ArcaMax

Editor's Note: We think you'll enjoy this previously published Zola classic.

It’s funny how trends change.

In the 1950s, you could not watch a movie without seeing just about every character in it smoking a cigarette.

In the 1960s, most sales were done over a three martini lunch. Very few now. That’s pretty much frowned upon.

Most trend changes like these are precipitated by a group of adults who decide something is "bad" and decide to change it. But for the long run, for the change to stick, you have to get it in the heads of kids.

Case in point:

In my own family there are a couple of stories. I recall my brother and sister-in-law telling us one night about how their kids came home from school to announce smoking was "bad." Their parents didn’t smoke (well at least not by then, anyway) but others in the family did. My parents both smoked for decades until my mother got mouth cancer and my father came down with emphysema. They quit immediately. All of us around them benefited from their quitting the "bad" behavior of smoking. Now you rarely see any character smoke in a movie. If you do, it’s usually the "bad guy."

A couple of years pass. The same kids are a bit older. They come home this time and announce to their parents that drinking alcohol is "bad." Hm. They must have gotten another lesson in school. So how did my brother and his wife handle this one? They quit drinking around the kids. They might have a cocktail after the youngsters were in bed but they went years like this until the kids were older and understood that there is a version of drinking that can be done responsibly. Even the beer companies now use "drink responsibly" in their advertising. And TV commercials selling booze are gone.

I’m trying to start a new trend (along with several medical professionals). I want to make "sugar" the next "bad" thing. I’d like to see the kids of this generation come home and tell their parents that sugar is "bad." How do we do it? With video productions like this one. I’d love it if you would watch this 4 minute presentation. Then think about how you can pass it along...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Mixed Berry Kefir Smoothie

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Chicken Breasts with Zola's French Pan Sauce
Coconut Milk Eggnog

This is a ZReboot recipe. When people used to ask me, "What’s kefir?" I used to answer, "Goat's milk." Well, now that’s not necessarily true. Kefir is over 2000 years old and originated in the Middle East so that would have been true then. Now it might be made from a cow, a goat or even a sheep’s milk. The really crazy good thing about kefir is how good it is for you. This stuff is chock-full of more probiotics than any yogurt options. The kefir people call kefir "yogurt’s liquid cousin" but it’s so much more. Kefir is the probiotic burst you need. 70% of your immune system is in your gut. Keeping it healthy keeps you from getting everything from a cold to the flu. So drink up.

Servings: Serves 1. Can be doubled easily.

Ingredients:

1 cup of frozen mixed berries (or you can make it out of any frozen fruit)
¾ cup of unsweetened, plain kefir (stay away from the flavored stuff, it’s chock full of sugar)
1 – 2 tsp of Truvia (or stevia)
½ tsp of organic vanilla

Instructions:

You are going to put this all in a blender and mix it up. If it’s too thick I just add up to a half cup of water. The frozen berries will keep it cold and it will taste like a frozen smoothie.

Drink this and it will keep you satisfied for hours. Makes a great breakfast or a snack on the run 'cuz you can put this in your thermos and drink it in the car. You’ll think you are getting a healthy dessert!

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola