Going to the dentist, having some dental procedure done that requires anesthesia for pain control, can affect your food intake. It is not only that you won't be able to chew the meal, you could very well bite off your tongue and not even feel it. Well, maybe not that graphic, but you need to be for sure careful to avoid biting your inside cheek.
That said, it is best to drink your meal. What better opportunity than to make yourself a delicious concoction with your high performance blender. In this smoothie we have the best recipe choice for you, which we call the "After the Dentist Smoothie"
Watch the Video
Ingredients are:
Spinach (good handful)
Pineapple (1 slice 3/4" to 1" thick)
Grapefruit (1/2)
Grapefruit peel section, to taste / desire
Yogurt (Greek Style)
Avocado (1/2)
Cucumber (2 inches - unpeeled)
1.5 to 2 cups of water
Blend for about 30 seconds.
Final yield is about 30 ounces, which are 2 to 3 servings anywhere in the world, except in the USA it is 1 US size serving. Drink with straw to avoid spilling the smoothie on your shirt. Remember, you will obviously not have the greatest feeling in your face / lips / mouth. Use the straw on the side where your mouth is not numb.
The outcome of the smoothie and its texture was extremely smooth and due to the speed and power of the KTec (aka Blendtec) blender, with the sharp-bladed Alterna aftermarket container, the avocado was whipped into a gel type texture. This made the smoothie a little stiffer than usual. It is recommended to add a little more water in case you want to the smoothie little more liquid.
Avocado as a smoothie ingredient, will normally stiffen up the smoothie liquidity into more like a puree or even a pudding, if you let it sit long enough. Avocado carries the properties for that. Chia does too. It is a great way to make avocado green pineapple pudding.
If you enjoyed the video, please share it online. And remember, please, don't poke yourself and avoid biting yourself after you come home from the dentist, trying to eat. Brush your teeth and floss.
2016 (C) All Rights Reserved, by Thomas Fox, Alterna Jar LLC
Do you have a paunchy pooch? It seems the obesity epidemic has spread from humans to our dogs. It is estimated that 45% of American dogs are overweight (that’s over 35 million) and it’s not just puppy fat. Obesity tops the list of nutrition related health problems in canines. It is as unhealthy for dogs to be overweight as it is for humans.
How Being Obese Could Harm Your Dog
Obesity isn’t just an aesthetic issue. Being overweight can be life-threatening and significantly shorten your dog’s lifespan. Dogs that are too fat usually die two years sooner than they would if they remained fit. That’s two more years you could spend with your best friend if you help him maintain a healthy weight.
Not only that, obesity lowers your dog’s quality of life. Dogs that are obese have a much higher risk of developing dangerous medical conditions such as:
Arthritis
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Lung disorders
Cancerous tumors
Immune dysfunctions
How to tell if Your Dog is Obese
Veterinarians report that 50% of the dogs they see are overweight but only 17% of owners realize it.
When you look at your dog do you see a waistline? If you run your hands down her side can you easily feel the ribs? You should be able to do both those things if your dog is fit.
Find out how much your dog weighs by putting him on the scales at home or at the vet’s. How does that compare to standard weight charts for his breed? The smaller the dog, the less excess weight it takes to make your dog obese. For example, a 12-pound Yorkie is comparable to a woman weighting 214 pounds.
What to do if Your Dog is Overweight
A consultation with your vet should always be the first step in creating a weight loss plan for your dog. The veterinarian can rule out any medical causes for weight gain and help you determine how many calories your dog should consume a day.
Dogs that need to lose weight do best on a quality dog food that is higher in protein than average and lower in fat than average. That combination helps protect your dog from muscle loss when losing pounds. Feed your dog the amount recommended for his ideal weight, not his current weight and split that into small meals throughout the day. Be sure you use a real measuring cup (not a coffee cup or scoop) to serve a precise amount.
Exercise is Important
Couch potato canines are more likely to be overweight than active dogs. Encourage your dog to walk or play vigorously at least 30 minutes a day. This will stimulate his metabolism and burn calories. Exercise may also help suppress his appetite.
The bonus is that to get your dog exercising you will need to participate by walking him or playing an energetic game of fetch or another activity. You’ll both reap the healthy benefits.
