soil and the plants. And you get to pick what varieties you want to grow. That means you have a lot more options than what your local grocer offers.

Grocery store produce varieties are grown for easy and uniform growth and longer shelf-life. Flavor and nutrition aren’t the main concerns. The opposite is true when you grow your own. You can pick varieties that taste amazing, but may not last more than a few hours in the fridge after you harvest them.

It’s Healthier

Last but not least, your home-grown salad will be a lot healthier. Nutrients quickly start to deteriorate after produce is harvested. When you grow your own, you can go from urban garden in a tower to table in less than an hour. It doesn’t get any fresher than that, which means you get more of the vitamins in your food.

Plus you don't have to worry about controlling the soil, the additives, and anything that happens to the plans while they grow, you can limit your exposure to pesticides, insecticides and the likes. When you grow organic in your own year round tower, you know it actually is organic.

PB2 is all the rage, and really it's so bad for you. I really don't get all of the posts I see about people that appear to be healthy adding it to their shakes every day.

PB2 is Not Whole Real Food. Right? If you are going to have a nut butter, wouldn't you want the real deal? They extract through a pretty bad process {I've read all about it and it made me shudder} almost all of the essential monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and then it leaches the vitamin E content out which is fat soluble. Hmmm... see the problem with the nutritional content. And the fat you get in nuts is the good stuff that you want out of them. The company also add a mix of sugar and salt in to make it taste better {everything fatty tastes different without the fats}. With that added sugar, it's for sure NOT appropriate for a Paleo diet of any kind. And on top of that it's not organic. I don't really like peanuts because of the aflatoxins in them - so I really dislike this PB2 product for anyone that is looking for a cleaner way of eating.

What problems can arise from using products like this?

If you suffer from any sort of infertility, then you need your vitamins A, C and E. David Christopher recently talked about the number one reason we are seeing such a rice in  Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and that is TOXINS!!

There was a huge story a few years ago that said:

"Alarming findings from a study on pregnant women and some potentially dangerous chemicals. A University of California, San Francisco study found that dozens of chemicals showed up in the blood and urine of expecting moms. Some of the chemicals like P-C-B's and ones used in flame retardants were banned before the women were even born. Out of the 163 chemicals studied, 43 of them were found in nearly all of the 268 pregnant women tested. The study is published in the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives. It's the first time researchers analyzed chemicals found in pregnant women."

Wow!! So no matter what your gender, what a great reason for a cleanse. No doubt. Wow. So stop adding the toxic load to your body with craptacular foods, and start using the real deal. Real organic foods = healthy happy life. :) End rant.

In light of all the damage chronic stress can do to your body and the negative effect it can have on your overall health and wellbeing, are you ready to embrace rest and relaxation? Start to become more aware of the stress you’re under. It’s much easier to start addressing the problem once you’ve become aware of it. 

You are what you eat 

I shared this in my aromatherapy group, but it was so important I had to share it here as well...

According to an article that I read on the Harvard website, "multivitamin bashing seems to be in season. The March 2008 Harvard Men’s Health Watch gives the impression that few of the ingredients in a multivitamin are worth taking. The June 2008 Nutrition Action Health Letter suggests taking a multivitamin every other day instead of every day. The central concern of both articles is folic acid—specifically,getting too much folic acid." And when we read articles about supplementing what it always comes down to is that you can't replace real nutrition with synthetic nutrients. 

Their better advice: "Take a standard multivitamin every day, but stay away from heavily fortified foods that deliver a full day’s dose—or sometimes more—of folic acid ... there is newer evidence that excess folic acid (the synthetic version of folate, a vitamin found abundantly in vegetables, fruits, and grains) may be contributing to an uptick in colorectal cancer. many of those multi vitamins or meal replacement shakes contain your recommended daily amount — 400 micrograms (mcg) — but look at your package foods and you'll see that folic acid is also added to breakfast cereals and enriched grain and cereal products, including breads, rice, and pasta. A person taking a multivitamin can easily exceed the recommended total intake, and maybe even the safe upper limit of 1,000 mcg. This issues of getting too much isn’t a problem with folate found naturally in foods. But most supplemental vitamins are fortified and not the whole foods that your body really needs."

