Crap in, crap out. It’s just time to stop eating crap. I know it’s obvious, but what you put in affects what you get out, and I am not talking only about your bowels. When you eat dead, processed, sugared, preserved crap, how could you possibly expect to feel good, lively, clear-headed and brave? It just doesn’t match.

Although I know you are all shaking your heads in agreement, here is what’s really going on underneath your initial “Amen.”

(Warning! I am not going to be nice here about your excuses for eating crap, so don’t read this if you are hungry or otherwise “not in the mood.”)

1) Doesn’t she know eating crap is FUN?!

Yes, most of us have positive experiences and memories associated with certain foods, and they are triggered by eating them again and again (no matter how sick you feel after). Social occasions often center around certain “decadent” foods. I am not saying it is easy to learn to make your own fun (without lots of crappy food), but [...]]]>

Crap in, crap out. It’s just time to stop eating crap. I know it’s obvious, but what you put in affects what you get out, and I am not talking only about your bowels. When you eat dead, processed, sugared, preserved crap, how could you possibly expect to feel good, lively, clear-headed and brave? It just doesn’t match.

Although I know you are all shaking your heads in agreement, here is what’s really going on underneath your initial “Amen.”

(Warning! I am not going to be nice here about your excuses for eating crap, so don’t read this if you are hungry or otherwise “not in the mood.”)

1) Doesn’t she know eating crap is FUN?!

Yes, most of us have positive experiences and memories associated with certain foods, and they are triggered by eating them again and again (no matter how sick you feel after). Social occasions often center around certain “decadent” foods. I am not saying it is easy to learn to make your own fun (without lots of crappy food), but you can.

You have no idea how fun it is to feel fantastic and love your body. As someone who was a size 14 and happily ate a pile of spaghetti and cheese for dinner and washed it down with a pint of ice cream every night in my twenties, I can tell you I have tried all kinds of fun. You don’t know what real fun is until you’ve mastered yourself, learned to eat live foods and enjoy them, and sculpted for yourself the exact body you want. Don’t knock it ‘til you try.

2) I need it to calm down, feel better, entertain myself, reward myself.

Oh, baby, been there! Celebration and reward are completely associated with crappy food in my family. You? You learned these habits from your parents, your siblings, your culture and your TV. I understand. But that doesn’t make these connections real or true. Be a pioneer. Think and act differently than everyone else. Learn to make yourself feel better with exercise, self-care, regular sleep and healthy, nourishing food. The icing on the feel-better cake is to also have excellent conversations with honest, kind people, to tell the truth about what you really want in your life and make plans to get there. All of that will calm you down, entertain and reward you better than any food ever can.

3) Nobody ever taught me right.

Duh, you are here to teach those who came before you, and those around you, not to mention teaching yourself. That’s why you are reading this blog. Nobody else is coming for you, to save you, but you. And here you are, ready to make a change, ready to show and teach others how it’s done.

It is very easy to learn the dos and don’ts of healthy eating, but much harder to stick to what you know is right. Check out our three-step process for fulfilling any dream in the “Dive into the Promise of You” teleseminar.

4) The peer pressure is insurmountable.

Remember, if you are reading this, it’s because you are the leader. You are the one who is supposed to show the others not only how good you can look when you eat clean, but how good it feels and how easy it is. You become the peer pressurer, but this time, it’s positive pressure!

By the way, you love to focus on those who don’t support you, or those you imagine don’t support you, because that justifies continuing to eat “fun” crap. The truth is, almost everyone would totally support your healthier eating if you honestly and seriously asked them to.

5) It’s so hard and expensive and time consuming to eat well.

Are you sick of these whiny voices in your head yet? Oh, let’s go one more round, shall we?

It’s true. Picking up prepackaged processed foods, or eating whatever someone else is serving or having, is the path of least resistance, and what “the man” wants you to do. But that’s not your highest ideal, is it? And you want to live true to your highest ideal, because that’s what gives you self-respect. So yes, you may have to put in a little more thinking, planning, communicating, budgeting and discerning. But guess what? It’s worth it! I promise.

I am not trying to make it sound easy. It’s not, especially without support. I am asking for a pioneering spirit. I am asking for a revolution. There are plenty of forces working against you, so do band together with like-minded people.

