Continuing with my Brazil blog so to speak….. After sleeping in a Pousada, I woke to this view which made a nice change from concrete jungle. I lay in bed exploring google maps and any which way to the next town was very steep with heavy traffic. Of course, we were heading to the capital city. It never was going to be a farm lane.

We went down to find the breakfast that came with our stay. There was no fruit and no juice. I had a coffee and something that looked like a cheese scone. One bite and I was done. Still I wasn’t hungry even though there had been no dinner. I was concerned that I needed calories to push those pedals.

The air was already thick and hot as I loaded my bicycle at 8:00am. I felt sick in my stomach. I’m not sure if it was the heat or the thought of the kilometres ahead. Or that I was proving a mill-stone to Patrick.

He set the route on his GPS then showed me that we would be cycling 75 kilometres today. It, needless to say, warned that the route was steep with heavy traffic. I looked at him and asked, “How? I couldn’t make the 62ks to Pirai yesterday.”

“Decide then if you want to take the bus.”

We saddled up and headed out. Immediately rounding the corner onto the motorway I spotted a fruit stall. Patrick didn’t hear me shouting to stop so I carried on racing to keep up with him on the easy 10k route into Pirai.

I imagined stuffing bananas down my throat one after the other. I thought about taking a bus. And all the lessons I had learned over the past few days:

• how to read the tooting horns

• that locals love it when you make an effort to learn a few words of their language

• that I love cycling and seeing the world from a saddle - being active all day

• that I prefer the road less travelled

• and most decisively, that I valued my life more than I thought I did.

I thought about the 75 kilometres with steep incline, heavy with trucks.

I thought about the peaceful few kilometres through the countryside of the day before.

I thought about my brother’s text the previous day, “There are going to be a lot more hills to climb, trucks and taxis to avoid. If you’re not happy doing it, don’t force it.” And the closer to Sao Paulo the denser the traffic would be.

I thought about the bus as I watched Patrick asking for directions to the coach station or train station. I caught up to him after he’d passed by the Central Coach Station and was again trying to get the attention of a local.

I used what little Portuguese I had learned and called, “Com licença”. Promptly the individual would respond and come over to help - using google translate for any further discussion.

I found myself texting, “I’m looking for a lift to Rio. One person, one bicycle.”

I didn’t get any positive response to that but it had become clear to me that I couldn’t carry on holding Patrick back. Cycling on motorways was not for me.

We returned to the coach station and I bought a coach ticket to Rio instead of on to the next stop as Patrick was suggesting. Immediately the heaviness dissipated and suddenly my being was filled with energy. I charged down the street to the bike shops looking for a bike box. Patrick followed and then carried the large cardboard under his arm and cycled one handed back to the coach station.

We put the box together. Dismantled the bicycle and packed it. Waited for the coach in silence. Patrick was clearly cross about this turn of events. He loaded the box into the coach and was on his lonesome way. I was taken into the coach and kindly shown “armchair #9” where I was to sit.

My one hour trip back to Rio (don’t laugh) on the motorway in an air-conditioned coach was very pleasant compared to the hot slog in the other direction. The views of the surrounding countryside from “armchair 9” were inspiring after seeing mostly large wheels rolling rolling rolling by much too close for comfort and grey tarmac.

Along the way we stopped to collect passengers from another coach broken down on its way to Rio. A lovely lady sat beside me anxious about the time. I asked her if she was missing a flight or important appointment. That opened up a conversation that took us into Rio and the coach station.

Ana exchanged numbers with me in case I would need her help before I left. She negotiated a good deal with a porter to take the bike box and luggage to a taxi and then explained to the taxi driver where he was to take me. All this in spite of being anxious about her unexpected late arrival in Rio. And in spite of the state of me: grubby, sweaty and in attire, while appropriate for cycling, was not what one would wear to Rio on a coach. This lady was an angel from above and she restored my faith in the kindness and friendliness of Brazilians.

I trundled around the departures area of RIOgaleão International Airport, backwards and forwards, trying to decide what to do when purchasing a ticket with a bicycle to load. My cumbersome trolley-load disallowing toilet visits thus I didn’t drink anything. I had the bike box covered. Then as I was dilly dadding around wondering where to get help I was approached by a jolly chap with arms wide open, greeting me as though I were a long lost friend and asking if my box was a bicycle or a painting. He took control of it, having me fill in labels for that and the one pannier that was to check in, too. Then he swished me to the check-in counter and another angel from heaven.

I quickly and desperately explained that I didn’t yet have a ticket booked. No problem, she would help. I explained, again in desperation that I needed to do a cheap online booking. Again, I was told not to worry and before I could blink again I was rushing through security to the boarding gates to catch a British Airways flight. Not only did the kind lady charge and take payment for the bike box instead of sending me to the oversized luggage counter as is usual, but she also waived the fee for the one pannier that was checked in.

Reaching the departure gate with a few minutes to spare, I could finally go to the bathroom. It felt so good to finally wash my hands and face and brush my hair! Not to mention, finally being able to empty my bladder. Even as I did that I heard an announcement and my name being called. The jolly chap from the departures area was worried that I hadn’t yet paid the oversized luggage fee. Yes, I displayed the proof on my invoice. I could finally relax.

Not many minutes later Priority passengers were called to board. To my delight any passenger over sixty years of age was also called through Priority boarding. Mr Jolly was the one to whom I had to display my passport. As I did so I sang the line, “if you don’t know me by now….” from the song by Simply Red. He laughed and sang me his own earworm that materialised from the moment he saw me struggling with my big box in the airport.

I queued to board along with the other mature passengers. A couple just in front of me were having a right happy time talking and laughing along with the very smiley man behind me. Although I had no idea what they were saying in Portuguese, the laughter was contagious and I found myself joining in. It felt so good. Until suddenly the conversation changed and I realised I was now the subject. The look of consternation on my face immediately prompted the lady ahead to explain to me in English that her father (big gentleman responsible, in the most part, for all the jocularity) had asked the smiling gentleman behind me if I was his wife and he had responded, “No, I have only just had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.”

Once we had all found our various seats in coach we had all waved to one another wishing safe travels and sweet dreams. Brazilians do have a way of making you feel like a friend instantly!

That is how I found myself on a British Airways flight direct to London at the end of the fifth day of my huge South American adventure. That is when I sat at the window seat with space beside me and thought about what had prompted this sudden turn around and how I felt about quitting.

I’ll share that in my next newsletter… meanwhile please see the postscript for an urgent announcement.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. Dr. Henry Ealy, Dr. Ben Marble, and Dr. Tom Lewis are ALL saying the same thing:

That the spike glycoprotein bioweapon was intentionally engineered to accelerate “natural” diseases…

So that when people die from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and other debilitating diseases…?