You've heard me talk about Folic vs. Folate before when I have talked about MTHFR, but did you know that most vitamin B1 supplements are made from derivatives of coal tar? Or that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is often made by reacting high-fructose corn syrup with sulfuric acid? Worse is that they are not feeding corn syrup to algae that they are using to fortify foods (organic milk, etc). It makes me mad that even many iron supplements (for those that have the iron-folic anemia you may want to hear this) ... are often made from the rust off of nails? How gross is that? 




Where you get your nutrition matters. How you react to what you are eating matters. If your skin looks like it's being used to detoxify your system, you have a problem with your central detoxification chimney. Many of you know that I use with my family and with my clients a whole foods supplementation program, but not everyone can afford it. I get that. I also love and recommend a simple whole foods supplement. I love whole foods and what they do for your body. 

I want to get more into the concept of food synergy. This concept is based on the proposition that the interrelations between constituents in foods are significant. We all should realize this by now, but we don't. It's because we see these ads all over the place that say we need this fortified food and that fortified food. This significance in our food and/or supplementation is dependent on the balance between constituents within what is going into our bodies, how well these constituents survive digestion, and the extent to which they appear biologically active at the cellular level.

The Journal of the American College of Nutrition published data says: A healthy diet should contain all of the required nutrients and sufficient calories to balance energy expenditure and provide for growth and maintenance throughout the life cycle. Importantly, dietary factors are associated with 5 of the 10 leading causes of death, including coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8892167

So are you getting the nutrients you need? I think you need to make sure of it.

Everyone wants beautiful, soft, radiant skin. But how do we get it? With lotions and potions? Sure, they help, but beautiful skin starts with healthy skin, and that begins on the inside.

The first thing you must do to get healthy skin is to improve your diet. What you eat makes a big difference in how your skin looks and feels. Eating foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is the key. Antioxidants help combat the free radicals that attack your body, both inside and outside, doing damage to the cells.

Many people simply do not eat a balanced diet. Getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet to reap the benefits is important to skin health, and over-all health. You can do your best to include nutrient-dense foods in your diet, but another way to help boost nutrition is to take a multivitamin or other supplements.

Some powerful antioxidants to look for in your supplements are beta carotene, selenium, and vitamins C, D and E. Let’s go into a little more detail to explain how these nutrients  make your skin healthy from the inside out.

Now do you need to supplement with Beta Carotene? This is one where over doing supplementation can be a bad thing. It comes from the red-orange pigment abundant in fruits and plants. So perfect for our lifestyle since our bodies turn beta carotene into vitamin A on it's own. This nutrient helps your skin look healthy by keeping the membranes pliable and resilient. It also keeps the cell structure that holds your skin up strong. Beta carotene also helps your body resist damage from external environmental stresses, including the sun's damaging UV rays.

Vitamin C is a building block for collagen, which is a protein that helps cells renew, resulting in firm, smooth, glowing, skin. When collagen is low, the skin cells don't turn over often enough, resulting in dry, dull, leathery skin, which is prone to wrinkles. Exfoliation of the skin with external vitamin C applications is one way to promote skin health. However, taking vitamin C internally, either with food or supplements, wakes up the skin cells from within.

Natural production of vitamin D in the body starts to slow around the age of twenty. A reasonable amount of sun exposure, about 15 minutes a day, is needed to produce vitamin D in the body.  Eating foods naturally rich in vitamin D, such as salmon, mushrooms, and eggs, will help boost your vitamin D. However, as we age, it's difficult to get all the vitamin D we need in just those foods. But, at some point, many of us may need to take a vitamin D supplement to ensure we have enough in our body. Vitamin D supports your skin's elasticity, can help clear up acne, and lessens dark spots, sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles as we age.

