Green Smoothies
What is a Green Smoothie?
If you haven't yet heard of Green Smoothies, you have been missing out on one of the most extrordinary health promoting drinks available to you.
These blended meals are nutrient-dense, high in fiber, energy boosting and incredibly easy to make.
A mix of fruit and leafy greens, they can be introduced into your diet for a variety of reasons including general health improvement, cleansing/detoxification, weight loss, transitioning to a raw or plant-based diet, and to optimize digestion.
Join the Green Smoothie Revolution!
Benefits:
1. Highly nutritious. Loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, the general ratio is about 60% ripe, organic fruit mixed with about 40% organic greens.
2. Easy to digest. Blending breaks down the tough walls of plant fiber, which liberates the nutrients held in cells. This makes the valuable nutrients immediately absorbable in the body and lessens the energy typically used in this process.
3. High in fiber. Unlike juices, Green Smoothies are a complete food because they contain fiber. Fiber is necessary for proper elimination. If embarking on a cleansing program, fiber is absolutely necessary. It acts as a sponge to transport wastes/toxic material out of the body.
4. Delicious flavor. With a higher ratio of fruits to greens, these drinks are highly palatable. The sweetness of the fruit balances the zesty greens. Even a person who eats the Standard American Diet will enjoy the taste of Green Smoothies.
5. By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated. Many people do not consume enough of greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. The molecule of chlorophyll has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, to consume chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion.
6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Many people told me that they do not consume green juices on a regular basis because it is time consuming to prepare green juices and clean the equipment after juicing, or to drive to the juice bar.
7. Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.
8. When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.
9. Regular consumption of Green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. Several people told me that after a couple of weeks of drinking green smoothies, they started to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough of green vegetable is often a problem with many people, especially in children.
10. Green smoothies can easily be freshly made at any juice bar, restaurant or health food store for the great convenience of health-oriented customers. Please bring a copy of this article to your local juice bar.
Delicious Combinations To Get You Started:
Mango-parsley
2 large mangos
1 bunch parsley
Water
Peach-spinach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water
Mango-weeds
2 mangos
1 handful of lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc
Water
Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
1/2 bunch romaine
Water
Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
1/2 lemon juice
4-5 leaves of kale
Water
Kiwi-banana-celery
4 very ripe kiwis
1 ripe banana
3 stalks of celery
Water
Pear-kale-mint
4 ripe pears
4-5 leaves of kale
1/2 bunch of mint
Water
Finger banana-spinach
10 finger-bananas
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water
Bosc pear-raspberry-kale
3 bosc pears
1 handful of raspberries
4-5 leaves of kale
Water
How to Get Started:
Basically just start! There is no right or wrong way to incorporate Green Smoothies into your life. Select a recipe, purchase your fruit/greens, and begin blending. You may want to experiment on the weekend so you are not trying to incorporate something completely while on the clock. Eventually you may feel so good that you are bringing quart sized Green Smoothies to work, and inspring your friends and collegues...but in the beginning, I'd recommend starting at home.