No one will ever be able to link them back to the jab.

Dr. Henry Ealy explains the deadly “turbo disease” process…

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Fresh fruit breakfasts at hotels were going to be my saving grace. I filled myself on fruit and juice and my bottles with water, ignoring admonitions to fuel up on ham and cheese buns.

I was proud that I had cycled 61 kilometres from Copacabana to Nova Iguacu and not a muscle in my body ached the following morning.

This day we were to cycle 62 kilometres to Pirai. Great start again on beautiful cycle paths that disappeared as we entered market towns crowded with people and vehicles on busy shop-lined streets. We stopped to eat and all I could find in the restaurant, that was vegetarian, were some sort of peanut butter squares. Patrick ate his ham and cheese pastries and drank his 2 litre coke.

Shortly after that break Patrick had to figure out a route because cyclists were not allowed on the motorway. Some gentlemen saw us and came out to help with advice. Being unable to communicate the convoluted route to us, one of the gents hopped onto his motorcycle and led us through the village.

He then stopped and pointed towards the motorway and banged on his shoulder. I assumed he was telling us that the motorway had a good shoulder.

Patrick however, had something on his map app telling him that there was no way cyclists could do that section of the motorway. Thus we went in the opposite direction much to the consternation of our self-appointed director.

To my delight that was the best section of cycling I had encountered so far. The route took us into the countryside on a dirt track. The track was hard and fairly smooth. Glad that it was dry — mud would have been slippery. How I loved cycling in the quiet with only the sound of beetles. Green hills on either side with grazing cattle. It was idyllic. I felt at home and so happy. It reminded me of my childhood in Africa. This was what I imagined cycling through Brazil would be like.

The track came out onto a road and that led to the motorway that we could now use. The shoulder was good and the kilometres passed rapidly beneath our wheels. The trucks were relentless with their hot exhaust emissions and roaring engines. When the motorway crossed a bridge the shoulder would fall away and we would just slip in front of a truck and hope not to become roadkill.

A filling station with a vast expanse of concrete was our lunch stop and we sat in a strip of shade outside an Acai-berry Expresso that sells 42 different flavours of Acai berry sorbet…. all natural, all fruit and water. Patrick went across to the other place to buy more pies and coke rather. While he was away I had a wonderful conversation with a local lad who explained all about Acai berry Expresso and the journey he was on and asked what we were doing. Patrick returned with a chicken pie for me which I discarded surreptitiously while he snoozed. I ate the clementines I had saved from breakfast.

We had covered 40 kilometres and I was well pleased until I saw that the next 20 kilometres were to take us to an elevation of 690m (as high as Christ the Redeemer). Not only that, but there was no shoulder shortly after the steep incline started. I was hot and tired and had no energy to tackle this mountain with these massive trucks rolling right beside me. Sometimes two abreast with no place to give me more than a hairs breadth of space.

Patrick told me he’d go on to the garage ahead and see if the shoulder started after that. Waiting beside the barrier just after a slip road fed onto the motorway was putting me and the bike at huge risk so I hopped over the barrier and pushed the bike from that side, the 100 metres to the garage.

Nobody could tell us if there was a shoulder further along. I was desperate and walked around begging for a lift up the mountain to Pirai in vain. Eventually there was nothing for it but to get on the bike and stop wasting time. My angels were there for me! Not long after getting back on the road the trucks began to crawl at a very slow rate. There were roadworks ahead and the two lanes were feeding into one. We could actually ride abreast on the road between two trucks. And how welcome was their shadow in the afternoon heat!

Very late in the afternoon the two lanes were open again and the shoulder was gone. My nerve and my energy were totally depleted and there I stood rooted to the last piece of shoulder refusing to cycle with the HGVs bearing down on me. Poor Patrick was beyond frustrated and could think of no way to get me on the road.

As I stood there I noticed a concrete barrier on the other side of the road. Trucks that were involved in the roadworks were coming along that section in the opposite direction very occasionally. I pointed this out to Patrick and suggested we ride on that section. The challenge was to cross the two lanes of traffic. We did it to gain the prize! For the remainder of the afternoon we had a private cycle path to use, just pulling over now and then to let the odd roadworks truck pass by. By this time I was walking a lot and gave new meaning to the term pushbike.

As the day came to an end so we reached the end camp of the roadworks and no further barrier lane. I tried to get a ride on one of the three buses that were filling up with the labourers — no luck. I tried to beg a spot to camp there beside their works buildings — no luck. Once more we had to cross to the righthand side and cycle on the “shoulderless” motorway. I persevered until darkness fell as we reached a roadside market stall. I dallied there holding out a thumb hoping some trucker would take pity on me and pull off to toss my bike into the back and load me up. But the only vehicles that pulled off had boiling engines and needed to be loaded themselves onto a recovery vehicle.

I walked a grassy verge for a while until that disappeared and up ahead I saw an electric light beside the dark road. Opposite it, on my side of the road, was an arb rustic bench under a tree. I propped the bike against the tree and plonked myself on the bench. I was cheerful. I was wide awake. But I refused to go another meter of that motorway in the dark with the big lorries. Here I would sit till morning light … or until the truckers had all stopped for the night.

I’m not sure how long we sat watching the endless stream of vehicles in the dark. Patrick did eventually persuade me to push my bike the last 1500m to the top of the pass. After that he said it would be a 10k downhill into Pirai with a clean shower and white sheets.

Metres after starting out on the dark busy highway, there was a comfortable wide shoulder to the road and I had the confidence to place my derriere back on the saddle and push those pedals to the top. We were rewarded with a coffee shop and backpackers. Yes, I would be happy to get a bed there, I assured Patrick. And a kind strapping lad carried my bike up the flight of stairs to the dormitory room. I showered with bits of black gunk falling from the showerhead onto my body. Nothing available to eat — I was too tired to be hungry anyway. Patrick devoured a pile of chocolate bars.

And so ended my fourth day of cycling in Brazil. We had cycled 55 kilometres and done an elevation of 690m.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. A young man carried my bike up to the backpackers dormitory.

The kindness of strangers is one of the blessings of travel.

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Day three in Brazil and I looked out of the window of the hotel to see the Christ Redeemer statue high on a towering mountain overlooking the city!

We were on the nineth floor and I was so amazed that I had reached the 500m platform just 2 kilometres below the statue, on my own two feet. From this spot where I stood to that statues way up there!

I had pushed my bike a good few kilometres. My rhomboids had ached at the time. Yet I awoke with not a single aching muscle in lower limbs or shoulders.

I felt proud of myself and good to face the day and the 56 kilometre planned route out of Rio to Mesquita.

