Morning Fuel Smoothie

– by Rhian Hunter

Holidays, COVID-19, change of seasons, a difficult week, or a  reward for doing all the good things; for many of us trying to eat  healthily, there reaches a point where our self-discipline checks  out, and we find excuses to fall off that healthy band wagon. 

Self-discipline. Let’s be real. For most of us, it’s a work in  progress. Harnessing resilience is about completing actions that  are aligned with your objectives despite the setbacks that stand  in your way.

As long as we continue to take positive action, there  is no point in beating ourselves up about it. Having a healthy  relationship with your health isn’t just physical, it’s mental too. 

So being gentle and realistic with yourself is a great place to  start! 

The hardest part about getting back on the wagon, is reestablishing  some kind of routine or structure around your  eating, and the foods you are eating. If you are planning on  going all-in with this, my first piece of advice would be to curb  your enthusiasm.

The smallest steps you take, are probably  going to have the biggest impact so make your goal/s – small  and realistic. Two-three meals a day. Eat mostly fresh fruit and veg. Limit  processed foods.  Avoid overwhelm!

There are so many diets out there that claim  to help you lose weight, reduce inflammation, or to help you  become the healthiest version of yourself.

Each year some new  fad diet fills our newsfeeds claiming it works wonders.  As a nutritionist, I will often research diets thoroughly and  sometimes trial them if the research holds some merit.

Hand on  heart, I can tell you if you were to cut out gluten, dairy, processed  foods, reduced your caloric intake, and predominantly ate fresh  fruit and vegetables; you will enjoy positive health outcomes. If  you try to follow a diet with too many restrictions, you are not  going to sustain it. 

Choose recipes that are easy to follow, and where ingredients  can be interchanged so that time and money won’t throw you  a curve ball. 

Be prepared. Set aside 30minutes at the beginning of your week  to plan your meals/grocery shop/prep. Having a plan, and a  stocked-up fridge or pantry will make you less inclined to reach  for unhealthy foods, or fall back into unhealthy habits. 

Remember, not every day will go according to plan, but each day,  whether you fall off, or get back on top, is progress, and that’s  what self-discipline is all about.

SERVES 2

Ingredients:
3 Tbls coconut yoghurt
6 Walnut halves
10 Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Handful kale (stalks removed)
1 Handful ice
1/2 Scoop vanilla protein powder
1 Tbls cacao
1 Medjool date (pitted)
1 Tsp. Turmeric (ground)
1/4 Birdseye chilli
250ml unsweetened almond milk

Method:
Throw all ingredients into a blender,  and blitz until smooth. Feel free to add  filtered water for a thinner consistency.