Spring into SPRING!

It's official: Spring has sprung!  We're so excited about the warmer weather, longer days and blossoms on the trees…but the thing that makes us want to jump for joy is SPRING PRODUCE!

The bounties of this season are not only tasty, they're full of nutrients and many seasonal fruits and veggies are detoxifying too.  So if you're like us and feeling the need to cleanse and detoxify but want to continue on life as usual, just incorporate some of the below spring produce into your diets.

Without any further adieu, the following is our Spring into Spring produce recommendations:

Cruciferous veggies (aka broccoli, kale, cauliflower, collards, etc)

These delicious veggies are not only jam packed with cancer-fighting nutrients they help clear up the liver’s detoxification pathways and can even support the body in eliminating fat.

Garlic

Green garlic (looks a lot like large green onions) is not only a gourmet treat; it’s an antibiotic that can reduce toxins in the body.  Similarly to cruciferous veggies, it’s a powerhouse at detoxifying the liver.

Artichokes

These beautiful flowers are not only fun to eat-they’re incredibly healthy.  Artichokes support the body in digesting fats and purifying the liver.  If you’re feeling extra daring you can drink the left over artichoke water (the water that you used to cook the artichokes in) as this water is incredibly high in antioxidants and very cleansing for the digestive tract.

Beets

These sweet and earthy roots are loaded with B vitamins, beta carotene, calcium and iron, all of which help with detoxification of the digestive tract and gallbladder.

Strawberries

Representing dessert in our top five is the perfectly delicious STRAWBERRY! We all know that they’re loaded with anti-oxidants but did you know that they’re an incredible source of vitamin C? Vitamin C is an important part of detoxifying the body as it removes fat deposits from the arteries.

So next time you’re at the market, don’t forget to load up your cart with these seasonal gems, your taste buds and your health will thank you!

Spring Clean YOU!

If you read last week's PeasPerspective, hopefully you were inspired to spring clean and give your kitchen a makeover!  Now that your cupboards are organized, your pantry is filled with pure, clean food and your fridge is stocked with fresh spring produce - it’s time to spring clean YOU!  This is the perfect time of year to clean out your body and re-set your metabolism by utilizing all the amazing seasonal produce that naturally helps your body spring clean.

A spring cleanse can be whatever you want it to be; some people juice, some make smoothies, some eat nothing but grapefruit, some go vegan. There are no rules when it comes to a cleanse, it’s just important to listen to your body and do what works for you.  Here at Peas of Mind, we’re doing a simple weeklong spring cleanse that consists of adding in purifying produce into our usual diet and eliminating sugar.  It's time to clean up all of the mess from the past year so that we can shed our winter skin and enjoy the new season!

Here is an example of a day on our Spring Cleanse:

Spring in your step morning smoothie: 

• 1 grapefruit peeled (Cleanses the body of heavy metals, viruses and cholesterol. Detoxifies the liver, blood and intestines.)
• 1 apple cored (Helps eliminate toxic build up.)
• 4 kale leaves (Powerful antioxidants rids the body of harmful substances.)
• ½ cup of blueberries (Acts as an antibiotic and helps protect your brain.)
• squeeze of lemon (Detoxifies the liver.)
• ½ cup of ice
• ½ cup of almond milk 

Salad of Champions (We recommend making a HUGE salad of all your favorite produce but here are a few of our favorite foods that help with cleansing):

• watercress (Eliminate carcinogens from the body.)
• legumes (Regulates blood sugar, cleanses the intestines and has anti-cancer properties.)
• celery (Detoxifies the body of free radicals and helps alkalize the body.)
• beets (Detoxifies intestines and liver.)
• seaweed...we prefer dried nori, sprinkled on the top of the salad. (Eliminate Radio active waste and heavy metals from the body.)

Dressing of Champions (Again, these are just some great additions to help boost the health properties of your dressing):

• flaxseed oil (An amazing source of Omega-3 fatty acid which is an incredible full body cleaner.)
• lemon
• turmeric (Comes in a powder form, cleanses the body of viruses and antioxidants has cancer and arthritis fighting properties; detoxifies the liver.)

Garlic Fries (A great side dish while cleansing to alleviate any feelings of deprivation):

• Cauliflower Veggie Wedgies (fat-free and vegan and contain one serving of veggies)
• garlic (Cleanses respiratory tract as well as eliminates bacteria and parasites from the blood and intestines. In)
• parsley (Cleanses the kidneys and boosts the immune system)
• olive oil (Controls inflammation and boosts the immune system)