Happily, I gathered my plates of fruit for breakfast. However, my smile faded as I faced a lecture from Patrick outlining some important rules:

1. Never to let my emotions rise above 70% or below 30%

2. Never to announce the planned route to anyone as I may not make it and then there would be an air of negativity

3. Never to get off my bike and walk up a hill or I would never make it over the Andes.

4. Never to waste time riding on the pavements because I was afraid of the traffic.

I was then left alone to battle my loaded bike to ground floor in a too small lift. By the time I reached the reception hall of the hotel I was shaking with shattered emotions and close to tears. First rule broken!

I suddenly felt very alone and unsupported in this massive adventure. One kilometre at a time, I told myself. I will do this.

Before heading to Mesquita, we back-tracked to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. I had longed to set foot on Copacabana to see if it was really the world’s best beach. (Convinced I was a mermaid in a previous life) To be fair Copacabana is fantastic. Four kilometres of white sands and clear rolling waves. The water is a delicious temperature. The spirit in the air is pure Brazilian soul. It is bordered by high rise hotels and apartments, cafes and restaurants and the vibrant life of the city. It comes very close to perfect.

However, in my humble opinion, Sardinia Bay beach back in Gqeberha is the world’s best. With its wild natural minimalism — just its sea, sand and sky. My choice will always be the beach sans civilisation.

It was Sunday morning on a glorious summer day. G20 summit was on in Rio. The streets we cycled through for the next 10 kilometres were heaving with cars. I was filled with determination to feel the fear and face the ferocious traffic head on.

• I learned to scream “WAIT” as loud as my lungs would allow as I squeezed between two front bumpers to keep up with Patrick.

• I learned to hold up my hand and just cycle through a crazy intersection.

• I learned to take a deep breath and follow the man through a dark tunnel with no dedicated cycle lane.

• I learned to cycle the wrong way up a double lane road with no shoulder

And this was all before lunch.

We stopped to eat as soon as we had cleared the congested roads and found a quiet tree-lined street with a roadside cafe. There was no fresh salad or fruit - or even juice - and the only vegetarian item on the menu was batata frita (potato chips or french fries). I ate them because I needed the energy and salt. I sweated so much all day in the heat and humidity that I never needed the bathroom. Even when we stopped at night - no urine save for a few drops.

Looking at the route we had cycled, I was horrified to see that, although we had done 16 kilometres, we were only a few blocks from where we had started in the morning. Forty kilometres to go.

We started off after the break heading up a heavy incline on a winding road. I channelled my determination to keep cycling right behind Patrick all the way to the top. Already I was more steady in granny gear than the day before.

I was so glad that I had bought a white linen shirt just before I left the UK. It was my sunscreen and visibility cover. A cap under my helmet kept the sun off my face and my granddaughter’s gloves for Reynaud’s syndrome protected my hands from the sun. They also had rubber ridges on the palm side and kept my hands from slipping on the handlebars, they got that sweaty! My neon visibility vest was soon discarded as it was just too warm to wear.

The next twenty kilometres were along a busy road that had a beautiful smooth cycle path on a broad pavement alongside the road in many sections.

As evening approached, we reached Mesquita but finding no hotels, Patrick booked one in the next town, Nova Iguacu. Could I carry on, he asked me. Yes. There was no other option. However, we first had to cross a pedestrian walk over railway lines. I said I would need to walk my bicycle up the concrete rise. And he benevolently allowed that.

I almost couldn’t manage to even push my bike, as the paniers had gained weight as the day progressed :-). Suddenly, though, I was walking easily as if the paniers had been lifted off. A kind gentleman coming along behind me saw my struggle and had added his hand to the back of my bike to help me along. “Muita obrigada” became my mantra.

We cycled through the back streets of Mesquita and it seemed there was a party on every corner, with the beat of loud music helping those legs to keep pumping.

Then onto a long straight double lane road to Nova Iguacu as night fell. It seemed the cars were never-ending, on their way home after a day at the beach. Patrick stopped up ahead and as I reached him he told me it was just 300m more to the hotel. Bad news was that we must turn left across this traffic. I stood transfixed for a few minutes staring over my shoulder at the constant stream of cars, knowing there would not be a gap big enough for my tired legs to get me over fast enough.

Afraid that Patrick might dodge across leaving me stranded, there was nothing for it but to hold up my white clad arm with the black glove in an attempt to stop the flow. Immediately the raging river stopped and we cycled across safely. I felt like Moses parting the Red Sea.

One more challenge for the day was to dismount and walk through an open air restaurant. I couldn’t lift my short leg high enough to clear the paniers and as I started to topple over a big strong lad grabbed hold of my bike and helped me save my dignity. Head bowed to hide my red perspiring face, I pushed through the throng of glamour clad diners.

Finally, I collapsed onto my bed and Patrick went in search of supper. I ordered salad and water. He returned with a pizza for us to share. It was vegetarian, at least. And he had his usual two litre coke a cola but instead of water for me he had bought iced tea. It was too sweet to drink and after a few bites of pizza I stood in the shower, with my back to the plea for environmentally conscious water usage, for a long while trying to rehydrate through my pores.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. Just a reminder that this 10 episode docu-series is on now!

>> Unbroken: Decoding Autoimmunity

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Today is the day I set off for Brazil. From a downtown hotel in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Patrick, my cycle buddy arrived two days ago after a 540kilometer drive to bring the bicycles to where I am. First on the agenda was to get a feel for the bike. Wow, it just goes so smoothly! Comparing to my bike back home and Fionn the folding fiets here, is like the difference between a Mercedes Benz and a Chev Sparky.

Secondly, I had to make a decision on what was coming with me in the 2 paniers and what was to stay in Hwyl the Hi-ace. That was difficult. I chose to go lighter rather than heavier. Now, after dropping the vehicles at their storage home for the next two to three months, I am feeling separation anxiety from my belongings. I realise how wonderful it has been taking my Hwyl home around the country with me. But this will be a lesson in minimalism at a high level.

My cycle partner and I have had two days to get used to each other and bail out of this adventure should we choose. It seems we are going ahead.

First morning in the hotel dining room for breakfast I was despairing, when all of a sudden, I spotted the fruit stuck away in a corner. A bowl of berries (not fresh) and a bowl of tart green apples. That is about right for this time of year in the UK.

I noticed, on first arrival at the hotel, that right across the street was a restaurant called Riosbrazil. How synchronous is that!? It is a Churrascaria which I know from a previous visit to Brazil, serves rotisserie chunks of meat. You indicate with a green flag that you are still eating and they keep arriving with various species roasted to perfection and slice it at your table onto your plate. Replacing your green flag with a red one indicates that you are done.

