If you're looking to jump-start your weight loss or simply improve your overall health and wellness, a cleanse can be a great way to go about that.
Special guest and nutritionist, JJ Smith, has nearly perfected a 10-day cleanse which not only helps with weight loss, but can help you reach varying goals such as anti-aging, athletic performance, beauty, bones and joints, detoxification... just to name a few.
After much trial and error, JJ figured out the best combinations for each of these benefits, while making them taste good too. Which, is obviously very important if you're going to stick to the 10-day cleanse.
She joins Andrea and Lisa to answer some key questions about how the cleanse works and what you can expect in terms of results.
What are some of the ins and outs of the cleanse?
First and foremost, says JJ, it's NOT a starvation diet. Every day you're drinking green smoothies for breakfast and lunch, and for your dinner, you'll eat a clean meal filled with lots of protein. Now, if you want to accelerate your weight loss a bit, you could also do smoothies for dinner.
There is also a long list of approved snacks, such as hard-boiled eggs, nuts and seeds, that you can nosh on throughout the day in order to feel full and nourished.
What are some of the benefits?
Weight loss is a big one, of course. But you'll also achieve mental clarity and improved digestion, not to mention the beauty benefits of healthier hair, skin and nails. Plus, this cleanse essentially "retrains" your taste buds in a way that you'll want to continue eating healthy long past the 10 days.
What sorts of "tools" do you need to embark on this cleanse?
A simple blender should do the trick... you don't need to spend a huge amount of money on something like the high-powered Vitamix (unless it's something you really want to continue for the years to come). The most important thing to keep in mind is that for ease, you'll want to use a blender that's at least 1000 watts. You can still use a blender that's less powerful than that; it just means you'll have to blend longer (from 30 seconds to two minutes).
Some cleanses and juice/smoothie plans come under attack because they are high in sugar, and can be especially problematic for people who suffer from blood sugar imbalances. How does this cleanse differ?
Many people who have blood sugar issues (such as diabetes) are suffering due to the processed "white" sugar they're consuming, whether through sweets or refined carbs like breads and cereals. This type of sugar causes your blood sugar to spike and results in insulin imbalances.
The sugar contained in fruits and vegetables doesn't cause these spikes; in fact, it does the opposite. Your body knows how to metabolize these sugars and will actually help stabilize your blood sugar levels. Many people have even been able to come off prescription medications after completing the cleanse.
Does this particular detox include the typical "symptoms" that many individuals report when participating in a cleanse?
Almost every detox program is going to result in some of these symptoms, which can include foggy brain, fatigue, headaches and congestion. But, don't be discouraged. What you're feeling is simply an indication that the cleanse is working. The toxins within your system temporarily recirculate a bit before they are completely expelled. Once they are released, you can expect to feel much more energized.
What else do you need to know about JJ's 10-day cleanse?
Listen in as she shares what the cleanse entails, as well as how it can help improve your overall health and wellness.
Health Topics A-Z
Start Your New Year with a 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse
Guest
: JJ Smith, Nutritionist
From the Show: Naturally Savvy
Summary: Looking to lose weight and improve your overall wellness? This 10-day cleanse might be the secret to your success.
Air Date: 12/10/14
Duration: 10
Host: Andrea Donsky, RHN and Lisa Davis, MPH
Transcription:
Lisa Davis (Host): I am a smoothie fanatic, especially grains smoothies. I know my lovely co-host, Andrea, is a big smoothie fanatic as well. I am so excited about this person and this book. We’ve got JJ Smith. She’s going to be talking about her bestselling book “10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days.” Hi, JJ.
JJ Smith (Guest): Hello, how are you?
Lisa: I’m good. It’s so good to have you on the show. You know, one of the things I love most about your book is not only do you have over 100 green smoothie recipes, but you have them for different goals. You got anti-aging, athletic performance, beauty, bones and joints, detoxification, just to name a few. Tell us a little bit about how you were able to figure out which vegetable, which fruit does all these amazing things.
JJ: Well, short of blowing up a Vitamix blender, it actually took a while. The [bigger analysis] nutritionally, the right combination, was easier for me because I’m a nutritionist. There is a general 60-to-40 fruits-to-greens ratio that you generally use for all green smoothies, but the important part was to make them taste good. Once I figured out which combinations that I needed, and remember each fruit and each vegetable actually has properties in it that do certain things in the body, that’s how we were able to figure out which ones can help with heart health or which ones could help with digestion and so on. It’s always important to make sure they taste good, which is really a trial-and-error process as well.
