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Reduce Bloat and Sugar Cravings with a Refreshing Veggie-Loaded Clean Green Smoothie

It’s officially been summer for, let’s see, less than five days but the reality is, I’ve been in summer celebration mode since May. It started with end-of-the-schoolyear festivities and has continued into the present with a revolving door of celebrations, dinners, drinks, events, parties, and more. That’s why summer is the best time of year … but also the hardest one to stay on track with clean eating.

Last week, I decided I needed a little reset. My sugar cravings (which are barely under control on a good day) were hitting a level that I was uncomfortable with, and I knew I needed a detox to get back on track.

The best way to detox from sugar and reduce the sugar bloat in your body? Go green.

Yes, I committed to a full week of a “veggie challenge” — eating vegetables at every meal and snack. (I aim for a minimum of a half-cup five times a day; if I’m a little under the portion at one meal or snack, I double up later in the day.)

There’s nothing like overloading your system with the nutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and of course, water from vegetables to detoxify and flush your system. It can be a challenge to get so many vegetables in on a daily basis, so I rely on smoothies in the morning, to combine a bit of sweetness with the nutrient powerhouse punch.

My green detox smoothie recipe has 3.5 cups of green vegetables in it, plus half an avocado for healthy fat. Chia seeds and ground flax seed provide the protein to keep you energized and satisfied at the same time. Lemon and ginger are powerful detoxifying agents that help to flush toxins from the body, and they provide a perfect flavor balance to the spinach and cucumber. All the veggies are offset with the sweet-tart flavor of a Granny Smith apple and frozen pineapple. Pineapple is a natural diuretic with powerful properties to flush your digestive system, and its natural sweetness means no added sugar is necessary for a great taste.

As a meal or snack that happens to be vegan and dairy-free, this green smoothie is refreshing and filling at the same time. After drinking one daily for four days, I could see some of the water weight coming off (because, uhhh, you go to the bathroom a lot when you eat so many veggies), especially in my stomach — the first place the sugar bloat affects me.

I like the taste of this clean green smoothie so much that I think I’ll be incorporating it into my weekly menu all summer long. Let’s face it, I’m probably going to need the detox effect again before the summer is over.

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Green Detox Smoothie

Vegan | Dairy-free | No added sugar | Clean

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp chia seeds, soaked in 1 cup of water for 5-15 minutes
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 green apple (chopped)
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/4 avocado
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/3 cup cucumber, sliced (sliced or chopped)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

Instructions

1. Soak 2 Tbsp of chia seeds in 1 cup of cold water, at least 5 minutes.

   

2. Cut apple and cucumber coarsely for easier blending.

   

3. Add soaked chia seeds with water to high-speed blender or food processor, and add ground flax seed on top.

   

4. Then add chopped cucumber and apple to blender.

   

5. Next, avocado.

   

6. Then spinach, lemon juice, and ginger.

   

7. Blend on high speed until fully combined and smooth. If blender is not blending smoothly, add 1/2 cup water.

   

8. Add frozen pineapple chunks and blend again until integrated.

   

9. Serve immediately. Recipe makes enough for 1 full meal serving (18 ounces) and 1 half-portion snack serving (10 ounces).

   

Recipe Notes

• When blending large quantities of veggies into smoothies, a high-powered blender is preferable to a food processor because the resulting texture is smoother and silkier with fewer vegetable “chunks”.
• Now that I’ve converted to my entry-level Vitamix model, I can’t use anything else. You can also get one refurbished on Amazon!
• If you don’t want to buy ginger root and grate it yourself, buy already-grated ginger that’s sold refrigerated in the produce section. It lasts in the fridge forever.
• I pour my snack portion directly into a plastic Solo cup, cover it with a sandwich bag, and put it in the freezer for later. When I want to eat it, I defrost and go.

Take a look at the color! My husband referred to it as “mutagen,” so I tried to sell the boys on trying a sip. Let’s just say they, um, declined with regret. That didn’t stop me from drinking it right down.

What’s your favorite fruit for smoothies? Tell me in the comments below, share on social media with #NeverDoneWithFun and tag me to be featured in my Stories if you try this recipe yourself!

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Looking for another refreshing summer detox smoothie (without the veggies, maybe?) Try my watermelon-chia detox recipe!