Are smoothies/juices compatible with the 2B Mindset?

Having followed a few juice and smoothie programs recently, you may be thinking that I have turned my back on the 2B Mindset, when in fact, that is far from the truth. 

If you click 2B Mindset on the word cloud to the right, you can see all the posts I've written about the 2B Mindset, but for convenience I am going to summarise the 2 Bunnies:

• Water First
• Veggies Most
• Use the Scale
• Track everything

Before you eat anything, you should drink water.  This will help you confirm that what you are feeling is hunger, and will help you feel full and satisfied when you do eat.

Then, when you do eat, you should eat mostly vegetables.  Definitely when looking across the whole day, but certainly aim to eat at least half your plate being veggies for lunch and dinner.  Not only are vegetables vital for health as they contain many vitamins, minerals and nutrients, but they also help your stomach to feel full and satisfied, without consuming too many calories.  It means you can eat big portions and still lose weight.

Using the scale, means you can learn your daily fluctuations, and help you realise that the number on the scale is just that - a number.  There is no shame attached to that number, it is simply a tool for you to learn how your body responds to food, and so you can adjust what you consume accordingly.

Finally, tracking.  This is the one where I personally struggle.  Again, it is another tool to help you learn about how your body reacts to food, whilst also becoming more mindful about what you eat and why.  When you get into the habit of writing down everything you eat and drink, including any sneaky licks and tastes, and adding into that diary your feelings about why and what you are eating, you can start to note any patterns.  Perhaps you've picked up a bad habit of eating something specific every evening, your you note that when you've had a bad day you are more likely to crave something sweet or sugary.  By keeping note of everything, you may be able to break habits and retrain your mind. 

So that's the 2B Mindset, but how do juices fit into that?

For me, personally, I like knowing that I am getting plenty of vegetables and fruit during the day, and smoothies and juices are easy for that.  Sometimes I buy them (and if I do, I check the ingredients so they only contain fruit/veg and no added sugar), and sometimes I make them myself, but drinking a smoothie or juice for breakfast and lunch, and having a proper dinner is working for me, and that is what the 2B Mindset is all about.  The dinner I have in the evening, I try to make sure is low carb (remember, there are carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables too; I don't advocate removing any entire food group from your diet), with plenty of veg to keep me satisfied until morning.