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Health & Fitness

The Secret Sauce to Weight Loss and Health

Do you remember "I Love Lucy"? I used to love watching that show as a kid. There was this one classic episode called, Vitameatavegamin.

Okay, this morning I sat laughing at my computer so loud that Karen (my lovely wife) had to come check in on me.

Do you remember "I Love Lucy"?  I used to love watching that show as a kid. There was this one classic episode called, Vitameatavegamin. In this episode, Lucy stars in a TV commercial for this magic potion called, Vitameatavegamin, which would let you "spoon your way to health."

If you haven't seen it, you need to take a minute and watch it. Seriously, you'll be laughing as hard as I was. The delivery by Lucille Ball so funny.

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Below is the actual script from the commercial:

Hello friends, I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl.
Are you tired, run-down, listless?
Do you poop out at parties?
Are you unpopular?
The answer to all your problems is in this  little bottle.
VITAMEATAVEGAMIN.
Vitameatavegamin contains Vitamins, Meat, Vegetables, and Minerals.
Yes, with Vitameatavegamin, you can spoon your way to health.  All you do is take a great big tablespoonful after every meal.  Mmmmmm....  It's so tasty, too!  Tastes just like candy!
So why don't you join all the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of Vitameatavegamin tomorrow!
That's Vita-meata-vegamin! (wink)

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The funny thing is, even after all these years, we are STILL after the magic elixir - aren't we?

I think it is human nature to look for the quick fix to things. That is just how we are wired.

As a nutritionist, many times people come to me and say, "just tell me what to eat" or  "just tell me what supplements to take."  They are looking for the "magic bullet" or the "secret sauce".

And, here's what I always tell them...

When it comes to health and weight loss, the secret sauce is....

...there is no secret sauce

(Don't tell anyone in the health, fitness, or diet industry I told you this. It's kind of top secret.)

What I mean by that answer is that there is not one specific formula - one particular program - that holds the magic key. We are each unique and we each have different dietary needs.

But, I won't leave you hanging there because even though nutrition is an individual thing - Karen and I have discovered a secret sauce that works for EVERYone - kids, adults, male, female, thin, obese, tall, short.

(No, it is not the Vitameatavegamin which also is 23% alcohol by the way...LOL which I guess in a way is the secret sauce for the Vitameatavegamin.  At 23% alcohol that may solve some of your problems, but not the health or weight loss ones).

We actually stumbled across the secret sauce (which we now call our  "Awesome Sauce" thanks to my friend Alicia for coining that term for us) a few years back purely by accident.

You see, we were in our kitchen before a big workout. I was preparing a protein shake and Karen was having a spinach salad. We accidentally ran into each other and she said, "Hey, your protein shake got on my salad." and I said "Well your spinach got in my protein shake."  We had a bite and both looked at each other and said "mmmmmmm".   (I think this is the same way Recess peanut butter cups came to be.  Anyway, we found during our workout, we had super strength and endurance. Kinda like Popeye (can you tell I watched a lot of TV when I was a kid).

To make a long story short, this was the start of our green smoothie adventure!

Today, you hear a lot people talking about the magic of green juices and green smoothies for weight loss, energy, and improving health. They are so enthusiastic about it, it gets you curious, doesn't it? Is there something 'magic' about it?

I work with a lot of people to help them lose weight and improve their health.  And, I have to say that I have seen first hand, in real life, time and time again, that when people start drinking green smoothies:

  • their energy goes up
  • their cravings for bad foods go down
  • they loss weight
  • their palate becomes much more sophisticated towards vegetables
  • they start feeling really good


Their whole life starts to change.

So, what is it about green smoothies that makes people so fanatical about them?

Well, it is not the green smoothie per se. It is what is in it - the veggies. It does not matter if you make a smoothie or just eat the ingredients, but for me, I like the idea of drinking some Awesome Sauce much more than eating a salad. Eating a salad just sounds boring. Plus, I can 'eat' a lot more vegetables if I drink them.

High concentrations of certain whole vegetables is the cornerstone ("secret sauce")  of health and weight loss.

So, here's a little secret for you.

If you do NOTHING else, but add 2 green smoothies to what you eat each day, you will see dramatic results in a short amount of time!  

Try it for 21 days and see what happens. You will be amazed.

I know what you are thinking, so where do I start?   Well, here are some tips for you:

1) Blender - You are eventually going to need a good blender.  (Yes, that's why people get all crazy excited over blenders).  You can use a regular blender, but from our experience, most blenders don't really blend that well and there is nothing worse than a lumpy green smoothie.  You want it smooth and creamy. The two brands we have used and like are VitaMix and Blendtec. I do not think you can go wrong with either of these machines. And, I promise you that a good blender makes a world of difference when it comes to consistency and taste.

2) Start out slow - Ease into this. Do not go all out with your first one. Ease into things and slowly add more things in over time.  Here are some good starter ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 1 scoop protein (we like Sunwarrior Warrior Blend) You can also use unsweetened almond milk, hemp milk, or any non-dairy milk instead of protein if you like.
  • 1  banana (peeled)
  • ½ orange (peeled)
  • 1 small pieces of pineapple
  • 2-3 handfuls of spinach
  • 2 inches of a cucumber
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • ⅔ cup broccoli
  • 1 cup ice

Over time, you can slowly add these things:

  • 1 tomato
  • 1 carrot
  • 6 sprigs parsley
  • 6  dandelion greens
  • 1 leaf – red chard
  • 1 leaf – collard greens
  • 1 leaf – kale
  • 1 leaf - bok choy
  • 1 small slice of ginger root
  • 1 small piece cinnamon

Here is a short video that shows mine - enjoy!

Smoothies make a great snack between meals, before or after a workout, with your breakfast, as your breakfast, really any time of the day.

So as Lucy would say... Why don't you join all the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big pitcher of "Awesome Sauce" tomorrow! (wink)

Are you going to try some awesome sauce? Leave your comments below.

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