Love,
Laurie

Photo credit: Keith011764

Unexpectedly hearing a loud noise when the room is quiet, you might feel a sudden rush of energy. This is the most basic form of stimulation, left over from your primal survival mechanism. Your body assumes the loud noise is a threat and prepares you for action by engaging the adrenal glands to draw more energy.

In reaction to the first onset of stimulation — a form of stress — we gain energy. We become more alert, our strength can increase, and we have the ability to process information more quickly and react faster. We aren’t confronted with those types of threats today, but face stress from too much work, family-related concerns, poor diet, breathing impure air, constantly having to be “on”, and not enough down time.

To varying degrees, based on the body’s perceived severity of the stress, cortisol is released as a stimulant. Since our adrenal glands were not designed to be used as often as they are today, it’s common for them to become overworked, resulting in [...]]]>

Unexpectedly hearing a loud noise when the room is quiet, you might feel a sudden rush of energy. This is the most basic form of stimulation, left over from your primal survival mechanism. Your body assumes the loud noise is a threat and prepares you for action by engaging the adrenal glands to draw more energy.

In reaction to the first onset of stimulation — a form of stress — we gain energy. We become more alert, our strength can increase, and we have the ability to process information more quickly and react faster. We aren’t confronted with those types of threats today, but face stress from too much work, family-related concerns, poor diet, breathing impure air, constantly having to be “on”, and not enough down time.

To varying degrees, based on the body’s perceived severity of the stress, cortisol is released as a stimulant. Since our adrenal glands were not designed to be used as often as they are today, it’s common for them to become overworked, resulting in an exhaustion called adrenal burnout.

Stress-free people are fat-burning machines. A stressed person’s system will switch from burning fat (as fuel) to carbohydrates in the form of sugar. Burning more sugar and less fat, the body will begin to store body fat instead of using it for energy. This leads to overworked adrenal glands, adrenal fatigue, reduction in sleep quality, and many stress-related impairments.

Biological Debt
The body goes into biological debt after energy from stimulation has dissipated. In the modern world, often brought on by eating refined sugar or drinking coffee to gain energy in the short-term, biological debt is a state of fatigue. Unfortunately, it is common for those who consume the Standard American Diet.

Energy can come from stimulation or nourishment. The more processed the food, the more stimulating its effect on the nervous system, and the less nourishing. The more natural and whole a food is — raw and sprouted being the best — the less stimulating and more nourishing.

Because of our insatiable desire for quick, convenient energy, our streets are crammed with coffee, donut, and fast-food establishments that provide short-term energy. The body can subsist on stimulating, nutrient-absent food for only a short period before becoming either exhausted or sick.

This problem was once only true for those who ate an unhealthy diet comprised largely of stimulating foods like refined flour, refined sugar, coffee, and caffeinated soda. But other forms of stimulating foods have become prevalent in the “heath food” world – cacao being the most notable. Cacao is a stimulant that contains caffeine, which can lead to dependency. Additionally, foods that contain caffeine raise cortisol, which lowers the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infection and eventually leading to fat storage and inflammation.

Stress – Stimulation – Sickness
One measure of health is having cost-free energy — energy that lasts and does not have to be “stoked” continually with stimulating foods. The stoking of energy can only lead to less energy.

For the average North American, 40% of stress can be directly linked to diet. With the first onset of stress comes natural adrenal stimulation, which is healthy in small doses. The rise in cortisol, however, always results in fatigue. The degree of fatigue depends on the degree of stimulation. At this point a person should rest and remove the elements causing the stress, such as poor diet. Yet, this is when most people turn to self-imposed adrenal stimulation to regain energy – foods like coffee and refined foods in the regular world and cacao in the healthy and/or raw world. This results in a short burst of energy, greater fatigue, and more stimulation to re-energize.

Each time the circle completes itself, the severity of the condition rises, creating an incremental decline in health and an increased risk factor for serious disease. The first completion of the circle will likely result in a slightly increased appetite. The next time around will result in cravings, likely for starchy, refined foods (often making raw foodists more tempted by cooked food). Sequential passes involve difficulty sleeping, irritability, mental fog, lack of motivation, body fat gain, lean muscle loss, visible signs of premature aging, and sickness. If this cycle of chronically elevated cortisol levels continues, tissue degeneration, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and diseases can develop.

