If you asked me, “Jonathan, if I could do only one thing to reach a lower setpoint, what would that be?” I’d immediately and unequivocally recommend that you get your blender out, make a SANE smoothie, and savor every sip!
A smoothie! Really? Yes! Before you raise your eyebrow, SANE smoothies are radically different from the sugar-saturated smoothies you find on grocery store shelves, health food stores, or at smoothie chains. The amount of sugar in those “healthy” smoothies makes cans of Mountain Dew blush.
SANE smoothies, on the other hand, contain less sugar than a handful of baby carrots. They have no artificial sweeteners nor unnatural chemicals or flavorings, are 100 percent gluten free, and your kids will love them—not to mention they may be the simplest and most setpoint-lowering breakfast, quick lunch, or snack imaginable.
On the Setpoint Diet, the SANE smoothie is a scrumptious green-vegetable-based drink that mainlines the most therapeutic setpoint-lowering nutrients possible into your body, deliciously and practically. It is the easiest way to take in as many optimal non-starchy vegetables as you can, while boosting your protein, vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and fiber intake with the pulse of a blender. It is also one of the easiest and most beneficial ways you can transform your setpoint and your life.
SANE green smoothies are the closest thing to a “magic pill” there will ever be for lowering your setpoint, helping your body burn fat optimally, and more. Simply by adding one to three SANE smoothies to your daily meal plan, you will:
• Lower your setpoint.
• Lose weight.
• Accelerate your metabolism.
• Stay naturally thin—permanently.
• Heal your gut.
• Reduce neuroinflammation.
• Maximize Satiety, nonAggression, Nutrition, and inEfficiency.
• Control diabetes and diabesity.
• End overeating and cravings.
• Minimize cellulite.
• Develop lean muscle tissue.
• Enhance athletic performance.
• Improve all aspects of your health.
Ready to raise your glass?
First, some general guidelines on SANE smoothies:
• A SANE smoothie will taste good enough—and better over time—but not like the liquid-candy smoothies sold at grocery stores and smoothie shops. That’s a good thing.
• As you get used to green smoothies, start with spinach or romaine lettuce; these are less bitter than many other green, leafy vegetables.
• The more flexible or tender the green leafy vegetable, the better it will blend into a smoothie (very important if you do not have a high-powered blender).
• Focus on ease and simplicity when measuring serving sizes. A serving of raw spinach is what you can easily fit into your two hands cupped together. As a result, the serving size will vary from person to person.
• Ask yourself, “What is my purpose in making this smoothie? Will it be a snack or a meal?” This question—and its answer—will help you determine what goes into your smoothie.
• There is no one “right” formulation for a smoothie.
• Do what you want your children to do. Your kids may not want to drink green smoothies right away, but the more they see you enjoying them, the more they’ll want some too. Green smoothies are a great way to get your kids enjoying lots of veggies.
• The first time you try something bitter, you may not like it because bitter is an acquired taste (e.g., wine and beer). As you continue to drink smoothies, however, they will taste delicious, and you’ll acquire healthy cravings for them.
• A green smoothie is the single most concentrated source of real food nutrition you can take in and is a great way to heal your body from a variety of ailments.
On the Setpoint Diet, you maximize your results by enjoying two types of SANE smoothies in order to flip your metabolism into fat-burning mode and get closer to your ideal setpoint: the SANE All-Veggie Smoothie and the SANE Meal Smoothie.
The only goal of the All-Veggie Smoothie is to easily increase your optimal non-starchy vegetable intake so that you begin to lower your setpoint right away. All-Veggie Smoothies can also be enjoyed throughout the day to help you easily increase your vegetable intake, and support and accelerate fat-burning. The All-Veggie Smoothie is also the perfect complement to a meal that already contains protein and whole-food fats. For example, you can enjoy one of these smoothies at breakfast, along with a plate of scrambled egg whites and whole eggs. This makes a complete SANE breakfast (non-starchy vegetables, nutrient-dense proteins, and whole-food fats).
The SANE Meal Smoothie is designed to be used as a meal, because unlike the All-Veggie Smoothie, it contains nutrient-dense protein. This smoothie is perfect if you don’t have time to cook.
This is important: Because the SANE Meal Smoothies serve as your entire meal, they should contain:
• 2 to 5 servings of green non-starchy vegetables.
• 1 to 2 servings of nutrient-dense proteins (see below). Ideal nutrient-dense protein for SANE smoothies includes clean whey protein concentrate, pasteurized egg whites, or unflavored Greek yogurt. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, clean pea protein concentrate is a good alternative to whey protein. The right quantity and quality of protein can turn you into a slim and strong fat-burning machine.
