Banishing My Broccoli Belly [GoodBelly Twelve-Day Challenge Review + Giveaway]

I love broccoli.

raw, steamed, roasted, sauteed, warm, cold, dipped, dunked

Broccoli, however, does not always love me.*

*And by ‘me,’ I mean my GI tract.

this is like 'where's waldo?' for broccoli

Mama Smart is also a fan of broccoli, so it should come as no surprise that I consumed the green cruciferous wonder at a majority of my meals while visiting her over the holidays.

covered in white bean gravy, then repeated the next day

Even the Chinese takeout box of steamed veggies was 95% broccoli.*

*This made me think of the letdown when you buy mixed nuts and it is 90% peanuts. Sugar snap peas are the pecans of Chinese vegetables.

i may or may not have eaten all the leftover broccoli as a midnight snack

What was surprising was the lack of broccoli belly I experienced.

a huge helping of MORE freshly steamed baby trees was added post-picture

 Or maybe it shouldn’t have been that shocking, since my broccoli belly had turned into a happy, smiling…GOOD Belly!

I am no stranger to discussing GI issues in both allusory–and not so vague–terms, both on my blog and via instagram. A wink or a smiley face can usually get you a free pass in the negligible etiquette of social media overshare.Let’s just say I’ve had quite a few instances of bloating, gurgling, too much movement, and the lack thereof. Being a vegan with benefits doesn’t help matters, when the foods that make up a majority of your diet are the ones that naturally tend to cause some of these issues. So, when Lindsey from GoodBelly contacted me about participating in the company’s 12 Day Challenge I was perhaps overly excited to give it a shot.

Literally.

In addition to the mango-flavored GoodBelly Plus–which, for 50 calories, gives you a delicious dose of vegan tropical delight, 20 billion live probiotic cultures, and 9 vitamins and calcium–I sampled the Coconut Water beverage, mainly because I have never been a fan of coconut water, and I figured if I could like that, well, the company really had something.In addition to the gazillions of probiotics, the coconut water also promised to replenish me with five essential electrolytes–which I didn’t even know existed.I drank it after anything I could call exercise long runs, and I’m not sure it made a difference in my electrolyte stores, but it DEFINITELY helped in the other ways it promised.Yes, y’all, my broccoli belly was banished. I was a smooth operator the entire holiday season, and I can tell you that this was even while suffering from a headcold, having my regular eating and exercise habits/routines/patterns thrown off due to travel, and the occasionally varied ‘diet’ I was consuming.

I tell y’all what: I think this GoodBelly lives up to its claims.

you don't have to look very hard to know those little buggers are in there

In fact, the biggest problem I encountered was liking the drinks a little too much, so that every day I was at a risk of taking in one (billion) bacteria too many.Now that my free coupons are gone, I’m debating about whether or not to continue buying the shots. As my friend-through-blogging, Diana, pointed out, it IS only $1.00 a day, which, in the grand scheme of things might be feasible in my budget, especially if I only take one every other–or every few–days.

Luckily for one of YOU, this is not a decision that you have to worry your pretty little belly about. (Yet.)

GoodBelly has offered to let one of my little smartypants readers try ou the 12-Day Challenge for free!

To enter this very GOOD giveaway, simply visit GoodBelly’s website, peruse their products, and let me know which one you would most like to try.

For additional entries: [Leave a separate comment for each, please. ]

• Follow me on twitter @thesmartkitchen.
• Follow GoodBelly on twitter.
• Tweet about the giveaway: make your belly feel GOOD + enter @thesmartkitchen’s @GoodBellyDrink giveaway for a chance to take the #12DayChallenge http://tinyurl.com/ac4mvlf

I’ll pick a winner….soon.