Holiday Detox Superfoods! Get Your GGGGGGs!

Groovy Detox Superfoods are especially important while and after treating ourselves to so many treats! And who doesn't want to be healthy as they move into the new year?!

Healthy Foods that Begin with G

During the holidays it's nice to have some helpers on our side as we happily indulge (no guilt please!)!

Remember the letter G, and you'll be good to go!

GRAPEFRUIT and other citrus fruits are rich vitamin C, which travels through your body removing toxins!

Try fennel and orange salad :) or some homemade OJ!

GARLIC activates enzymes in the liver that filter junk out of our bodies!

Lots of fresh-you garlic recipes or what about Spicy Vodka Pasta -- Healthy Version?

GREENS such as spinach and kale and broccoli are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet!

Dr Oz's Tangy Green Drink
Pine Nut Kale Salad (You Might Never Cook Kale Again!)
Lemony Kale Pasta

GREEN TEA (hot or cold!) "Green tea's detoxifying properties have links to weight reduction and fat burning, and they can fight bacteria, liver disease, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease." -- from www.ehow.com

Check out some green tea benefits!

GINGER helps relieve inflammation caused by toxins!

Try some No-Bake Carrot Cake or some of Dr Oz's Tangy Green Drink or Tasty Tofu Stir-Fry (Hubby Approved!)

Tasty Tofu Stir-Fry Contains garlic, spinach AND ginger!

COMMENTS: What did you indulge in this holiday season?  For me it was Christmas cookies!  Holy moly, more than I have have in the last few years! Very fun, but next year, I want to do better applying my savoring techniques!

Cool Off with Iced Green Tea!

Iced GREEN TEA is a wonderful way to cool off, HYDRATE, energize, and get HEALTHY!

I love the slow caffeine infusion that comes from green tea!
It's naturally lower in caffeine than other teas, so you have to drink more (better hydration!) to get more caffeine :)

It gives STEADY ENERGY ALL DAY!

For some caffeine comparison see chart below :)

This generally what I do with some notes!

Iced Green Tea

• Boil some water in a kettle.
• Wait a few minutes (green tea steeps and tastes best with hot, not boiling, water).
• I use the brand Costco carries (Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Blend) which gets super reviews from amazon.com for authenticity, which I think is lucky for me, and other Costco shoppers!)
• Add 4-6 tea bags to a mug of water to steep for 30 seconds! (another bit that's different for green tea).
• Most other teas are best with a steep time of around 3 min.
• Do not discard tea pouches.
• Prepare a pitcher of ice water, lots of ice, about a quart of water, AND the powder remaining in each of the tea bag pouches.
• Add hot tea to pitcher, and enjoy!

Update: An even easier way!

• Empty the powder from the tea pouch and the tea bag into a large cup - I find an old sauce jar makes a nice drinking glass; great to REUSE things!
• Fill the glass with 24oz cold water
• Your cold green tea will be ready shortly; I don't even set a timer, though it's one of the first things I do in the morning, so it's sitting there ready to drink. My son will often drink a cup if it is there! So, I usually make two each day.
• I drink it once, and then fill again with water, for a second weaker serving of green tea.

Click on image below for BENEFITS of GREEN TEA.

Caffeine is so helpful to our bodies in MANY WAYS! Here is a look at how much caffeine you get from different sources :)

Caffeine Content

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Five Coffee Tricks [to decrease caffeine intake BESIDES switching to green tea!]

BONUS TIP from the Dr Oz Show: if you're interested in humidity, key in on DEW POINT (at 70 degrees or higher, it will feel really humid) during weather reports. Humidity is NOT the number to look for, since it varies quite a bit depending on temperature and precipitation. Therefore, there isn't an ideal percentage to hope for if you prefer less sticky days.  In Cleveland, OH, we're very familiar with sticky days!