The refreshing days of summer are here, and along with warm days, afternoon naps and dips in the water come an array of refreshing, fresh fruit beverages! If you and your blender have not yet become acquainted, these summer smoothies are bound to make you the closest of friends by the end of the day.
Refreshing Watermelon-Mint Smoothie
2 cups chopped watermelon
Handful of fresh mint leaves
1 cup strawberries
½ cup sliced cucumber
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup filtered water (or unsweetened green tea)
Blend, garnish with a fresh mint leaf if you like a little flair, and drink up!
Energizing Banana-Grape Smoothie
1 medium banana
2 tablespoons dried goji berries
½ cup red grapes
6 whole strawberries (fresh or frozen)
3 cups kale or spinach
2 celery stalks
1 cup of filtered water
Blend all ingredients and enjoy. This is great for anyone looking to replenish their body after a hot day in the sun or a long run.
For individual nutrition programs, meal plans, detox programs and clean eating support, please visit Eat Clean Health. And don’t forget to sign up for the Eat Clean Health monthly newsletter, an excellent source of clean eating ideas and healthy lifestyle information.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that thousands of studies have confirmed the following: Tea POSITIVELY affects a multitude of systems within the human body. Excellent news for your morning, afternoon or evening ritual. This delicious, anti-oxidant loaded, zero calorie beverage is, without doubt, one of the simplest, quickest and most effective ways to safe guard your health and promote overall wellness.
If drinking tea isn’t yet part of your daily routine, here are the top 9 reasons you should start:
Prevent Cancer
Improve Memory
Fortify Skin
Healthy Digestion
Mental Clarity & Alertness
Heart Support
Stronger Bones
Weight Management & Loss
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Perhaps you’re wondering what type of tea is best.
All of them! Green, black, oolong and white teas ALL provide wonderful health benefits AND soothing flavor. As with anything related to health, nutrition and fitness, variety is key, so treat your body to a sampling of them all!
If sensitivity to caffeine has steered you away from tea, go ahead and veer back over. Nearly every kind of tea now comes in decaffeinated form, leaving you free to reap the host of health benefits listed above without suffering from caffeine related side effects. It also leaves you free to enjoy a relaxing cup of tea in the evening, helping you unwind from the day and slip into a deep, restful night.
Yum! The holidays have such a delightful way of making everything cozier, warmer, and more intimate. To that end, here’s a tasty recipe for a homemade holiday spiced pumpkin latte. It’s so delicious, you might find yourself drinking them year round!
Holiday Spiced Pumpkin Latte
Ingredients
2 cups of Unsweetened Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
3 Tablespoons of pure pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon of natural vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
A sprinkle of cloves and nutmeg
2-3 drops of liquid Stevia
1 cup of strong coffee or ¾ cup espresso
Instructions
In a small sauce pan, mix together coconut or almond milk and pumpkin. Cook on medium heat on the stove top for 30-45 seconds.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, spices and sweetener. Place the mixture in a cup and use a frother to foam the milk. If you don’t have a frother, a blender works great. Blend for approximately 30 seconds, or until the desire foamy consistency is reached.
Pour coffee into a large mug, add the pumpkin mixture, and top it off with a dash of cinnamon.
And for those post-holiday, ‘get fit and lose weight’ resolutions, mark the calendar for the ‘New Year, New You 7 Day Detox’, which launches in January. Registration opens in December, so stay tuned for detailed information.
Ginger has long been used as an ancient, natural remedy to halt nausea and protect the body against colds and flu. If you’re a fan of ginger, you’ve most likely eaten it alongside sushi, Asian entree’s, or perhaps as a side garnish to a main dish. Ginger blends well with most vegetables and meat, but today we’re going to get wild and and turn it into an immunity-boosting tonic!
Ginger’s medicinal properties are numerous, and listed below are just a few conditions improved by drinking ginger tea.
Health Benefits of Ginger:
Increased Blood Circulation
Nausea Relief
Boost Immune System
Migraine Relief
Reduce Inflammation
Cold and Flu Prevention
Heartburn Relief
Ginger tea, made by steeping fresh, grated ginger root in boiling water, is a great way to take advantage of the health benefits and listed above. If you’re new to making your own tea, this recipe is simple, user-friendly, and delicious.
Detoxifying Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
4 1/8-inch slices fresh ginger
1 small sprig fresh rosemary or mint, or 2 strips of lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon raw, organic honey
Directions:
Pour water in cup. Add fresh ginger, rosemary, and honey. Stir to dissolve honey. Steep 5 minutes. Remove ginger and rosemary or, for intense ginger and rosemary flavor, leave in ginger and rosemary while sipping. Makes 1 serving.
*You can add various ingredients to your ginger tea based on your personal preferences. Feel free to combine it with green tea for a boost in antioxidants, or perhaps try dissolving bee pollen or other immune-boosting ingredients into the tea. Drink warm or store in the refrigerated for a chilled summer beverage.
