Green Smoothies

      I often recommend Greens and Fruit Smoothies as a way to replace empty calories with great nutrition and lots of fiber.  Blending raw greens and fruit makes the nutrition very easily absorbable, because it is basically chewing more than you ever could.  Since the fruits and vegetables are raw, you maximize the availability of vitamins and micronutrients.  Micronutrients are cofactors that work with vitamins.  Micronutrients are not usually available in nutritional supplements.

You can think of fiber as fertilizer for good gut bacteria (probiotics).  Research has shown that people with healthy gut microflora have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight.  Those with a lot of “bad” gut bacteria and yeast have trouble with weight gain. Taking probiotic supplements is fine, but growing your own is much better.  If you have ever taken a course of antibiotics, or if you routinely eat a lot of sugar or sugary drinks, you probably have too much “bad” bacteria and yeast.  Note: Avoid spikes in blood sugar.  It is associated with not only diabetes, but heart disease and systemic inflammation.

Greens and fruit smoothies (recipe below) also help the liver detoxify chemicals. If a toxin is water soluble it is just flushed from your system.  But because many toxins are fat soluble, your body sequesters them away in fat cells to get them out of your blood stream. When you lose fat without detoxifying, your body will object, because you are actually exposing yourself to the effects of toxins.  So the last 5 pounds or so is often difficult to lose because the fat is needed to sequester toxins.  Another effect of toxins is that it throws off your hormone balance, which will also affect weight.  See below for a list of hormone disrupting chemicals “endocrine disruptors”.  Endocrine disruptors are preservatives and other chemicals and are often used in personal care products like skin cream and shampoo.

For detoxification, I recommend doing a greens and fruit smoothie for breakfast daily for a month.  Feel free to have more.  Ongoing have a smoothie 2 or 3 times a week to boost nutrition and manage exposure to toxins.

Greens and Fruit Smoothie Recipe:
In high quality blender or “Nutri Bullet” add:

• 1 cup packed greens.  Choose one or more from this list:  Beet greens, Broccoli (no stems), Chicory, Collard greens, Dandelion, Escarole, Kale, Spinach, Swiss chard, Turnip greens, Arugula, Endive, Escarole, Radicchio, Broccoli Rabe, Watercress
• 1 cup whole fruit (no pits or thick skins), do not use fruit juice.  Choose one or more from this list:  Banana, Blueberry, Cherries (all), Fig, Guava, Mango, Pineapple, Plums (all), Prunes, Apple, Apricot, Boysenberry, Breadfruit, Casaba melon, Cranberry, Crenshaw melon, Currants (black, red), Dates, Grape (all), Grapefruit, Kumquat, Lemon, Lime, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Raisin, Raspberry, Spanish melon, Strawberry, Watermelon
• Add 1 tsp of flax seed or chia seeds (rich in omega 3 fatty acids)
• Fill to line with one or more fluid from this list:  ½ Water and ½ either Almond Milk or Rice Milk
• Blend on high until smooth  (1-2 minutes)

 
Ideas for variety in smoothy:

• Reduce the water when you blend the smoothie then add seltzer or club soda.  Don’t put them in the blender.  It will create too much pressure.
• Substitute ice for water
• Use frozen fruits
• Use dried fruit, but decrease fruit volume by 3/4 and add more water  (example ¼ cup prunes (about 2 large) plus ½ cup more water, instead of 1 cup plums,)
• If fruit is chopped well, use ½ cup instead of 1 cup
• Search online for “Green Smoothie Recipe”

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
Top Chemicals to Avoid:

• Parabens  (antimicrobial, found in personal care products)
• Phthalates  (used in plastic)
• Bysphenol (BPA)  (used in plastics)
  

Drug Endocrine Disruptors

• Synthetic steroids such as steroid shots
• Hormones and drugs, including DES, progestogens, androgens, ecdysteroids farnesyl hormones, tamoxifen

Pollutant Endocrine Disruptors

• Pesticides, including DDT and its metabolites, chlordecone, and vinclozolin
• Pesticides which are Insect growth regulators
  
• Weed Killers (Triazine herbicides)
  
• Industrial pollutants especially lead, mercury (methymercury) and tin (organotin)
• Dithiocarbamates - Used in vulcanization of rubber
  
• Dioxins  (Agent Orange)

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