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top // shorts // pink lipstick // ninja bullet
Hello Hello! Welcome back! I feel like I haven’t been on here in forever! How was everyone’s Fourth of July Weekend? As you guys probably saw through Snapchat (Lauren_smith6), we had the absolute best time at the lake! It is seriously always such a good time and our friends Katelyn and Kevin are so sweet to always include us.
I do have to say though, after a few days of burgers and beer, my gut definitely starts to feel it!
Now that the holiday is over and the wedding is getting closer, I’ve decided that’s time to really start my “wedding diet”. I put that in quotations because I do not plan on trying to lose a ridiculous amount of weight or anything. But with that being said, I still want to feel my best on our big day and the first step to feeling my best is through what I put on my plate. It affects my gut, my skin, my hormones, my stress levels and my energy.
Last week, in this post, I touched on a podcast I listened to recently that really caught my attention pertaining to living healthy and dieting. The podcast episode (listen to it here, episode 70) was an interview with holistic celebrity nutritionist, Kelly LeVeque and one of the things I really took away from the podcast, was Kelly’s concept of the Fab Four.
Which is that every meal should have a variety of Protein, Fat, Greens & Fiber.
Plain and simple.
She teaches a very high protein, high fat diet plan and that three large meals a day is better than five small ones. She believes that “you should eat complete meals that elongate your blood sugar curve, to avoid mindless snacking and ensure your body has the nutrients it needs to thrive.”
Makes sense, right? Anyways!
Last week, I started making her Fab Four Morning Smoothie (she has many!) every day for breakfast and I cannot explain how much I have enjoyed it. This smoothie is SO filling and gives me a crazy amount of energy for the whole day. Kelly teaches that if you have breakfast and are hungry again by 10:00 or are already thinking about lunch, then your breakfast was not sufficient. Your blood sugar has dropped and will ultimately cause you to eat more throughout the day.
If you count calories, then this smoothie may seem a little scary to you because, oh my gosh 1-2 tbsp of almond butter, but if you really think about her concept, it all starts to make since.
For this smoothie, she recommends (for women), at least 20g of protein (I chose a Chocolate Protein Powder); 9-19g of Fat (I chose Almond Butter); A good source of fiber like flaxseeds or chia seeds (I chose Chia Seeds); and as many greens as you can stand (I chose baby spinach). She also recommends either no fruit in your smoothie in the morning or at least less than 1/2 a cup (I chose 1/4 cup). Some smoothies require so much fruit that you might as well be having a bottle of Rose for breakfast. Because while fruit contains good sugar, your body still processes it as sugar; and at the end of the day, if your body has to much, it gets stored in your body glucose and essentially turns into fat. This is why she really recommends less than 1/2 cup of fruit for each meal but especially in the mornings!
I have really come to fall in love with her concept because I have found myself snacking more than ever and just not feeling full. But since practicing her theory, starting with making her Fab Four Morning Smoothie, I have honestly already seen a huge difference. Eating three larger meals a day gives your body time to process what you are eating, as well as gives it time to burn it off.
Also, if you are worried about not having a lot of fruit and the taste, don’t worry! I was too but the mixture of the chocolate protein, almond milk and almond butter makes it taste delicious! Scouts honor 🙂
If you want to create your own FAB FOUR smoothie, then you can follow her formula: Protein: 20gram (min) + Fiber 10gram (min) + 1 TBSP Fat + Handful of Greens + 1/4 cup + liquid
My full recipe is below!
- 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 Scoop Chocolate or Vanilla Whey Protein
- 1 Cup Baby Spinach
- 1/4 Cup Sliced Banana or Blueberries (Optional)
- 2 TBSP Chia Seeds
- 1-2 TBSP Almond Butter
- Ice (as needed)
- In a blender (or ninja bullet), blend all ingredients together until it reaches the desired consistency. Add more or less ice as desired.
- Freeze fruit in baggies ahead of time to substitute for ice.
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