As obsessed as I have been over green smoothies in the past months, I must admit that I was not convinced the rest of the world would love them as much as I do. And it’s true—we did get our share of funny faces today! But it was great fun, and plenty of people were thrilled to see us and excited to taste the green goodness. Many were surprised to learn about this quick and easy way to get your dark, leafy greens in nutritionally-satisfying quantities! Mixed with various fruits like banana, mango, blueberries, and strawberries (the latter two were fresh and local from the market today!), the greens are palatable and delicious—betcha can’t drink just one! Some of the flavors we featured today were blueberry, tomato & basil, strawberry-banana, and raspberry, mixed with various combinations of avocado, celery, and lemon juice, plus kale, swiss chard, basil and spearmint straight from the market. An especially delicious concoction that Gail threw together near the end of the morning tasted almost like a green lemonade!

My personal obsession with green smoothies began its slow evolution last year when I had the wonderful opportunity to work briefly for Patricia Greer, raw food queen of Houston and a mainstay at the Bayou City Farmers’ Market, to mention only two of the many contributions she is locally famous for. How much that experience opened my eyes, and how grateful I am—I had had friends who were vegan before, but the whole raw thing was completely new at the time.

More recently, I attended a talk given by Dr Gabriel Cousens in which he aired a trailer of the documentary, Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. The implications of what I had witnessed in Pat Greer’s Kitchen began to sink in. When I couldn’t find Dr Cousens’ books at the local bookstore, I picked up The China Study instead—another jaw-dropper. Finally I was compelled to ask the obvious: “OK, what can I do to implement all of this new information into my own life?” It’s a big challenge to drop old habits and suddenly go 100% raw—was there a simple, manageable starting point that would still reap benefits?

Enter Victoria Boutenko, raw-foodist and author of Green for Life, the introduction to green smoothies. If you’re wondering, “What’s so special about green?” (as opposed to fruit-only smoothies), she is the woman to answer that for you. I did not even attempt to best her explanations at the market today—simply printed up one of her seminal articles, with her recipes, website address and all, and distributed it to those who were eager to learn more. No need to reinvent the wheel—she has done her research and articulated it wonderfully.

But the green smoothie itself is an invitation to reinvent, every time you make one. For starters, Boutenko recommends rotating your greens for the fullest nutritional benefit and gustatory delight. And of course, the accompanying fruits and vegetables are always up to you! In my own green smoothie-making experience I have developed a fairly standard base that I like to work from:

• 1/2 bunch greens (kale, romaine, swiss chard, spinach, or etc.)
• 1/2 bunch parsley or cilantro
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 avocado (some may prefer 1/4 avocado instead)
• 1 banana
• juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
• basil or mint to taste (optional)
• 1 mango (optional)
• 2 cups water

This is delicious as-is or with anything else you can think to add, and will yield 4-6 cups depending on how many extras you’ve thrown in. Boutenko recommends drinking 1 quart of green smoothie per day, so one batch of this and you’re set for the day. I usually make my green smoothie in the morning: first fill a pint-sized Mason jar and save it in the fridge for an afternoon snack, then drink what’s left for breakfast.

That said, at the market today we made many different smoothies and I think only one of them really followed the recipe outlined above. But they were all refreshing and yum! Some savory, some sweet, there’s a taste for everyone if you free yourself up to play with the possibilities. An easy way to do this is to get over to the Bayou City Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings and see what the local, seasonal produce offerings are—you can’t go wrong!

Boutenko challenges her readers to try a quart-a-day for 30 days and see how different you feel! I’ll pass that challenge along to my readers as well: let elixir & tonic know what you think or what kind of results you’ve experienced by sharing your comments at the end of this article. Special thanks to Jacquie Miller, Pat Greer, Paule Johnston and Gail Blossom for inspiring and/or facilitating today’s production!

