HOW TO GO ON A DAILY DETOX + GLOW DETOX SMOOTHIE

There are tons and tons of detox recipes out there. There are even 3, 5, or 7 day detox plans. The act of detoxing is great because you'll be getting rid of nasty little (and big) toxins in the body.

The concept of detoxing is daunting to some though because they think they'll feel deprived. Truth is that you will feel deprived if you approach it the wrong way. Quite frankly I think the word detox is thrown around so loosely that its lost its meaning, kind of like the word love.

I truly believe that a detox should be an everyday thing. Everything we ingest should aid in detoxification, that means eating foods high in alkaline & low in acid.

Our body functions on a pH scale, keep in mind these numbers 0-7-14. The lower the number the higher in acidic, the higher the number the higher in alkaline, and 7 is our natural balance of alkaline & acid. We want to keep our pH balanced and eat foods predominantly in the 6-8 range.

Don't get confused with acidic tasting fruits such as lemons, limes, or oranges. They taste acidic but are digested  as an alkaline.

Foods high in alkaline

• Fruits
• Sprouts
• Vegetables of all kinds (excluding starchy ones)

Foods high in acid

• Alcohol
• Animal Protein
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Caffeine
• Dairy Products
• Drugs (antibiotics, steroids)
• Nicotine
• Processed Foods
• Refined Sugar
• Soda

The benefits of one, three, or five, detoxes can be wonderful but the best kind of detox is the one where we constantly eat nutrient dense foods that will detoxify our body on a daily basis.

To help get you started on a daily detox I wanted to share with you my ultimate go to green smoothie.  This is my go to smoothie and like I tell Simon, I never go a morning without it.

I call it my GLOW SMOOTHIE.

Here are 5 easy detox changes you can make today to start feeling just a little bit better:

1. Drink hot water with lemon: As soon as you wake up, brew yourself a cup of hot water and squeeze some lemon juice into it. You'll hydrate with H2O and the lemon will help balance your pH.
2. Drink my go to GLOW smoothie (recipe below): After a few minutes of drinking your hot lemon water, drink this green smoothie. All the rich fiber present in the drink will not only help maintain your pH balance but also help keep you full throughout your morning routine and help you get in touch with true hunger vs. toxic hunger.
3. Eat more veggies & fruits: Keeping your diet consistently clean and full of natural foods is the easiest way to detox daily, everyone knows processed foods are bad for you. Shop on the outer edges of your grocery store where fresh & natural foods are vs. the middle section where most processed foods are kept.
4. Cook at home: When you cook at home you not only engage with others in your life but you'll also know exactly what goes into your food. For all we know Bubba the cook didn't wash his hands before he battered that deep fried fish. When cooking at home you make more mindful choices.
5. Sweat it out: Beyond fitness goals, sweating it out means exactly what it sounds like, sweating it out. When you sweat you'll eliminate toxins in your body from your sweat. Not one to workout? Try a sauna or steam room at the gym if you have access to it. For an extra boost of detoxing, try the sauna or steam room after a sweaty session! (But, make sure to hydrate properly!)

I really like to make a big batch of my glow smoothie and freeze them in the freezer in mason jars. I usually get about 3-5 days worth, depending on how much I make at one time. While it's better to drink the smoothie right away so that you get all the nutrients and minerals present, freezing a batch and getting a green smoothie in daily is better than not getting  a green smoothie. One batch of my smoothie recipe usually makes enough to fill 3 to 4 half pint mason jars.

GLOW DETOX SMOOTHIE

Author: Shape Up To Wake Up

Makes: 64 oz.

A naturally filling & detoxifying smoothie to help bring out a radiant glow. With its rich nutrient dense ingredients, when consumed at the start of your morning, this drink is a great way to make sure you get in your daily greens and start the day out right!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1 red or green apple, cored
• 1 pear, cored
• 1 ripe banana
• 2-4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-3 cups of water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Wash your produce thoroughly.
• Blend 1 cup of your water with the romaine lettuce and spinach.
• Blend the rest of your water with your apple, pear, banana, and lemon juice. Make sure to blend thoroughly to yield a smooth mixture.
• Pour the smoothie into mason jars (or whatever you'd like) and freeze the leftovers in the freezer so that you're always prepared for the next day.

See? A detox doesn't mean starving. A detox means cleansing your body of toxins and through great nutrition and fitness tips, you can begin your journey to detox daily.

If you have any other tips & tricks feel free to leave a comment below! I'd love to know what steps you take into daily detoxing!

xo,