Esra Kalender Created her brand Blended after experiencing the healing effects of healthy eating We talked to Esra Kalender about the transformative power of green drinks.
Why should we consume green drinks?
If we cannot consume enough raw greens, fruits and fiber in our daily meals, consuming green beverages is the most practical and delicious way to overcome this important deficiency.
How would you summarize your personal experience of your belief that food is the truest medicine and the transformative power of the right nutrients in the Blended mass?
There was a long period of time when I didn't pay attention to my diet while working in advertising agencies. The health problems I experienced afterwards forced me to deal with this issue. This obligatory interest eventually became a new door leading to a hobby, then to a deeper interest and finally to my current profession.
In fact, when you make proper nutrition a routine; In other words, you feel much better physically and spiritually when you expand into your normal life rather than trying to apply it in a temporary, compulsory and stressful situation such as a diet. The keywords here are; routine and balance. Life gets easier when you carefully discover the nutrients you need and are particularly good for you – because everyone is different and not everything is good for everyone – over time. There is a gap in many aspects between the period in my life when I do not consume enough vegetables and fruits and the period when I regularly include green drinks. Anyone who eats this way on a regular basis feels the difference very clearly and turns it into a habit.
While this culture is becoming more and more widespread, what are we doing wrong or knowing wrong?
Here again the issue of routine and balance comes into play. Human is a species that likes to take the short and fast way; we all resort to one or two day detoxes or diets, that is, temporary ways. However, the truth is, we usually eat right according to our own needs and make some escapades in between.
How does alkaline and fiber diet change our body? Even if we eat lots of solid fruits and vegetables, is it a problem not to consume fiber drinks?
An alkaline and fibrous diet is what our body already needs to function as it should. Today, we have disrupted this normality by consuming ready-made, packaged foods and mainly animal products. Of course, there are many reasons for the increase in health problems, such as the fact that the vegetables and fruits we consume do not come from a good seed and soil, the air we breathe is getting more and more polluted, we do not move enough, and our stress in daily life increases. For this reason, we cannot limit ourselves to nutrition alone, but we also know that a long way can be achieved with proper nutrition. If we consume plenty of fruits and vegetables and raw greens, it's okay, green drinks come to our aid when we cannot consume them.
What kind of selection process do you follow among the endless plant-based food options when producing a new blend?
There have been many mixtures we have tried over the years, our general tendency is to use a few different dark green leafy greens and a smaller amount of different fruits in each of our cultivars. Our main goal here is to consume raw greens. Fruits are both an extra vitamin and a flavor factor that makes the drink easier to drink. When we have different ingredients in each variety, we consume just as many different vitamins and minerals. In other words, the process works in the direction of using different content as much as possible, and we choose new content according to the season, except for the fixed ones. For example, drinks with artichokes in spring and purslane in summer are on the menu.
Are there any nutrients or food groups that you do not recommend mixing when preparing a smoothie at home?
No, just prepare. As in many other issues, we are constantly exposed to information pollution on this issue. This causes the issue to become increasingly complex, preventing us from trying to make smoothies. It is as simple as mixing and drinking the vegetables and fruits at home, in fact, it is enough to keep it simple and do it regularly. Only this is important, we always underline; If you are going to use only fruit, let it be fibrous, do not squeeze the juice. Being fiberless raises your blood sugar.
How can we make inferences about the benefits of vegetables and fruits from their color?
Each color has its own benefits. Here, too, to consume the beautiful thing from all of them; so as they say in a common saying about it: 'Eat the rainbow'. Most of us already know that red and purple colors have antioxidant, greens blood purifier, oranges beta carotene and immune support effects...
Is there a maximum limit to our drinking of blended beverages, or is there a time zone that you do not recommend we consume, such as at night?
It's completely up to the individual, we recommend consuming at least one bottle a day. If they are fed liquid all day, five or six bottles are usually ideal, but there are some who find four bottles enough. We generally do not recommend consuming anything liquid or solid other than water at night. If it is to be consumed, our most suitable product for the evening is our almond milk. It both prevents the consumption of junk food by satisfying the desire for sweets, and it is good to take the magnesium in that almond before sleep.
What place do you think Blended has in intermittent fasting or ayurvedic diets?
Those who consume Blended are generally those who also practice intermittent fasting. Especially since celery stalk juice does not contain calories, there are many people who drink it in the morning while practicing intermittent fasting.
Can we consume blended drinks with a light meal; Or should we always consume it as a single meal?
Small bottles of 250 ml are usually consumed with meals. Our 500 ml bottles are a stand-alone meal replacement.
How was Blended Kitchen founded?
We were looking for a new bigger kitchen for our production, while we had customers who asked why there was no food and wished there was a meal. In order to meet both needs, we have prepared a herbal food menu in our new kitchen. We came across the most suitable place for what we were looking for in Reşitpaşa, Blended Kitchen has been serving in Reşitapaşa since November 2019. Having a garden full of fruit trees was the most pleasant surprise, we call it the Blended Garden. Now we are excitedly waiting for October to start growing our own greens. Our first hit, Blended Store, is still in Maçka.
How do you adjust the calorie balance in Blended Kitchen meals?
We try not to go into the calorie counting issue as much as possible. There are very sensitive people on this subject, of course we provide information to those who ask, but as long as the content is clean and plant-based, we do not need to calculate calories. We think that the most important thing is the nutritional value.
Which product would you recommend for the transition period of those who are very accustomed to an animal-based diet?
All our products are suitable. We try our almond milk especially for those who still consume milk. Animal-based diets need to consume greens more than anyone else, so we recommend that they consume plenty of all Blended green drinks.
Could your mylk milk be the solution to our sweet cravings thanks to its ingredients such as cinnamon and dates?
Yes, they work very well in that regard.
What should we pay attention to if we want to add these milks to our meals?
We sweeten our almond milk using a small amount of dates, but we can also produce it without dates if it is specified. Dates are not a problem when used in desserts, but they can be requested without dates for meals.
After your 21 days of drinking celery stalk challenge for spring, do you have a similar suggestion for summer heat?
Celery stalk is everyone's favorite in summer. In summer, we also recommend having at least a few dinners a week with cold vegetable soups or green drinks, ie liquid.
What are your favorite seasonal superfoods?
Purslane, peach and watermelon :)
Can you share a summer special recipe with us?
Anything with purslane and peach in it is very nice, and it's refreshing when you add a little fresh mint. You can mix it with some frozen banana and almond milk and freeze it in molds and consume it like ice cream; You can make it as a smoothie with a blender. Salad is also great.
Can we get some resource suggestions that raise awareness about plant-based nutrition?
Victoria Boutenko Green for Life his book was the first to convince me to try green drinks. There are many people I have gifted this book to. Again by Colin Campbell China Study His book is old, but I think one of the best resources is on plant-based nutrition.
If new Medical Medium In the book named Anthony William introduced us all to celery stalk juice. books and Instagram I think the cases he shared on his account are very interesting and I find the information he gives permanent even though they have not been proven yet. More trendy content providers like Goop or Game Changers are debatable, but I still find them valuable because they can reach a relatively large audience and at least raise awareness.
What ritual do you follow for the good life?
Drinking celery stalk juice in the morning; as well as intermittent fasting, nasal breathing, and warm water baths with epsom salt, although I can't do it as often as I want...
The views expressed in this article aim to shed light on alternative studies and encourage conversation. These views of the author do not necessarily reflect the views of Be People and are for informational purposes only, even if they contain to some extent the advice of physicians and physicians (medical doctors). This article; It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, and the information herein should not be relied upon for specific medical advice.
