By Tannis McLaren N.D.

Spring has sprung and it’s so instinctual that we start to open our windows to air out the house, we clean out our closets and start thinking of a new fresh wardrobe. But for some reason, we forget that our bodies who have worked so hard through a long cold winter need some cleaning too.

Green foods are one of the best foods for cleansing. If you think of what is growing right now, it’s green i.e. asparagus, lettuce, sprouts, etc. This is by far my favorite green drink. I have a vita-mixer (the most amazing blender) but you can do it in a regular blender too but it just won’t be as smooth. And remember, if you don’t have all of the ingredients then just substitute it for something else i.e. lettuce for spinach, collards for kale.

1                   Banana

1                   Apple, cored and cut into chunks

1                   Pear, cored and cut into chunks

1                    Lemon, juiced

3 – 4             Lettuce or spinach leaves, rinsed

3 – 4             Kale leaves, rinsed

1/4 cup        Parsley leaves

2 – 3 tbsp.    Fresh mint leaves

2 – 3 cups     Water

  • Remove the tough stems from the kale and break the kale into pieces. Place the banana, apple, pear, lemon juice, and water into the blender. Blend on high, stopping as needed to push the fruit down.
  • Add the lettuce or spinach, kale, parsley and mint leaves; blend again until very smooth. Add more water if needed and blend until completely smooth.