The Secret to Weight Loss in Dogs
Actually, it’s not a secret. It’s the same formula humans use to lose weight: eat less calories than you burn. That means sticking to the daily calorie budget and adhering to an exercise schedule. Commercial treats are a no-no for your dieting doggie but you can prepare him a smoothie treat that will help boost metabolism and energy levels so dieting comes easier. Just use a powerful blender to emulsify the ingredients. This is a low calorie, high protein smoothie so it should fit right into your dog’s diet plan.
Metabolism-Boosting Smoothie to Help Your Dog Lose Weight
1 cup cooked, unseasoned boiled or baked chicken breast, no skin
1 cucumber
1 apple, cored, no seeds
½ cup cantaloupe, chopped
4 or 5 broccoli florets
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
Enough water to create desired thickness
Put all ingredients in your Omniblend or other high-speed blender. Puree until smooth. May be frozen in ice cube trays for individual servings or you may add a spoonful or two to your dog’s food.
Depression can be fought in part, with food. The vitamins you are looking for are B12, B6 and Omega3. These vitamins correlate to another enzyme that helps your brain produce serotonin. Depression, no matter the cause, is a temporary or chronic production of low-levels of serotonin. When your serotonin levels are too low, it is hard to enjoy life, be it a moment of sun in the middle of winter or a sea breeze in the summer--it’s significance simply does not register with you. You can’t be happy about it, because you can’t turn up the production of serotonin required to feel happy.
Get the Right Vitamins
So it is important that you get enough B12, B6, and Omega 3. Fish such as cod, salmon, halibut, trout, tuna and snapper are good sources of Omega 3, as are walnuts. B6 sources include nuts: peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts; and veggies: skin-on baked potatoes, yams, broccoli, green peas, bell pepper, asparagus, spinach and turnip greens. Turkey and eggs are also good for a depression-reducing diet. Berries are one of the best-depression fighting fruits. The tryptophan **** in turkeys stimulates serotonin production. So make a turkey smoothie?
If your depression led you to eat the wrong foods and you are looking to lose weight as well as fight depression, it is actually very simple to integrate the two nutrient requirements for these efforts.
Eat Small Meals, But More Often
First, rather than three meals a day, you want six. All of your “meals” should be no larger than a snack. Start your morning with a smoothie. See that hazelnuts are on the list for depression? You can purchase hazel nut milk; use that in the place of your almond milk for a smoothie. Hazelnuts are a bit sweeter than almonds, but very tasty.
For your morning snack, try a fruit salad that contains berries and fresh fruit, or try a berry muffin made with whole grains or oats. For lunch, try a tuna-avocado guacamole in a lettuce wrap. Have mixed nuts with dried fruit, and add just a few chocolate-covered M&M’s to fight that sweet craving. But eat your entire portion of nuts and fruit. Then, for dinner, try a quinoa stuffed bell pepper.
The Benefits of Quinoa and Tarts
Quinoa is a grain with complex proteins, so it makes a good meat substitute. Add spinach, tomatoes and olives, into the quinoa and cook per directions. If your directions call for vegetable oil, use olive oil. For desert, try a fruit tart on a nutty vegan crust. Vegan crusts omit dairy, but maximizes protein. You can build crusts out of the very nuts that will help you obtain the needed levels of omega3 and B6.
Making tarts is a good way to utilize fresh fruit. You only need to cook the crust. You can make a glaze out of honey, rather than sugar. This tart could also be breakfast. Should you use a honey glaze, if you make certain that it is local honey, and you eat it every day for two weeks, you can also build up a natural immunity to local allergens. This won’t help you if you go on vacation to a spot that is home to plants you’re also allergic to, but it will help you in your own backyard.
Find the Right Recipes
When recipe hunting for depression-fighting meals, seek out meals that incorporate more than one of the ingredients that will help stabilize your mood. If you are also trying to lose weight, do the same with those foods, too. Look for recipes that can lead to developing healthier patterns by integrating as much variety of fruits, veggies, and nuts in a single meal as possible. Focus on using only grains that give you complete proteins, so that you are not dependant on meat for protein. However, do make sure that you eat fish a few times a week. Also, make turkey your primary meat. Remember meat and eggs are not the only source of protein available to you. In fact, nuts, grains, and soy products are better for you. So use them liberally, and be certain to keep your portions consistent.
Planning out your meals can be fun. Turn menu making into a creative exercise and structure your meals like a puzzle. You’ll be amazed how many dishes you can make out of the aforementioned suggested meats, nuts, fruits and veggies. Step outside your usual meal routine, and experiment with the many recipes that are out there on the internet.
