In honor of St. Patty’s day and the color green, let’s talk about what you should be drinking tonight instead of green beer. Let’s talk about how great green drinks are, how many options you have in creating said drinks, and how wonderfully alkalinizing they are for the body.
Step away from the Lucky Charms and the Guinness. Well, Guinness isn’t too bad occasionally. It’s (somewhat) high in iron, and its dark color means it has some antioxidants. But too much refined sugar, flour, and alcohol can cause the body to become quite acidic, and this leads to inflammation and opens the door for illness, imbalance, and degenerative disease. Green drinks to the rescue! No food coloring needed. Do you have a juicer? Try any of the following combinations. They are especially high in minerals and good with breakfast (have a balancing effect if you’ve been out drinking green beer the night before).
-cucumber, parsley, spinach, green apple
-spinach, romaine, green apple
-carrot, celery, spinach, parsley
-celery, carrot, spinach, green apple
-spinach, ginger, green apple, cucumber
-green apple, carrot, spinach
You get the idea – the main ingredients to use are cucumber, celery, parsley, and spinach; then add green apple or carrot as needed to sweeten. When juicing, use 1-2 apples, 3 carrots, 1 cucumber, handful spinach, handful parsley, 2-3 stalks celery. Get creative!
Don’t have a juicer? No problem. Make yourself a smoothie with seasonal fresh fruit and throw in a handful spinach and a tablespoon of supergreens powder. I love these booster foods–they contain spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, and other varieties of green foods like kale, broccoli, spinach, etc. I like the VitaMineral Greens brand. These superfood supplements are great additions to smoothies and are high in minerals, something so lacking in our diets, and very cleansing for the liver. They cleanse and alkalinize the blood. Try it blended with banana, coconut milk, spinach, and berries. It’s great–promise! Or try a creamy green smoothie in the blender, made with romaine, avocado, green apple, celery, and cilantro (optional).
Cheers to health promoting green drinks!
Mary Vance is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and author specializing in digestive health. She combines a science-based approach with natural therapies to rebalance the body. In addition to her 1:1 coaching, she offers courses to help you heal your gut and improve your health. Mary lives in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in Northern California. Read more about her coaching practice here and her background here.
