How to Do a Green Smoothie Cleanse: Find Out All You Need to Know in Order to Do the Green Smoothie Diet

How to Do a Green Smoothie Cleanse:  Find Out All You Need to Know in Order to Do the Green Smoothie Diet
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Why Do a Green Smoothie Cleanse?

A green smoothie diet is much more than a traditional “starvation” diet which often does nothing more than cause emotional trauma. With this type of cleanse you are adding a large amount of health to your body. An added benefit is that you are not making decisions all day long about how much to eat and what to eat. You basically remove all temptations and give your body a chance to rest from the daunting task of digesting refined and processed foods which add toxicity to your body instead of removing toxins.

Even though you will feel hungry for the first few days and may feel tempted to eat, that will subside and your body will become so happy with what you are consuming that you will not desire other foods. In the end, that makes this a very simple way to cleanse and lose weight.

Join The Green Smoothie Challenge for encouragement, tips, recipes and more at www.thegreensmoothiechallenge.com.

Health Benefits

Other benefits of a green smoothie cleanse are that as you lose weight, your skin will become amazingly soft and silky, any puffiness will disappear and you will have a ton of energy after the first few days. This is in contrast to trying to have a considerable amount of self control on a low calorie diet. It truly is so much easier to just stop eating all the junk!

If your diet has been particularly other than optimal, you may experience a time of rather strong detoxification where you may feel sick, tired, or otherwise just not well. Don’t worry, this will pass. Stick with it and rest up. Make sure you get plenty of sleep, exercise and fresh air everyday.

Smoothies are very digestible because the cell walls of the fruits and vegetables are broken down in the blender allowing the nutrients to begin being absorbed in your mouth.

It is important to look at taking on a cleanse as a lifestyle change. After the cleanse it is VERY important to keep a clean diet. You can do this by adding healthy things to your daily fare like a green smoothie, a salad made with many greens, cultured foods, and good vegetable protein such as hemp seeds. Instead of having the mindset of not eating certain foods any longer, adopt a mindset of adding healthy things to your diet. Before long, the “other” foods will not be so tempting. When you do go off track, be kind to yourself and just add those good things back to your diet.

Your body is constantly ridding itself of toxins that come from within the body as well as from the air we breathe and the food we eat. By doing a green smoothie fast, you are simply accelerating the detoxification process. This is a very important habit to have in order to prevent sickness and disease.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemypit/3652108873/

What is a Green Smoothie?

Simply put, a green smoothie is a vehicle for getting a large amount of greens into your diet in a palatable way. They are a great addition to any diet and are even child friendly because they taste good. What better way to start your day everyday than with a cleansing, energizing, tasty treat? A green smoothie is made up of 60% green vegetables and 40% fruit. If you need to start with more fruit, start with 60% fruit and 40% vegetables and work your way towards 60% vegetables. The lower the sugar content of the fruit you use, the more weight you will lose.

It is important to vary the fruits and greens that you use. Good greens to include are kale (all types), parsley, sprouts, spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, beet greens, celery, cucumber, chard (can be a bit too “green” for some), baby lettuce greens and romaine lettuce (a great green to start with).

Examples of fruits you can use are berries, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, mangoes, nectarines, grapes, plums, Asian pears, oranges, melons, avocados, lemons, limes, kiwis, papayas, and tomatoes. It is optimal to choose organic fruits and veggies. I prefer to use frozen berries, peaches and bananas which add a creamy texture to the smoothie.

Just fill your blender (high power one preferably) with the fruits and veggies and add water to the top of the veggies/fruits mixture. Put the fruit on the bottom so everything mixes really well. Add 1 TBS or more of flaxseeds if you prefer. Blend and enjoy. If you are making enough for one whole day, which I recommend, fill one blender with the fruit and water and blend, pour into your container and then mix the veggies in the next batch with water. Pour it all into the container and enjoy throughout the day. Keep refrigerated.

You can also make a delicious raw soup for variety. Vegetables to use to make a green soup include avocado, parsley or cilantro, celery, kale, spinach, chard,

Fruits and Vegetables at Pike Place Market Coutesy of Eric Hunt at Wikimedia

lemon, cauliflower, zucchini, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, onion, garlic and tomato along with Celtic or Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Place all ingredients in your blender, fill with water and blend. To warm the soup, place your high power blender on the soup setting or run a regular blender for an extra long time. You may also heat the soup until just warm to the touch on the stove so as not to destroy the enzymes and nutrients.

Experiment and have fun. Make up your own recipes. I made one today that my kids thought tasted like a slurpy. I used romaine lettuce, peaches and mixed berries with a little stevia. Get your kids in the kitchen to make their own creations. Green smoothies are a great addition to their diet as well.

How to Make One:

It is important to vary the fruits and greens that you use. Good greens to include are kale (all types), parsley, sprouts, spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, beet greens, celery, cucumber, chard (can be a bit too “green” for some), baby lettuce greens and romaine lettuce (a great green to start with).

Fruit & Spinach Smoothie

Examples of fruits you can use are berries, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, mangoes, nectarines, grapes, plums, Asian pears, oranges, melons, avocados, lemons, limes, kiwis, papayas, and tomatoes. It is optimal to choose organic fruits and veggies. I prefer to use frozen berries, peaches and bananas which add a creamy texture to the smoothie.

Just fill your blender (high power one preferably) with the fruits and veggies and add water to the top of the veggies/fruits mixture. Put the fruit on the bottom so everything mixes really well. Add 1 TBS or more of flaxseeds if you prefer. Blend and enjoy.