Diabetes isn’t the end of the road. You can still enjoy food. However, it is important to broaden your diet. You need to stress the fruit and vegetables, and these need to be integrated in a far larger proportion of your diet than meat and simple proteins from refined sources, better known as snack foods. Yes, there are simple carbohydrates in fruits and some vegetables, but these foods are also high sources of fiber. Fiber helps your body control blood sugar levels. So you get a little sweet with a whole lot of good-for-you fiber. Besides, fiber helps you feel full. Feeling full longer helps to manage your cravings. However, before making any major change to your diet, it is best to consult your doctor.
Increase Fiber Intake
To maximize the fiber and nutrients you are getting from your fruit and vegetables, try raw food recipes. This doesn’t limit you to eating fruit and veggies plain. You can try lettuce wraps and even smoothies. Toss your fresh fruit, chopped in tiny bits, into a high performance blender with some yogurt, and voila you have a treat! You can search for “raw smoothies” on Google or peruse this site for more recipes that will help you increase fiber, satisfy that sweet craving, fill you up in the morning, lose weight and even fight diabetes.
The Raw Fruit Advantage
Drinks that are 100% juice help, too. You can buy them, sometimes for a bit more than you may like to dish out, or make them at home. Raw fruit blended to a pulp can be a good basis for a smoothie. Or you could use a blender to make a whole range of fruit-based sauces and dressing. Frozen fruits can be okay. Sometimes, if you stumble upon a sale (especially with berries) it can be hard to pass up buying a lot of fruit all at once. If you wash and freeze them, you can use them for a wide range of dishes at a later date. If you are trying to lose weight, this can be especially helpful.
Tiny berries are fine to freeze as they are. Strawberries, though, should be cut up first. It is especially helpful to use zip lock bags and measure out 8 oz of strawberries into each bag. Then you have a full cup of berries all ready for munching or cooking or baking. If you’ve got frozen berries stored in your freezer and you want to make a smoothie the next day, just transfer your baggie to the fridge. The ice should be mostly gone, and some soggy slices should be left. Add a banana, fresh blueberries, and yogurt into your blender and switch it on. Then you’re good to go. Trying to avoid dairy? Opt for almond milk and ice. If you choose this method, be cautious because the soggy slices of strawberry have a fair amount of water in them, so you don’t need as much added liquid as you might with fresh-out-of-the basket strawberries.
Raw Veggies and Smoothies
Raw veggies can be added to smoothies too! There is far more you can do with raw vegetables than merely dip in ranch dressing as a snack. Carrot-Orange juice is a delicious drink you can make at home. Use a juicer to turn one whole carrot into juice. Use a citrus juicer on one orange. To make into a smoothie, add a ripe banana, ice, your two homemade juices, and mix in your high performance blender.
Another excellent raw vegetable recipe is the raw lettuce wrap. In this dish, you combine veggies to make a salsa-like filling and wrap the mixture in fresh lettuce leaves. You can combine different ingredients for different tastes. Wraps are a good alternative if you’re looking at that salad and groaning. It’s okay, there are more ways to eat the same foods, and versatility in your cuisine will help you maintain an enjoyment of the foods that you are eating. Diversity in dishes is key to making certain that you maintain healthy eating patterns.
So if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, don’t see it as a prison. Look at your daily food choices, and find ways to experiment. Healthy eating is not limited eating, it is merely informed eating. Your options are still numerous, but you now are encouraged to play with your choices and find or rediscover things you have forgotten or did not even know were delicious. Remember to discuss proposed changes to your diet with your doctor first.
For anyone who suffers a painful fibromayalgia or arthritis, or other pain, such as from injuries or surgery, it is likely possible, according to nutritional bio-physiological research, to reduce and minimize pain with raw vegetable and fruit smoothies made in high performance blending machines. Dr Stephen Grindstead (*) suggested in a blog about pain management that various nutrients in raw fruit and vegetables have anti-inflammatory powers.
Complex carbohydrates, those often consumed by vegans and vegetarians, also have shown pain-minimizing attributes.Obviously, fibromayalgia is directly associated or linked of causing inflammation. While the reduction of inflammation is not likely to cure the disease such as fibromayalgia or arthritis, the reduction of inflammation can assist the organism in attacking the problem and promoting a healing much better than as if the body constantly has to try putting out inflammatory fires, so to speak. Being always on the defensive, physiologically speaking, is not going to help make anything better. So inflammation has to be brought under control first.
