- by Caitlyn Furness
Some of us are diving into the 6-week detox this week. This means we are up to our ears in green juices and green smoothies. Last week was a preparatory week for the detox, and this week is technically week one of the GI (gastro-intestinal) repair phase, which is supposed to last for two weeks. We’re supposed to drink up to 2 quarts of the green stuff a day, either green juices or green smoothies. I’m there now, but I had to work my way up to that over the last six months! When I first started drinking these, green juices especially, I had to add a lot of apple juice and lemon juice to it, but now, I can do more green juice and less fruit. In fact, now I can munch 
dandelion greens straight and I even like them that way! Don’t worry though, I still have a problem with wheat grass juice! But thankfully, my favourite green detox drinks are simple to make.
In fact, my point of writing this post is to show how easy it is to make up a smoothie, even when you’re on the go. Last week, a family member was in the hospital, and I was running back and forth because of it. I never knew when I’d have to pick up and go in a hurry. Smoothies and salads were my lifesavers! I’d make a couple smoothies, put them in my stainless steel bottles (which happen to be bright pink!), and away I’d go with no worries about having food in a hostile hospital environment with take-out food everywhere!
Here’s one of the recipes I was carting around in my pink bottles:
Berry Blaster Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2 frozen bananas
- 2 cups frozen blueberries
- 4 ribs celery
- 2 giant handfuls kale
- Small handful dandelion greens
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 T coconut oil
Directions:
Put all the ingredients into your blender and blend (start with the softer ones first if you have a regular blender)! You might have to do this in batches if you don’t have a high-speed blender. Of course, you can use fresh bananas and blueberries in place of the frozen, but it’s winter, and this is what I have on hand now.
Enjoy!
The frozen strawberries give a delicious juicy coolness; they’re packed with vitamin C and potent antioxidants such as the anthocyanins which give them their rich red colour and which help to protect cell structures and prevent oxygen damage in the body. They are also anti-inflammatory (excellent for my sugar eating folks) and protective against certain cancers.
Good old bananas provide a great source of energy which got my flagging family off the sofa and out into the countryside for a good long walk. (Not the 93-year old. My smoothies aren’t quite that magical!). They also provide the mood boosting amino acid tryptophan and have a natural antacid effect on the stomach to counteract the acidity caused by a glut of rich foods. Their high levels of potassium are beneficial for lowering raised blood-pressure, while their generous levels of B vitamins improve nerve function.
Parsley contains volatile oils which have been shown to inhibit tumour formation in animal studies and is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin A. It is high in antioxidants and is considered an effective blood cleanser, dissolving sticky deposits in the veins and maintaining the elasticity of the blood vessels. Parsley is also excellent for cleansing the breath! (Good for my cigarette smoking brother-in-law).
Kale, a member of the brassica family, is another cancer preventative due to its sulphur-containing phyto-nutrients, such as sulforaphane, which boosts the body’s detoxification enzymes. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables such as kale are chopped, chewed, or blended. Kale is also well known for its carotenoids which protect the eyes from developing cataracts. In addition to its many other benefits, Kale provides a good dose of calcium.
There haven’t been extensive studies on the medicinal value of this herb, but it’s been used with great affect by people for several conditions which afflict the liver including cirrhosis, jaundice, hepatitis, and gallbladder disorders. It can be helpful in detoxing the liver, and can reverse liver damage, and protect against damage from agents such as alcohol or other toxins that tend to lodge themselves in the liver.
Now, for the really fun stuff! I found out there are a couple of varieties of kale. It comes in “dinosaur”, which is blue grey in colour and has embossed looking leaves. I haven’t found any of this in my local grocery store yet, but am dying to. I just have to try it just because of the name! There is curly kale, which has curly leaves. That one is a no-brainer, I guess! And there is ornamental kale, which is also called salad savoy. This one is a newbie to the kale scene, having been cultivated in California in the 1980’s and it’s pretty mild tasting. So far, I’ve only found the curly kind here. I’ve also heard of black kale, but I think that might be another name for Dinosaur kale. Apparently, Romans were quite fond of it, and settlers brought it over here to North America from the U.K. in the 1700’s.
BearHeart’s Breakfast Green Smoothie
Carrots aren’t just good for Bugs Bunny to munch on! Or just for giving your smoothies an orange color! They are also 
I am just loving beetroot at the moment, and have come up with a super recipe for beet smoothie, which not only has great liver cleansing powers, it’s also my favourite colour….Purple!
