Did you overindulge this Christmas? Of course you did! Do you want to start a healthy, happy 2016? Why not try and incorporate green juices and smoothies into your diet? And for the more hardcore, a detox?
So how exactly do you make a healthy green juice or smoothie? What do you need? In what proportion? Find out with nutrition expert Christine Bailey!
Christine Bailey
The Supercharged Green Juice & Smoothie Diet
Available in January 2016.
Buy from Amazon now.
Fresh juices and smoothies are truly delicious and rich of nutrients, and you can tweak each recipe and adapt it to suit your own taste.
Bursting with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, trace elements and plant nutrients, fresh juices make you feel great and boost your energy levels, ensuring optimal metabolism. Each one has its own specific properties and you can find your favourite combination of ingredients. I have been experimenting a few from Sarah Owen‘s book The top 100 juices and here a selection of delicious, health-giving juices that can help to prevent stress and anxiety.
Apple, Cherry & Blueberry
Apples and cherries contain high levels of health-boosting flavonoids, which have been linked with better lung function and a lower incidence of asthma, which can be triggered by stress. Anthocyanins, the antioxidants in cherries, have been found to block inflammatory enzymes and help to reduce pain. One study found evidence that consuming blueberries can help to relax the arteries and reduce the
risks of cardiovascular disease, often associated with stress.
Ingredients:
4 apples, cut into wedges
25 cherries, pitted
40 blueberries
Method:
Press chunks of apple, and the cherries and blueberries through a juicer. Stir and drink immediately.
Banana, Coconut Milk & Lemongrass Smoothie
This juice helps you to reduce stress-related high blood pressure. Bananas are high in potassium, which helps to maintain normal blood pressure and a healthy heart, two conditions often related to stress. Rich in calcium and magnesium, coconut milk supports the adrenal glands. Lemongrass contains manganese, which keeps the nervous system healthy and helps to keep stress at bay.
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, peeled
450ml/16fl oz/1¾ cups
coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass
(outer leaves removed), chopped into chunks
Method:
Whizz the bananas, coconut milk and lemongrass in a blender until smooth, stir and drink immediately.
Cucumber, Watercress & Liquorice
Chill out with this calming and refreshing juice. The inner temperature of a cucumber can be up to 11°C/20°F cooler than the outside air, so this juice is literally cooling during times of tension. Watercress is an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, which help to protect the body from stress-related free-radical damage. A traditional stress-buster, liquorice provides important nutrients for the adrenal glands, helping to build, strengthen and relax muscles.
Ingredients:
1 large bunch watercress
1 cucumber, chopped into chunks
1 large knob (4cm/1½in) liquorice root, chopped into chunks
Method:
Wrap the watercress leaves around chunks of cucumber and liquorice root, press through a juicer, stir and drink immediately.
#nourishbooksjuices
Sarah Owen
The Top 100 Juices
£5.99
Available from Nourish Books
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by Christine Bailey
Blue Guava & Tropics Blend
We are all too well aware of the importance of vegetables in our diet. Packed with an array of nutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals these are nature’s life enhancing foods. Virtually every health authority recommends that we increase our intake of vegetables yet most of us fail to achieve even frequently quoted ‘five a day’. If you’re striving to lose weight or looking to bring true nourishment to enhance your beauty, brain, body and spirit then its time to embraced supercharged green smoothies.
Wherever you are along your path to good health one of the easiest ways to transform your health is to kick start the day with a green smoothie. But what exactly is a green smoothie?
Typically a green smoothie are composed of around 70-80% green vegetables with 20-30% fruits blended with a liquid such as water, nut milks, herbal teas or fermented drinks like kefir and kombucha. You can then supercharge it with the addition of a superfood or a protein powder to further support your health goals.
I absolutely love drinking green smoothies. They are incredibly nutrient dense and like a glass of liquid nectar to rejuvenate and sustain the body. Green Smoothies are also one of the best ways to give yourself a natural energy boost without resorting to stimulants like coffee. Within minutes it will start to revitalize your energy levels and nourish your body at the cellular level.
Here are some more reasons why I love green smoothies:
Ginger Green Combo
If you cannot face eating platefuls of vegetables then blending them in a delicious drink may be your answer. The blending process breaks the fibre apart which makes the fruit and vegetables easier to digest. Being full of fibre you will also find them very filling and satisfying and by helping to support blood sugar levels they can help you avoid reaching for pick me up snacks later in the day.
If you start incorporating green smoothies in your diet daily you will soon feel the benefits from the inside out. Your skin will become more radiant, energy levels will soar and you will begin to think clearer. Your body will experience deep nourishment and enable you to feel vibrant and alert. If you need to shape up they are an effective tool for healthy weight loss.
Making a green smoothie is simple – select your liquid, add 2 cups of green vegetables and then add in ½ 1- cup fruit. Frozen fruit gives the smoothie a wonderful creamy texture and is also very quick and convenient. Then add in 2-3 of your favourite superfoods – this may be nuts, seeds, protein powder, spices, herbs, oils, superfood powders or blended powders.
For liquid options choose from a selection like water, coconut water, milk or nut milks, kefir, kombucha, herbal teas and green tea.
Greens can be anything you have to hand. Darker leafy greens are particularly nourishing. Examples include kale, spinach, cabbage, spring greens, parsley, watercress, rocket, chard, coriander, mixed lettuce leaves, romaine, collards, celery, cucumber, broccoli, pak choy etc.
For fruit the aim is to keep the amount as low as possible to avoid upsetting blood sugar levels. So as you get used to smoothies try and decrease your intake. Use fresh or frozen fruits such as banana, pear, apple, berries, and cherries citrus, avocado, mango, pineapple, kiwi fruit.
There are loads of superfood options: protein powders, green superfoods (spirulina, chlorella, moringa, wheatgrass, barley grass), chia seed, flaxseed, hemp, nuts, nut butter, coconut oil, omega blended oils, cacao, maca, lucuma, vanilla, cinnamon, acai and goji berry powder, goji berries, baobab powder, matcha green tea, mushroom powders, herbal powders.
Storing Smoothies. Ideally consume your smoothies immediately after making. This is because they are perishable. However you can store them for up to 24 hours without too much loss of nutrients. This is particularly helpful if you are taking your drinks with you to work or want to make up a batch in the morning for the rest of the day. The best way to store your drinks is to put them in a glass jar (BPA-free plastic works too) with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. This reduces the oxidation and loss of nutrients. Immediately store it in the fridge and consume it when you are ready.
Simply adding one green smoothie a day can transform your health, helping you feel vibrant and radiant with a new fresh healthy outlook to life.
Christine Bailey
The Supercharged Green Juice & Smoothie Diet
Available in January 2016.
Preorder from Amazon now.