On Pasadena: I didn’t appreciate having to drive there twice in one day, much less live there for any length of time. I can assure you that living there was reason enough to drop some cash on an IQAir. It is a city with a stench, the dirty industrial underbelly of East Houston. On both trips out there today, I could have sworn someone had just farted in my car. But just as I remembered that I was alone, I registered the fact that I was also descending the nether side of the bridge over the Houston Ship Channel where the exit sign reads “Pasadena,” and that that is exactly what the nether world smells like. How could I move my family and one-and-a-half year old daughter to live at the foothills of the carcinogenic chemical–producing mountain that is Lyondell Refinery and still be able to sleep at night?

Enter IQAir: The IQAir company has several different room air purifier models available, but the one I chose is designed for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). So far I can’t count MCS as one of my health challenges, but I’d like to keep it that way. As I understand, it can be brought on by one-too-many chemical exposures—Pasadena seemed like prime territory, so I erred on the side of prevention.

The GC MultiGas model is more than your average HEPA air filter. It actually contains 12 full pounds of “granular activated carbon and impregnated alumina.” Just what is that, you ask? Well, not to get technical, but anything measured in pounds of granular activated carbon is a heck of a lot more powerful at absorbing odors and gaseous chemicals than the feather-light carbon- sprayed mesh filter you’ll find alongside many a HEPA filter. The cartridge-based carbon in the IQAir eliminates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while the alumina actually destroys chemicals such as formaldehyde.

Even though I don’t live in Pasadena anymore, I still sleep with the IQAir on in my bedroom. As P.W. McRandle of The Green Guide reminds us, “Levels of air pollutants—including allergenic dust mites, lung-clogging particles of soot and grime and toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which evaporate from many materials—can be two to a hundred times higher indoors than outdoors, according to the EPA.”

Since I can’t afford a unit for every room, I just focus on using the unit during sleep because I figure that’s a big chunk of the time I’m actually at home. If I spend a Sunday afternoon around the house, I might move it into the living room for a time. But if you’re serious about whole-house filtration, IQAir does sell a unit that installs into the central air system of your home.

I’m hooked on the IQAir because when I open my bedroom door to leave the room, the rest of the house suddenly has a noticeable odor of something oddly chemical-like. Which sounds like a yucky reason to like something, but it’s scary to think that my house just smells like that all the time and my nose gets so accustomed that I don’t notice. It’s hugely comforting to know that when the IQAir is on, I can distinguish the smell of clean air from its evil, invisible twin and that if I use it, I know I’m breathing the good stuff.

Choose your bliss: Now even though I’m IQAir-crazy, I’m not saying you have to be too. Many good brands and models of room air purifiers exist. Two other brands I would bring to your attention are E.L. Foust and AllerAir, and I’m sure there are others I haven’t heard of. AllerAir offers an option for a sanitizing UV light to be built into your unit. So do your research and by all means, buy the air purifier you fancy best. But buy one, please! Your lungs and your liver will thank you. And don’t forget your nose— pleasures it’s never known before are just waiting to be discovered. The smell of nothing is a rare treat!

My nasal symptoms are much less annoying than normal, which is an accomplishment considering how bad they usually are. But so far, I do still need the occasional Kleenex. The stubborn eczema on my hands has healed up. I’ve had a few instances of red, itchy patches on my arms flare up and then disappear, which can be a normal symptom of detox. I’ve also lost some weight but, as mentioned in previous posts, I’m not in this for the weight loss. I haven’t even weighed myself.

I’ve been doing the salt water flush as described in The Master Cleanser every morning, except two consecutive days when I skipped it. Interestingly, those were the two days that I felt the worst. Not particularly horrible, just a weird sub-par feeling. When I realized the connection, I started doing the salt water flush again in the mornings, and I felt better. That’s exactly what the book says—you might not feel well, but you’ll always feel better after the salt water flush. It helps flush out the toxins that make you feel so crappy. Yea detox!