• Optional whole-food fats (1 to 2 servings) such as ¼ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut, raw undutched cocoa, chia seeds, flax seeds, or a slice or two of avocado.
(Please note: The All-Veggie Smoothies do not contain proteins or whole-food fats—just lots of green veggies and a little bit of low-fructose fruits!)
To create SANE smoothies, I advise taking a simple paint-by-numbers approach, in which your blender is your canvas and you have five “colors” to work with:
1. Non-starchy vegetables. These include primarily greens, such as spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce; cucumbers; celery; and so forth.
Start with a base of a cup of water and add two big handfuls of spinach and two big handfuls of romaine lettuce to your blender. Both types of greens are less bitter than many other green, leafy vegetables. It’s fine to use frozen varieties of greens, too, but keep in mind, spinach is available in frozen form, whereas romaine lettuce is not, because it doesn’t freeze well. (Try experimenting with other greens such as kale or arugula once you master the basics.)
As you experiment more with your green smoothies, you’ll discover other non-starchy vegetable combinations that yield even more nutrition in a quick and portable smoothie than most people consume in a week. Green smoothies may seem scary at first, but after trying them for a week and seeing how you look and feel, you may find that living without them starts to feel even scarier.
2. Nutrient-dense proteins. If you’re making a SANE Meal Smoothie, it should include a protein. Your body deserves the cleanest, most high-quality protein available, so select from one of the following:
Clean whey protein or a vegetable-based protein powder. This is the ideal protein for your smoothies. The only catch is that you must avoid unnatural whey products containing flavoring, sweeteners, and fillers. If the ingredients contain anything other than whey proteins, skip it because those additives can cause weight gain. (For more information on the power of whey to help lower your setpoint, see Chapter 10.) If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, use clean pea protein concentrate.
Pasteurized egg whites. These are 90 percent protein and are sold in ready-to-use containers at most grocery stores. Make sure they are pasteurized so they are safe to add directly (without cooking) to your smoothies.
Unflavored nonfat Greek yogurt. This is not your optimal choice but still SANE, Greek yogurt contains 67 percent protein. Use it for variety and a change of pace.
Whichever protein you pick from these choices, add enough so that smoothies contain at least 24 grams of protein but no more than 50 grams.
These proteins make the perfect SANE Meal Smoothie—no need to try blending tuna in the mix. I tried it once, and the results were, let’s say, less than tasty.
3. SANE sweeteners. These sweeteners are 100 percent natural—no damaging doses of refined, setpoint-elevating sugar at all—but deliciously sweet anyway. Choose from the following:
Oranges. Low in sugar and high in flavor and vitamins, half a peeled orange sweetens smoothies, amazingly and deliciously, especially in smoothies packed with green vegetables.
Frozen strawberries. Convenient and inexpensive, a handful of these frozen berries provides a low sugar and high-nutrition sweet boost to smoothies. Note: You can use any frozen berries, but strawberries seem to offer the best taste and texture.
As a general rule of thumb, all berries and citrus are low-fructose fruits, so those are what you want to focus on, while keeping in mind that if you have more than 50 pounds to lose, I recommend that you stay away from all fruit except for lemons, avocados, and tomatoes (yes… avocados and tomatoes are fruits), at least until you reach your goal weight.
Natural noncalorie sugar substitute erythritol. Found in many fruits, erythritol adds low-calorie sweetness to anything without harming blood sugar or causing tooth decay. It’s an ideal option if you want sweetness without fruit flavor or would like to minimize your sugar intake. This sweetener also pairs well with oranges and strawberries. Start with a teaspoon and sweeten to your taste preference.
4. Superfood enhancers. One easy way to get optimal nutrition from whole foods (particularly if you have a busy schedule) is to supplement your smoothies with powdered “superfoods.” With all the convenience of a vitamin pill, plus all the high-quality and natural-context benefits of whole foods, superfoods are a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, fiber, and essential amino acids. They can give you incredible energy, fend off disease, and even accelerate your body’s fat-burning powers.
Available at most health food stores, superfood enhancers include non-starchy vegetable powders such as wheatgrass, spirulina, moringa, or combinations of these ingredients. A tablespoon or two will supercharge your smoothie and further increase your daily serving of non-starchy vegetables. A whole lot more information on these is available at SANESolution.com.
5. Taste turbochargers. These natural, healing ingredients have special powers over appetite, blood sugar control, gut health, and inflammation—all factors that lower your setpoint:
Raw undistilled apple cider vinegar. This turbocharger has been clinically shown to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar. This means that it bolsters insulin’s ability to bring sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells of the body. Research shows that it can slow blood sugar response (unhealthy hikes in glucose) by as much as 34 percent.