A healthy, sustainable whole-food diet and lifestyle does not require additional stimulation through food. Your body will re-establish its sensory system, functioning at a healthier, more energetic level, without the cellular-damaging need for stimulation.

Recalibrating
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the phone’s ring sounds very loud, and at other times it sounds relatively quiet? The key word is relatively. Our body has the ability to adjust to much of what goes on around it.

To calibrate its sensory system, the body must decide at what level it will sense stimuli. The only gauge the body has is the information we feed it: sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste. Our bodies are chronically over-stimulated, yet most of us don’t realize it. Constantly climbing to a new level to remain in the same place is difficult, but common. The solution is to recalibrate the body. A healthy plant-based diet free of stimulants will serve as a solid platform.

The Benefits of Stimulation
Not all stimulation is negative. It will always result in greater fatigue, but its value is based on what it is summoned for. “Production stress” is a positive stress that occurs when the adrenal glands are stimulated to achieve something that could not be done (or done as well) without stimulation.

An athlete who has recalibrated by eating a clean diet and abstained from all stimulating foods can borrow energy to boost performance from a small amount of adrenal stimulation before a race, such as drinking a cup of yerba maté (a South American herb) or eating a small amount of cacao. Extra fatigue a day or two later will be a small price to pay.

Using stimulation when it will not help you achieve something of value is an “uncomplementary stress,” such as the regular consumption of cacao. It is similar to shopping with a credit card. You get energy now that you don’t actually have, but you pay for it later.

If used too often, borrowing energy will lose its effectiveness and become another form of stress that perpetuates the cycle. The strategy can be used only a few times a month. Ideally, a healthy, stimulant-free diet will provide you with all the energy you need through nourishment.

In the early part of the previous century, being overweight was a sign of wealth and, as such, a status symbol. Those who were able to afford excessive amounts of food wanted the world to see they made enough money to overeat. Fortunately, times have changed, and today people showcase their wealth in less health-damaging ways. Now, however, the other end of the income spectrum is most commonly overweight or obese. According to studies conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, low-income individuals and families are more likely to be overweight than those earning middle and high incomes. Of course this is a generalization, but that’s how these kinds of studies work.

As you might expect, low-quality diet is one of the main reasons for the increase in obesity among the poor. Many processed and highly refined foods (or what, in some cases, are more properly referred to as edible food-like substances) are cheaper than whole, fresh, and natural options. People with less money are more likely to buy [...]]]>

In the early part of the previous century, being overweight was a sign of wealth and, as such, a status symbol. Those who were able to afford excessive amounts of food wanted the world to see they made enough money to overeat. Fortunately, times have changed, and today people showcase their wealth in less health-damaging ways. Now, however, the other end of the income spectrum is most commonly overweight or obese. According to studies conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, low-income individuals and families are more likely to be overweight than those earning middle and high incomes. Of course this is a generalization, but that’s how these kinds of studies work.

As you might expect, low-quality diet is one of the main reasons for the increase in obesity among the poor. Many processed and highly refined foods (or what, in some cases, are more properly referred to as edible food-like substances) are cheaper than whole, fresh, and natural options. People with less money are more likely to buy the cheaper foods.

This is problematic for two reasons. First: highly-processed and refined foods generally have little to no nutritional value. As a result, you will have to consume considerably more food to satisfy the body’s need for nutrients. Only when the body has the nutrients it requires does it switch off its hunger signal. The negative short-term effect is that more food will be consumed, which leads quickly to weight gain. In addition, the digestion of this, low-nutrient food robs the body of energy without providing much energy in return. The result is that the person feels less full and has to spend more money to buy additional food to stay satiated. If that person were to gradually switch over to a diet comprised of more expensive whole foods, he or she would no longer be in a constant state of hunger and therefore would naturally choose to consume less. The financial saving gained from buying cheap processed foods quickly evaporates.

Second, the consumption of these processed foods contributes to long-term health risks. If a person has relied on processed foods to reconstruct the body day in and day out for decades, that body will falter later in life. Disease of some form will almost certainly be the result. Type II diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and the many offshoots of cardiovascular disease are the most common to develop. The drugs needed to treat these ailments commonly cost several thousand dollars per month. And that’s just to alleviate the symptoms; the underlying disease continues to progress. Admittedly, there are rare cases when drugs can eradicate the disease; however, what caused the disease in the first place has not been addressed, therefore it may return.

