If you want to get healthier this spring season and detox your body, it starts with what you put into your body. While you do not need a juice cleanse just to be healthier, adding more fresh fruits and vegetables is a great idea. And an easy (and fun) way to do so is with juices and smoothies! Here I share more information on juicing for the Spring.
Juices vs Smoothies
I love fresh juice, but don’t have a juicer a home. So I like to make fresh smoothies. Juices allow the nutrients to get into your system quicker because there’s not much to digest and no fiber. Smoothies offer all the natural fiber from the fruits and vegetables which can help your digestive system. Both are good. Both can be made fun and exciting with a variety of ingredients.
Use Fresh Spring Produce
Before you start, you need to begin with the best produce you can get your hands on.
If you’re juicing, try to go for the freshest produce, organic whenever possible. However, organic is definitely not mandatory. If you can get it from local farmers, such as from a farmer’s market, that will be the freshest available.
With smoothies you can use frozen produce, it will actually help make it thick and cold.
Go for produce that is in season in the spring where you live. This may vary, but here are some examples:
Kale
Lettuce
Carrots
Broccoli
Lemons and Limes
Oranges
Grapefruit
Beets
Spinach
Strawberries
Dandelion Greens
Celery
Apples
Cucumber
It is good to look up what produce is in season where you live, as different climates offer different varieties and the quality and price might vary quite a bit as well.
Try New Flavor Combinations
There are some standard juice recipes you will find online, such as combining greens like spinach and kale, with apples and berries for sweetness. However, you can go crazy and throw just about any ingredients together that you want. Don’t be afraid to experiment! As long as you have fruits mixed in, it will still have the sweetness you crave, even with lots of veggies.
Try a vegetable juice with celery, carrots, greens, and broccoli, or mix different fruits together, like citrus, apples, and watermelon to see what you get. This is when you come up with some of the best juices because it is not a recipe you would find anywhere online.
Don’t Forget Your Herbs and Spices
You should also add in some herbs and spices to increase the nutrients and bring out more of the flavors in your juice or smoothie. Some herbs you can find in the spring include dandelion root, mint, and basil. These are really delicious, plus have added healing properties. You can also use spices that contain even more detoxing potential, like turmeric or ginger.
Don’t be shy about combining ingredients you wouldn’t have thought of and tweaking other people’s recipe to fit your personal needs and preferences, both with taste and what you have available.
How to juice
If you’ve got a juicer, this one’s pretty simple… put items into the juicer to extract the juice. Enjoy.
Try this juice recipe, which is included in my upcoming Spring Detox + Clean Eating Kickstart:
Apple Tree Juice (serves 1)
6 kale leaves
1 apple
1 cucumber
1 handful parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
1-inch piece of ginger
How to smoothie:
Smoothies offer a larger opportunity for combinations. Basically, you need:
a liquid (juice, water, milk, plant-based milk)
fruits and vegetables
seasoning or additional flavors
healthy fats (avocado, peanut butter, coconut oil, etc)
ice is optional
Put the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Try this juice recipe, which is included in my upcoming Spring Detox + Clean Eating Kickstart:
Kaleberry Smoothie (serves 1)
1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
1 cup kale, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 scoop plant-based protein powder
½ avocado
2 teaspoons chia seeds
What are your favorite juice or smoothie recipes?
Incorporating fresh juices and smoothies is one of the ways we create clean eating habits and start to minimize toxins in our bodies.
You can learn more about how toxins affect your body in my upcoming webinar, “10 signs you need to cleanse your body.”
Chronic stress and other uncomfortable symptoms could mean it’s time to look at cleaning up your diet.
If you suffer from:
Constant fatigue
Foggy brain
Bad skin
Horrible sleep
Constantly stressed
...these are all major signs that your body needs a cleanse!
REGISTER TODAY for my FREE webinar on Friday April 3, 6:30p.
If you can’t make that time, register anyway! I’ll send the recording straight to your inbox.
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