Minty Mango Kiwi Smoothie
Hydration is Everything
Proper hydration is essential for our beauty and optimal health. The human body is 60 to 80 percent water, and all our cells and organs need water to function optimally. When you eat your water, meaning that you eat plenty of water-rich raw fruits and vegetables, you do not need to drink water as much as someone who eats mainly dry, processed foods. Therefore, it’s important to individualise and drink the amount your body needs.
Always start your day with a glass of pure water before you put anything else into your system. Ideally drink water at least half an hour before your meals or an hour after your meals. Avoid drink too much during mealtimes because too much liquid with meals dilutes digestive juices and slows down your digestion. Also, certain drinks can also remove water from the body such as coffee, and alcohol. The goal is to avoid caffeine in excess, and up to 8 hours before your bedtime. Life is all about balance, so if you choose to drink alcohol, do so mindfully and always choose quality. If your urine is bright yellow, it’s very likely a sign that your body is dehydrated (unless you are taking vitamin B supplements!).
Smoothies vs. Juices
Smoothies and juices are not the same thing. They are often made of the same ingredients (fresh fruits, and vegetables), but the major difference between the two, and what makes smoothies nutritionally superior to juices, is fiber. Juicing removes fiber, and what you are left with is not a whole food anymore - it has been processed. When you make a smoothie by blending whole fruits and vegetables, all the fiber stays in it and goes into your body.
Fiber has several health and beauty benefits: it keeps you full longer, maintains stable blood sugar, cleanses your digestive tract, etc. Fiber can only be found in plants. Therefore, we all should be consuming them! Moreover, fiber is needed to feed the good microbes in your gut that are responsible for many essential functions, such as supporting your immune system. These good bugs transform that fiber into short-chain fatty acids which have numerous health benefits. Fiber supports our natural detox organs, such as our liver. Our liver regulates fat metabolism. When you eat a diet high in fiber, you help your liver to carry out the unwanted fat via healthy bowel functions. Juice has no fiber to push the excess fat and toxins out of the body. If our detox organs are not working properly, toxins, pollution, medications, and many other things, can start to build up in our bodies and speed up the aging process. Digestion is the key that can make you radiate beauty, or, adversely, take you down by sucking your precious energy down that could be used for other activities, such as growing hair and nails, and rebuilding collagen in the skin.
Smoothies, made of whole foods, make you feel energised and beautiful both inside and out. Smoothies are a simple and wonderful way to get so many vital nutrients that your body needs. The amazing thing is that there are an endless number of ingredient combinations to play with! There are a few caveats to keep in mind though: ingredients. You want to use fresh, organic, and unprocessed produce. This is the reason why I am not a fan of store-bought, pre-packaged smoothies because they can come with added sugars and other unwanted ingredients, like preservatives to extend shelf life. Furthermore, they are often pasteurized, and that means that the fruits and vegetables have been heated which kills and destroys most of the enzymes and nutrition.
Minty Mango Kiwi Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup spinach
1 bok choy
1 cup water
1 banana
1 mango
2 kiwis
Fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon spirulina
Directions:
Wash all produce well.
Prepare produce by cutting into pieces.
Blend the water and greens first. Then add remaining ingredients, blend until smooth. Add more water if needed.
Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy!
In Love and Health,