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

The birth of a blog and a bowl full of mucus

My first days on The Master Cleanse were marked by a distinct sensation of hunger, the kind that’s not just in your stomach, but collapsing in on your head. On the second day, I was in ‘rare form,’ according to my sister’s polite observation. Were my verbal outbursts not much appreciated by the family? Don’t know what got into me—lemonade, anyone?

By the third day, the irritability was under control and a strange lucidity befell my consciousness. All of life (my tiny subjective bit of it, anyway) seemed pure and unadulterated. So fresh, so clean. As if my awareness reflected the character of what was in my bowels. Or wasn’t.

I felt inspired, and happened to have some time on my hands. In the next hours, elixir & tonic was born. It was a project I’d been talking about for a long time, but hadn’t found time for again since a brief, logistically-disheartening attempt eight months ago.

The next evening, I had some of the strongest cravings yet while visiting my parents’ house, and realized that it might not be practical to take this thing all the way to San Antonio with me. It really is anti-social behavior, after all. And people worry about you. I didn’t give in to any of the cravings that day, but decided that before the trip, I would eat.

On Day 5, I ate—a day ahead of travel in case I reacted badly to having assulted my stomach with something that, by now, it really wasn’t expecting. I noticed in the first half of the day before I ate anything (except lemonade, of course) that the hunger and cravings had actually subsided, and I felt well. I was sad at the thought of ending the cleanse. In my grief, I had a lapse in judgement over which foods would be best to break the fast. The Master Cleanser recommends orange juice and vegetable broth; I went to Pappasito’s and ate chips & queso. Once a favorite vice, it now seemed more like—in my newly lucid state—chips & mucus. Let’s repeat that. I might as well have been eating mucus from a bowl. This was the culminating experience of my first attempt at The Master Cleanse.

The second go-round

All this intrigued me enough that after the trip, I began the cleanse anew. As mentioned above, I’m now on Day 3 (again) and am eager to continue for at least ten days this time. I wasn’t able to avoid this conflicting with the end of my holiday time-off, but I’ve learned now how to make the lemonade in bigger batches to carry with me when I leave the house. I have a bit of experience under my belt, so I’m not as worried. And I’m hoping that by the fifth day, I’ll begin to feel good again. As for now, hunger, hunger, hunger. I just drink more lemonade every time I feel too hungry. It helps for a little while. You have to drink a lot of lemonade at first.

Just to clarify my purposes here, this isn’t about weight loss. I’m sure that’ll be a temporary side effect, but what I’m really after here is better health. Someday I’ll relate to you just how bad my allergies have been my whole life. But I don’t feel like dwelling on that now—I’m looking forward. If you know me, of course, then you already know. If you can’t imagine me without a box of Kleenex at my side, well, get ready!

2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
2 Tbsp genuine maple syrup (not maple flavored sugar syrup)
1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
Water, medium hot (spring or purified water)

Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz. glass and fill with medium hot water.

He later specifies that cold water is OK too, although with my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I can’t imagine why. But I can’t be bothered to heat up the water, so I take my lemonade at room temperature. If medium hot is OK, and cold is OK, then why not room temp?

Also, in my present New Year’s detox I’m using limes rather than lemons, and I find it takes just less than one whole lime to make 2 Tbsp of juice. These are regular-sized limes, not key limes.

The recommended dose is 6-12 glasses a day, but there are other components of the cleanse that are important as well. If you’re interested, I highly recommend reading The Master Cleanser in its entirety.

Today, January 1, is my fourth day on The Master Cleanse. I have imbibed nothing but lemonade (or limeade, as it were) since December 29. They say the first three days are the hardest, so I’m looking forward to some possible changes today. They say the hunger pangs diminish after the first three days. It would be nice. I won’t lie to you and say it’s easy or that I haven’t been hungry. Not that you would’ve believed me. But the limeade-maple syrup-cayenne elixir is surprisingly delicious. In fact, it will be my first “featured elixir” here at elixir & tonic. Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of my personal exploration into the wonders of The Master Cleanse. In the meantime, you can read more about it here, or read the original book, The Master Cleanser.

Happy 2008!