You may be wondering why I am going on about this considering who I am. It is because Patrick’s one concern was that I would be angry with him for eating meat along our adventure. With that in mind I did suggest that we had to eat at the Churrascaria. He had no idea what the concept was. It sent him a message that I am non-judgemental of his choices. We can all be comfortable.

I had never heard that a Churrascaria also serves a tonne of salad so you can imagine my delight to discover that I could help myself from the salad bar as often as I chose. Brazil is going to be a breeze with my menu choices.

I must tell you that I was suffering from extreme anxiety a couple of days before Patrick arrived. I had annual tax returns to submit, vehicle insurance to sort at the last minute and a few other details. Once all was done I was free to BE.

Heading off to Heathrow seventeen miles away in a taxi as that is cheaper than train tickets for two. It’s also easier than lugging boxed bicycles on a train.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. The plant-based revolution is on fire right now! 🔥

You can be a leader in this space with the right tools.

Turn your passion for health, wellness, and sustainability into a rewarding career. Learn how at this free Masterclass!

👉 Sign up today.

>>Plant-Based Coaching Masterclass

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Most of my life I got whatever my heart desired. No I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth… just under a lucky star!

There were a couple of times when I didn’t get what I thought I wanted. Soon enough I would see why that that I wanted, would not have been good for me.

Fast forward to a time when I could go down any road I wished. The challenge then became choosing which door to open. Which would be the best, and a million other questions that gave me decision paralysis. For some reason I no longer knew what I wanted. Dreams had faded into a blur. I had moments of not even wanting to carry on along this plane.

A little more than a week ago I had a brief text that reawakened a dim dream. “Are you ready to go cycling?” And in just a moment, I chose to say YES.

Without question, I was ready. Oh… I did have one question. Are we going somewhere warm? Perfect solution, came the response. And up popped a map of South America. I had said yes to cycling from Rio de Janeiro to Iguazu Falls!

There are going to be many challenges along the way, I am aware.

The first conundrum was how to get Patrick and two bicycles together with me to an airport that will take us to Rio. There were no flights from Brussels to Rio and no time for me to get a Schengen visa to do a double transit in Europe. When I, self-sacrificially, suggested that I was proving to be too complicated a travel companion, I was assured that a trip like this is always going to be complicated. Very soon Patrick had come up with a solution.

Colour has flooded back into that sepia dream of cycle-touring the world.

I could worry about, malaria and Brazilian road users, altitude sickness (did I say we’ll be crossing the Andes and continuing through to the west coast?) civil unrest in Bolivia, heat and humidity, cycling with a man I met only once when I briefly hosted him as he cycled up Africa to Victoria Falls…

Instead, I am focusing on:

• all the brilliant fruit so readily available in South America.

• coconut water fresh out of the coconut and sugar cane juice, cold pressed with lime.

• welcoming and friendly Brazilians,

• sunshine on bare skin

• daily pushing physical limits

• breathing the outdoor air

• wild swimming

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. I want to remember the late Dr Jackie Stone of Zimbabwe for a moment. She was a front line hero during the early ‘20s. She found a solution to healing her patients in a dreadfully poor country with no resources.

>> A doctor broken for saving lives.

Hold her in your thoughts for her tenacity and dedication… she deserves a moment.

If you or someone you know is losing hope then it’s worth remembering and reading Victor Frankl and his book:

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

I’ve been absent and in pain!

Yes you’ve guessed… LL7 has been giving me trouble on and off for a couple of years. Each time I would add extra greens to my diet in the form of smoothies or bigger salads. The discomfort would disappear.

Sadly, the day came when the intermittent discomfort turned to permanent pain. A visit to a dentist was urgent. And a very scary thought! Dentists! Eish!

I’m not sure whether to be proud or ashamed of the fact that I have not let a dentist into my mouth this century.

My angels sent me to a beautiful man who is not afraid to recommend hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver and sea salt water.

Dr K examined my teeth and said one word— fruit.

That set me off. “Why are you blaming fruit,” I ranted. “Why not Cola?” He gently responded, “Do you drink Cola?” A subdued “No”, from me.

“Do you eat a lot of fruit?”

“I practically live on fruit!”

“I can see you are a fruit person.”

So… more salads and less fruit?”

“Fruit is good. Just rinse with water after. And definitely don’t clean your teeth for 30 minutes after eating anything acidic.”

Dr K has a huge mural on his wall opposite THE CHAIR with that information on it. The enamel is compromised briefly in that first 30 minutes apparently.

I can’t say that I have ever wanted to rush off and clean my teeth after eating fruit.

I have been hard-headed about using a hard bristle toothbrush in spite of all the information out there to the contrary. Thus, for any others who still cling to that heavy-handed approach to sparkling smooth smiles, be warned!

In spite of the fact that x-rays showed good strong bones and enamel, LL7 was wrestled out of my mouth for good. My severe cleaning had worn away the softer cement below the enamel. Decay was inevitable.

You don’t sweep clean by squishing the broom hard on the floor — gentle strokes with the brush. That’s how to wield that toothbrush, too.

Y’all knew this already?! Hmm… yes. So did I. Shrug…Tuition has been paid.

Perseids

It’s that time of year. The earth is passing through the Perseids meteorite shower while the painful black hole in my mouth heals. I’ve had to take it easy for a while.

Dr K had started preparing for a filling. When he asked, for the third time, for confirmation that that is what I wanted, I shouted, “Just extract the blessed tooth!” Which took the best part of an hour and needed a call for heavier machinery. At that point I suggested going back to filling the tooth. Too late!

This time off has given me a moment to reflect. At four o’clock this morning, as I sat on a window seat in the dark of semi rural Wiltshire, and gazed out at the starry night sky waiting for bursts of light, I had a burst of inspiration.

Striking new paths

The time has come to take a different direction with this newsletter. Don’t you agree? Val has been manifesting this change.

Watch this space for a whole new approach.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. greensmoothie.com/teeth has great information on preserving your teeth on a high raw, plant based diet... or any diet.

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Not all death brings grief. Sometimes there is deep reflection and gratitude for that soul’s journey and the part they had in one’s life. And the part you had in theirs. Sometimes, death brings relief that a soul’s suffering is over. Sometimes, sadness for the grief and loneliness that those left this side of life’s curtain are facing.

In the past few years I have known too many soul’s who have chosen to end their sojourn in this realm. Whether in an emotional outburst or a determined and planned escape from physical or mental pain, each one has broken my heart and brought tears and reflection.

Yet it was only in my sixtieth year that I finally lost a soulmate. A sudden loss that has grieved me deeply. A loss that has finally given me understanding and taught me how to treat others who grieve. A loss that changed the colours of my world. A grief that will never disappear.

It creeps up at times like this when I am actively thinking on it. Tears slip out quietly. At other times, I can be having the happiest of days when suddenly something revives that grief and I will ugly cry for hours. This happened just the other day and I wrote a poem that I will share here because many of you may relate.

