Healthy Green Drinks: Anti-toxi-mint

Welcome back! So for my fourth post, I decided to make a green smoothie instead of a juice. It is called the Anti-toxi-mint smoothie from the book, The Healthy Green Drink Diet by Jason Manheim. I was just searching through my book for what juice I should make today and when I came across this smoothie, it had said this helps with skin, so I obviously had to try it out.

 

                   Ingredients:

                   4-5 mint leaves

                   ½ English cucumber

                  2 large leaves collard greens

                  ½ cup froze acai berries

                  1 kiwi (peeled)

                  1 lemon (juiced)

What I did for this smoothie first, was that I took some mint leaves, and washed them up so they'd be clean and put them into the blender. Then I did the same for the cucumber but I had chopped it up. For the collard greens, I also washed them and chopped them up because they are so large. Then I measured a half cup of frozen acai-berries and put those into the blender. After that I peeled up a kiwi, sliced, and put it into the blender along with some juiced lemon and water.

For this drink, the first green ingredient would be mint leaves. Many people don’t think of mint as being as beneficial for your health as they really are:“a fantastic remedy for upset stomachs from ailment such as IBS, indigestion, and other colonic issues” (Manheim 22). Upset stomach? You've got to try this out. But along with that, the main reason for why people add mint leaves in foods or drinks is because they want to add a burst of refreshing flavor just like I do. Moving on, the next major green in this drink is cucumber. I personally love cucumbers, but have only tried them in a drink once before . Cucumbers contain a lot of B vitamins, such as B1, B5, and B7. They also have a lot of water and fiber which are two of the most basic elements needed for healthy digestion. The last major green in this drink is collard greens. I have talked about collard greens in one of my past posts where I talked about how they contain many great vitamins and elements. Though according to Jason Manheim, they also have a bit of spiciness but otherwise they are pretty mild in terms of flavor. So more than adding flavor to your drink, they add many great health benefits. The next ingredient in this drink is acai berries. Acai berries are a superfood, so we already know that drink will be very beneficial to your health. “They are extremely high in antioxidants like anthocyanins and flavonoids” (Manheim 31). Acai berries protect your cells from damage that are caused by harmful molecules in the body. This was actually my first time trying acai berries and I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really like the taste. Though since I put them into my drink, they gave it a sort of tangy taste, which I did like. The next ingredient was kiwi, which I absolutely love. Kiwis are a very high source of vitamin C and they have many other benefits such as being a sleep inducer, helping with digestion, and helping your skin. The last ingredient in this drink was lemon. I don’t play around with lemon too much, unless if it’s necessary to add in something, because I usually tend to go a bit overboard with the amount I put in. Though, lemon does have many health benefits such as, helping with digestion, detoxification, rejuvenating the body, and boosting your energy and mood.

I actually really ended up liking this drink. While I was drinking it, it made me feel so refreshed and I also felt like toxins were being flushed out of me, which they were, hence the name, Anti-toxi-mint. If your trying to look for a drink that’s good and helps with getting out toxins from your body, I would recommend this one for sure!

What’s your favorite Anti-toxi-drink?

Manheim, Jason. The Healthy Green Drink Diet. New York, Skyhorse, 2012.