Vitamin E is a that powerful antioxidant that will help protect and repair your skin. Your body can’t produce vitamin E on its own, so you have to be sure you get enough through food or supplements. This baby helps and maintains another important nutrient, Vitamin K. Remember, though, that it's fat soluble. I love sharing this Mango and Hemp Seed Smoothie with my clients. Packed with superfood ingredients like hemp seeds, maca powder, and lucuma powder, and sweetened with the taste of mango and vanilla, this smoothie is the perfect dose of Vitamin E and healthy fats. However, if you do choose a supplement, stay away from synthetic vitamin E. Studies have indicated that synthetic versions of vitamin E can actually do more harm than good.

Your health is as plain as the skin on your face. When you see excessive or premature wrinkles, acne, oil, dryness, redness, sagging, discoloration, or other skin conditions, it could be a sign of poor health. Many people don’t realize this, and instead of curing the health problem within, they use all sorts of magic topical products to patch things up. And that's all they're doing – patching things up.  The skin problem will continue if the health issue  isn't addressed first. The bottom line is, adding the vitamins and minerals your body is lacking will help give your skin the beauty treatment it needs.

“Drink more water” – It’s a statement you probably hear constantly from doctors, health coaches, sports team coaches, advertisements, and even mom and dad. CrossFit water is what they call dynamic fluid. Fitness water is defined usually as being hydrated and then enhanced. But how much water are you really supposed to drink and how can you make doing so a bit easier?

Frankly, water isn’t everyone’s first choice to grab when thirsty and in fact people often don't even think that the symptoms they are feeling are because they didn't get enough water day. But drinking water should be on the top of your list. Water accounts for nearly 60% of your body composition and is essential for growth and regeneration of every cell in your body. The B Vitamins are all water soluble and those as you know are essential for your wellness and is an important component for building muscles. Without proper hydration, your body just won’t work properly.

Proper hydration supports the following major health benefits:
· ✦Prevents dry mouth, lips, and throat
· ✦Keeps the body cool
· ✦Improves muscle and joint function
· ✦Helps you lose weight

As your body is cleansed with water, your body sheds waste which leaves you looking and feeling lighter.

· ✦Cleanses toxins from your body
· ✦Shedding toxins gives you more energy, improves mental health and functioning, and gives you better skin and hair. Bonus! You will glow!

For me it's spicy bok choy! When I was much younger I worked for a friend's Chinese restaurant first as a hostess, packaging up take out, and eventually a waitress and then manager of the restaurant. When she opened her Best of Utah restaurant in Salt Lake City I helped her with that venture as well. This was a dream for her after having battled cancer with real foods, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and came out the other side. All of those years the cooks would make lunch and dinner for us when the rush was over, and one of my favorite items they ever cooked was the fresh spicy bok choy. That restaurant was like a family, and the foods, the more authentic cuisine became some of my comfort foods that I turn to, that isn't a dark chocolate bar. I love adding baby bok choy into soup with mushrooms and any other veggies I have around.

Bok choy is so nutritionally dense. It's full of omegas, vitamins A, C and K. It is definitely my favorite cruciferous vegetable!! About 70 milligrams of ALA are found in one cup of cooked bok choy and ALA is a component of the Kreb's cycle which makes it very important to those following a ketogenic style diet.

Spicy Bok Choy with coconut oil

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb. baby bok choy (approximately 6 heads)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 piece (1 1/2-inch long) fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut aminos
3/4 tsp hot chili paste (I generally use the simply organic or make my own chili oil)

Directions:

1. Cut the end off of each head of baby bok choy, and then wash with cold water and drain into a colander. 
2. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok set over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 15 seconds, then add the bok choy. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
3. Add water, cover with lid, and allow the bok choy to steam until wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the lid, toss bok choy with coconut aminos and chili paste and/or chili oil. 
4. Remove the skillet from the heat, recover, and allow the bok choy to steam for additional 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

Time for #lunch. I know I'm late. Better late than never. #Fitmom #PaleoVegeo #holisticCoach

A post shared by Barbara Christensen (@bijagirl) on Nov 1, 2013 at 2:51pm PDT

Today is the day... will you or won't you make your New Year's resolution work. January is when people start looking for supplementation, and that's almost always going to include green smoothies and protein powders. For vegans, we tend to lean to soy... but let me talk to you about the problems with this.



GMO Soy is not a Healthy Meal Replacement Shake... let's just start there. Let's start with what I believe to NOT be a healthy Paleo Vegetarian or Paleo Vegan (pegan) meal replacement shake, or really a healthy choice for anyone. GMO Soy or Isolated Soy protein are bad bad bad, and interfere with basic aspects of our own biochemistry. First among them are inhibitors that block trypsin and chymotrypsin, enzymes needed for protein digestion. They also contain haemagglutinin, which is a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together, and goitrogens that depress thyroid function. I know a lot of you have had problems with thyroid that I've worked with. Also gmo-soy protein has one of the highest phytate levels out there, and is run through five different chemically toxic phases of production before it hits your protein shake. Non-GMO pea protein and cold-washed soy and tofu protein are far superior to this in each and every way! Even the Whole30 vegetarian/vegan shopping list allows non-gmo soy in their program, although they only have about a half page on veganism in their book.

The process that many companies use to deplete the "dangerous" isoflavones from the soy is where they take the soybean slurry material after it's been processed with the solvent, and it's subjected to a centrifuging process to form a liquor that is subsequently pasteurized. Sugars and other small molecular weight components may optionally be removed from the liquor using membrane ultrafiltration or another separation technique to increase the protein content of the soy protein product. The resulting retentate from the membrane ultra-filtration process is subjected to an adsorption process in which isoflavones are removed by adsorption. The resulting isoflavones-depleted soy protein material is-pasteurized and then is optionally spray dried. Take a look at the patent and see why I have only one soy product I have ever recommended... EVER!

Before I share my choices I want you to know that I make a commission for purchases made through the links on this blog. It's one way that I am able to make some compensation for the research and time I take not only to write this blog, but to look up information and recipes to share on the Facebook page.

Since I know after the holidays a lot of us look for meal replacement shakes I wanted to make sure you have this information. So many people look at a shake and see, WOW... look at all of that protein, and comparably it may look like a better shake. That's not always the case. You need to consider the ingredients. GMO-Soy should not be one of them no matter if you are just vegan or paleo vegan (pegan). If you are going to use a whole foods shake with soy, then make sure it is cold-washed organic, very very minimally processed soy like this Vegan and Gluten-free Shake which is the shake that I use for meal replacements. I like it because it's just whole foods, and prebiotics, although many may not feel it's "paleo" enough. I drink this shake daily along with a trio of whole foods capsules that I dump into water and drink. Bridging the gap where I need nutrition with my B Vitamin mutations. It's the only soy shake I will ever recommend. So you've heard it, and we'll move on.

Also for you athletes, stay away from sugar because it will inhibit the building of building muscles. Some of these shakes that claim to be healthy have 10 or more grams of sugar (like the Isagenix shake), and yet not one sign of real fruit, just fructose. Fructose can be worse for your insulin resistance than corn syrup is. This is why bodybuilding shakes generally have a maltodextrin instead of  sugar added, just to eliminate the fructose. And there are many different types of maltodextrin just as there are different types of dextrose, so please don't lump them all together. Shakes that are sweetened with items like stevia, Luo Han Guo, coconut nectar or actual real natural vanilla will make sure your workout is matched with the nutrition and not structured by the sugar.

My top choices of paleo meal replacement shakes, and why:

For those with any sort of major inability to detoxify, my first choice would be Mediclear SGS. This shake offers "enhanced liver support by adding sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS) a natural substance from the seeds and sprouts of select broccoli varietals for effective up-regulation of the body's natural phase II detoxification enzymes". And for those with CFS, Autism, Fibromyalgia, MTHFR... I recommend a shake that will push your body to actually support detoxification - maybe even for the first time in your life. Like many of the vegan shakes this one has a sprouted brown rice protein in the mix, and so if you don't tolerate rice, then this may not be the shake for you. It does really detox so make sure you are up to it before you go in for it and have detox support.