Grief is never gone.

It lies in the apex of your heart,

Quietly, unobtrusively.

Until a catalyst drops unexpectedly.

“One morning, I got up, and you did not.”

The line of a poem that set my

Smouldering grief aflame.

The book discarded,

Heavy loss heaved

And ineffectual tears

Couldn’t salve the pain.

Like that first turn of year

After you were gone

When 2022 clicked over

— I had made it to 2023

And you had not.

You’d taught me how to love myself

And live life without confine.

Comfortable in one another’s presence

We talked and touched

Sublime.

Had I known of life’s evanescence

I would have loved you back

With more intent.

The void you left—

Illimitable.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. A book that I recently read on death and the realms beyond:

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

On the side-lines we were padded up against the overcast skies and chill breeze. I forgot that the UV rays penetrate the gloom anyway. My lips are a touch dried out from four hours under those rays. Silly me not using my annmarie anti-oxidant lip balm.

Which brings me to the good news! Today’s free gift is from annmarie, with every complete trial of

>> Anti-aging Facial Products

You will get a free

1. Sun Love: Antioxidant-rich infusion, protects and moisturizes

   Formulated with non-nano zinc oxide, this lightweight daily sunscreen protects the skin from UV rays, while adding deep moisturization. Infuse your skin with antioxidant-rich buriti fruit, pumpkin seed, and hemp seed oil to nourish and visibly enhance your glow.

2. Antioxidant Lip Balm: Rehydrates and Fortifies Lips

   Everyone's favourite lip balm with the super-moisturizing texture, smoothing onto your lips without being sticky. This lip balm is packed with antioxidants providing your first and last defence against the elements. This formula includes fruit oils of buriti, rosehip, and sea buckthorn berry, which have been praised for their fortifying benefits to embracing your pout.

Annmarie Skin Care are offering a HUGE discount so you can try all of their clean, potent anti-aging formulas. Don’t waste time as this offer ends July 31.

This offer includes all their best-selling anti-aging products with FREE SHIPPING.*USA and Canada

Healing ourselves, healing the world :)

To a Life of Love & Laughter,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. Take your beauty routine to new heights with the Aloe Herb Cleanser, Anti-Aging Serum, and Anti-Aging Facial Oil that promises beautiful, radiant skin. This 3-step routine from Annmarie Skin Care is made with organic ingredients.

Plus, get a FREE Sun Love - Everyday SunScreen for a limited time.

>> Spring Offer

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

This is not just another documentary. It's a movement, an awakening. 

It's about reclaiming the narrative, the truth, and ultimately, freedom. 

“The Real RFK Jr." is not just a film; it's a beacon of hope in a time of uncertainty.

You've seen the headlines, heard the whispers, and now, it's time to uncover the reality. 

From the producer of 'On Native Soil', 'Fahrenhype 9/11', and 'The Real Anthony Fauci Movie', this documentary is set to shake the foundations of our political landscape. 

Telling Bobby Kennedy’s story, unfiltered and raw, every skeptic, every believer in America... and beyond.

The twist? -- it’s absolutely FREE. 

Why? 

Because some stories are too important to be kept behind paywalls. 

"The Real RFK Jr." will be available to everyone, everywhere. 

It's not just about making a movie; it's about igniting a conversation, and returning to the kind of leadership that once made the USA great.

Let's be clear. 

They're not just any film crew. 

They're a small band of truth-seekers, filmmakers with a mission, backed by the legendary Dick Russell for historical accuracy and JFK Jr.'s personal insights. 

They're the voice of the unspoken, the eyes of the unseen. 

They've disrupted media narratives before, and they're ready to do it again.

But they can't do this alone. They need you - the believers, the dreamers, the rebels. 

Remember, Bobby's story is not just a tale of tragedy and triumph. It's a reflection of our own collective struggles and victories. 

It's about standing up to the tinpot tyrants, war jackals, and greed-obsessed ghouls. It's about protecting our communities, our families, our children. 

And now, it's our turn to protect Bobby's legacy.

Now is your chance to change the course of history. 

Together, we can reclaim our freedom, our values, and our nation.

Join this fight for truth and justice. Back “The Real RFK Jr." today.

>> Here’s how to watch…

Healing ourselves, healing the world :)

To a Life of Love & Laughter,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. This is more than a documentary. It's a revolution. And you're invited.

>> “The Real RFK Jr."

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

What does that word mean to you?

Where do you call home?

Is it a place? Or more than that?

I get to thinking about this H word a lot when I travel back to South Africa. I am frequently asked if I am going home. I have no idea how to answer. It bothers me that I don’t feel that I am going home.

Birds and animals home to their own territories. Missiles home in on targets with great accuracy! How does that fit in with what home means to me?

I was born in a once country called Rhodesia just north of South Africa. I had a strong patriotic spirit growing up in a relatively newly pioneered land. As a young child in school, we sang of our forefathers marching to this place. I stood for all it stood for and was ready to sacrifice anything for her. Was I brainwashed? By songs.

From the age of four the world shunned the land of my birth. A war started to simmer and brew then.

The “bush war” intensified throughout my teenage years and we adjusted to all the male school leavers going off to do military service at the start of each new year. During their brief periods of R&R they would regale us with horror stories of the conditions they endured out in the bush protecting our culture and country.

We then adjusted to our male teachers being called up to do service for our country every few weeks. It then progressed to our fathers being called up for Police Reserve duty every few months.

While my father was out in the “bush” on police reserve duty I was the designated driver of the household at the age of sixteen. My older brother was away doing his compulsory national service.

My family left Rhodesia with thousands of others in miles long convoys protected by military patrols in the late ‘70s - the year I finished school.

I returned 2 years later for a visit. The smiling border controller stamped my Rhodesian passport and welcomed me home. Familiar roads, familiar shops, familiar buildings and countryside. Yet most of my family and friends had scattered to far corners of the earth. Rhodesia - now called Zimbabwe- no longer felt like home.

Last year (decades later) I made a second visit back, to see Victoria Falls with a friend. I expected to want to kiss the ground as I stepped off the small aircraft that landed me at Victoria Falls International Airport. Instead, I gazed around at the dense growth of pink-flowered Zambesi Teak trees (once known to me as Rhodesian Teak) and my mind’s eye replayed scenes of camouflage clad lads armed with FN rifles chasing even younger lads armed with AK47 rifles. I felt dismayed at the senseless bloodshed of those bush war years. I felt sadder still at the chaos and corruption that has reduced a once thriving fertile country - the “breadbasket” of Africa - to a land of starvation and abject poverty.

