Our new favourite dessert

We absolutely love this new smoothie recipe. It's your new cleansing bestie as of 1st September 2012 – yep, this little beautie will be replacing our current Number 6. It's bigger (in flavour not calories) and badder than ever.

Please welcome the ABC Dessert Smoothie.

7 simple ingredients:

1. Almond milk
2. Coconut water
3. Filtered water
4. ABC nut butter*
5. Four dates
6. Raw cacao
7. Cinnamon

*ABC = Almonds, Brazil Nuts and Cashews

In terms of quantities, we recommend playing around with them to suit your individual tastes. That and the exact measurements are a trade secret!

The health lowdown:

It's packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, with a healthy dose of protein and good fats. The ABC Dessert Smoothie is soothing, with a pinch of cinnamon to help combat dysbiosis/candida, and a hit of super-nutrients to boost energy, skin health and immunity. We've been careful to monitor the carb content as usual – using only four dates to sweeten. What we absolutely didn't skimp on, taste. The nut butter adds a touch of healthy but indulgent yumminess.

It's official, we're in love. And you can be too from 1st September 2012.

10 reasons to drink green tea

Just a quick dose for you today. We recommend that cleansers drink green tea during the cleanse as it’s known for its detoxifying properties. Here are some additional reasons to add a cup (or three) to your daily routine.

1. Much healthier source of caffeine than coffee
2. High in antioxidants
3. Aids in weight loss
4. Combats fluid retention
5. Protects against heart diseases
6. Increases exercise endurance
7. Antimicrobial
8. Supports a healthy liver
9. Reduces inflammation in the intestinal tract
10. Promotes longevity

Wow. It almost sounds like that’s all you need to do. Not quite, but a very good start to a healthier and longer life.

If you find the flavour of green tea on its own not to your taste, you might like to try flavoured green teas. Some of our favourites include T2 Gorgeous Geisha, T2 Green Rose, and Lipton Mint Green Tea.

Enjoy!

How do you like your green tea?

Get your superberry on

From the common strawberry, to the slightly more upmarket blueberry, all the way to the exotic and luxurious acai, we just can’t get enough of berries.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well for starters they’re deeelicious. They ward off infection and keep your immune system revving with bucketloads of vitamin C. As for the antioxidants in berries, they keep you looking beautiful by declaring war against ageing free radicals. Even better, these berries keep you thinking young – they ‘clean up’ your brain by removing toxins, boosting your memory and preventing mental decline.

Here are a few of our more luxurious faves:

acai \ this little amazonian is the king of berries. Royal purple and packed full of vitamins, minerals, omegas and more than sixteen antioxidants, the acai berry even helps shrink your waistline.

goji \ other wise known as the ‘wolfberry’, this red superfood was hailed as the fruit of longevity in Tibet and China. The goji berry contains 500 times more vitamin C than oranges!

noni \ this little berry has made its way from the Pacific islands packed full of antioxidants. Also knows as the ‘Indian mulberry’, the noni is rich in lignans, polyphenols and polysaccharides.

pomegranate \ this giant Persian berry is loaded with anthocyanins and polyphenols. Rumour has it pomegranate contains three times more antioxidants than green tea!

black cherry \ the last of our superberries is a powerful source of anti-inflammatory anthocyanins and sleep-promoting melatonin. It’s also nature’s richest source of vitamin C.

So get your berry on. They really are super, we think so anyway.

Your bestie in a bottle - Chlorophyll

Here at Urban Remedy, we're big fans of liquid chlorophyll. Big fans. It tastes good, smells good and does good things to your insides. Good? Good.

It's like sunshine in a bottle. Chlorophyll is in fact the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesise CO2 and water, AKA photosynthesis, which is the basis for sustaining the life of all plants. Pretty important stuff. It also gives plants and plant foods their beautiful green colour.

Why is it so good for you?

It acts as a deodoriser, promoting a healthy digestive tract and minimising bad breath and perspiration. Chlorophyll is also a rich source of antioxidants and studies have shown that it helps to prevent liver cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. It's also jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals; vitamin A, C, K, and E, folic acid, iron, calcium and protein.

Chlorophyll is naturally occuring in in green vegetables like asparagus, green capsicum, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, celery, spinach, green beans, green peas, kale, leeks, green olives, parsley, cos lettuce and seaweed.

If you want to supplement your diet with a little extra green goodness, try liquid chlorophyll. Simply mix a teaspoon or two in your glass of water, juice or smoothie.

Brands we like:

Nature's Sunshine
One of the strongest concentrates and best brands available, Nature's Sunshine is a little more expensive, but comes highly recommended. Available from most heath food stores or online at Natural Health Direct for $22.27 per 475mls.

Grant's Liquid Chlorophyll 
This one is Emma's favourite. While not as potent as Nature's Sunshine, it has a really nice minty flavour. Available from most health food stores or online at Organic Beauty for $13.85 per 500mls.

A little tip from Emma: It tastes better if you drink it from a wine glass. (Note: this is not strictly true, but much more fun all the same.)

As the old saying goes, if you're green inside, you're clean inside.