Second up, and a little bit less money would be Pure Green Protein. Non-GMO protein from Pea, Rice, Spirulina and Alfalfa are joined with four free amino acids (Lysine, Methionine, Threonine and Valine). It comes in natural, vanilla, chocolate or mixed berry. It has all of the proteins, and it has amazing bio-availability. My husband uses plain old non-GMO pea protein. Just unflavored and unexciting. To the point. He's also the guy that just likes to lift heavy stuff, totally functional. It's very easy to digest, and so it makes it a good non-bloating morning shake. He uses the NOW brand most of the time. It's easy to pick up down the street on the way home.

My third favorite meal replacement shake is Shakeology. It has all of the great super food nutrition, digestive support, hormone balancing, and is really tasty.  {Unless you are using the Vegan formula I no longer recommend this after seeing the FAQ below buried deep on their site ... which has now been replaced with just the Vegan Shakeology information. Here is an saved image}

" For those customers who do not want vitamin/mineral fortification, the Shakeology vegan formulas are an option as they are not fortified with added levels of vitamins or minerals."


Fourth up is the undenatured whey products for vegetarians. There is the Action Whey Grass Pastured shake in vanilla or chocolate which is just undenatured whey, MCTs medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil, organic sweet whey, natural vanilla flavor, guar gum, sunflower seed lecithin, luo han guo juice concentrate, coconut oil powder and arabinogalactin extract. Boost the glutathione, but not as detoxifying and is vegetarian not vegan. Of course if you want just the undenatured whey and nothing more, get OnlyProtein Undenatured Whey. It is honestly just undenatured whey, nothing more and nothing less.

My favorite non-denatured whey shake is the KetoFuel shake. It's pretty tasty, and gives you a quick path into ketosis. It is specially formulated to support the body’s natural ketogenic metabolic processes. They created the macros with a delicious creamy taste with macronutrient ratios that support ketosis using A2 whey (cold processed). Bioavailability and absorption are keys to a good whey protein supplement. A supplement is not a food. Unlike food it should be absorbed quickly and efficiently. Try to remember when looking at products on the market that concentrates vary in quality. This whey concentrate is non-denatured and has a full array of natural proteins. Because it is non-denatured, it is absorbed quickly and bio-availability matters.

Also has Dehydrated Sweet Cream (non-GMO) which is created similarly and comes out with a 56% fat content and no partially hydrogenated oils added. Also has whole egg powder (not just the whites) and the MCT powder which is created using gum arabic to protect the lipids from the attack of lipoxygenase and free radicals by adsorbing at the oil droplet surface. The reason for the maltodextrin is to make MCT powder you have to mix the oil with tapioca maltodextrin, which apparently hates water and absorbs and thickens fats. It also contains the Organic Fijian Turmeric and the Organic Pink Fijian Ginger!! Most whey producers add lecithin to make their proteins easier to mix with water. No lecithin needed here.

When combined with a healthy diet and exercise, KetoFUEL promotes high-impact fat loss, energy production, blood sugar support, and better mental and overall health. A serving is 2 heaping scoops. Most guys are probably doing that, but most of the women I know find that they feel better if they do 1 scoop in a shake twice daily. So it's up to you. There's 30 servings (2 scoops) or 60 servings (1 scoop) so you portion it out for what is best for you.

My favorite recipe is:
2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1 cup strawberries
2 scoops KetoFuel
¼ cup cacao powder
7 ice cubes

Instructions
Add coconut milk, strawberries, protein powder and cacao powder to the jug of your high-powered blender.
Blend on high for 1 minute, until smooth.
Add the ice cubes, one at a time. Continue to blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Divide amongst two glasses and enjoy with a friend or put half aside for later.



Looking for something that is more of a program, Designs For Health (company that makes PaleoMeal and PurePea) also has a 14 Day Detox Kit. This kit includes:

• 1 - PaleoCleanse™ Powder
• 1 - PurePea™ Vanilla Powder
• 1 - Amino-D-Tox™ 90 capsules
• 1 - Plant Enzymes Digestive Formula 90 capsules
• 1 - 14 Day Detox/Cleanse Patient Guide
• 1 - Blender bottle
• 1 - Reusable bag made from recyclable materials

They've used a combination of carefully selected products and a methodical, step-by-step diet plan in their design in order to introduce people to a healthy cleansing process without having to commit to a longer regimen. It is ideal for those with busy schedules or anyone new to the concept of detoxification.

