Nutrition for a Busy Healthy Lifestyle

I always wonder with only 24 hours in a day, how does one balance a busy life, that includes a demanding job, three kids with different activities, some kind of personal physical activity to keep the heart pumping, eight hours of sleep, and grab three square meals? Unfortunately, without proper nutrition, you will soon run out of gas, and those 24 hours will seem shorter or longer in some cases.


Choosing, preparing, proportioning, and combing the best foods available will help you fuel your body and soul, so that you are able to perform all the tasks necessary for the day. However we all fall in the trap of eating what is convenient rather than what is good. So what can we do to supplement the food we eat? Nowadays, for convenience, the shelves of many delicatessens, quick marts, and 7-11’s are stocked with cans of some sort of nutrition. Some are better than others, however most are made from sugar with little or no significant nutrition. Basically, they taste good, rather than be good for you.

So where do you begin your journey for finding great nutrition?
· Start with consulting with your healthcare team when working on your diet.
· Working with your healthcare team, have a blood test to determine the vitamins and minerals that may be lacking.
· Write out a meal plan that would build up your vitamin and mineral levels. In addition to writing your meal plan in advance, this plan will help you stock your pantry with all the food you should be eating. Therefore, you choose to avoid foods that you were not planning to eat.
· Read all the ingredients and nutritional facts of all the foods you eat.
· Purchase organic foods
· Review with your healthcare team to determine if a nutritional supplement, shake, additional vitamins and minerals will round out your nutrition plan.

In your supplement, you should check to see if the ingredients have the following
· Prebiotic and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in breaking down food that improves digestion, regularity, and the absorption of nutrients.
· Protein and Essential Amino Acids to assist in building long and lean muscles.
· Antioxidants and Phyonutrients to help counteract free radical damage which can lead to degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
· Low Glycemic Index. This means that your blood sugar level rises less than other carbs that have a higher glycemic index. Foods with a higher glycemic index include, pretzels (GI=83), potatoes (GI=93), white rice (GI=64), and corn flakes (GI=81).*

Again, your healthcare team can determine what maybe lacking in your diet, and as a result of this malnourishment, you may have some associate ailments.

Here is one of my favorite smoothie recipe
1-1/2 scoops or 1 package of Chocolate Shakeology powder (Greenberry is the other flavor)
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 stalk of kale leaves (note that the stem is kind of bitter so just use the leafy part)
1 banana
1 cup ice
8 oz. almond milk

Use a high-speed blender to blend. If you do not have a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtech, do not add the kale leaves. Enjoy the shake!

Take action and enjoy life!