To put it simply, replacing refined, processed foods with natural, whole foods is a form of health insurance. You will stack the odds in your favor and save money in the long run. In the short term, you will have more energy and greater mental clarity, both of which can significantly improve productivity. Some people may choose to put a dollar value on that.

We are beginning to experience a realization among corporate America that true, sustainable health can be directly translated into improved profits. The realization that healthier employees not only get sick less often, but are simply more productive, has clearly began to dawn.

A recent study published in the Washington Post revealed that, on average, American-built automobiles cost $1,500 more than comparably equipped Japanese or European cars. The reason? Americans are in worse physical health than their Japanese and European counterparts and therefore must pay higher health insurance premiums. This additional cost is passed on to the end consumer to allow the company to maintain profitability. The United States is less able to compete in the global market simply because its citizens are in a poorer state of health.

As the health of the American people declines, so, too, does their nation’s economy. This is not a coincidence. More people are developing disease earlier in life than in any previous generation. Those who aren’t privately insured place a tremendous burden on the taxpayer-funded healthcare system, contributing to higher taxes, a decrease in spending, a sluggish economy, and even a near-recession (or recession, depending on who you talk to), as America is now experiencing. While there are other contributing factors here, including the sub-prime mortgage debacle and war spending, a nation made up of unhealthy people is inevitably going to become an unhealthy nation economically. A company comprised of unhealthy people will never reach its full earning potential.

Large corporations are beginning to catch on. At the Googleplex in Santa Clara County, California, Google employees enjoy recreation facilities once the exclusive domain of high-priced resorts: a gym, two swimming pools, and a sand-volleyball court. But the Googleplex’s culinary options are where it shines the brightest . With 11 cafeterias, the selection of food is vast. And employees can request whatever they want—whether it’s on the menu or not. The cafeterias offer several balanced, plant-based options and a plethora of smoothies and raw foods.

Is Google going to this considerable up-front expense simply because they’re nice people? No. They are nice, but they also understand that the improved health and happiness of their employees will improve their bottom line. And it has, consistently, since its inception in 2003. The monetary return on their investment comes in the form of employees performing at a higher level. And consider the advantages that beyond-basic health can bring to a company. Employees who are in top form have a stronger immune system and are less likely to get sick and be absent from work. Companies who don’t embrace this holistic approach to well-being and productivity will not turn as great a profit and eventually will not be able to compete with the ones who do embrace it. Then they’ll have to answer to their shareholders.

The fact that “health and wellness” is beginning to be viewed as something that is of economic value is exciting. And, in my estimation, will eventually prove to be what turns our societies’ health around and thereby will be responsible in large part for resurgence in personal revitalized wellbeing. Rightly or wrongly, we are a society that bows down to the economy, revolves around it and is altogether controlled by it, so for the economy to prosper in unison with our personal heath enhancement is of great significants.

Meghan Telpner

Just three years ago I was sick, I was tired and I was so afraid that this was as good as it was going to get. I didn’t know how to cook, had done maybe a handful of yoga classes and was surviving on rice cakes and margarine. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this is where I would be today, healthier, stronger and happier than ever before in my life- living a dream I never even knew existed.

I am now over two and a half years symptom-free from a disease that is believed to have no cure. As far as I’m concerned, I am cured. With the support of my family, and the help of my acupuncturist, yoga teachers, spiritual guides, friends, pure determination and a little sunshine and bicycles, I cured this disease. Without a doubt in my mind, I know that anything is truly possible.

Through my disease, I learned the importance of the simple things. I learned that without our health, [...]]]>

Meghan Telpner

Just three years ago I was sick, I was tired and I was so afraid that this was as good as it was going to get. I didn’t know how to cook, had done maybe a handful of yoga classes and was surviving on rice cakes and margarine. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this is where I would be today, healthier, stronger and happier than ever before in my life- living a dream I never even knew existed.

I am now over two and a half years symptom-free from a disease that is believed to have no cure. As far as I’m concerned, I am cured. With the support of my family, and the help of my acupuncturist, yoga teachers, spiritual guides, friends, pure determination and a little sunshine and bicycles, I cured this disease. Without a doubt in my mind, I know that anything is truly possible.

