Green Drinks for Christmas Zest

Christmas is an inspirational time an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the good will that permeates the planet. It's a time to ponder our own lives and examine how we can raise our awareness of the world around us, moment-to-moment, every day. It's also a time of commitments, obligations and long lists of unending "must-dos."

In the hectic days before Christmas, it's critical to avoid processed foods that may be convenient, but can lead to irritability, mood swings, poor complexion, depression, fatigue, mental exhaustion and poor digestion. The cause-and-effect relationship between the wrong food choices and negative moods or impaired mental faculties becomes a vicious cycle.

Each one of your 100 trillion cells is a little molecular motor designed to run at peak efficiency if fuelled properly. If the necessary nutrients don't arrive, the cells slow down and so do you! Every minute, 200 million cells are renewed, revitalized or reformed in your body. This is a total of 300 billion new cells a day. Ask yourself this question when you eat: "Do I want this food to become my hair, skin and eyes?"

The best tip I can possibly give you is to consume high quality energy food when you are powering your way through a busy time. Green drinks are a good option. Not only are they the most complete bio-energetic food available, but they're also low in calories and contain no sugars, sweeteners or fats. This makes them a perfect low-glycemic food. If they are made from organic ingredients, they are nearly perfect for providing anabolic life insurance.

Green foods contain chlorophyll, which is made during the process of photosynthesis in every living plant. When the sun's energy enters a plant, the plant takes in carbon dioxide, gives off pure oxygen, makes organic vitamins, minerals and protein from inorganic materials in the soil and produces this green colour of life. Chlorophyll activates the enzymes that produce vitamins E, A and K in the plant. Vitamin K is the only vitamin shown to keep calcium out of the arteries and glands, thereby lessening arterial calcification and lowering both coronary artery and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin K has been found essential to the formation of "osteocalcin," a protein that attracts calcium and helps to build it into strong bones. Chlorophyll is also an antiviral, antibacterial cellular cleanser.

Green drinks are generally a combination of powdered, highly nutritious, alkaline-forming, land-based and ocean-grown foods. Twice a day, take your green drink 15 minutes before meals on an empty stomach or two hours after meals so all the nutrient-rich foods are quickly absorbed. You can mix the powder with pure water, fresh vegetable juice or unsweetened fruit juice. Once opened, store green drinks in the refrigerator to maximize the vitality and lifespan of the billions of probiotic "friendly bacteria" they contain. The following are some of the important ingredients to look for.

Green Power

Non-genetically modified, organically grown, 97 percent oil-free lecithin will give you 1,200 mg of phosphatidyl choline (PC) for superior neurological transmissions and 60 mg of phosphatidyl serine (PS) for mental enhancement. Soy lecithin is also a superior methyl donor that keeps your brain youthful longer and helps to prevent the formation of excess homocysteine, which can cause oxidized cholesterol to block your arteries.

Organically grown grasses, such as alfalfa, barley and wheatgrass, are a treasure trove of all known vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, chlorophyll, fibre, omega-3 essential fatty acids and protein. They have powerful antioxidant properties that prevent the buildup of hydrogen peroxide in fat tissues and cells, especially in the brain, where it is extremely destructive.

Ocean-grown algae or vegetables, such as chlorella, spirulina and Nova Scotia dulse, increase serum albumin levels, the main carrier molecule of nutrients to your 100 trillion cells. Higher albumin levels are necessary for a long and healthy life.

Soluble and insoluble fibres from brown rice germ and bran, as well as apple pectin, soak up excess estrogen and heavy metals such as cadmium, aluminum, lead and mercury from the intestinal tract.

Dairy-free probiotic cultures and FOS (fructo-oligo-saccharides, a special non-digestive sugar that feeds these "friendly" bacteria and keeps them alive) combine to keep your intestinal tract healthy and vibrant with life-sustaining good bacteria.

Organically grown or wild-crafted herbs (picked in the wild) protect the brain and connective tissue from aging. They are very strong antiviral, antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic compounds for superior immune surveillance and act as adaptogens (biochemical stress modifiers) to help balance the physical, mental or biochemical stresses in the body. They increase the cholinergic (nerve impulse) mechanism linked to learning, memory and fluid, co-ordinated movements of your arms and legs. They also contain resveratrol, a powerful phytochemical clinically shown to block the development of precancerous and cancerous growths.

People who drink their greens daily notice increases in cognitive abilities and general levels of energy and well-being. This is because green drinks are abundant in the amino acids called peptides, which can be transformed in your body to neuropeptides. Neuropeptides such as beta endorphins are one of the primary links between mind and body. Green drinks are also rich in the nine essential amino acids, especially tryptophan and phenylalanine the primary "building blocks" for your important neurotransmitter hormones serotonin and norepinephrine (adrenaline).

Green, plant-based foods are steeped in sunlight and infused with the abundant energy of the soil and rain-pure life energy crucial to maintaining your anabolic drive and supporting your hormonal development and control. They're the perfect winter foods. So remember that what you choose to eat this season will directly and indirectly affect all your hormones and neurotransmitters, which in turn influence your energy levels, moods, food cravings, stress levels, sleep habits and inherited genetic traits.