How To Make a Detox Smoothie

How To Make a Detox Smoothie

Learn how to make a daily detox smoothie!

Today I’m going to show you how to make a detox smoothie! Using the natural cleansing power of plants, herbs, fruits and vegetables, you can help cleanse the body and strengthen the body’s healing mechanisms in a delicious daily detox smoothie.

Why do you need a detox smoothie?

The body has wonderful and extremely hard-working detoxification systems in place. There’s 7 main pathways to expel toxic chemicals: lungs, liver, colon, kidneys, skin, blood and lymphatic system. In very basic terms, breathing, sweating, peeing and poo-ing are the processes that flush toxins from our bodies. So if our body has these systems in place, why would we need to take matters into our own hands like drinking a daily detox smoothie? I’m so glad you asked 🙂

Studies show that 100% of human fat cell biopsies contain elevated levels of known toxins (source). 100%! That means you and and I are carrying excess toxins in our system that our body hasn’t eliminated.

Today, there’s over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce.  Four billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment each year, with 72 million of those pounds being known carcinogens (source). What the heck!!!!

So here’s the problem: Most of these synthetic chemicals don’t leave our bodies easily. We were not designed to process and eliminate modern lab-made chemicals so the body has a lot of trouble removing things like pesticides, artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and volatile organic compounds to name a few. They aren’t flushed out quickly or fully.  And what’s particularly disturbing to me and the reason some of these chemicals are so dangerous is that they attach themselves to organs like the brain, heart and thyroid, fatty tissues and cells, even inside our bones. Over time, these accumulated toxins literally wreak havoc on our health. Many of these toxins even get passed from mother to baby.

These stored toxic chemicals are not only harming our body, but they are actually preventing our bodies from detoxifying properly. When we have accumulated toxins in our system, the body is constantly fighting just to stay healthy and the major detox organs like our liver and kidneys can’t focus on their main job of removing toxins! The more toxic chemicals we are exposed to, the more we reduce our body’s natural cleansing abilities.  

Many of us are living with decades of accumulated toxins in our system and are feeling the consequences. I know I was! And because these chemicals get passed from mother to baby, the kids of today are coming into this world with an alarming amount of toxins and are sicker than ever. 

What You Can Do

Knowing about toxins and how they are impacting our health sounds a little scary, but the truth is, there’s a lot we can do to limit our exposure to these harmful toxins! And no, we don’t have to go off the deep end into the crazy pool or live in a bubble 🙂 There’s very simple daily habits we can do that can make a big difference!

Due to the of the growing number of chemicals we are exposed to every day, we’d be smart to begin to change some of our lifestyle habits so we can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that come into our lives (choosing better options of what we put in and on our bodies is the best place to start – see also THIS list of 30 habits to thrive…it’s at the bottom of that post). It would also be in our best interest to to keep our main detoxification pathways healthy and functioning optimally and to help our body cleanse these toxins naturally.

When I started making a conscious effort to rid myself and my home of toxins and to strengthen my body’s detox pathways, I noticed a huuuuuuuuge difference in my health:

• My hormones that were ridiculously out of whack are now balanced
• I have a much easier time maintaining a healthy weight
• my low blood sugar issues that I dealt with since I was 11 are nonexistent
• my daily aches and pains are eliminated
• my dry, flaky skin is now balanced, healthy, and glowing
• my daily headaches and sinus pressure are gone
• my energy has drastically increased
• my digestion is a night and day difference

By the way, I am not a fan of these quick 10-day, 3-day, whatever-day detoxes. Most of them provide little, if any value to help solve the problem. They also give people a false sense that by consuming something for that small timeframe can somehow eliminate toxins that have accumulated over years and years. The key to effectively get rid of these toxins is by changing a few of your daily habits.

Drink a Daily Detox Smoothie!

That’s where the daily detox smoothie comes in! It’s such a simple daily habit and an easy way to gently cleanse toxins from the body and strengthen the body’s detox pathways.  It can make a big difference in your health! 

You can pack so much nutrition in one smoothie – disease fighting leafy greens, detoxifying herbs, antioxidant rich fruits, healthy fats for brain and hormone health and quality protein to keep the body lean and strong. Plus you can have a lot of fun coming up with your own flavor combos! The possibilities are endless….chocolate raspberry, apple pie, peaches ‘n cream….. 🙂 

I drink my daily detox smoothie every afternoon and have been doing so for quite a few years – it’s so filling that it can serve as a meal replacement shake, too!

How To Make a Detox Smoothie

Detox Smoothie Step 1: Start with organic leafy greens

Leafy greens are at the top of the list of crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides and herbicides (source) so I always recommend choosing organic when you shop for your greens. For convenience, I buy frozen bags of organic spinach. Costco carries a large box of fresh organic spinach for a great price, too!  If you are new to detox smoothies, I suggest starting out with spinach because it’s very mild and you won’t ever taste it. 

Detox Smoothie Step 2: Add your fruit

Fruits are packed full of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants that are so important for the immune system and for optimal detoxification (& great for skin health, too!). In a detox smoothie, you want to aim for a 1:1 ratio of fruits to greens. If you’re including really bitter greens in your smoothie, you may find that you need more fruit to mask the bitter taste. Again, choose organic whenever possible.  I like to use frozen organic bagged fruit to make it super easy. Costco also carries a big bag of mixed organic fruits that is perfect for smoothies.