Through my disease, I learned the importance of the simple things. I learned that without our health, we have nothing. I learned that a cute outfit means nothing if we feel like crap. I learned what true friendship was and I learned what it was to be well. These are the greatest lessons of my life.

It began in 2003, after graduating from university with a degree in fashion, I hopped on a plane with the intention of backpacking for several months around Africa on my own. I would joke that I was going to be a hippie in Africa with a fashion degree. My parents couldn’t figure out why I was going and kept saying that I was going to get sick. I insisted they had no idea what they were talking about. No matter how old you are, it’s always a little annoying when your parents are right and you are wrong.

I was sick from the time I got my vaccinations, before I even left. After ten weeks backpacking through Africa, I couldn’t handle the way I was feeling anymore and so I returned home. There began a three year nightmare.

I was working in advertising, and spending most of my free time trying to work out what was wrong with me. I was going from doctor to doctor and they kept telling me different things- IBS, stress, depression… I started doing my own research. I knew exactly what I had. It took half a dozen more doctors before I found one who would look past my teary and terrified eyes and take my complaints seriously.

A month later, in the summer of 2006, I was diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease that causes severe pain, bleeding, malnutrition and nervous system disorders. My doctor gave me a list of medications I could take and suggested I come back in a few months to discuss surgery. He said to me- “You’re young, have fun. Go ahead- eat your cheeseburgers and drink your milkshakes”. He told me there was not much I could do, that there was no cure for what I had and to just learn to live with it.

I couldn’t believe this was my life and that this was what my future was. At 26, I was looking at a lifetime of medication and surgery. Intuitively, I believed there had to be another way. I believed in my heart that if the body, mind and spirit received what it needed, health would be the inevitable result- that health and happiness were the natural birth right of all human beings.

Going against the recommendations of my doctors, I took a holistic approach to my healing. I quit my job, put my life in storage and moved down to California. While there, I underwent intensive acupuncture treatment, where six days a week for three months, I was turned into a human pin cushion. I made healing my full time job. I knew that if I was going to recover and be well, I had to believe that it would happen with every part of me.

From the moment I landed in LA, I was dedicated to getting better. Everything I did was for my health. I walked on the beach every morning and got around the sweet beach town of Santa Monica by bicycle. I went to yoga, meditated twice a day and ate only whole, organic food that I prepared myself. There were definitely times when I felt wholly overwhelmed by the burden and responsibility of what I was doing. I had taken total and complete responsibility for my health, and should this ‘alternative’ approach fail, I would have no one to blame but myself. I was terrified.

Should I succeed, however, I knew that I would understand the true meaning of empowerment.

I remained in high spirits through most of this time as I knew instinctively that lightness in my heart was integral to getting better. I did have bad days when I didn’t feel well and just wished to return home to my friends and family and be ‘normal’. I often felt overwhelmed by the burden of having to be mindful of every thing I ate, what I thought, how much I slept… There were times I felt completely alone, that no one could understand what this was like for me; no one could understand the fear I had that this would not work and that I would be sick and suffering the rest of my life.

I returned home three months later healed, vibrant, and happier than I could ever remember.

Two weeks following my return, I found myself sitting in a fundamentals of nutrition class, wondering how I went from advertising to nutrition school, working towards my certification as a holistic nutritionist. In December of 2007, I graduated with first class honors and was elected class valedictorian.

I now have the greatest job in the whole world. My job is to give people hope that they might live their best life possible, and provide the skills, knowledge and support to help them achieve this.

Meghan’s Making Love In The Kitchen blog…

The nutritional value of food as stated by the “label claim” is of course pertaining to what is in the food, not what the body actually gets from it. A more sensible way to assess the energy providing attributes of food is to consider its net gain. The net gain of food is the term I give to what we are left with once the food has been processed for energy by the body. We all know that the body gets energy from food in the form of several nutrients. However, the more energy the body has to expend to digest, assimilate and utilize the nutrients in the food we give it, the less we are left with.

An example would be the consumption of white bread. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that served French bread before the main course? In the past, I would wolf down the bread and though my stomach was physically full, I would still be hungry. Since white bread is basically void of any [...]]]>

The nutritional value of food as stated by the “label claim” is of course pertaining to what is in the food, not what the body actually gets from it. A more sensible way to assess the energy providing attributes of food is to consider its net gain. The net gain of food is the term I give to what we are left with once the food has been processed for energy by the body. We all know that the body gets energy from food in the form of several nutrients. However, the more energy the body has to expend to digest, assimilate and utilize the nutrients in the food we give it, the less we are left with.

