Hello! I hope you’re having a good day!  Welcome to 2016, I hope the year has started for you as kindly as it has me.  In light of a new year and to follow on with my love of fruits and vegetables, I want to share with you a magic potion I like to call ‘Natural Healing Wonderer’s Super Green Goodness’ I make for myself and my partner in the mornings.  There is nothing like a nutrient packed glass of goodness to freshen you up and to set you off for a beautiful day ahead.

 Ingredients – per person

• 1 cup of kale
•  ½ cucumber
•  ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon of fresh turmeric – chopped or minced
• A pinch of black pepper
• A few parsley leaves
• 1.5 cups of coconut water (more can be added if preferred)

 Method

• Add everything to the blender and hit go until smooth
• Enjoy!

Now for the why:

Kale – The superfood containing more antioxidants per bite than any other fruit or vegetable.  Kale is high in vitamin A, C and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.  A number of studies have found lutein and zeaxanthin to be important antioxidants essential for eye health in the prevention of cataracts and age related macular degeneration blindness.  Lutein itself has also been shown to very beneficial in preventing against colon cancer. 

Turmeric – An ancient spice recently understood to be very beneficial to the body thanks to its powerful medicinal active ingredient; curcumin.  Curcumin has been shown to be an antioxidant (comparable to vitamin C and E), an anti-inflammatory, an anti-fungal and an anti-viral; furthermore, it has been shown to lower blood sugar levels, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol (often referred to as bad cholesterol because it transports and deposits cholesterol and other lipids to peripheral tissues) while increasing HDL cholesterol (often referred to as good cholesterol because it opposes the depositing role of LDL cholesterol in the peripheral tissues;  HDL carries cholesterol and other lipids from the peripheral tissues to the liver which is then excreted into bile or excreted via bile into human waste).

• Please note it is suggested that turmeric should not be taken by those with diabetes and/or hypoglycaemia and/or those taking other herbs/drugs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol as research supports its ability to lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. 
• Finally turmeric is known to thin the blood and therefore should not be taken up to a week before any surgery.

 Black Pepper – It is understood that turmeric is better absorbed alongside black pepper.

Coconut water – It tastes nice.  No really, coconut water is pretty amazing are you ready:-

• It contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7 and B9 (folate) all of which are essential for energy production and are required in higher amounts during periods of stress;
• It is a natural electrolyte containing inorganic ions including calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and sodium making it perfect to rehydrate after a workout or big night;
• It contains a wide range of amino acids essential for many important bodily functions; and finally
• It includes the phytohormones (plant hormones) cytokinins; particularly kinetin and trans-zeatin, both of which have been shown to have strong anti-aging effects on the human skin.  Kinetin is also a strong antioxidant protecting the body against oxidative damage; and Trans-zeatin has been shown to treat neural diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Cucumber – Generally 96% of cucumber is made up of water, making it again extremely hydrating to the body and on the basis that it contains vitamins A, B and C as well as the minerals potassium, magnesium, sulphur and silicon it is also highly regarded for skin health and hair growth not to mention an efficient regulator for blood pressure, cholesterol and body temperature. 

 Lemon juice – I originally added lemon just to give it a bit of a zing but it actually contains a huge range of vitamins including A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 (Folate) C and E; minerals including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc and antioxidant phytonutrients (plant nutrients) including flavonoids proven to be beneficial for human health.

Parsley – It contains vitamin C, beta carotene and vitamin B9 and has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant which protects against free radicals again preventing oxidative damage.

• Please note parsley contains oxalic acid which has been associated with an increased risk of forming kidney stones so if you have, have had or are susceptible to kidney stones it’s probably worth skipping the parsley. 

 I promise you this cup of goodness tastes great so why not give it a try, you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of life to gain. 

 Enjoy.

 WellWithNature xxx