I fell in love, married and had babies in my new country yet never fully felt that patriotic feeling. The Boer war seemed to still linger almost a century later, between English and Afrikaans. Black and white were separated by law, location and culture. The ruling political party of the time had policies I could not support and once democracy was established late last century, the new ruling party created policies that made me feel unwanted.

I feel an annual need to return to this home I created on the south eastern coast of Africa. The house that still contains my comfy leather sofa and the antique oak desk. Both my daughters’ artworks adorn the walls. Every plant in that garden was planted by my design (and some by God’s design). I hug my trees and greet the flowers. But it is the grandchildren living in that house now who are my real home. Their arms around me loving me regardless.

It is the grandchildren in Wales who make me feel that I have a home there, too.

Born African yet forever wandering, I am blessed to have a couple of homes on this blue marble.

The question is not “where is your home?” The real question is “who is your home?” And I am able to answer “Yes I am going home" no matter if I am going to South Africa or to Wales.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. During this stay in South Africa I am living in a house not my own. It feels like home, though, because the people I’m with are comfortable friends. And who wouldn’t love that view?

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

There was one icy spell around the beginning of December when my assignment in Devon came to an abrupt halt just as it was starting. It was my birthday weekend at one of my favourite jobs. Just as I was relaxing and having a rare lazy morning languishing in bed, I received the message. Home owners were coming home early - the long weekend break was not working for them.

I had to move fast to pack up all my gear, tidy the house, and be ready to leave in an hour. The utility room was piled with all my belongings and bags of groceries brought in just 2 days before. All prepared to load into Hwyl. But Hwyl’s doors had frozen shut in the night.

That was a new challenge for me. I met it head on and overcame. I was ready to roll as the homeowner’s returned. I spent the rest of the day driving to Wales. Slept there the night and drove back to England the following day for the new assignment. It was not the relaxing weekend I had been expecting for my birthday. Especially as my drive back to England was in a named storm causing much upheaval on the motorways.

“Life is what happens while we are making plans”

Two years ago I was in a bad place. I had no idea what my future looked like or how to create an image of it in my head. I had lost faith in dreaming. Gladly, today I can say that I have moved on from that place.

Today I wake up and still I have no idea what my future looks like! How it will be funded, where it will be lived or with whom. Yet I once again find joy in each moment and each little wonder of the day. I have learned to let go of expectations.

I used to expect birthdays to be very special. They never lived up to those expectations and after years of disappointment I dreaded every birthday. Nowadays I love my birthday because I have no expectations. In fact, I have some very unexpected super serendipitous days that happen on a different day to the one on which I entered life. Those days make my heart sing louder. Other days it keeps singing …softly.

I expected to grow old in the comfortable home that I manifested. To keep that special place where my children grew up and let it be their safe haven whenever they needed. I was devastated when that seemed to be over for ever. I don’t know if I will ever be living there again- the matriarch of the home- but I have opened myself to whatever will come my way. After all, we live in a new world where we can chat face to face with our grown children wherever they are on earth. A listening ear, heart full of empathy and sound advice are more than bricks and mortar. I’m there for them, right in their hands at any time of the day or night,

I expected to always be able to sit on my front steps and watch the full moon rise over my neighbour’s rooftop. To see the glorious winter sunrises from my kitchen window, through the branches of the Wild Pear tree I planted when it was only two foot high. (She says wiping tears from her cheeks)

However, in the last two years I have often been on the road at dawn and dusk. I’ve seen countless ruddy sunrises over the green hills of Wales. I’ve watched the golden orb dropping into the Severn River mouth from the Prince of Wales Bridge. I’ve taken pictures of a myriad magnificent morning skies in the Cotswolds. I’ve watched the African sun (same one you see in the USA, btw) sinking behind the Cockscomb mountains while on a game drive in the wilderness. I’ve sat atop a mountain in that semi-desert and watched a shooting star traverse the inky heavens.

Let go of the idyllic “chocolate box” image of what you expect your life to look like and just delight in each unfolding chapter.

Eckhardt Tolle says “Instead of creating expectations of what should or shouldn’t be happening, cooperate with the form that this moment takes. Bring a ‘yes’ to the is-ness, because it’s pointless to argue if it already is.”

Don’t get me wrong now.

Keep dreaming.

Just let go of expectations of people, places, situations and objects.

Want what you get at this moment.

And joy will walk with you.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. This is a photo of me taking a sunset walk at the best beach in the world, Sardinia Bay, Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). How lucky was I to do that many many times with family, friends and touring cyclists from around the world.

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Presently, I live a charmed life moving around the beautiful south west of England and stunning Wales in my little Hwyl (Toyota HiAce van). I stay in other people’s very comfortable homes taking care of their four-pawed buddies while they vacation.

I get to wake up to different views every few days. I get to walk different country lanes and love different furry friends as well. Often I get to go back to old friends too.

Soon I will be flying back to South Africa to spend a couple of months in the home of a friend. I’ll be taking care of her doggo and keeping her mother (98yo) company while she works in London.

Another friend has retired recently and moved back to his home in KwaZulu Natal on the East Coast of South Africa. He has spent the last four months doing maintenance on his house! Before he can start enjoying his retirement.

I miss having my home to live in, and create in, and grow in, and entertain in. It occurs to me that I may find staying in one place rather difficult after the life I have been living. What’s more, homes come with maintenance issues and taxes.

In the UK, owning a home is almost unattainable for most young people. Then when they do get a home, it takes almost all they earn to keep up the maintenance and pay the bills. It is a constant battle against mould and cold on this small island.

Yet it seems that that is what life is all about. Grow up in a home and long to leave it to make one’s own home. Then spend the remainder of your life working together with a partner to pay for that home - unless you have generational wealth that is.

More and more people are taking to vanlife due to the shortage of housing in the UK and the subsequent high cost of the housing that is available. But that’s nothing compared to the millions of people back in Africa without homes. The millions more who have a home made of cardboard and metal sheeting.

When I become Miss Universe and get to change the world - I think it would be for every family on earth to have a home. (I suppose “Whorled Peas” will have to come first so that said homes won’t get bombed) How sad that this basic human need requires miraculous intervention. Or does it?

Yesterday, I began reading an extract from Val’s book, How to Escape Inflation. Hope started to shine through. Yes, there is a way to escape the system. Yes, there is a way for every one to take back the wealth of the world and spread it around. Yes, maybe one day this century each person will be able to have a home.

Val’s book is on Amazon.com/dp/B0CM67619K where she describes a worldwide revolution that is happening. If you need to see hope in this befuddled financial world take a look and see the light, clearly depicted in her book.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

A decade ago I bragged about just eating to live and happily took to a raw vegan lifestyle. I loved the simplicity of grabbing a punnet of apricots for breakfast. A half a watermelon eaten out of the shell with a spoon for lunch.