For recipes like this and more, visit Eat Clean Health’s August Newsletter, and don’t forget to stay updated on the latest activity in the nutrition world by signing up for our monthly mailing!
What about food? When’s the last time you focused on food as a tool to nourish, support, and cleansethe toxins and stress from your life?
If it’s been too long since you’ve shown some love for yourself, it’s time to honor your body and avoid imbalance, excess weight, and inflammation. It’s time to get nourished. Let’s get started with a simple, nourishing beet juice recipe.
Nourishing Beet Juice
2 apples
1⁄2 beet
2 kale leaves
1 cucumber
3 celery stalks
If you don’t have a juicer, no problem! You can ‘juice’ without one!
How to Juice with your Blender:
1. Throw in your celery, cucumber, and a little water. Blend until its liquid.
2. Add in the rest of your fruits and veggies a little at a time, adding water as needed.
3. Blend.
4. Pour mixture into a nut sac or through a sieve and squeeze out the liquid into a large bowl, leaving the pulp behind.
Learn how to EAT and LIVE CLEANLY and learn what foods are IRRITATING your body and eliminate them.
Eating clean is a way of life, not a diet.
By joining the Group 7 Day Summer Detox you will learn to improve your digestion and your body will become alive and awake. The foundation of this detox is to NOT ever feel deprived or starved or even confused about what or what not to eat.
To register, simply head on over to Eat Clean Health’s 7 Day Cleanse, hit the ‘Registration’ button and get ready to look and feel your best!
Summer is here! And just like the New Year, the bikini-baring weather of summertime brings a renewed commitment to slimming down, looking great, and getting healthy. If your get-ready-for-summer plan includes shedding a few pounds of winter weight, incorporate the two summer smoothie recipes below to help to help you look and feel your sexiest!
When losing weight, always focus your efforts on properly fueling your body instead of relying on supplements, meal replacement bars, or processed shakes. Get healthy and slim by focusing your meals on WHOLE FOODS that nourish and energize you. Detoxing your body this way is the absolute best ways to slim down, reboot the digestive system and jump-start your health goals.
To get your body ready for summer, here are 2 of my favorite summer smoothies:
Blueberry-Cinnamon Smoothie
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 handful kale
1 Tablespoon raw, organic honey or stevia to taste (optional)
Directions: Add all ingredients to food processor, blend until smooth and drink up!
Refreshing Watermelon-Mint Smoothie
2 cups chopped watermelon
Handful of fresh mint leaves
2 cups strawberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley
Directions: Add all ingredients to food processor, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Whether you want to lose weight, increase energy, reduce cravings, or improve skin tone, each of these smoothies, found in Eat Clean Health’s WHOLE FOODS detox program, has been specifically designed to help you feel great, boost metabolism, and burn fat.
If you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, today is the day to go green! Learning to incorporate dark, leafy greens into the diet is essential to establishing good, strong health. Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K. They are loaded with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals.
One of the ABSOLUTE BEST ways to get your daily dose of greens is a green foods super smoothie. Feel free to mix and match ingredient to your liking, but this is my favorite:
Green Smoothie Recipe
1Cup Kale
2-3 Celery Stalks
½ Cup Chopped Cucumber
2 Ripe Kiwi, Cut in Chunks
Liquid Chlorophyll
1 Scoop Vibrant Health Green Vibrance Powder
2 Cups Green Tea
Add all ingredients to a Nutri-Bullet or blender and blend until smooth.
The chlorophyll and Vibrant Health powder is optional, but I highly recommend it for an extra boost of phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This green foods super smoothie is my daily go-to favorite; it’s the tastiest, healthiest, most delicious way to go green and thrive!
Though it’s been hotly debated in bars across the country, the results are in: drinking is good for you! Well, that may not be 100% accurate, but when it comes to wine, 1-2 glasses a day has been shown to have fantastic health benefits. As though you need a reason to sit back and drink up.
Lowers Risk of Heart Disease: The antioxidants in red wine, called polyphenols, reduce the risk of blood clotting by keeping blood vessels flexible.
Helps Control Blood Sugar: Resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to regulate blood sugar as well as lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Improves Brain Function: Resveratrol also hampers “the formation of beta-amyloid protein, a key ingredient in the plaque found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.” Enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner each night to keep your mind sharp.
Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Red wine has been shown to balance blood glucose and insulin levels, which significantly lowers the risk of developing diabetes.
Prevents Cancer: Apparently there’s nothing resveratrol can’t do. This compound has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the human body.
Slim Your Waistline: That’s right, drink up to stay slim! Resveratrol actually prevents the growth of fat cells in the body. Yes please!
Promotes Youthful Skin: Because of the high antioxidant levels found in grapes, having one glass of red wine daily helps fortify skin cells. Exercise moderation, though; too much alcohol has a dehydrating effect, causing skin to look dry and brittle.
Longer Life: Wine drinkers live longer than their beer drinking counterparts. If ever there was a reason to open a bottle and raise a toast, this is it!
Ingredients
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