My friend Nathan Agin and I hosted a google hangout last night where we made a Lemon Ginger Smoothie and talked about all the various health benefits of this particular smoothie. In case you missed it, I wanted to post the recipe here!

I'm also excited to announce that this was just the first of many "virtual cooking classes" we plan on hosting! If you want to be notified of when the next one is, you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/yFMTr. Also,  if you have any suggestions on what you want to see us make next please leave them in the comments.

Now on to the good stuff! Besides it being a very refreshing and alkalizing drink, why would you want to drink this smoothie? Well, let me tell you about it! What do I mean by alkalizing? Studies have shown that the more alkaline a body is, the more resistant it is to disease and cancer. In order to make your body more alkaline it is suggested that you consume foods that balance out the acidity in the body to make it more alkaline.

• Celery: It's anti-inflammatory (inflammation in the body is what leads to cancer and diseases in the body) helps lower blood pressure (by relaxing the arteries), may lower cholesterol, and is a diuretic  which means it helps flush out excess body fluid.
• Banana: Is the best source of potassium, which is essential in maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.  Bananas also contain fiber that will keep you full and your digestive tract running smooth as well as vitamins B6 and C.
• Cucumber: Contain 3 specific types of phytonutrients that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help fight off cancer and disease. They are also a good source of fiber that will help keep you full.
• Lemon: This fruit is incredibly alkalizing, is full of Vitamin C so it will strengthen your immune system, is a blood purifier, and assists your body in detoxing by helping the liver metabolize fats and waste more efficiently.
• Ginger: Settles the stomach when nauseous or not feeling well, is anti-inflammatory and improves the absorption of essential nutrients so it will help your body more readily absorb all the nutrients from this smoothie. Not to mention it adds a great kick to it!
• Coconut Water: I refer to coconut water as "nature's gatorade" because it is full of naturally occurring electrolytes. So its great for after workouts to restore the natural balance of fluids in the body and to avoid dehydration.

Lemon Ginger Smoothie

 Serves 1

Note: Always make sure to unpeel your bananas before you put them in the freezer. They're almost impossible to unpeel once frozen!

Ingredients:

1 rib of celery

1 frozen banana*

1/2 cucumber

1/2 lemon, peeled

1 inch piece of ginger

1 cup of water or coconut water

Directions:

1. Put all your ingredients in blender & blend until smooth.

My friend Nathan, whom I mentioned above, has a great cookbook that I highly suggest checking out! You can find it here: 

http://www.nonstopawesomeness.com/cookbook

Enjoy!

Courtney