Yet, I want to say that even if you have gone all the way to a raw vegan lifestyle, presentation of your meal can still be important.

PLATE PLATE PLATE is the chefs’ equivalent of a realtor’s LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.

How we plate and present the food we offer up to ourselves as well as our families is where we start to address appetite and food choices. With each dish served:

1. We get the dual-stimulus of aroma and sight.

2. We take a mindful moment to be thankful and absorb the energy of that meal before us.

3. We create an impression of what to expect before finally, we taste and feel it with a first bite.

Even a tossed salad (my favourite dish) must be thoughtfully prepared. The way each component is sliced or diced or torn or chiffonade makes a difference in the eating pleasure. As is the dish in which it is served.

This is even more important with the youngsters in a household. My two year old grandie liked to get foods in their whole state - a whole unpeeled apple, peach… she even wanted the whole block of cheese! And she would eat bites and leave the remainder. Her mother diligently diced remains and used them in smoothies.

Recently, she watched us quartering oranges and slicing the flesh off the skin then devouring the absolute tasty goodness. She asked for orange cut out of the skin. When her big sister (pickiest eater of note) came and asked me for some orange, I cut thinish triangles with an arc of skin with which to pick it up. The flesh could then simply be bitten off the skin. No mess. No fuss. No utensils - handy for school lunches and hikers’ snacks. But be sure to give a container for the peels to go in after each bite.

Personally I love to eat a citrus medley all chopped together. That way I can include grapefruit mixed with sweet orange, bergamot and clementines. The bitter and the sweet. It’s like a carnival in your mouth.

Many picky eaters don’t like their individual foods to touch. A deconstructed plate of food - if you will - like the toddler plates with separate compartments. These days restaurants serve Buddha bowls which are essentially deconstructed salads.

In a large household where one doesn’t eat tomato, another is allergic to peppers and another doesn’t fancy fruit in the mix, I pull out the large meat platters I inherited and create a deconstructed salad where each person can build their own salad. That in itself can be a masterpiece of colours.

You can be a foodie and healthy to boot.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. Citrus triangles for easy to eat snacks or a medley.

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

You’re probably asking why I didn’t buy from a local UK company. The answer is simple - there aren’t any that deliver to rural West Wales.

There is a local organic farm close by. They are not taking new customers onto their box delivery scheme.

How fun it is to know the name and see a picture of the farmer who grows the citrus, kiwis, pomegranates… I’ve ordered.

How delightful to taste those organic ripe oranges that came directly to me without weeks on a ship. The first arrival was yesterday and my daughter sat down and ate only oranges for supper. She had made chicken nuggets and oven chips for her little ones. What a win when the tiny one said she wanted to be fed. No - not the chicken and chips but orange. She gorged on fresh, ripe, organic oranges! She has only just learned to say orange. Before, she called them “ongees”.

Tiny one has had an irritable urethra due to having bathed in water with bath bombs with artificial scents and colours (xmas gifts). I know that that load of orange she ate will sort out any issues.

Ripe and delicious fruit in Wales in the middle of winter! How marvellous!

Four farmers got together in 2017 to work out a way to sell their produce and that of others directly to the consumer missing out the middle man.

Win Win Winner

The above three words are what the founders dubbed the formula that their economic model is based on. It’s:

1. good for the farmer

2. good for society

3. benefits the environment

The best of it is that there is an abundance of ripe, organic fruit in the house.

I don’t mind that the kiwis are not uniform in shape or size. Or that the oranges are not round and unmarked. The aesthetics do not mean much to me in this beauty obsessed world. What I do love is that the fruit is picked ripe and ready and full of flavour.

It’s easy to choose the healthy option when the fruit tastes delicious.

My heart is warmed knowing the farmer is getting the support he needs to carry on growing sustainably. Thus supporting nature. You can adopt a tree, you can choose your farmer and you can choose your box.

Since 2017 this growing revolution has:

• 554 280 adopted trees to connect consumers with the fields and avoid food waste.

• 4 754 937 boxes of fresh food sent straight from the farmers, to reduce the carbon footprint

• 315 farmers in 8 countries selling their products directly to consumers

• 84 projects in transition to organic to create a more sustainable agriculture.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. My bananas just arrived! Still on the way are clementines, tomatoes and avocados. Hooray!

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

Well - that is - until I did. Here I sit with a blocked nose.

I blame it on the stuffy overheated apartment in which I’ve just spent a few days while visiting my mother.

Oh no - I know what has caused this….. I was helping an elderly friend remove pelmets and curtain rails which required a good amount of time working above my head with a screwdriver. For me, that posture always results in cervical malalignment or subluxation due to a previous neck injury (I jumped from the roof of a house when I was twelve years old - a friend dared me).

The attendant headaches are proof that I am badly in need of a chiropractic adjustment. Malalignment of C1-C2 affects sinus drainage.

But, perhaps it was something else that caused my immune system to fail me at this moment…. When I’m not eating enough high raw fruit and green living foods I start to crave sugary treats.

Did you know that one teaspoon of sugar can put your immune system in a coma for hours?

That even small amounts (like that found in breakfast granola) can lower your white blood cells’ ability to fight off invaders. Sugar competes with vitamin C in the white blood cells. These are the body’s defence against bacteria and viruses.

Mike Collins (AKA The SugarFreeMan) knows all about that kind of stuff.

For the last several years he has interviewed over 400+ MDs, Phds, researchers, coaches and wellness experts on just the topic of sugar.

Not only because it’s truly horrible for us…

… how to successfully get off the stuff, too!

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and a ton more diseases are linked directly to sugar overuse.

If this is something that you struggle with then join him on his upcoming summit as he explores the deep science of this sweet impostor in your life:

>> Quit Sugar Summit

The entire event is FREE online & runs for a full jam-packed week.

Each day new speakers will help you answer any questions you may have and walk you through quitting sugar with ease and confidence.

We at greensmoothie.com believe that a plant strong high raw diet is the best way to break free of cravings and ill health.

Healing ourselves, healing the world :)

To a Life of Love & Laughter,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S .Go Here https://greensmoothie.com/free to find out how a plant strong high raw diet can help you break free of cravings and quit sugar.

Click on the pic below to get free access to the Quit Sugar Summit

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discus…

Read more

Now’s your chance to get acquainted with some of their clean, all-natural products that will transform the look of your skin.

Annmarie Skin Care products meet the highest standards of quality and effectiveness for your skin and body and have won the hearts of thousands, myself included.

For those unfamiliar with Annmarie Skin Care, they handcraft skin care using organic and wildcrafted ingredients. These high-quality ingredients, including different herbs and plant extracts, are slowly steeped at low temperatures to create unique, energized botanical infusions.  Also:

1. non-GMO,

2. MadeSafe,

3. Leaping Bunny Certified,

their unique products are as close to nature as you can get. 

