Sustainable Living: Smoothies & Juices
Every day your body is bombarded with huge amounts of toxins. From beauty products to environmental toxins, bus fumes, alcohol, processed foods, cigarette smoke, cleaning products — you get the point. Your liver will detoxify what it can, and whatever it can’t break down it’ll store it there and in the tissues throughout your body. This creates the perfect environment for inflammation, weight gain and illness in the body.
To detox your body you need to feed it foods that help it purge itself, while at the same time provide with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at its best.
The detoxing and nutritious nature of smoothies
Smoothies are loaded of all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants of fruits and veggies that will give your body the energy needed to fuel your day. In the case of juices the assimilation of energy is even easier and faster. You thought caffeine was cool? Try switching for a green juice every morning for a week and we’ll talk about coolness.
Smoothies help cleanse your body while keeping it hydrated; they give a break to your digestive system aiding its efficiency and making your skin look radiant.
Make the most of your morning
Mornings are a great time to think about detoxing, because your liver and digestive system have been working while you sleep to filter out the good from the bad. By giving yourself a freshly prepared detox smoothie first thing in the morning you are helping that process along, rather than setting it back with a large or unhealthy breakfast.
The 70% – 30% rule
If you are watching your weight and/or sugar levels, you should try smoothie-ing with a greater amount of veggies. Fruits act as a sweetener when you are not used to drinking veggies, but sedentary or diabetic people should go easy on them. There’s a drink for everyone and vast information and recipes available in the internet, books, (or better) nutritionists and dieticians, to find the ones that are best for you.
Taking matters into your own hands and making your own smoothies from scratch allows you to use ingredients you think are delicious. Don’t add an ingredient if you don’t like it just because of its detoxifying properties, because you won’t stick with it.
Some very important points
- Try to use only organic fruits and veggies, you don’t want a cocktail of chemicals into your morning detox. Find organic markets in Mauritius here.
- Wash and rinse your ingredients thoroughly – especially important whenever you are eating raw.
- Try to stick to the rule 70% veggies 30% fruits. You can start with a 50-50 while you get used to the taste and progressively include more veggies.
- Juices and smoothies are BEST drank on the spot to appreciate all their nutrition value. But, you can prepare batches for the week and keep them in an air-tight mason jar in your fridge. Juices will last 2 days max. and smoothies up to 4.
Mauritian | produce you’ll love in your smoothies
- Greens: Watercress, parsley, cilantro, mint
- Veggies: Beetroot, carrot, white cucumber
- For a liquid base: Fresh coconut water, almond, soy & coconut milk
- For a creamier & sweeter consistence: Mango, banana, papaya, local avocado
- Crispy antioxidants: Lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, pomelo
- Fresh fruits: Pineapple, pomegranate, star fruit, kiwi, apple, pear
- Others: Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, red chilli, honey
- Super add-on’s: Basil seeds, chia seeds, goyi berries, flax seeds, soy protein powder, hemp seeds
Let’s get hands-on
Tropical skin cleanser | Antioxidants, vitamin E, healthy fats
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach or watercress
- 1 cup coconut water, unsweetened
- 1 cup pineapple, frozen
- ¼ avocado
Photo & inspo from Simple Green Smoothies
Apple zinger |Liver detoxing and cleansing
- 1 apple
- 1 cup watercress or beet greens
- ½ beet, cut into cubes
- 1 lemon, peeled
- 1 inch thumb ginger
- 1 carrot
Photo & inspo from Health Ambition
Cilantro lemonade | Anti-inflammatory and detoxing
- 1 cup watercress or spinach
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ bananas
- ½ lemon
- ½ inch ginger, chopped
Photo & inspo from Simple Green Smoothies
Pomegranate citrus punch | Anti-aging and anti-cancer
- 1 cup watercress or spinach
- ½ cup water
- 1 orange, peeled
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 banana
Photo & inspo from Simple Green Smoothies
Tangy Veggies juice | Vitamin C and digestion booster
- 1 grapefruit
- 1 orange
- 2 kale leaves or 1 cup watercress
- 2 celery sticks
- ½ cucumber
- ½ beet
Photo & inspo from Simple Green Smoothies
Green power smoothie | Cleansing antioxidant boost
- ½ cucumber
- ½ cup watercress or spinach
- 1 celery stems
- fresh mint
- ½ avocado
- ½ apple
- ½ lemon
- 1 kiwi
- 1 cup water
Photo & inspo from Nutrition Stripped
Turmeric tonic | Carbs and proteins for a power morning (recommended as a morning meal replacement for maximum detox benefits)
- ½ cup orange Juice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 scoop soy protein powder, vanilla flavor
- 1 cup water
Photo & inspo from Sea Sun Palm Trees
Goji berry orange | Antioxidant sweetness and power house (Serves 2)
- Zest of 2 organic oranges
- 2 oranges, peeled and seeded
- 1 banana, frozen
- ½ cup coconut water
- ½ cup dried goji berries
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons TOCOS (soluble rice bran powder)
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 cup ice
Photo & inspo from Simple Green Smoothies
This article was based on our inspirational gurus on nutrition. Go follow them for more recipes and advice in their websites:
Everything you need to know for a healthier, happier lifestyle by Nutritionist & Dietician Mckel
Support and inspiration to incorporate smoothies to your daily life by lifestyle changer & mommy, Jen
