What if you could drink a magic potion that would revitalize you, clear your system of unwanted toxins, and take just a few minutes to make? Green Smoothies can do just that, and much more.
1. All you need is a blender and an open mind.
The great thing about green smoothies is that it doesn’t require much to get started. (You could invest in a Vitamix for silky-smooth shakes, but that’s totally optional.) My biggest suggestion is to give green smoothies a try before you get a better blender. That way you’ll be convinced of their effectiveness.
2. Green Smoothies are quick to make.
If you’re in a rush you can get a green smoothie ready and blended in just a few minutes. You can just blend and go while you drink the green smoothie on the run. You could even make a green smoothie ahead of time. Then store half of it in the refrigerator using a glass mason jar and it will still taste great one day later.
3. You get a steady stream of energy. (No crashing!)
You won’t experience the up-and-down spikes that you might from an all fruit smoothie when you make it a green one. That’s because the fiber rich greens slow down the absorption of fruit sugars, providing you with just the right amount of energy and nutrition at a pace that your body really loves.
4. Green smoothies can be enjoyed year round.
When your garden is overflowing with greens, just whip up a couple of batches of green smoothies and enjoy these inexpensive nutritional drinks. You can also benefit from green smoothies in the winter, by using frozen fruits and greens that you might have preserved from the summer. Green smoothies provide you with a lot of options all year round.
5. Green smoothies are ideal for weight loss.
Whenever you feel a craving coming on, make yourself a green smoothie instead of indulging your craving. (If you’re having a lot of trouble with food cravings, check out these tips to help you beat food cravings) Green smoothies help cut cravings because they are satisfying and provide your body with tons of nutrition.
6. Greens are the most Under-appreciated Superfoods.
We all know green tea is great as an antioxidant. What is green tea made of, if it’s not greens? Skip the middleman and just increase your intake of greens. Green leafy veggies are great because they have tons of cancer fighting properties, immune system boosting vitamins and minerals. Upping green leaf intake has been shown to reduce heart disease and prevent other degenerative diseases. That’s what I call super. Find out more about why you should be eating more green fat burning foods.
7. Satisfy every taste bud.
If you have a sweet tooth you’ll enjoy making green smoothies with lots of fruit. If you want something a little edgier, you can add some Raw Chocolate powder and make it a nutritiously devious dessert. If you want to replace a meal, you can make savory green smoothies using ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and even spices to make it a satisfying hearty meal.
8. Get your daily portion of fruit and vegetables.
One green smoothie probably contains more fruits and vegetables than most average Americans eat in a day. It’s one of the easiest ways of increasing your fruit and veggie intake. Plus you don’t need to carry an easily bruised banana around.
9. Chock full of amino acids.
If you’re worried that you’re not getting enough protein, increase your green smoothie intake. The more greens you eat, the more amino acids that you provide your body with. Your body uses these amino acids to produce protein.
10. Indulge your creativity and experiment.
You can throw almost any fruits or veggies into your blender and it will turn out tasting pretty good. (It helps if you follow some basic guidelines, of course.) Green smoothies give you the flexibility to create your own recipes, but they’re also a great way to use up leftovers.
11. Green smoothies are chimney sweepers for your body.
Over time, food that doesn’t get digested properly can get stuck in your system and become a burden on your elimination organs. Green smoothies act as a chimney sweeping brush to flush out all that toxic waste. The more green smoothies you drink, the cleaner your bowels will become, and the better your elimination. If you want to feel great, make it easy for your body to take the trash out. Oh, and that helps with losing weight too!
12. Green smoothies are a great addition to any eating plan.
What I like about green smoothies is that they can act as a “gateway drug” to raw foods. It’s so easy to just add a green smoothie to your current diet. There’s no reason not to give it a try. If after a couple of months you’re feeling great, you might choose to increase your raw food intake a little. That, my friend, is the power of green smoothies.
The Basic Green Smoothie Recipe
Feel free to use this basic green smoothie base and experiment. (Remember #11!)
- 2 Bananas
- 1 Peach
- 5 Strawberries
- Handful Spinach (increase greens gradually over time, and you’ll find you crave more of them!)
- 1 cup water
After you make your first green smoothie, you’ll want to learn about trying new recipes and rotating your greens.
One of the most important aspects of drinking your greens is the rotation of plants.
Let me explain.
When you consume the exact same variety of green leafy vegetables, your body is always getting the same nutrients. Each variety of plant will give you different nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants.
But it goes even further than that. You see, each plant has a self-defense mechanism to keep animals from completely devastating their favorite plant. For example, if monkeys loved spinach and decided to eat all the spinach around then the plant could not procreate and it would die out.
Nature’s system is so smart because it knows that it’s important to keep greens around (hello! most nutritious food pound for pound!). So green leafy plants actually have a minute amount of alkaloids, which act like a poison if ingested regularly.
That’s where rotating your greens comes in! If you switch between different types of green plans, your body’s immune system is actually getting a boost because it is working on different alkaloids all the time.
So my recommendation is to switch between at least 10-12 types of greens. You can have say two or three days on one green like spinach, and then two or three days on kale, then two or three days on gai lan, you get the picture.
This actually ties in well with the Traditional Chinese Medicine system of hot and cold foods. Some people do well on certain types of greens, while others are better off with different types.
I think it’s super important to swap greens regularly! Oh, and the reason we don’t need to focus on swapping fruit as much as greens is that fruit were designed to be eaten and spread by animals. Greens would rather grow, and have their seeds blow in the wind or be pollinated by insects.
Greens are the most powerful healing foods out there, so it’s great to make them a staple part of your diet!
List of Greens to Get You Started
Your best bet is to go to a farmer’s market and look a the vast array of colorful fat burning greens. Pick some up, smell it, ask the farmer what it tastes like, and give it a try! If you’ve got the space and inclination, I’d highly recommend you start a garden. Plant a few of these vegetables and see which ones you like!
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Kale
- Bok Choy
- Gai Lan
- Dandelion Greens
- Mustard Greens
- Carrot Tops
- Yu Choy
- Sunflower sprouts (sprouts in general)
- Romaine lettuce
- Buttercrunch lettuce
- Boston lettuce
- Arugula (Rocket)
- Collard greens
- Cabbage
- Watercress
- Purslane
- Sorrel
- Tatsoi
- Turnip Greens
- Radish Greens
- Beet Greens
- Basil leaves
- Coriander / Cilantro
- Parsley
- Mint leaves
There are literally hundreds of different green edible plants out there. You can also turbo-charge your green smoothies by adding spices like cinnamon, ginger or even hemp.