For a limited time during the holiday season, you can try all their bestsellers for less than $20. 

>>This Clean Beauty Trial is heavily discounted with 44% OFF and comes with a FREE full-size Antioxidant Lip Balm for a limited time.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• Aloe Herb Cleanser: a gentle cleanser that helps combat seasonal dryness, visibly boosting skin's youthful suppleness

• Anti Aging Serum: a hydrating formula that decreases puffiness and tightens visible signs of sagging, dull skin

• Anti Aging Oil: provides deep nourishment and protection for your skin and a hydration-enhancing barrier to boost the look of youthful skin

• FOR A LIMITED TIME: FREE Antioxidant Lip Balm: an all-natural balm formulated with organic cocoa butter and beeswax to soften your lips and buriti fruit and sea buckthorn to protect

• FREE shipping (*U.S. and Canadian residents only)

• A 100% money-back promise if you are unsatisfied with the products. 

>>Take advantage of this sale and click here!

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

The season where people eat, drink and spend time with family.

This is a recipe for merriment. However, it’s also a recipe for stress for many.

The pressure to spend, spend, spend. Busy shops.

Travel in adverse weather conditions with increased holiday traffic.

Low level stress as families congregate and navigate relationships. Old wounds and hidden traumas triggered in situations that we generally expect to feel is our safe space.

Be aware of the physical manifestations that occur in your body at this time. Remain conscious of self amongst all the trappings of the festive season.

My tip for a relaxed time this December is:

• unclench your jaw - yes, you don’t even realise you are clenching

• take a deep breath and exhale - exhaling is the moment of relaxation in the body

• pull your scapulae (shoulder blades) down your back as you exhale. Opposing muscles in your neck that pull your shoulders to your ears under stressful conditions have to automatically relax when the shoulders are pulled downwards or caudally.

An icy spell has hit the UK and I have had to drive in conditions that I am unused to driving in. This has resulted in a tension headache of significant proportions. I drove to Wales on Saturday repeatedly doing the above points.

A relaxed body is the starting point for a relaxed festive season.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. Icy roads and family expectations can cause stress. Be aware of the manifestation of this in your body. A relaxed body is the start of a healthy body.

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

When a grey day filled with icy wind and rain lurks beyond the double glazed windows, I still want to reach for warming comfort food. Even when the heating is creating a tropical environment indoors.

Here are a few tips I found that help me to keep eating high raw plant-based even when the leaves are falling and the skies are grey:

• keep active - doing a workout that warms you up from the inside out before you eat makes choosing the right food easy peasy lemon squeezy

• make raw soups in a high speed blender that warms them slightly with the friction. If you don’t have a high speed blender (as was my case when I started) then warm them on the stove - just to body temperature. Have this before your salad.

• a serving of cooked ancient grains with your load of daily greens when temperatures really plumet

• Chop a chili into your salad and use other warming spices. I like to grate ginger and then squeeze the juice out onto a bowl of melon in winter. Turmeric juiced with orange and carrot makes for a more warming drink that gives the immune system a boost in cold and flu season.

• Take refrigerated foods out onto the counter a while before you plan to eat so that they won’t be quite so chilling.

• Follow up a raw feast with a cup of warm herbal tea about 30 minutes after eating.

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

P.S. The warm colours of autumn belie the cold nights closing in. Just think how beautifully some Halloween pumpkins standing beside that chair would’ve made the picture below POP!

Was anyone brave enough to give out clementines or bananas with scream faces drawn on them instead of sugary candy this Halloween?

If my daughter has a party next year I’m going to bring a 3 legged black pot filled with green smoothie 😁In spite of her fears that the house will be TP’d

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!

• effective,

• made-safe,

• clean, and

• sustainable  

I was excited to learn about Annmarie Skin Care earlier this year and how deeply they researched industry practices.

Using the best ingredients -organic and wildcrafted herbs and high-vibration plant extracts, their formulation is done by their own herbalist and chemist.

They’re a company that knows their partnering farmers and has vetted their sources personally. Annmarie Skin Care only picks ingredients that meet the highest quality standards and are at their peak nutritional effectiveness. 

These products work better than anything else I’ve tried. I love the way my skin feels after using their fresh scented cleanser and the moisturising serums and facial oil - smooth, soft and dewy fresh!

Are you tempted to try these yet?

Now is a good time to go clean with your skin care.

The Clean Beauty Trial + Lip Balm is on offer bundled at a low cost of $19.99. 

Here's why you should seize this opportunity:

Calendula Flower: Say goodbye to redness and embrace calmness. Calendula flower is renowned for alleviating the appearance of redness, leaving your skin looking and feeling serene.

Hyaluronic Acid: Experience supreme hydration and plumping like never before. Hyaluronic acid, the holy grail of hydration, will quench your skin's thirst, leaving it fuller, refreshed, and beautifully hydrated.

Herbal Extracts of Buddleja Davidii and Edelweiss: Shield your skin from environmental stressors. These potent herbal extracts act as guardians, protecting your skin from the harsh effects of pollution and UV damage. Your skin will stay resilient and youthful—no matter what the world throws at it.

Antioxidant-Rich Seed Oils: Sunflower seed, goji berry, and broccoli seed oils are your secret weapons against the signs of aging. Packed with antioxidants, they firm and tighten your skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Say hello to smoother, more youthful-looking skin!

Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil: Discover the power of the rare omega-7 essential fatty acid. This fruit oil tones and hydrates fine lines, leaving your skin looking firmer and more radiant than ever.

Chia Seed Oil: With abundant vitamin B3 and zinc, chia seed oil is your partner in maintaining plumpness and resilience. Embrace the secret of ageless beauty.

Lemon Essential Oil: Lemon essential oil is renowned for its ability to brighten, clear, and refine the skin. Say goodbye to dullness and hello to a luminous complexion.

For TODAY only, try all anti-aging products at a fraction of the price (only $19.99). This is an invitation to you! This includes three products to try and FREE SHIPPING to the U.S. and Canada.

Click here and get a FREE FULL-SIZE additional gift.

With these products, you will find high-performance seed oils, antioxidant-rich botanicals, and synergistic plant stem cells that deliver skin-supporting nutrients and luxurious aromatherapy. 

Live well and find the happy,

Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com

Did a friend give you this? To receive your own Free newsletters and ebooks to support your healing journey…

Subscribe for Free

Disclaimers: required by US FDA (Food + Drug Administration) and US FTC (Federal Trade Commission): This newsletter is for information only and is not medical advice. Commission may be earned on product links if a purchase is made. Thank you for your support!