This is not its only benefit, however. Apple cider vinegar has been correlated with reduced belly fat, slimmer waist circumference, lower blood triglycerides, and weight loss.
You don’t need much, either—just a half teaspoon for every handful of green veggies added to your smoothie. It not only accents the taste of green leafy vegetables in your smoothie, it also helps your body digest those veggies so you don’t have to worry about bloating or gas. The only catch is that just not any vinegar will work. You must use the raw, undistilled, unfiltered variety—available from online retailers such as Amazon or in the “healthy” section of most grocery stores.
Lemons. With just a single gram of sugar, plenty of vitamin C, and well-known detox and digestion benefits, lemons offer the unique ability to eliminate the bitterness from green leafy vegetables. Cut the lemon peel off and toss into the blender with your other ingredients.
Guar gum. Derived from the guar bean, this special fiber has eight times the thickening power of cornstarch and adds another level of smoothness to smoothies. Guar gum has been clinically studied for its benefits on several conditions affecting setpoint. This fiber:
• Reduces blood glucose and thus improves glycemic control.
• Promotes healthy gut bacteria (guar gum is a prebiotic, feeding the probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and providing them with a better environment in which to thrive).
• Reduces neuroinflammation.
• Curbs cravings and prevents overeating.
• Supports heart health by reducing blood pressure and improving cholesterol profiles.
Add ⅛ teaspoon of guar gum to your smoothie, and continue adding ⅛ teaspoon until the desired consistency is reached. A little goes a long way.
Konjac root. Also called konjac glucomannan, konjac root powder helps create a deliciously smooth texture in your smoothies. As a fiber, it creates a feeling of fullness, too. Konjac:
• Is a prebiotic that feeds the friendly bacteria in your gut.
• Helps balance your blood sugar.
• Has been shown to help normalize cholesterol.
Add ⅛ teaspoon of konjac to your smoothie, and continue adding ⅛ teaspoon until the desired consistency is reached.
Cinnamon. You may have some cinnamon sitting in your spice rack. Now you’ll want to use a lot more of it immediately in your smoothies. For thousands of years, cinnamon has been prized for its many remarkable medicinal properties and is one of our best-loved spices. Cinnamon is also a great way to pump up the flavor and sweetness of your smoothie without adding extra sweeteners like honey or sugar. Cinnamon:
• Can dramatically reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar levels.
• Ranks #1 out of 26 spices studied for antioxidant activity. (The antioxidants in cinnamon heal inflammation.)
• Helps reduce levels of bad cholesterol, while increasing good cholesterol.
• Interferes with the formation of a protein called tau in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for every two handfuls of green veggies in your smoothie—up to 1 teaspoon daily.
Gelatin. I bet you’ve eaten Jell-O. I can’t wait for you to try its close—but super-healthier—cousin: unflavored gelatin. To make sure you flip your metabolism into fat-burning mode, put gelatin into as many of your smoothies as possible. In addition to making them much more satisfying, unflavored gelatin is a clean source of otherwise hard-to-find nutrients that offer several benefits. Gelatin:
• Makes your skin glow by suppling glycine and proline, two amino acids that are used in the production of collagen (a protein that gives skin its firmness).
• Reduces joint pain, again thanks to glycine and proline and their ability to stimulate collagen production, which acts as a natural fire extinguisher for joint pain.
• Helps you sleep (quality sleep is important to helping you achieve a lower setpoint. Glycine is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which can decrease anxiety while promoting calmness and sleep quality).
• Heals your gut—also critical in setpoint lowering. Gelatin effectively enhances gastric acid secretion for better digestion and restores a healthy stomach lining.
• Helps support your metabolism so that your body can switch into fat-burning mode.
Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of gelatin per cup of your smoothie.
If you don’t have one already, invest in a quality blender. The one I recommend is a reconditioned Vitamix. It’s what the professionals use, and if you get it reconditioned you’ll save a lot of money. You can get a special discount and free shipping at SANESolution.com. The difference between a Vitamix and a conventional blender is like the difference between an airplane and a car. One is much faster and gets you to places the other just can’t. If you plan on making smoothies every day, as this plan recommends, treat yourself to a Vitamix. (I’m not here to be a salesperson, so let me just say that I’ve used my Vitamix daily for 10 years. I love it.)
1. Pour in the liquid (a cup of water is recommended). Start with a ¼ cup of water per handful of vegetables, and adjust to your desired consistency.
2. Add your green leafy vegetables. Without touching the blender blades, pack in as many green veggies as you can into the base of the blender.
3. Add everything else: protein and optional whole-food fats (if making a SANE Meal Smoothie), SANE sweeteners, superfoods, and turbochargers.
