Week 3 March Makeover 28-Day Challenge

By now in the challenge, you should be feeling pretty good. You may have lost some weight. No longer have headaches. Your foggy thinking is gone. That's what happens when you clean up your diet.

If you feel you’ve been bad, don’t beat yourself up. Keep going. Change happens with baby steps and persistence.

If you haven’t already downloaded Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen app on the App Store or Google Play, get it now to help you add more plant-based foods to your meals and snacks. Add one or two more vegetables to your meal and only fruit for dessert. Steam, stir-fry, or roast veggies or use raw in a salad or smoothie.

Example:
If you like avocado, toast a whole grain sprouted or sour dough slice and spread with avocado. Don’t stop there. Add cucumber, tomatoes, greens, sprouts, onion and top with a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Mmmmmm!

Example:
Have you made a Buddah Bowl? Start with a grain/seed (e.g., quinoa, farro, freeka, teff, barley, millet, etc.), add toppings (grated carrots, beans, chopped peppers, pepperoncini, sauerkraut, anything goes). Drizzle with apple cider vinegar and oil.

What About Smoothies?
Everyone loves smoothies, but do you drink veggie smoothies? Start by adding a handful of spinach to your fruit smoothie. BE CREATIVE. Build up to adding more and different veggies to acclimate your taste buds to more green. Here’s a basic recipe to start with:

Basic Green Smoothie
1 Banana
1 C Berries (frozen or fresh)
Lemon wedge (skin and seeds included)
Spinach (big handful)
1 Tbsp Fresh mint
1 C of ice, cold water or coconut water
Blend all ingredients. Optional: Add 1/2 Tbsp fresh ground flaxseed to thicken.

A note about the detox effect. You may feel pretty bad during the initial phase of your lifestyle change. Headaches, diarrhea, achy muscles—these are all symptoms of your body releasing toxins that have built-up in your tissues. Keep going. You really need this Makeover. You'll begin to feel so good, you'll never look back.

So let's review.

Week 1:
Clean-out your pantry and fridge. Eliminate unhealthy, processed foods. Begin a clean diet by eliminating dairy and meat. Dump household chemicals.

Week 2:
Restock your pantry with organic, healthy basics. Stock your refrigerator with organic plant-based food. Begin adding healthy recipes to your daily eating that include plenty of veggies, beans, nuts and seeds, and whole intact grains.

Keep it going! Your body will thank you with great health.