Optimum digestion is the fountain from which good health flows. Without it, skin is not quite as radiant, cognitive function is not as sharp, our emotional wellbeing can be compromised, and our immune resistance is diminished. In order to have a glowing complexion, and to feel alert, happy, and healthy, it’s essential that we digest, assimilate, and eliminate everything we consume with efficiency.
Chewing the food we eat thoroughly is critical to ensuring optimum digestion. At a minimum, we should chop down on every bite of solid food thirty times before swallowing. That may sound like a lot, but give it a go, and you’ll see it’s not too difficult when you bring your awareness to having a mouth full. Mindful chewing ensures the digestive enzymes stimulated from saliva production get efficiently blended with the food that is making its way into our guts.
Just like solid foods, liquids like smoothies and soups, as well as fresh pressed juices need tender loving chomping. Sure, you probably won’t get through thirty grinds (hooray if you do!), but you’ll be getting the enzymes moving into high gear. If you are a devout smoothie drinker, I invite you to shift the vessel you pour your blend into to that of a bowl, and eat your smoothie with a spoon. Most mornings, I begin my day with a smoothie bowl (like the one below) or a hot soup. I feel like I’m eating something more sustaining than if I were consuming from a glass, and I’m more likely to chew, rather than drink my way through breakfast.
Ingredients:
2 handfuls spinach leaves
1/3 cucumber (with skin), chopped
1/2 large avocado
1 tablespoon flax seeds
3 scoops chocolate plant protein powder
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
Pinch pink sea salt, plus one more
1/2 teaspoon spirulina (optional)
1 cup cold plant milk of choice
5 chocolate covered sacha inchi seeds, split (optional)
1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs (I used Navitas Naturals)
Handful of ice
Preparation:
1. In a high-speed blender, combine spinach, cucumber, avocado, flax seeds, protein powder, hemp seeds, sea salt, spirulina (if using), plant milk, and ice.
2. Blend on high for thirty seconds, and then pour into a bowl. Garnish with chocolate covered sacha inchi seeds, cacao nibs, and a pinch more salt.