4. Put the blender lid on. Sounds obvious, but it takes forgetting once to know that it’s worth adding to the order of operations.
5. Blend the smoothie for up to 3 minutes. This ensures that you have the smoothest smoothie possible—no grainy chunks, just a delicious milkshake-like consistency. In fact, you want the smoothie to be warm (from the friction of the blender blades) before you turn off the blender. This is another way to ensure the smoothness of your smoothie. If you are going to drink your smoothie right away, add some crushed iced to make sure it’s nice and cold. If you’re going to drink it later, simply refrigerate it, and reblend for a nice refreshing smoothie.
If you’d like to see SANE smoothie-making in action, view the videos at SANESolution.com.
When your body is well hydrated, it starts decreasing the concentration of various substances in the blood, and this turbocharges fat-burning. Additionally, adequate hydration provides a feeling of Satiety and tends to fill you up, making it much easier to avoid inSANE setpoint-elevating processed foods and sugary drinks. Your heart, liver, lungs, skin—every organ, down to every single cell—love being hydrated and will reward you for it—with a slim, energized body.
In addition to your setpoint-lowering SANE smoothies, hydrate your body with these options:
Fall in love with green tea. It comes from the same plant as black tea (the tea most common in the United States and Europe), but it is processed differently. Its unique processing leaves green tea with a large amount of substances called polyphenols—especially EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate)—that assist the body in burning fat and reducing insulin resistance. Researchers suspect green tea’s unique fat-burning effect has to do with the interaction of this tea’s polyphenols, caffeine, and the hormone noradrenaline.
To maximize all the benefits green tea has to offer, it’s helpful to drink a lot of it daily—at least 10 bags’ worth. I know what you’re thinking: “Ten bags of green tea on top of all that water? I’m going to spend all day in the bathroom, and I’ll be really jittery.”
Not to worry. If you drink ten 8-ounce cups of green tea, that counts as ten 8-ounce cups of water. Also, you can brew eight bags of green tea at a time in 12 ounces of water. Let it sit for a few minutes, add ice, and then drink it quickly. Do that once in the morning and once in the afternoon and you have easily and effortlessly consumed an optimal amount of setpoint-lowering polyphenols.
Compared to a cup of brewed coffee, which can contain up to 150 milligrams of caffeine, green tea is pretty low in caffeine—at 30 milligrams in one tea bag. Ten bags of green tea deliver roughly the same amount of caffeine to your body as 2 cups of coffee. If you don’t want the caffeine, choose decaf green tea. It’s as healthy and helpful as regular green tea. It’s perfectly fine to drink black or white tea, too, if that’s your preference. All three teas come from the same plant. Either way, enjoy!
Try kombucha tea as an alternative. This fermented drink contains gut-healing probiotics or “good bacteria” and therefore is helpful in lowering your setpoint.
A word of important advice about kombucha tea: Many products are high in sugar. If you’re interested in adding kombucha, check the labels. Select only products that contain less than 6 grams of sugar per 12 ounces.
Your body requires at least 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day to burn body fat effectively—and you’ll probably get up to three of those glasses from your daily SANE smoothies. More fluid is always better.
To make it easy to enjoy over 8 glasses of water per day, try these tips:
• The easiest way to drink an optimal amount of water is to fill up a gallon (128-ounce) jug in the morning and to make sure it is empty 2 hours before you go to bed.
• Drink your water cold. Continuously drinking cold water raises your metabolic rate. Studies show you burn about 2 additional calories for every ounce of cold water you drink. Cold water also slows down the emptying of food from your stomach. Because the water hangs around longer, it gives your hunger hormones time to tell your brain that you’re hydrated.
Don’t like plain water? Make your own SANE “vitamin water.” Fill your blender three-quarters full with water. Add two frozen strawberries or a slice of orange. Add ⅛ teaspoon of guar gum and a handful of ice. Add SANE sweeteners if you’d like. Blend for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into reusable bottles and refrigerate or freeze. There you have it—delicious vitamin-and fiber-packed water that’s ready to go. Play around with other natural flavors such as sliced cucumber, fresh mint, and lime, and make your own signature flavor.
Pumping up your hydration from any of these SANE fluids makes it easier to avoid sugary beverages—which are leading us down the path to obesity and chronic diseases instead of good health. A California Center for Public Health Advocacy study found that adults who drink one or more sodas per day were 27 percent more apt to be overweight or obese compared with those who do not drink soda.
So for fluids, go SANE. If it is a SANE smoothie, water, green tea, or kombucha, drinking a sufficient amount will help you get to a lower setpoint fast and furiously.