Ladies, I know how much we love to talk about menopause and all the wonderful changes our bodies go through (tongue in cheek!). Weight gain, insomnia, hormonal acne, hot flashes (check out my post on Hormone Hell) and the thought of bone mineral loss.
Peri- menopause starts in our 40’s (maybe earlier for some) and it is a fact that our estrogen levels begin to naturally decline as we leave those childbearing years. Bone health becomes very important as with the decrease of estrogen, our bodies compensate by pulling minerals from our bones. Great! Not only are we cold then hot, can’t sleep, gain weight but now we have to think about keeping our bones healthy so they don’t become frail and break.
Ladies, we are at that age (over 40) when we start to see more fine lines on our faces, hair is thinning and getting out of a chair brings the sounds of snap, crackle and pop! One of the reasons for this is COLLAGEN or the lack of it.
Collagen is the ‘glue’ that makes up a huge percentage of our skin, bones, muscles and tendons and this vital protein decreases as we age. Around the age of 25 we start to see a natural decline in our collagen levels and women see a drastic decline after menopause.
Yah for menopause!!
The following factors will contribute to a faster collagen decline:
High sugar consumption
Smoking
Sunlight
But did you know that we can help lessen the decrease and help increase our collagen stores naturally??
Did you catch Danni and my Facebook Live the other day? If you missed it, we were reminiscing about the past. Fun clothes (Fancy Ass jeans and parachute pants), fun facts (our kids will never know what it is like to go to the video store on a Friday night to pick out a movie) and most importantly, fun foods!! Does anyone recall thinking Tang was actually “orange juice?” I know I did…
The reason for our trip down memory lane? Well, we were wracking our brains trying to think of a fun post for St. Patrick’s Day. Not being a beer drinker, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the infamous MacDonald’s Shamrock Shake!
oh ya, I’m excited…
Oh wow, did I love that pepperminty, delightful green treat that only came around once a year for a short time. Of course, in the “good old days” when I didn’t give a moment’s thought to what I put in my body, nor to how many calories said drink had, I took advantage any time my parents were willing to stop by the drive thru. YUM.
Pretty Sad that I had to find “Vintage” pictures of the shake
This is the shake I remember. In those days, no whipped cream and no cherry!!
These days sadly, (or perhaps thankfully!) I see the list of 35 lovely ingredients including 2 dyes that are banned in parts of Europe, and I decide to pass. BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t get the odd hankering for this treat from my youth…
Enter DANNI TO THE RESCUE – and our friends from Botanica who have a fabulous green veggie powder that they have generously provided for a giveaway this month. Green Powder? Shamrock Shake? Danni was on it, and she concocted a yummy “copycat Shamrock shake” that I (and those pesky teens who love a good milkshake) can’t get enough of.
First, let me tell you a little about the Perfect Greens powder and why we love it. According to the new Canada Food Guide (which just came out at the end of January) the “new plate” should be 1/2 fruits and veggies. This continues to be a struggle for me in terms of getting enough into the family without offering the same boring things they have agreed to eat, over and over. This powder is just a lovely mix of chlorella, spirulina, barley and wheat grasses plus some leafy greens to help top you up and get some more goodness into your diet. And did I mention it is organic?
Now back to the shake. You should make this. Now. It’s yummy, it’s healthy, and because your kids might even say “hmmm, this is good.” This alone is a pretty great reason to make it! It is the perfect clean Shamrock shake.
