FertilehealthyAiming for success, not perfection…

If there is one thing that has made switching over to a healthier diet easier this time than in the past, it’s my daily consumption of green smoothies.  I cannot extol the virtues of this powerhouse of a drink enough.

If you’re new to this blog and wondering what on earth green smoothies are and why I’m so enthusiastic about them, let me fill you in.

Green smoothies are blended leafy greens and fruit.  Leafy greens and fruit are the two most perfect foods for humans (I’ve written about them here and here).  Our bodies need them every day in order to perform all its millions of functions and maintain health.  For me, drinking green smoothies daily is the first step towards health, even before you start eliminating things from your diet.

Blending the greens and fruit breaks open the cells, but preserves the fiber, making this drink one of the greatest gifts you can give your digestive tract.  Because the food is broken down, it’s easily digested and assimilated, while the fiber helps move waste out of the bowel.  The benefit of eating food that is easily digested is that you free up a lot of energy, which makes you feel…well, more energetic of course.  And unlike stimulants like caffeine, this is not borrowed energy from your adrenal glands. 

Green smoothies, because they contain all the different types of fiber, do not cause wild blood sugar fluctuations.

I find that a green smoothies is the perfect pre- and post-workout drink.  It’s refreshing, high in protein, alkalizing, has a high water content and gives me energy.

Green smoothies are also highly effective for weight loss.  Clent Manich lost 135 pounds and reversed diabetes on green smoothies.

Kids tend to love green smoothies, because you don’t actually taste the “green”.  Getting them to try it is the hard part.  Victoria Boutenko, the “mother” of green smoothies, suggests serving it in a covered cup with a straw the first time, so that they don’t see it’s green.  Also, in the beginning, make your kids’ (and newbies’) smoothies sweeter by adding more fruit and less greens.  You can gradually increase the amount of greens.

Here are some tips regarding green smoothies:

DO:

-  rotate  your greens.  In other words, use a variety of greens.  All leafy greens contain unique alkaloids that can build up in the system, so don’t  use spinach day in and day out for weeks on end.  There are so many different kinds of leafy greens – all kinds of lettuce, arugula (rocket), basil, beet greens, bok choy, carrot tops, celery, chard, cilantro, clover, collard greens, dandelion, dill, endive, escarole, fennel, kale, mint, parsley, rosemary, sorrel, spinach, watercress, wheat grass, etc.

-  sip your smoothie slowly.  This allows the enzymes in the saliva to start the digestion process in the mouth.

-  take green smoothies to work or on outings with you.  Just buy a couple of glass screw-top jars and a small cooler bag and you’ve got the healthiest lunch imaginable!

-  drink green smoothies when you’re sick.  That is when your body really needs the nutrients and the fluids, so forget about the Jell-O, ice cream and other nutrient-poor foods you normally have when you’re not well and rather work with your body to feel better.

- keep adding more greens and reducing the amount of fruit as you get used to the taste.

- look here, here and  here for recipes.

- try frozen fruit.  That way you can have berries, figs, grapes or mango in your smoothies even when they’re out of season.

-  Enjoy!

DON’T

- add dairy, protein powders, starchy vegetables, commercial juices, etc to your green smoothies.  You want your smoothie to be as digestible and alkaline as possible to get the maximum benefit from them, so keep them simple.  Remember, the aim is to get your fruit and greens in!

-  drink green smoothies as part of a meal.  They are optimally digested and absorbed when consumed on their own (poor fruit-combining is the main reason why some people have digestive issues with fruit).

-  worry if you don’t have a high speed blender.  Of course your smoothie will be smoother if you have a Vitamix or a Blendtech, but I have the absolute bottom of the range blender and I make delicious smoothies.  The trick with a lower speed blender is to first blend the water and greens well and then to add the fruit.  Blend until you have the consistency you like.

- be afraid to experiment on your own.  I’ve only rarely made a smoothie that didn’t taste as good as it should.  For instance, I love grapefruit, but it doesn’t really work in a green smoothie.  Because I like tangy things, I often add half a lemon, including the peel, to my smoothies.  I also like throwing in a thumbnail sized piece of fresh ginger.  One of my favorite additions is a fresh passion fruit, which I literally blend for just a moment.

- delay trying green smoothies. You will be amazed at the results. Quite a few of my readers (including the amazing Kat, Amy H and Vickie)  have mentioned recently that they’ve tried green smoothies and loved it.

Cheers!