Andrea Donsky (Host): I bet. Well, yours definitely taste good. I’ve made a bunch of them. Why don’t you walk us through these 10 days? Tell us what people will be drinking, what they’ll be eating. The results have been amazing from what I’ve read about what’s happening with people’s bodies and their lives.
JJ: Sure. The first thing I want to make sure folks understand is it’s not a starvation diet. You actually are expected to eat or drink a smoothie every three or four hours, and so every day you’re going to drink smoothies as your breakfast and lunch and if you wanted to accelerate your weight loss or detox, you could do a smoothie for dinner. Many people use the third meal to eat something clean, hot protein, and they do this every day. But there is a long list of approved snacks. Everything from hardboiled eggs, nuts, seeds, and things that you could snack on throughout the day so you feel nourished. You do this for 10 days, and as a result, you lose weight, you have a better sense of clarity, you improve your digestion, and it really gives you a jump-start on weight loss and really retrains your taste buds so you will be able to kind of continue to eat healthy as you continue. It’s not just about the 10 days; it’s really a jump-start to a healthier lifestyle of eating and living.
Andrea: Let’s talk a little bit about the tools that are needed in order for someone to embark on this 10-day cleanse. Do they have to go out and buy a Vitamix like you talked about at the beginning? Or can they use a certain type of juicer or can they use any type of blender? What’s something that they should invest in in terms of taking this on?
JJ: Sure. Well, it’s not a juicer, but a blender is what you need. You don’t have to have one like the Vitamix which is high-powered and it’s actually rather expensive. The most important thing is to get a blender that’s 1000 watts, and there are certainly blenders that are $100 or less that you can get that are 1000 watts. That is key. Now, in case you don’t have a blender that’s 1000 watts, you still can make the smoothies. You just have to blend a lot longer. If you have a blender that’s 1000 watts, you can blend anywhere from 30 to 40 seconds and it will blend creamy and smooth, but if you don’t, you’ll blend more like two minutes. It will just take longer to blend. Pretty much everybody who has a blender who can get to a grocery store and get some fruits and vegetables are pretty much equipped to do this 10-day cleanse.
Andrea: That is so cool. Now, I love talking about beauty from the inside out. Talk to us about some of the smoothie recipes for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
JJ: Well, one of the things that’s interesting, in general, you’re going to be able to have more radiant skin as a result of drinking smoothies. We call it the [DST] glow. When your insides are clean, your skin is the reflection of what’s going on in the inside. When you clean your inside, your skin definitely has a radiant glow. If you look at some of the ingredients that are important in smoothie for a healthy glow, you definitely want to look at things like bananas and mangos. You want to look at always lemon because they have a strong detoxifying ability. Pretty much anything that has – I would call it the lighter fruits. It’s the mangos and the bananas, the limes, lemons, so is vegetables. Those are generally going to be the best ones for healthy hair, beauty, skin, nails, and that sort of thing.
Andrea: What I find interesting is in your book you talk about juicing for diabetes or blood sugar control. One of the things that juicing comes under a lot of attack for is the fact that it’s very high in sugar. Can you tell us a little bit about how your cleanse helps to control blood sugar?
JJ: Yeah, it’s actually been interesting. We’ve had thousands of folks who actually have stabilized their blood sugars. Some even have come off their meds because basically what happens is unlike most of the sugar that’s causing people problems when they have blood sugar issues is the sweets, the white sugars, the refined carb, we call them the bad carb. When people have too many of those in their diet, it causes them to have blood sugar spikes. When the blood sugar spikes, it leads to a lot of excess insulin and their medicine can only kind of control the insulin that’s circulating in the system. The good thing about the natural sugar that is in the smoothies is they actually don’t cause blood sugar spikes. They do just the opposite. They tend to stabilize. Your body has a natural ability to metabolize the sugars and fruits and it begins to take on a stabilizing effect for the blood sugar. Many people find that their blood sugar numbers come down and stabilize in 10 days, and they’ve been on meds for years and years and years and haven’t had that effect.
Lisa: You know, sometimes they say when you go on a sort of the smoothie cleanse or juice cleanse, you can kind of have some yucky stuff come up, like you might feel foggy-headed. What is that called? Do you know what I’m talking about?
JJ: Yeah. The detox symptoms are common and they should generally be expected whenever you do any kind of detox regimen. They generally range from being foggy-headed. You’ll feel a little congested. We call that brain fog. This is really the release. What happens is, think of it this way: When you take in a green smoothie, the greens themselves actually are made up of chlorophyll which is the same structure that’s in hemoglobin in the blood. Every time you drink a green smoothie, it’s like getting a blood-cleansing transfusion, but you’re also cleaning out your vicious cells and you’re cleaning out those toxins that are there. For a period of time, they’re recirculating in your system until they’re eliminated from the body. For a temporary period of time those toxins are recirculating, they will cause the fatigue and the brain fog and the headache, but it’s generally a temporary situation. Once they are released from the body, then you generally feel a lot more energized.
