I’m not into heavy metal.

I like fun, upbeat music that I can dance to.  Like Katy Perry, Pitbull, Jason Derulo, and pretty much any boy band.  Oh, and early eighties pop, like Madonna.  I’m also not into having heavy metal in my body.  And that’s why I’m drinking this smoothie.

Why would I have heavy metals in my body?  And how could a smoothie possibly help?

We all have heavy metals, including mercury, lead, nickel and cadmium in our bodies.  Sources include pesticides, amalgam fillings, and pollution. Heavy metals can come from fun things, like the cosmetics we use.  (Lipstick is a big culprit.)  And even healthy habits, like drinking water and eating fish can lead to heavy metal accumulation in our bodies.  This can cause damage at a cellular level, which in turn can develop into many health problems.

Don’t let this get you down…while heavy metals tend to accumulate and build up over time, there are easy things we can do to help our bodies get rid of them.  And that’s where this smoothie comes in!

My smoothie has a huge handful of cilantro in it.  Cilantro is a natural chelator…it actually removes heavy metals from your body.  Oh, and provides you with valuable antioxidants (which also help your body repair cellular damage), vitamins A, C and K, and the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

So here’s how I made my smoothie….I put about a cup of fresh pineapple chunks in the bottom of my Vitamix.  I love my Vitamix, but any blender will do the job.  I added my giant handful of cilantro, a blob (ok, about a tablespoon) of coconut oil, and a splash of water because I don’t like my smoothies too thick.  I blended it all and took a sip.  It was very green tasting, so I added a few drops of my favorite liquid stevia.  Delicious, and the most gorgeous shade of green.

I choose pineapple because the tropical flavor blends well with the cilantro.  The coconut oil adds some healthy fat, to help absorb the nutrients from the cilantro and pineapple.  If you add ice to your smoothie, or use frozen fruit, please use something other than coconut oil.  It will be a clumpy, disgusting mess that will clog up your straw!  Chia seeds would be a nice source of fat if you like an icier smoothie.  Or you could add some  canned coconut milk.  Just shake the can well before you open it

So can this smoothie help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  Well of course it can!  You will feel happy drinking such a beautiful and tasty smoothie. Getting accumulated heavy metals our of your body will help you stay healthy.  And the Vitamin C and healthy fats are great for your skin.  So you’ll look hot!

Ok, what if cilantro is just not your thing?  There are lots of other easy fun things you can do to detox heavy metals from your body.  I’ll save those for another post.  And if you happen to be into heavy metal music?  That’s cool too. But I’ll stick with my boy bands.