If organic isn’t in the budget, consider choosing these fruits because they contain the least pesticide residue (source): 

• cantaloupe
• grapefruit
• kiwi
• pineapple
• papaya
• mango

Detox Smoothie Step 3: Choose a liquid

My personal favorite is coconut milk. I love the taste and creaminess of coconut milk and I especially love that it is rich in healthy fats to help me absorb all the nutrients in my smoothie. Other healthy liquid options are:

• almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• coconut water
• kombucha or probiotic beverage (like THIS easy probiotic recipe that’s great for strengthening digestion)
• kefir
• or even just plain water!

Detox Smoothie Step 4: Don’t forget the healthy fats!

This is an important step that many people miss when making a detox smoothie. There are a ton of wonderful nutrients in your smoothie and some of those nutrients require fat to be absorbed into the body. Fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, K, lycopene and beta-carotene are just some of the nutrients that require fat to be absorbed. If you forget to add a small amount of fat, you’ll only absorb a fraction of the amazing nutrients in your smoothie! So don’t be afraid to add in some healthy fats. Not only will adding them in keep you full, but healthy fats actually boost metabolism and are great for hormone, skin and brain health, too! Some of my favorite healthy fats are avocado, flaxseeds and chia seeds, nuts, coconut oil and coconut milk.

Detox Smoothie Step 5: Supercharge it!

Supercharging your smoothie with a few powerful detoxifying foods is always a great idea! If you’re dealing with a specific issue, finding herbs and spices traditionally known to help your problem and adding them into your daily detox smoothie is a wonderful way of restoring balance and health to the body. 

Here are some of my favorite detoxifying and healing super foods, a brief description of how they may help you and the suggested amount to put in your daily detox smoothie. 

(Note: You don’t have to use all of these superchargers at one time! I typically pick a few at a time and rotate them. My go-to’s that I almost always use are: collagen, maca powder, ground flaxseed, matcha and spirulina.)

• Matcha – cleanses the body, boosts metabolism (1-2 teaspoons). I use THIS.
• Ground Flaxseed – helps the body release toxins (1 tablespoon). I use THIS.
• Maca Powder – wonderful for hormone health and energy (2 teaspoons). I use THIS.
• Spirulina – a great detoxifier (1/2 – 1 teaspoon). I use THIS.
• Collagen Protein – helps heal the digestive system, THIS kind is a high quality option and a good source of protein, also wonderful for healthy skin, joints, bones (2 tablespoons) *Use code PRIMALLYINSPIRED10 for 10% off and free shipping 🙂
• Ginger – strengthens digestion to help eliminate toxins better (1/2 – 1 teaspoon)
• Chia Seeds – provides an energy boost and good source of omegas, fiber and antioxidants (1 tablespoon). I use THIS.
• Turmeric – powerful anti-inflammatory and cleansing spice, great for joints and especially great for those with arthritis (1/2 teaspoon)
• Cinnamon – helps keep blood sugar levels stable (1/2 teaspoon)
• Avocado – provides healthy fats (1/4 – 1/2 avocado)
• Fresh parsley – wonderful cleansing herb (2 tablespoons, chopped)
• Raw Cacao Powder – very antioxidant rich and adds that delicious chocolate flavor to your detox smoothie 🙂 (1 tablespoon). I use THIS.
• Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil or Pumpkin Seed Oil – provides healthy fats, rich in nutrients and boosts metabolism (1 tablespoon). 
• Raw Hemp Seeds – good source of protein, minerals and amino acids (1 tablespoon) I use THIS.

Detox Smoothie Recipe (Printable):

How To Make a Detox Smoothie

 

Author:

Kelly from Primally Inspired

Serves: 1 serving

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Detox Smoothie Recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup leafy greens, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup fruit, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup liquid of choice (I use THIS coconut milk)
• Superchargers of choice (see notes section for some good options and don't forget to pick one of the fats so you can absorb the fat-soluble nutrients!)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth! If your fruit or leafy greens aren't frozen, I suggest adding in a few ice cubes, too.

Notes

Optional Supercharger options:
1- 2 teaspoons matcha
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons maca powder
1/2 teaspoon spirulina
2 tablespoons or 2 scoops collagen protein
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 avocado
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon olive oil, avocado oil or pumpkin seed oil
1 tablespoon raw hemp seeds

3.4.3177

More Simple Daily Habits to Detox Toxins & Strengthen Detox Pathways:

Infrared Sauna – Read my experience using one HERE (it healed my chronic neck pain when nothing else worked!). It’s also the very best way to eliminate toxins like pesticides and heavy metals. 

Do It Yourself Lymphatic Massage – only takes 2 minutes!

Liver Pills – a simple supplement that made a huge difference for me! 

Turmeric Tea – wonderful tea that helps boost liver and digestive health.

Easy Probiotic Drink Recipe – super easy way to strengthen digestion.

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil – I’ve experienced wonderful benefits from oil pulling every morning. It’s a gentle way to cleanse toxins from the body.

I’d love to hear any success stories from those who have made a conscious effort to rid themselves of toxins! Reading the personal stories are my favorite 🙂 Or if you have any of your own smoothie “superchargers” that you add into your smoothie that I haven’t covered, let me know that, too! 

Pin Detox Smoothie How to HERE: