Surefire Tips for Vibrant Health & Balanced Living in 2024

SuperFoods & Lifestyle Choices for 2024 To Supercharge Your Health & Enrich Your Life

Scroll down to find a Detoxify & Rejuvenate Smoothie Recipe
 

Here is a interview with me by UNITY magazine that you might be keen on reading. I discuss some of my favorite tips for staying healthy and losing weight. As you'll see, these are all recommendations that work year-round, for all ages, no matter where you live on our magnificent planet. At the end of the article, you will find my Detoxify & Rejuvenate Smoothie Recipe — also perfect to enjoy 365 days a year! I will include some comments in blue to suggest my favorite products and where to get them easily.

 

INTERVIEW WITH SSJ

Susan Smith Jones, PhD, hasn’t been sick in over 30 years. She doesn’t receive flu shots or take medications. Some people may call it clean living, others may credit luck, but Jones attributes her phenomenal health to the wisdom passed down from her grandmother who taught her to rely on nature’s nourishment—food, spices, herbs and healthy lifestyle choices— for total wellness.

Jones has made it her life’s mission to spread this wisdom, first as a teacher for more than 30 years at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and by establishing herself as a foremost expert on diet, nutrition and natural remedies, writing more than 2,500 magazine articles on health and many books, including A HUG IN A MUG: Revitalize with Fruits, Veggies, Juices, Soups, Spices, Teas & Healthy Living Extras and the companion book (a dynamic duo) UPLIFTED: 12 Minutes to More Joy, Faith, Peace, Kindness & Vitality and for children, Vegetable Soup/The Fruit Bowl.

When it comes to creating vibrant health season after season, Jones said we should look to the “superfoods” and other lifestyle choices for healing the body, boosting immunity, and feeling energetic and youthful... at any age. Each day when you wake up, she says, can be a new beginning, a fresh start where you commit to the healthiest lifestyle possible. She reminds us that we are the President and CEO of our body and our life and we need to make our health a top priority day in, day out.

Susan's top tips for staying well—mentally, physically and spiritually—year-round...

1. Include sprouts in your daily diet. One of the best foods in the world, according to Jones, is sprouts with alfalfa, red clover, lentil and broccoli sprouts being extremely beneficial. “Eating a quarter cup of broccoli sprouts daily will cut your chances of getting cancer by 50 percent,” Jones said. “Red clover is very detoxifying.” Jones recommends becoming your own “kitchen gardener” and growing your own sprouts for just pennies a day and little tending. (Kitchen Gardening)

2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and keep your body hydrated with purified water. “Produce is the most important health care that your money can buy,” she said. “Many people make the wrong choices every day by consuming foods that were never intended for our miraculous bodies. You are in charge of your diet. You need to step up to the plate and become president and CEO of your body and health. Take charge of how you feel.” When it comes to the organic produce debate and which is better, Jones said there isn’t that much of a taste difference; only non-organic produce contains more pesticides that may tax the body. The bottom line is this: If you can afford to buy organic, do so. If not, just wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.

3. Reach for the “superfoods.” All foods are not created equal. Some foods are full of calories and void of nutrition, while others are low in calories and packed full with nutrition that they earn the title of superfoods. Blueberries, or “brain” berries, are rich in antioxidants. Garlic, “nature’s penicillin,” has been used for thousands of years to fight infections and can keep the flu at bay. Jones recommends eating one to two cloves a day. Green vegetables also offer the most protection against cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity than all other foods. Eat plenty of raw salads and steamed green vegetables daily, from kale, “the king of calcium,” to romaine lettuce to spinach and parsley. Don't forget to eat plenty of probiotic foods daily, too, such as my favorites — Fermented Vegetables. When it comes to superfoods, keep in mind that there is no one magic bullet, it’s a combination of raw, whole foods. And don't forget to consume loads of raw foods.

4. Detox. Detoxification is essential in order for our immune systems to function at their highest levels. “The reason why I never get sick is because I do something different, and that is I put my body on a detox,” said Jones. “The four channels of elimination are the skin, liver, lungs and bowels and its important to periodically clean them out. Our bodies are designed to be self-rebuilding, renewing, rejuvenating, so we’ve got to take care of them.” Jones detoxes one day a week, two to three days a month, and seven to 10 days every change of season. (See her recipe for a detoxification smoothie below.) (Click HERE to read one of my articles on detox for pre-conception and also for everyone else and for all ages, too.)

5. Beat the blues. For mild depression and anxiety, make sure to incorporate deep breathing into your daily schedule. Be mindful on how you are breathing and take long, slow deep breaths instead of shallow, fast breaths. Deep breathing more fully oxygenates your body, calms and relaxes you, and helps change your thoughts from negative to positive. When you engage in a deep belly laugh, you increase the oxygen in your body and lift your mood. Each day, visualize something spectacular — such as a place you've been to that's inspired you or somewhere else you'd love to visit. (I'd like to visit this restaurant with a waterfall in this photo. It's called the Labassin Waterfall Restaurant and it's located at the Villa Escudero Resor the Philippines.)

6. Meditate & Sweat. According to Jones, people who meditate on a regular basis have been shown in studies to live longer, sleep better and are less depressed. “Begin your mornings and end your days in quiet prayer and meditation,” said Jones, who has been meditating for 40 years. Also, she is passionate about taking infrared saunas to keep the body detoxified and in the pink and highly recommends that everyone get a sauna. "There's deep healing from head to toe that takes place in the body through profuse sweating — the kind you experience when taking the right kind of sauna. If we could all take time to profusely sweat on a daily basis, we could all say good-bye to colds, the flu, and even excess weight." (The infrared sauna I've been using for 20 years is the Transcend Far Infrared Sauna, which is perfect for home or office.)

7. Help others. Find ways to serve people. “This always changes the vibrational rate in your body because you are focusing on positive gratitude, which is a dynamic energy and powerful healer for the body,” said Jones.

8. Get adequate sleep. There is nothing more restorative for the body than getting “good” sleep every night. That means seven to eight hours a night. Restful slumber helps banish depression, curbs junk food cravings, eliminates extra amounts of the stress hormone cortisol and burns calories. The right amount of sleep is nonnegotiable in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

9. Exercise. It’s no secret that our bodies need to move to stay fit. When it comes to exercise, don’t let your excuses get in the way. Develop a well-rounded fitness routine that includes cardio such as brisk walking, and strength training with yoga or Pilates. New to exercise? Make an agreement to remain active for at least 20 minutes a day for 21 days. However, there is a catch, if you miss a day, you must start back at one and proceed again. “It takes 21 days for the mind and body to start or break a habit,” Jones said. “Most people can commit to three weeks of exercise.”

To watch my Webinar on Invest in Yourself with Exercise,
click HERE.

 

Susan’s Delicious Smoothie to Detox and Rejuvenate
Dried Plum & Apple Green Smoothie

This is a healthy and refreshing mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up guaranteed to keep you "in the flow" (pun intended) throughout the month and year and to help you detoxify and rejuvenate your miraculous body. Dried plums is another way to say prunes.

Serves 1-2

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt (dairy or nondairy if you are a vegan)
• 8 dried plums (aka: prunes), pitted (I usually rehydrate them first if I have purchased them already dried)
  4 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 1 kiwi, peeled
• 1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tbsp. frozen apple-juice concentrate (you can also find it bottled and unfrozen)
• 1 tsp. E3Live RenewMe! Total Body Blend
• 1/4 lemon, peeled (leave pithy part on)
  1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
  3 leaves fresh mint
  5-6 ice cubes
   

 

Blend. I usually make extra so there's enough to enjoy throughout the day. Experiment with the fruits you have on hand, different flavors of yogurt, or leafy greens such as kale and spinach, but always include the prunes.

There are delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-prepare recipes (gluten-free) in my book A Hug in a Mug. It's one of the most beautifully designed books you'll ever see. Throughout the pages you'll find glorious illustrations and countless superfood and nutritional tips so you can upgrade your diet and also understand why certain foods are so important for your body and to consume often. If you click on the link above, you will be able to read many of the endorsements for this book and the foreword.