“Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” -Ingrid Bergman ;)
I recently had a retinal bleed. Luckily it was caught early and my vision has remained almost normal. I’m doing great, feeling good, and responding to treatment. This twist of events, however, has taught me how precious sight is. What a gift it is to see all the beauty around us, and use our visual senses to create!
I have adopted making daily smoothies to boost my nutritional intake of eye-friendly vitamins. I will share the recipe I made today but encourage you to experiment with your own mix. Use whatever you have in the fridge, with a base of nutrient-rich super hero’s for the eyes, like Kale or Spinach. Though a little dab of sweet makes a smoothie more palatable, it’s best to stick to a 70% vegetable and 30% fruit ratio.
Vegetables high in Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene are prime candidates. Look for these bright colored hues: yellow, orange and dark green. Since starting to make smoothies, my nails feel stronger, my mood is lifted and I have begun to lose a tad of weight.
Here is the recipe for the delicious eye strengthening smoothie I made today:
1/2 cup organic frozen blueberries
1/2 cup organic blackberries
1 bunch organic kale
4 small organic peppers – orange and yellow
1 bunch organic salad greens
2 organic red beets
4 tablespoons organic flax, chia and hemp seeds
Pinch of Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Nutmeg and Cinnamon
A dash of l-arginine and chlorophyll
1 cup filtered water
Other wonderful fruit and veggie options, that I rotate in and out based on my shopping list are: kiwi, mango, apple, celery, arugula, collard greens, carrots, and garlic. I also often add a scoop of my favorite protein powder Garden of Life Raw Protein & Greens as well as Garden of Life Organic Fiber.
Since I don’t use plastic containers, I store my smoothies in zero waste, re-usable Ball mason jars in the fridge, and consume them within two days.
Cheers to continued health and happiness!