ecoPharmacist

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone! I decided to look up the history of St Patrick’sDay and to my surprise, learned some things I was not aware of! According to history.com “Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held not in Ireland but in New York City in 1762, and with the dramatic increase of Irish immigrants to the United States in the mid-19th century, the March 17th celebration became widespread.” I would never have imagined the St Patrick’s Day parades began in New York! Makes a lot more sense to me now why, when I was in New York in 2006, the St Patrick’s Day parade was huge and crowded! A very fun celebration in deed!

In celebration of everything green, I am posting a favorite green drink to honor your health!  To help keep you on track, or get you started, on a healthy life style, try this delicious green smoothie.  Clean, green and full of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and folate, this smoothie is high in electrolytes and cleanses the skin, kidneys and liver! The apples contain pectin, which is a great form of fiber that may reduce cholesterol levels too. Make sure you use organic produce to reduce your exposure to the harmful pesticides! It will defeat the health benefits, in my opinion, if you do not use fresh organic produce! ENJOY!

2 apples

3 celery sticks

1/2 cucumber

Juice of one lemon

Small handful parsley

1 C coconut water

1/4 C mint leaves

handful of kale or spinach

Wash all produce well. Chop ingredients and blend in a high powered blender until smooth. Serve, enjoy and Happy St Patrick’s Day!