I also love hemp protein, but I'm one of those that doesn't mind the "green" flavor of it. I do admit I like the dark chocolate hemp protein more than the others, but it's better in a mix of other items, like a big green smoothie. Lots of blueberries and more.

Finally I can't forget the Boku Super Protein. I originally ordered it last year from OpenSky. I love that place, I have gotten coconut charcoal for bbq'ing in the summer, and so many other amazing sustainable items. It's amazing. Check it out of you haven't ever browsed their store. The Boku is made with organic, sprouted bio-fermented, whole grain brown rice protein, organic cranberry protein, organic red dulse, and it does have that very "ricey" texture, but it's got a nice flavor with the maple syrup. Not a good source for after lifting weights though for that very reason.

Another Superfood Mix I really like is this plant-based Wild Protein blend. It contains just Organic Pea Protein Powder, Organic Hemp Protein Powder, Organic Mesquite Powder, Organic Freeze-Dried Coconut Cream Powder, Organic Spirulina Powder, Organic Cinnamon Powder, Organic Moringa Powder, Organic Milk Thistle Powder, Organic Burdock Root Powder and Organic Stevia Powder... organic, organic, organic. It's a great alternative for someone looking for a very simple, and yet supportive  with no added sugar to give you that nourishment without spiking blood sugar. It is formulated for optimal digestion, and is loaded with vegan protein, omega-3s, vitamin A, iron, fiber thanks to the selected herbs and superfoods. Each ingredient is minimally processed at low temperatures to deliver a treasure-trove of nutrients to your body the way nature intended. Built on the hemp, moringa, and spirulina (which is like added vegan bone broth to the mix), this formula gives you that cleansing milk thistle and burdock root and the ketogenic medium chain triglycerides from the freeze-dried coconut milk.

However I want to end with what I believe is the best Paleo Vegan meal replacement shake, if you can wrap your head around it, and that is the Complete I talked about before. Even Whole 30 says complete soy and tufu is okay. Complete is gluten-free, it's certified non-gmo, and it's just whole foods. It is my go to meal replacement shake daily. When I stopped using it I missed it for so many reasons, and so I realized it truly improves the way I feel. It's also why I use the Whole Foods Capsules. They are encapsulated in vegetarian capsules, so I open them and dump the contents into a little warm water and drink them, my husband adds it to his smoothie.

The Organic Super Protein shake is newer to the market and has just 4 grams of carbohydrates and is a great resistant starch with the fermented starch for those following a Vegan Keto style of diet. Every serving provides 18g of superfood protein for filling, satisfying energy. A blend of organic pea, organic fermented rice, and organic hemp provides complete proteins rich in branched-chain amino acids for muscle growth and maintenance, and again only 4 grams of carbohydrates. Add in your vegan algae oil for additional fats and you're lean and clean!

But my daily protein is this Plant Protein Shake because it is grain-free, vegan, non-gmo and purely made. The best plain protein shake I have ever had... and as you can see I have tried them all! This protein is ideal for pre or post workouts, first thing in the morning is when I use it, or whenever you need a healthy boost of energy from protein or a quick on-the-go snack like when I know I have to run errands after taking my daughter to swimming. If you are looking for a good non-gmo, gluten-free & grain-free vegan protein, this has only 6 grams of carbs, but offers protein powder along with coconut oil powder which is more aligned to someone looking for a basic powder.



It really does have the most amazing taste and texture.. which is unlike most other vegan shakes I have seen. With the blender bottles it mixes easily with water into a silky smooth snack. I use it in my coconut yogurt recipe, it can be used in your protein pancakes as an additionally delicious way to increase protein.

So there you have it... you know the shakes that have rotated through my pantry... usually there is at least one of the above in there.