Andrea: I think what we find interesting, too, is I know when I drink a smoothie, I go to the bathroom better. I don’t know, JJ, if you can add for your smoothies, your cleanses, if people can add in let’s say one or two tablespoons of ground flax seeds, which also helps them to go to the bathroom. Because the key to any cleanse is you have to be going to the washroom; otherwise, you can have autointoxication. I know, I’ve been there – not fun. So it’s really making sure you go to the bathroom. The nice thing about juicing, which unfortunately, we’re out of time for today, so let’s wrap this up quickly, but the nice thing about juicing is that it actually helps you go to the washroom, which I think was one of your points, too, JJ, is that it helps with constipation. In any case, thank you so much for being on our show. Unfortunately, we’re out of time today but just finish that quickly, your last point.
Lisa: So fast.
JJ: I was going to say every one of those 10 days’ recipes includes flax seed in the recipes, so I totally agree with you.
Lisa: Awesome.
Andrea: Awesome. Well, thank you for being on our show today. You can follow JJ at jjsmithonline or visit her on Facebook at jjsmithonline. I’m Andrea Donsky along with Lisa Davis. This is Naturally Savvy Radio on Radio MD. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at your Radio MD and at Naturally Savvy. Thanks for listening everyone and stay well.
Lisa Davis (Host): I am a smoothie fanatic, especially grains smoothies. I know my lovely co-host, Andrea, is a big smoothie fanatic as well. I am so excited about this person and this book. We’ve got JJ Smith. She’s going to be talking about her bestselling book “10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days.” Hi, JJ.
JJ Smith (Guest): Hello, how are you?
Lisa: I’m good. It’s so good to have you on the show. You know, one of the things I love most about your book is not only do you have over 100 green smoothie recipes, but you have them for different goals. You got anti-aging, athletic performance, beauty, bones and joints, detoxification, just to name a few. Tell us a little bit about how you were able to figure out which vegetable, which fruit does all these amazing things.
JJ: Well, short of blowing up a Vitamix blender, it actually took a while. The [bigger analysis] nutritionally, the right combination, was easier for me because I’m a nutritionist. There is a general 60-to-40 fruits-to-greens ratio that you generally use for all green smoothies, but the important part was to make them taste good. Once I figured out which combinations that I needed, and remember each fruit and each vegetable actually has properties in it that do certain things in the body, that’s how we were able to figure out which ones can help with heart health or which ones could help with digestion and so on. It’s always important to make sure they taste good, which is really a trial-and-error process as well.
Andrea Donsky (Host): I bet. Well, yours definitely taste good. I’ve made a bunch of them. Why don’t you walk us through these 10 days? Tell us what people will be drinking, what they’ll be eating. The results have been amazing from what I’ve read about what’s happening with people’s bodies and their lives.
JJ: Sure. The first thing I want to make sure folks understand is it’s not a starvation diet. You actually are expected to eat or drink a smoothie every three or four hours, and so every day you’re going to drink smoothies as your breakfast and lunch and if you wanted to accelerate your weight loss or detox, you could do a smoothie for dinner. Many people use the third meal to eat something clean, hot protein, and they do this every day. But there is a long list of approved snacks. Everything from hardboiled eggs, nuts, seeds, and things that you could snack on throughout the day so you feel nourished. You do this for 10 days, and as a result, you lose weight, you have a better sense of clarity, you improve your digestion, and it really gives you a jump-start on weight loss and really retrains your taste buds so you will be able to kind of continue to eat healthy as you continue. It’s not just about the 10 days; it’s really a jump-start to a healthier lifestyle of eating and living.
Andrea: Let’s talk a little bit about the tools that are needed in order for someone to embark on this 10-day cleanse. Do they have to go out and buy a Vitamix like you talked about at the beginning? Or can they use a certain type of juicer or can they use any type of blender? What’s something that they should invest in in terms of taking this on?
