ATHE_Transcript_Ep 644_How to Make the Perfect Detox Smoothie for Daily Fat Burning

[00:00:00] JJ Virgin: I'm JJ Virgin, Ph.D. dropout. Sorry, Mom. Turned four time New York Times bestselling author. Yes, I'm a certified nutrition specialist, fitness hall of famer, and I speak at health conferences and trainings around the globe. But I'm driven by my insatiable curiosity and love of science to keep asking questions, digging for answers, and sharing the information I uncover with as many people as I can.

And that's why I created the Well Beyond 40 podcast to synthesize and simplify the science of health into actionable strategies to help you thrive. In each episode, we'll talk about what's working in the world of wellness, from personalized nutrition and healing your metabolism to healthy aging and prescriptive fitness.

Join me on the journey to better health, so you can love how you look and feel right now and have the energy to play full out at 100.

[00:01:00] JJ Virgin: I love smoothies. In fact, this is how I like to start my day and break my fast because this is an easy way to ensure that you're getting what you need and it tastes good. And that's why I call them loaded smoothies because I'm going to show you all the different things that I pack into them, especially my perfect detox smoothie.
[00:01:18] Now, here's the deal. Detoxification is a nutrient dense process, and you've got to make sure that you've got the specific nutrients on board you need so that you can move through the three phases of detoxification. Most specifically, you're going to want to make sure you have amino acids on board, and you get these through protein.
[00:01:41] Also, you want fiber. And antioxidants. These are all the critical nutrients that support detoxification. Now, here's the thing. You're coming into contact with toxins on the daily. So ideally, this loaded detox smoothie becomes part of your daily routine as well. Also, it provides a great bolus of quality protein.
[00:02:03] So it's a great way to ensure that you have the protein you need to build and maintain Quality Metabolic Boosting Muscle. I like to call muscle my metabolic spanks. First thing we're going to start with here is your protein source. Now I'm going to give you a little hack as I'm building this. I always put a little liquid in first because then things don't stick to the bottom.
[00:02:25] I'll talk more about liquids in a minute. First we're talking about protein. The thing with protein is we want to make sure we're starting with a high quality protein that doesn't trigger any kind of a food intolerance. So while I love whey protein, it's great for building muscle. If you've got any kind of a dairy intolerance due to leaky gut, which you can heal over time, then that's not going to be a great choice for you.
[00:02:50] Instead, there's two other choices. I have either a paleo inspired protein powder. We make this from bone broth. It's rich in collagen or I have my plant based protein powder. So again, really depends on what works best for you. Either one of these will work. I do love the paleo because of the collagen, but I'm also going to add some paleo.
[00:03:15] I think one of your biggest decisions in life is chocolate or vanilla. And sometimes I'll go really wild and I'll do one of each. Or I'll do a scoop of plant and a scoop of paleo. I'm putting in some paleo protein powder here. Now, let me give you a couple other things that you can do. One of them is to add in some collagen.
[00:03:34] Now here's the thing with collagen. It is not a complete protein. However, it is really good for your joints, your hair, skin, and nails. It's one that I like to do every single day. Now, the other optional thing are essential amino acids. Cool study just came out that showed that when you add essential amino acids in with your protein source, you get even better muscle protein synthesis.
[00:03:58] Here's the thing. What you can do here is also add in some essential amino acids. And this is especially important when you look at something like either a plant protein, where it may not have the perfect balance of essential amino acids or a bone broth protein that's higher in collagen. So it won't have as many of the essential amino acids.
[00:04:17] Here's a great way to cover your bases is just add in some essential amino acids as well. You can also do it, drink it after your meal as well. So that's one thing that I like to do as a little extra boost. Now, next up liquid. And I like to use this flax milk that's got protein added to it. So I'm boosting my protein even more.
[00:04:41] So that is what I do is I'll do an unsweetened, that's super important. Flax milk with added protein. I saw a couple different varieties of nut milks with protein at the store. Just watch what else they put into them, right? We don't want to turn a good thing and make it bad. So I added in some flax milk.
[00:04:58] I didn't add in a whole lot. I'll put in a little bit more, but I will tell you I like to make my smoothies thick, almost so I can eat them with a spoon. So I say anywhere from 8 to 10 ounces of flax milk. Now, next up, we're going to look at fiber. And again, You need protein for the amino acids because amino acids are mission critical, especially in the phase two type of detoxification.
[00:05:23] The first step is activating those toxins. You're starting to lose fat, you're freeing up the toxins. The second phase is neutralizing them. That is super critical for having good antioxidants on board. fiber on board and amino acids. So speaking of fiber, a couple of different ways to do this. One of the ways that I cover my bases and make sure that I get fiber is the product that I named extra fiber.
