Detoxing Your Body With Green Food

Detoxing your body with green food could be the new big thing this year. According to one of the UK’s top luxury food retailers people are really starting to associate green food with health and they are soon launching an all green fruit salad and a green vegetable slaw.

They have already launched a kale & sprout juice which took off well before Christmas and will be launching a green drink of apples, mint, pea and lime this month.

According to one of their food developers people have only just started seeking out green food. Before that they say we have all been put off green food by childhood memories of overcooked greens.

A buyer for another major food retailer has said that they have seen a huge increase in sales of another green food, Cavolo Nero, also known as Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, dinosaur kale and black cabbage. The leaves range from very dark green to almost black.

So, why are green foods so healthy?

Green fruit and vegetables are particularly rich in chlorophyll, vital anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals and phyto-nutrients that your body cells needs to function and detox efficiently. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, increases blood-cell production, and improves oxygenation, detoxification and circulation.

Although there has been a lot of hype about chlorophyll studies have shown that it helps to detox your body of environmental toxins, heavy metals, herbicides, and pesticides.

Heavy metal toxicity can be an underlying cause of many conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, cancer, immune system dysfunction, damage to the central nervous system, damaged adrenals, depression, anxiety, multiple chemical sensitivities, and more.

Green cruciferous veg contain unique phytochemicals that detoxify compounds, and prevent toxic compounds from binding to human DNA, preventing them from causing DNA damage that could lead to cancer.

Cruciferous veg contain natural chemicals that stimulate both Phase 1 & Phase 2 liver detox enzymes. One known as indole-3-carbinol is a very active stimulant of detoxifying enzymes in the gut as well as the liver.

Green cruciferous veg include broccoli, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, chard, collards, arugula, bok choy, mustard greens, watercress, turnip greens and arugula (rocket). Plenty to chose from.

Green foods are alkalizing. Although experts have said that the body’s pH is not influenced but diet,  green foods do contain essential alkaline minerals such as magnesium, potassium and natural sodium which are often lacking in people who eat a processed food diet.

Green foods are also  low in calories and fat but contain soluble dietary fiber essential for healthy bowels and elimination of toxins that the liver has incorporated into the bile.

Detoxing Your Body With Green Foods

Think you don’t like green foods? Preconceived ideas may cause you to turn up your nose before you even taste a particular food. Changing the appearance and texture of certain foods can make all the difference so I hope that these recipes could help change your mind about green foods if you think you don’t like them!

Green Detox Smoothies

Green smoothies are a great way of getting more green leaves into your diet. The late Dr Ann Wigmore is credited with inventing Green Smoothies as long ago as 1988 which she called Energy Soup. It was a detoxifying mixture of baby greens, bean sprouts, avocado, apple, seaweed and rejuvelac. For many this is an acquired taste.

Now, thanks to health researcher Victoria Boutenko, thousands of people are drinking a simplified green smoothie made from green leaves and fruit.

If you don’t like the taste of greens, a green smoothie is a good way of getting them into your diet as the sweetness of the fruit disguises the taste of the greens. You can start off with 60% fruit and 40% green leaves but aim for 60% green leaves and 40% fruit once you get used to the taste.

Try green fruit such as kiwi, apples, avocados, grapes, lime, melon and green mango and green leaves such as romaine lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, Bok choy, arugula, dandelion greens (can be a bit bitter) beet greens, turnip greens and micro-greens.

If you’ve never tried a green smoothie before it’s best to start off with the milder tasting greens like spinach or lettuce.

Kiwi-Mango Green Smoothie with Mint Leaves   (from Incredible Smoothies)

Ingredients

1 small organic cucumber, with peel, chopped into chunks
3 kiwifruits, peeled if not organic
1 green apple, cored
3 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed
8 ounces of unsweetened almond milk

Directions

Put all ingredients into your blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into serving glass and drink slowly.

Green Detox Juice  (recipe by Michele Foley Fitness Editor of Pop Sugar)

Fresh green juices are another good way of getting detox nutrients into your body. Juice needs no digesting so the nutrients get absorbed straight into your blood stream. Drink a freshly made juice first thing in the morning and feel the boost.

Ingredients

1/2 bunch organic baby spinach
1 handful watercress
1/2 organic lemon, peeled
1 celery stalk
2 organic green apples, cored
1 inch slice of fresh ginger, peeled

Directions

Put all ingredients through your juicer and pour into a tall serving glass. Sip slowly.

Green Detox Soup

This Green Detox soup is packed with nutrients and is ideal to help keep you healthy during the winter months, plus it’s quick and easy to make!

Green Winter Detox Soup                                                                                                         
(adapted from a recipe by Carolyn Akens)

(Makes 2-3 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 leeks, cleaned & sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chpped
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon Celtic or Himalyan salt
½ cup fresh basil leaves
Black pepper to taste
Handful of pumpkin seeds (garnish)

Directions

Melt coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Sauté leeks and garlic gently for 3 minutes.
Add stock, broccoli, and ½ cup peas and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, allow to cool a little and place mixture in blender with basil leaves.
Pulse the soup mixture to desired texture.
Pour soup back into the pan and add the rest of the peas.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Warm gently and pour into serving bowls.
Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Green Veggie Slaw  ( adapted from a recipe on au.lifestyle)

We usually think of slaw as being made with cabbage but I came across this unusual green slaw recipe . You could use some thinly sliced hard cabbage instead of the fennel if you prefer. I’ve added broccoli sprouts because they are so good for detoxing environmental pollutants.

Ingredients

100g sugar snap peas
100g snow peas
1 bunch asparagus, halved horizontally
1 small fennel, thinly sliced
1 bunch arugula (rocket)
Handful broccoli sprouts

Dressing

2 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 1 organic lemon
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 small garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped

Directions

Blanch peas and asparagus in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain. Cool quickly in iced water. Drain well again.
Using a sharp knife, shred the vegetables into into thin strips.
Combine with fennel and arugula (rocket).

To prepare the dressing, place the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a jar and shake until the ingredients combine and thicken. Pour half of the dressing over the slaw mixture and combine gently. Place slaw in serving dish and top with broccoli sprouts. Serve remaining dressing separately.

Green Detox Salad (based on a recipe by Katya)

This delicious salad contains some additional detox veg besides the greens. Beet (beetroot) and radish are both good liver detoxifiers.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

4 cups baby spinach/mixed salad greens
2 cooked beets,(beetroot) peeled and diced (1/2 inch)
½ bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on a slant.
4 large radishes, sliced
1 organic granny smith apple, cored, halved and sliced
½ cup sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
2 green onions (spring onions), trimmed and chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice
Celtic or Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place spinach or salad greens, beets, asparagus, radishes, apple, snap peas, and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

You can cook the aspargus before slicing if you prefer. Cook in boiling water for 3 – 5 minutes until just tender then plunge into ice cold water to stop further cooking and preserve the green color.

The great thing about green foods apart from detoxing your body is that they are low calorie and low in carbs so you can eat as much of them as you like without worrying about putting on weight. Detoxing doesn’t have to be about restrictive diets and deprivation. Factoring some green foods into your diet can be an easy way to help your body detox. There are numerous options to choose from, and they can easily be incorporated into meals.

Do you already eat a lot of green foods or will you try to increase them now?  Have you tried green juices or green smoothies? Which do you prefer?