JJ: Sure. Well, it’s not a juicer, but a blender is what you need. You don’t have to have one like the Vitamix which is high-powered and it’s actually rather expensive. The most important thing is to get a blender that’s 1000 watts, and there are certainly blenders that are $100 or less that you can get that are 1000 watts. That is key. Now, in case you don’t have a blender that’s 1000 watts, you still can make the smoothies. You just have to blend a lot longer. If you have a blender that’s 1000 watts, you can blend anywhere from 30 to 40 seconds and it will blend creamy and smooth, but if you don’t, you’ll blend more like two minutes. It will just take longer to blend. Pretty much everybody who has a blender who can get to a grocery store and get some fruits and vegetables are pretty much equipped to do this 10-day cleanse.
Andrea: That is so cool. Now, I love talking about beauty from the inside out. Talk to us about some of the smoothie recipes for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
JJ: Well, one of the things that’s interesting, in general, you’re going to be able to have more radiant skin as a result of drinking smoothies. We call it the [DST] glow. When your insides are clean, your skin is the reflection of what’s going on in the inside. When you clean your inside, your skin definitely has a radiant glow. If you look at some of the ingredients that are important in smoothie for a healthy glow, you definitely want to look at things like bananas and mangos. You want to look at always lemon because they have a strong detoxifying ability. Pretty much anything that has – I would call it the lighter fruits. It’s the mangos and the bananas, the limes, lemons, so is vegetables. Those are generally going to be the best ones for healthy hair, beauty, skin, nails, and that sort of thing.
Andrea: What I find interesting is in your book you talk about juicing for diabetes or blood sugar control. One of the things that juicing comes under a lot of attack for is the fact that it’s very high in sugar. Can you tell us a little bit about how your cleanse helps to control blood sugar?
JJ: Yeah, it’s actually been interesting. We’ve had thousands of folks who actually have stabilized their blood sugars. Some even have come off their meds because basically what happens is unlike most of the sugar that’s causing people problems when they have blood sugar issues is the sweets, the white sugars, the refined carb, we call them the bad carb. When people have too many of those in their diet, it causes them to have blood sugar spikes. When the blood sugar spikes, it leads to a lot of excess insulin and their medicine can only kind of control the insulin that’s circulating in the system. The good thing about the natural sugar that is in the smoothies is they actually don’t cause blood sugar spikes. They do just the opposite. They tend to stabilize. Your body has a natural ability to metabolize the sugars and fruits and it begins to take on a stabilizing effect for the blood sugar. Many people find that their blood sugar numbers come down and stabilize in 10 days, and they’ve been on meds for years and years and years and haven’t had that effect.
Lisa: You know, sometimes they say when you go on a sort of the smoothie cleanse or juice cleanse, you can kind of have some yucky stuff come up, like you might feel foggy-headed. What is that called? Do you know what I’m talking about?
JJ: Yeah. The detox symptoms are common and they should generally be expected whenever you do any kind of detox regimen. They generally range from being foggy-headed. You’ll feel a little congested. We call that brain fog. This is really the release. What happens is, think of it this way: When you take in a green smoothie, the greens themselves actually are made up of chlorophyll which is the same structure that’s in hemoglobin in the blood. Every time you drink a green smoothie, it’s like getting a blood-cleansing transfusion, but you’re also cleaning out your vicious cells and you’re cleaning out those toxins that are there. For a period of time, they’re recirculating in your system until they’re eliminated from the body. For a temporary period of time those toxins are recirculating, they will cause the fatigue and the brain fog and the headache, but it’s generally a temporary situation. Once they are released from the body, then you generally feel a lot more energized.
Andrea: I think what we find interesting, too, is I know when I drink a smoothie, I go to the bathroom better. I don’t know, JJ, if you can add for your smoothies, your cleanses, if people can add in let’s say one or two tablespoons of ground flax seeds, which also helps them to go to the bathroom. Because the key to any cleanse is you have to be going to the washroom; otherwise, you can have autointoxication. I know, I’ve been there – not fun. So it’s really making sure you go to the bathroom. The nice thing about juicing, which unfortunately, we’re out of time for today, so let’s wrap this up quickly, but the nice thing about juicing is that it actually helps you go to the washroom, which I think was one of your points, too, JJ, is that it helps with constipation. In any case, thank you so much for being on our show. Unfortunately, we’re out of time today but just finish that quickly, your last point.
Lisa: So fast.
JJ: I was going to say every one of those 10 days’ recipes includes flax seed in the recipes, so I totally agree with you.
Lisa: Awesome.
Andrea: Awesome. Well, thank you for being on our show today. You can follow JJ at jjsmithonline or visit her on Facebook at jjsmithonline. I’m Andrea Donsky along with Lisa Davis. This is Naturally Savvy Radio on Radio MD. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at your Radio MD and at Naturally Savvy. Thanks for listening everyone and stay well.