[00:05:48] So I always do a scoop or two of extra fiber just to make sure I'm getting what I need. Now, if you're not used to having fiber, Bring your fiber intake up over a week, not over a day. You'll thank me later. And make sure you're also staying well hydrated, because fiber can be a little sponge that can help soak up toxins and help make sure that everything is moving through your body.
[00:06:10] Remember, one of the ways we excrete toxins is through bile and through stools. So we want to make sure that we're grabbing it and escorting it out. So extra fiber is one of the things that I'll use. Fruit is another one. And one of the things that's great here, I did a combination of berries and cherries in here because of all of the antioxidants.
[00:06:28] And again, antioxidants are super important in detoxification as well. So I've got blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and black cherries in here. And all of these were frozen, no sugar added. Again, super important. Let's not make a good thing bad. So far, that's what I have for fiber now.
[00:06:46] I also like to add healthy fats and here's what's cool. You can add in some avocado and you're going to both get healthy fat, but you're also going to get fiber. And you're also going to get in glutathione, which is a super powerhouse for detoxification. So like in terms of adding something that's going to make a big difference to your smoothie this is my favorite thing for fiber is to add an avocado.
[00:07:11] I get healthy fats. I get glutathione. Some of the other things that you could use for some healthy fat and fiber would be cacao nibs, chia seeds, and flax seeds. Now, cacao nibs, again, also for the win because that cacao has got lots of great antioxidants as well. Now that we have all of that, The final thing that we're going to add in, and here's what's super cool about making a loaded smoothie is we want to make sure we've got really good antioxidants on board.
[00:07:39] We've already done the cherries and the berries we've added in the avocado. So we're already doing really well. We've got chocolate in there. So we've got some of the polyphenols from the chocolate. So far we're winning, but we're going to push it over the edge by also adding in some deep green leafies.
[00:07:55] And I'll be honest with you. These deep green leafies are fantastic because they've got chard, they've got collard, they've got spinach, they've got kale. These are not things I really think are so delicious on their own, but when you shove them into a smoothie, you don't really taste them. So what you want to do is pack on in A cup or more of these and what's great with that cupped pack is you just got a serving of vegetables in too.
[00:08:20] And it's a great thing to do with your kids too because they won't even know you did it, right? You just, again, the color is going to be a little swampy, but you won't really taste any of this which is fantastic. And I should know because I am one of those super tasters who tastes. everything. So that is all of the things we got.
[00:08:39] So antioxidants again, we just added in some deep green leafies. And here's the thing, when I think about what is great for detoxification, berries and cherries in terms of the antioxidants, deep green leafies, and then of course, Brussels sprouts and cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli, but who's going to put those in a smoothie?
[00:08:57] I think you could probably sneak in some cauliflower rice, but I'd be fine eating that on my own. Okay. Then with that, now we are going to hit play.
[00:09:04] Let's see how we did. Because again, I like these things super thick and yummy, which it is. So I'm going to give it a taste test with a spoon.
[00:09:14] You cannot taste those deep green leafies in here. I'd argue I could add in another cup and go really wild, but
[00:09:20] I taste chocolate, I taste cherries, and I do taste the amino acids. One of those things you'll find with essential amino acids, they don't taste good, so they've got to flavor them. But it can make the shake really yummy as well. So there you have it. That is a very simple detox shake. But I also gave you a lot of things that you can play around with.
[00:09:40] So you do this how you like it. You can do chocolate, you can do vanilla, you can do any type of berries. and Cherries. You can choose your favorite fibers and healthy fats. Choose your favorite type of milk and go with it. The only thing I would caveat on the milk is make sure that you're getting a milk that does not have added sugars in it.
[00:09:59] And if you are, I'm not a fan of cow's milk here. So coconut milk, flax milk, I know they're not really milks, I know. Find the ones, but if you can move these things around and rotate all of these different things, even better for you. All right. That's it. Love to see you make this not just a part of your life during a detox, but a part of your daily life.

[00:10:21] Be sure to join me next time for more tools, tips, and techniques you can incorporate into everyday life to ensure you look and feel great. And more importantly, that you're built to laugh. And check me out on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and my website, jjvirgin.com. And make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss a single episode at subscribetojj.com. See you next time!

[00:10:49] Hey, JJ here, and just a reminder that the Well Beyond 40 Podcast offers health, wellness, fitness, and nutritional information that's designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health. You should always consult with a physician or other health care professional. Make sure that you do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health-related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have heard on this show or read in our show notes. The use of any information provided on this show is solely at your own risk.
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