Cherry Smoothies are Better than Aspirin
Aspirin and anthocyanins in tart red cherries, which is naturally occurring, have some commonalities. They both fight inflammation in the body in a similar way. Anthocyanins in tart red cherries is responsible for the flower colors red to blue. Another pain relieve agent comes from soy products. There is a direct correlation between consuming soy before surgery and a decrease in pain level, according to studies in animals.
In order to take advantage of these pain and inflammation reducing agents, one might want to mix up a breakfast smoothie containing 1 ripe banana, 1 cup of tart frozen cherries, and 1 cup of soymilk. Don't inlcude Aspirin, of course. After blending, it is best to serve the smoothie immediately.
Fibromyalgia and Nutrition
According to studies conducted by the National Fibromyalgia Association, referenced by Dr. Grinstead (*), it was concluded that there is a direct association between nutrition and managing pain. Accordingly, the healthier the nutrition / food is the better pain is manageable. Wanting to keep pain under control may require a drastic change in lifestyle habits. These changes will naturally have to include the right balanced healthier and more nutrient rich diet as well as a more active lifestyle in respect to exercise. Health does not come from inactivity, in other words.
Nutritionists and health researchers promote a preventative approach. Malnutrition of vitamin deficiencies can have a direct affect on getting sick. For example the frequent cold and affected by viruses and the feeling of fatigue is a direct result to not eating well, or better, even eating bad dead food that has little to no nutritional value at all. In order to help prevent these sicknesses, healthy fresh nutrition is essential to give the body the proper remedies to fight off disease.
Nutrients Help Joints Stay Supple
You can add nutrients that help joint pain to smoothies or soups that you make with your high performance blender. Ground flax seed, curcumin and Vitamin B12 may help you keep your range of motion in shoulders, hands, feet, hips and knees.
Flax seed comes in an oil, a liquid or a dry form. The latter can be ground in an ordinary grinder and added to smoothie recipes. Because it is a good source of omega-3 and fiber, it helps your joints stay healthy and your weight under control. A daily dosage is three generous tablespoons or ¼ cup.
Curcumin is another nutrient said to have anti-inflammatory properties. It is a spice closely related to ginger (*) and can be used in many sauces, soups and even raw food smoothies. Curcumin has been used as a natural remedy for a multitude of conditions and is thought to promote cardiovascular health and even relieve menstrual cramps. The supplement may also lower bad LDL cholesterol and restore kidneys to health, although more studies are needed.
Vitamin B12 also has pain management properties. However, it is best to get the benefit from fortified soymilk instead of meat, especially if you are trying to reduce nagging or chronic pain. The saturated fats in meat tend to aggravate inflammation. Yeast can also be a good source of B12. Adding fortified soymilk to your smoothies and yeast to your baked goods can help to ease your pain.
Complex Carbohydrates and Pain Control
The complex carbohydrates in vegetables such as peppers, spinach, broccoli and mushrooms are also reported to reduce pain. Adding very lean meat, such as turkey, that also has tryptophan may also reduce pain, according to Dr. Margaret A. Caudill (*) who serves as a co-director at the Arnold Pain Center, which is located at Deaconess Hospital in Boston. If you are looking for additional ingredients to further your goal of pain control, consider lentils, split peas and whole grains. All are good sources of complex carbohydrates.
The vegetables and beans can be easily combined for a highly nutritious soup. Placing these vegetables in your high performance blender along with some bean sprouts makes a fantastic green smoothie.
Research continues to shed light on a fact we always knew: that a balanced diet is necessary to maintain optimal health. However, the science behind this simple statement is helping us understand just how powerful good nutrition can be. Pain control can be as close as your next smoothie when you carefully consider the ingredients and stay away from foods with high fats that wreak havoc on your joints and muscles.
(*) References:
Dr. Stephen F. Grindstead http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/the-role-of-diet-and-nutrition-in-chronic-pain-management/
Spice closely related to ginger: http://www.curcumin.net/
Dr. Margaret A. Caudill: http://www.mothernature.com/l/The-Female-Body-An-Owners-Manual/Pain-Relief_856.
Do you have a paunchy pooch? It seems the obesity epidemic has spread from humans to our dogs. It is estimated that 45% of American dogs are overweight (that’s over 35 million) and it’s not just puppy fat. Obesity tops the list of nutrition related health problems in canines. It is as unhealthy for dogs to be overweight as it is for humans.
