The month of June has flown by incredibly fast. A big part of that I believe is due to having so little migraines this month. Days were not dragged out by the pains of a migraine but were instead busy and full of life. I was able to enjoy daily activities more as I was not being distracted with trying to manage symptoms. For the first time in forever, I felt the shackles of chronic migraines falling off piece by piece.

For the last 25 Days I have only experienced 3 migraines and 3 headaches (2 of which were half days). This is something I haven’t experienced since I was a child before my migraines started at 10 years old. I feel renewed and alive. The inflammation in my body has reduced significantly between the CBD treatment with Natural Recovery Greens, a plant-based diet, and running/jogging everyday. It really has become a game changer in the truest sense of the word.

My weight has stayed at 153 lbs, however, as my running increases over time, this will begin to drop naturally as a deficit in calories builds. I don’t count calories but rather just listen to my body and eat a whole plant-based diet while following my own diet rules for Phase 2. It will be interesting to see how my weight responds during phase 3. Recovery after runs has also been magnificent as the time it takes to repair is significantly shorter. This makes running every day a breeze!

Overall, I am over joyed with my results! I have come a long way in my journey with migraines and have learned a lot. The biggest thing I have learned so far is that plants are truly magick 🙏

The 30 Day CBD Smoothie Challenge by Jessica Catalano is broken into three phases. We have already been through phase 1, great job! It was probally one of the hardest food detox periods of your life. Now it is time for phase two which helps us to transition to a healthy whole foods Plant-Based diet with the continual incorporation of antioxidant packed smoothies and CBD therapy. During this phase we will also be working on strengthening our physical body with exercise and turning healthy choices into long term lifestyle habits.

Diet Goals: This smoothie challenge was designed to give your body a hard push on the reset button. Life can be hectic these days which means eating right isn’t always easy. However, years and years of eating bad foods can cause low grade inflammation on our body eventually causing havoc on our immune system. This means things like cancers, viruses, and bacterium’s can get out of control in our body. Our immune system is our best defense against any invader or insidious diseases – so we have to take care of it! By eating a plant-based diet, we are giving our bodies the building blocks it needs to help reset our immune system.

The Diet Rules for Phase 2: For 30 days you will be consuming 3 plant-based smoothies per day and 1 large whole foods plant-based meal. Each smoothie must be made up of a protein, vegetable, fruit, seed or nut, and a grain. The last smoothie should be consumed before bed and have CBD in it.

• Each smoothie must be made in a personal single serve blender or bullet to control portions. I will be using the Ninja Professional Blender with Single Serve CupsNs(16oz).
• Add CBD to 1 smoothie per day. I will be using Natural Recovery Greens CBD powder before bed.
• You can drink herbal and green teas throughout the day.
• All liquids count towards your daily water goal. So if you add 1 cup of almond milk to your smoothie, add it to your water tally. It is important while drinking smoothies to make sure you are still hydrating adequately. So it is important to track your liquid intake.
• Your large plant-based meal can be consumed at any point in the day and can rotate depending on your needs. It must be made up of both raw and cooked whole foods.
• Limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg daily.
• Limit saturated fats to 15mg daily.
• Grains (except gluten), beans, tubers, nightshades, pulses, and legumes are allowed.
• Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.
• Honey, maple syrup, and molasses are great natural sweeteners with great health benefits. However, don’t go over board!
• Sprouted organic grains are a great choice.
• Limit canned foods. No or low sodium canned beans, legumes, pulses, and tomatoes are all that you should be eating from a can. Everything else, forget about it!
• Frozen fruits and vegetables are allowed.
• Eat fermented foods such as brined kimchi and sauerkraut, tempeh, plant-based yogurts, and plant-based kefir.
• Focus on healthy cold pressed oils such as extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil.
• But organic foods when you can. If you cannot, commercial is fine so long as you discard the skins from whatever you are eating.

The No List for Phase 2:

• Absolutely no animal proteins or products are allowed.
• No alcohol, black teas, or coffee (next phase we will talk about reintroducing these three).
• No junk food.
• No overly processed foods.
• No overly refined sugars (think white sugar and brown sugar).
• No artificial sweeteners.
• No gluten (we will talk about reintroduction next phase).
• No deep fried foods.
• No fast food unless it is fresh and plant-based.
• No Vegan desserts made with refined sugars. Also limit desserts to a few times a month as high sugar foods can exasperate immune issues.
• No high sodium food items.
• No hydrogenated oils or trans-fats.

Exercise Plan: For the next 30 days you will be committing to an exercise plan. You can pick whatever activity that floats your boat and do that for 30 minutes a day. I don’t care if you run, cycle, mountain climb, powerwalk, or jump around in your living room to the latest exercise DVD craze. Just find an activity, commit to 30 minutes everyday, 7 days a week, for the next 30 days. No cheating!

Why Smoothies?: Smoothies are amazing as they pack quite the powerful punch! Full of nutrient density, these filling drinks can help you transform your body for a number of reasons.

• The convenience factor is huge here. It literally takes a few minutes to whip up a smoothie and then you can be out the door. This can give you a quick break in the kitchen which will allow you to have more time for other things.
• Consuming the daily recommended amount of vegetables and fruits can be a challenge for anyone. Even plant-based eaters! If you choose the wrong foods, the calories add up, and you can see why you won’t eat that salad you should of. By drinking smoothies, you can easily meet this goal.
• Losing weight can be made easier by consuming smoothies. By cutting the junk food out of your diet and replacing it with healing plant-based foods, you can watch the pounds fall off weekly.
• Your body is designed to detox just fine by itself, but that is also based off of the antioxidants in which you consume. By adding foods rich in antioxidants, you are helping your body detox more efficiently by giving it the tools it needs.
• By eating anti-inflammatory whole foods you are giving your immune system a much needed break. These foods also help to strengthen your system so that you will be able to fight off any internal bad guys.
• Lastly, consuming smoothies gives you energy, reduces cravings of bad foods, retrains your taste buds, improves digestion, and helps you to repair your body better during sleep. Who doesn’t want that?

Why CBD?: Cannabidiol has many health benefits that when added to a smoothie diet can increase the chances of creating an environment within the body that will promote a healthy immune system. CBD is non-psychoactive and will not produce the effects that THC does in the body. The following are some benefits of CBD usage:

• Relief from chronic pain.
• Reduction of anxiety.
• Reduction of depression.
• Improvement with digestion.
• Fights multi-drug resistant bacteria.
• Reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.
• Helps the body keep a healthy weight.
• Improves skin conditions and aging.
• Can help to fight cancer.
• Helps with relaxation which can make it a great tool to induce peaceful rest.

I have had 8 days of pure comfort during this time. A body full of energy, no migraines, glowing skin, softer skin, a healthy weight, and a sense of calmness. I really believe in the power of plant-based smoothies combined with CBD oil to promote a healthier lifestyle.

After this diet, I plan on doing 30 more days of the smoothie challenge using Flora + Bast CBD facial serum this time around. And switching my internal CBD intake to Natural Recovery Greens Total Body Wellness Superfood Hydration. I am really excited about this as I feel my body has been changing dramatically and I want to push the diet one more month to see the results. The next round of this diet will start June 1st, 2019.