If you are making enough for one whole day, which I recommend, fill one blender with the fruit and water and blend, pour into your container and then mix the veggies in the next batch with water. Pour it all into the container and enjoy throughout the day. Keep refrigerated.

How to Make Raw Soup:

You can also make a delicious raw soup for variety. Vegetables to use to make a green soup include avocado, parsley or cilantro, celery, kale, spinach, chard, Fruits and Vegetables at Pike Place Market Coutesy of Eric Hunt at Wikimedialemon, cauliflower, zucchini, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, onion, garlic and tomato along with Celtic or Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Place all ingredients in your blender, fill with water and blend. To warm the soup, place your high power blender on the soup setting or run a regular blender for an extra long time. You may also heat the soup until just warm to the touch on the stove so as not to destroy the enzymes and nutrients.

Experiment and have fun. Make up your own recipes. I made one today that my kids thought tasted like a slurpy. I used romaine lettuce, peaches and mixed berries with a little stevia. Get your kids in the kitchen to make their own creations. Green smoothies are a great addition to their diet as well.

Fruit & Spinach Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/naturalmom/3144062851/

The Green Smoothie Diet

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It is of utmost importance to stay hydrated while cleansing. Therefore, drink plenty of pure water and avoid caffeine such as coffee and soda. You may drink mineral water and herbal teas as often as you like. A splash of fresh lemon juice is very refreshing in your water or tea. You may also add pure organic stevia leaf extract to your beverages.

It is a good idea to lead up to your cleanse by tapering your intake of the following: coffee, alcohol, sugar, animal products, salt, refined foods. A simple way to do this is to “start your cleanse” by adding to your diet a few daily green smoothies, a salad with an avocado, raw nuts and seeds and cooked or sprouted grains. Do this for a week before you begin your green smoothie diet so that you experience less of the cleansing reaction that can happen when you have been eating a standard American diet (SAD). If this is too challenging for you, you may go straight into cleansing, but this is stressful for those that tend to have strong addictions to sugars and refined carbohydrates.

In addition to the smoothies, it is important to cleanse the colon during this process. I recommend using Fiber Cleanse which can be purchased here. It is recommended to take a heaping tablespoon of Fiber Cleanse upon awakening in the morning. It is also a good idea to squeeze some fresh lemon juice into your water in the morning and throughout the day for added cleansing.

Drink herbal teas such as peppermint, dandelion, milk thistle, burdock root or chamomile. Add cinnamon, cayenne pepper, lemon or sole to your tea or smoothies. Take wheat grass or barley grass juice or capsules once a day. If you need an extra kick, drink some organic green tea.

Drink 40 - 60 oz. of green smoothies daily. Add a green juice or two as well for added detox and health benefits. Greens are strong cleansers because of the chlorophyll and fiber they contain. They are important as well because of the many vitamins, minerals and proteins they contain.

If you are too hungry, add a tablespoon of flax seeds to each smoothie. You may also munch on an apple, carrots, celery, cucumber, jicama or other vegetables that you enjoy. Make sure to drink a smoothie every two to three hours even if you are not hungry as this will keep your metabolism burning fat and toxins.

I cannot stress enough, the importance of drinking a lot of pure water throughout the day to assist your body with eliminating the toxins that will be rapidly exiting your body. Hydration is one of the number one ways your body will rid itself of excess fat, so drink up.

If you have health challenges or are currently taking medications, please check with your natural health care provider before taking on a cleanse.

Preparation for the Diet

It is a good idea to lead up to your cleanse by tapering your intake of the following: coffee, alcohol, sugar, animal products, salt, refined foods. A Photoxpress 193643simple way to do this is to “start your cleanse” by adding to your diet a few daily green smoothies, a salad with an avocado, raw nuts and seeds and cooked or sprouted grains.

Do this for a week before you begin your green smoothie diet so that you experience less of the cleansing reaction that can happen when you have been eating a standard American diet (SAD). If this is too challenging for you, you may go straight into cleansing, but this is stressful for those that tend to have strong addictions to sugars and refined carbohydrates.

Tips:

  • In addition to the smoothies, it is important to cleanse the colon during this process. I recommend using Fiber Cleanse which can be purchased here. It is recommended to take a heaping tablespoon of Fiber Cleanse upon awakening in the morning. It is also a good idea to squeeze some fresh lemon juice into your water in the morning and throughout the day for added cleansing.

  • Drink herbal teas such as peppermint, dandelion, milk thistle, burdock root or chamomile. Add cinnamon, cayenne pepper, lemon or sole to your tea or smoothies. Take wheat grass or barley grass juice or capsules once a day. If you need an extra kick, drink some organic green tea.

  • Drink 40 - 60 oz. of green smoothies daily. Add a green juice or two as well for added detox and health benefits. Greens are strong cleansers because of the chlorophyll and fiber they contain. They are important as well because of the many vitamins, minerals and proteins they contain.

  • If you are too hungry, add a tablespoon of flax seeds to each smoothie. You may also munch on an apple, carrots, celery, cucumber, jicama or other vegetables that you enjoy. Make sure to drink a smoothie every two to three hours even if you are not hungry as this will keep your metabolism burning fat and toxins.

  • I cannot stress enough, the importance of drinking a lot of pure water throughout the day to assist your body with eliminating the toxins that will be rapidly exiting your body. Hydration is one of the number one ways your body will rid itself of excess fat, so drink up.

If you have health challenges or are currently taking medications, please check with your natural health care provider before taking on a cleanse.

Check out my Longevity Diet article for information on eating for youth, vitality and staying slim.

You might also like to read Enzymes: The Fountain of Youth Discovered

Another great article is Green Superfood Powder: The Importance of Chlorophyll in the Diet

Disclaimer

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