An example would be the consumption of white bread. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that served French bread before the main course? In the past, I would wolf down the bread and though my stomach was physically full, I would still be hungry. Since white bread is basically void of any useful nutrients, my body wanted to continue eating despite the fact that my stomach was full. To digest, assimilate and then eliminate the white bread requires a large energy expenditure. As a result, the net energy gain from it is very low. In fact, if the bread is buttered or if a trans-fat containing spread is added, the result can actually be a net loss.

In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, we are inundated with nutrient lacking foods. Consumed mostly for convenience sake, processed and refined foods have led us to a decline in health and elevated medical costs. Having to consume more of them to “fill up” due to their absence of usable nutrients, yet high sugar and calorie counts, we have become an obese, energy depleted society.

Back a few years in my more conventional thinking days I would try to gauge my caloric intake requirements based on my activity level and body weight. Eating about 8,000 calories on heavy training days, I would usually need a rest day soon after. I realize now, a large part of my need for the extra rest day was not just to recover from the energy expended during training, but primarily from the energy expended digesting an inordinate amount of low net gain food.

By consuming more easily assimilated foods a large amount of energy can be conserved. Due to two main reasons, the first being that the nutrient rich easily digested foods can be assimilated with less expenditure. The second being that when more nutrient rich foods are present in the diet, the body does not have to eat as much as if it were fed “average” foods. As a direct result, not as much needs to be eaten and therefore digested. This is a huge net energy gain, to be spent as you please. If the body is left to decide it will likely choose improved immune function and quickened restoration of cells damaged by stress—essentially, “anti-aging” activities.

Once realizing the value in nutrient density, assimilation, and absorption of food, I began eating in terms of net gain, with no adherence to calorie consumption guidelines. Instead, I focus on consuming nutrient dense, easily assimilated foods. As a result my recovery rate has significantly improved. I no longer need an extra day to recover from eating copious amounts of conventional food. Enhanced by simple means of increased efficiency, my body now pools its retained energy resources to more quickly recover from muscle damage associated with training. Today, I consume about 30% fewer calories than I did just two years ago yet have more energy—by means of conservation, as opposed to consumption.

Instead of feasting on common refined foods, I now consume whole foods almost exclusively. Raw, alkalizing, enzyme intact, living foods have become the foundation of my diet. Switching my main carbohydrate source away from refined starches to whole fruits, vegetables and grains was my starting point. Raw nuts and seeds, with an emphasis on hemp and flax, as well as legumes supply me with protein and essential fatty acids. The majority of vitamins and minerals I require come from fresh, raw vegetables – dark leafy green ones in particular.

It’s easy to pack nutrients into liquid form thereby improving assimilation; basically allowing the body to get what it wants while expending less energy to get it. I have one or more nutrient-packed shakes daily to insure that I get all the nutrients I need to support my activity level. Also, since it’s important to eat several meals and/or snacks a day, making one or more of them liquid adds variety.

Ideally, a shake should contain all the nutrients that a compete meal does. First, make sure that the protein is an easily digestible one, such as hemp, which is packed with live enzymes that improve digestion and absorption. For essential fatty acids (especially Omega 3), I use ground-up whole flax seeds. Maca, as an adaptogen, adrenal tonic and a source of sterols and sterolins, is also a critical ingredient. Chlorella, for its detoxifying properties, naturally occurring vitamin B12, growth factor, nucleic acids and rich chlorophyll content, is another worthy addition.

Hemp, flax, maca and chlorella are the four primary ingredients in all my shakes. After adding them, I blend it all up with whole fruit and water or nut milk. Feel free to experiment with all kinds of fruit for variety. Berries are always desirable as they are loaded with antioxidants. Raw carob powder is also a nice addition. In fact, making this blender drink years ago lead me to formulating Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer.

Remember, when it comes to improving net gain, the key point to remember is if you don’t spend it, you’ll still have it. Think in terms of energy conservation when it comes to vital body functions such as digestion and assimilation to help you perform better at anything you attempt.