Fountain of Youth

My seventy-nine-year-old father drinks this smoothie every morning as soon as he wakes up. For many years his breakfast consisted of a banana-and-milk smoothie. This was before I intervened and sent dairy into exile, replacing it with green juices, healthy fats, and fiber. Since he started drinking it this way, he has lost weight, he is healthier than he’s ever been, his mood is more balanced, and even his voice is clearer. Nothing short of a miraculous fountain of youth.

Makes 1 glass

2 celery ribs 1 cup spinach 4 lettuce leaves ½ cucumber ½ Granny Smith apple ½ banana 1 teaspoon flaxseeds (optional) 1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional) 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional) 1 teaspoon maca powder (optional) 1 teaspoon sacha inchi oil (optional)

Juice the celery, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, and apple. Blend the green juice together with all the other ingredients.

If you suffer from depression or moodiness, you may want to experiment with maca. My mom’s doctor once mentioned this powerful root’s antidepressant qualities to her, but it wasn’t until we saw the impressive improvements in my dad’s mood after a fewweeks of taking it religiously that we realized these claims were indeed true.