The Buzz on Green Smoothies
Originally written by Cherie King

Benefits of Drinking Green Smoothies | What's So Great About Greens? | What About Green Powder Supplements?
Favorite Basic Smoothie Recipe | More Green Smoothie Combinations

Sometimes I wonder how many people who are not in-the-know about green smoothies envision a glass full of thick, gloppy smoothie consisting of ALL greens that tastes simply AWFUL! Well, if you're new to this semi-new craze, allow me to ease your mind a bit - just think of the Dr. Seuss story, "Green Eggs and Ham" and how they were frowned upon until that first taste! Don't be turned off by the word "green". Green smoothies are a delicious way to get yourself and/or your loved ones to:

*Consume more fresh fruit
*Consume more greens
*Get essential amino acids needed for protein
*Experience improved health
And all in a delicious, power-packed drink that can replace any meal while providing the opportunity for healing of the cells!

A green smoothie is simply a fruit smoothie with greens added in. Now, there was a time when I was making these (before they really became a "household name") and I would add like a kale leaf or even half of a kale leaf or a very tiny bit of spinach...in other words, my "green" smoothies were NOT green at all! But overtime and after hearing a talk by Victoria Boutenko, author of many raw food books including "Green for Life"(where she really goes in depth about these power-drinks) and reading said book I began adding more and more greens to them.

Benefits of drinking green smoothies
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In the cooked food world, most people definitely do not consume enough green leafy vegetables. Oh they may eat spinach or green beans or even collards or kale, etc. BUT...they're cooked and when I say cooked, I mean cooked-to-DEATH!

Cooked, LIFELESS greens - and - Marinated LIVING greens bursting with nutrients

So, those cooked greens don't really count for much because the consumer of such (dead) greens is not getting all the nutrition that nature packed into them once they've been cooked. Even raw fooders don't eat as much green leafies as they should because to many (especially those new-to-raw foods) RAW greens are not palatable, not to mention they are oftentimes tough to chew and break down. Sure we can marinate them as shown in the image above, but there's only so much of that a person would probably want to eat before tiring of them.

So what's the solution? To BLEND them (preferably in a powerful blender such as the Vitamix that can really break the greens and their cellular wall down) but who wants to drink straight blended greens? Well, believe it or not, some do but the vast majority does not. For the masses, there is the option of blending those greens with what we ARE attracted to...FRUIT! Enough fruit should be used to make it taste good so you'll WANT to drink it! Then, as your body adjusts and gets used to the chlorophyll you can start adding more. Some will add in a whole head (or bunch/bushel) of greens to one blender-full of smoothie - with fruit added, of course! But blending them in this manner makes them more easily absorbed/assimilated by the body so there's no need for all that chewing and chewing and chewing...it's already "chewed" by the blender...all we have to do is motion as if we're chewing (to start the digestion process and get the saliva going) and then swallow! Best of all, it's TASTY aside from being SUPER good-for-you!

Green smoothies are the best way to get the amount of greens into our diet that we normally would not be getting. Some have reported that fromsimply consuming more of these smoothies that they noticed improvements in digestion, skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, acne, etc) and energy levels, healing of various conditions such as thyroid problems, and more! Green smoothies are also a great source of fiber to help keep the digestive system functioning properly!

So, what's so great about greens?
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Greens are an important part of our diet because they contain so many vital vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Iron and not to mention, amino acids. Now, let's talk a little about amino acids. Most times when a person is vegetarian, vegan and/or raw vegan/vegetarian; the main question they get is, "Where do you get your protein?" (followed by, "Where do you get your calcium?"). Well firstly, humans do NOT need as much protein as it's been indicated that we do. Secondly, our bodies cannot properly assimilate animal protein. Thirdly, protein does NOT create protein in the body...amino acids are what our bodies need to create protein and green leafies are chock-FULL of amino acids! And about the calcium...same thing...we do NOT need the "middle man (animal, rather)" to give us our calcium...we need to go to the source that the cow gets HER calcium from...greens!

Consider this: The daily recommended allowance of calcium for an adult 19-50 years of age is about 1000 mg. One pound of kale gives about 615 mg BUT...keep in mind that the daily recommended allowance is considering animal sources that actually LEECH calcium from our bones and again, our bodies cannot/do not properly assimilate it so it only stands to reason that, if a human is eating an all-raw or at least mostly raw diet with little-or-no animal products, they don't need 1000 mg a day! We're getting the BEST, most assimilable source of calcium available to us through the consumption of greens and green smoothies!

What about green powder supplements?
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Green powders are fine but they do not and should not substitute for the real deal. Fresh is always best...plus, not all green powders are created equally. Most that you find in stores are heated at extremely high temps, which defeats the purpose. There is one green powder that I use and recommend that was created by Dr. Jameth Sheridan. It is very nutrient dense, containing an abudance of greens from various sources that we probably would not get otherwise such as:
Barley grass, wheat grass juice, alfalfa leaf juice, dandelion juice, spirulina, chlorella, kelp, dulse, enzymes and probiotics! Also, this powder is carefully dried at low temperatures to preserve enzymes and other heat sensitive elements. It's also great for those times when fresh greens may not be easily obtained (for example, while travelling) or if you just want that added boost to your smoothies made with fresh greens and don't feel you're getting enough variety with your current choice of greens!

Generally, I add about 1/2-1 TBS. of this into my green smoothies (but I started out with like 1/2-1 tsp. until I got accustomed to it) and I also "sneak" a little into my children's smoothies, shakes, ice cream and more!

But kids love green smoothies especially if you fine-tune them to your children's liking. For example, my children love "slushy" smoothies so I add lots of ice and/or frozen fruit and if need be, agave nectar and they think they're having a Slushee or Icee! But sometimes they just drink them as ordinary smoothies too! And if you own a dehydrator, leftovers can be dried to fruit leather...not too many kids will turn down sweet, chewy fruit leather even if it is green!

But all-in-all, green smoothies are a great jumpstart to a healthy diet...many have even said they take away cravings for junk foods! So, start drinking green smoothies...at least 1-2 quarts a day and see what a difference they make in YOUR life!

Here are even more green smoothie combinations by Victoria Boutenko!
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But to learn even MORE about the wonders of Green Smoothies, you really should get a copy of her book, "Green for Life"! Not only does she include both sweet AND savory recipes for green smoothies, but this book tells you the why's and how she stumbled upon the greatness of this green wonder drink.

Mango-parsley= 2 large mangos, 1 bunch parsley, Water

Strawberry-banana- romaine= 1-cup strawberries ,2 bananas ,1/2 bunch romaine, Water

Pear-kale-mint= 4 ripe pears, 4-5 leaves of kale, 1/2 bunch of mint, Water

Peach-spinach= 6 peaches, 2 handfuls of spinach leaves, Water

Apple-kale-lemon= 4 apples, 1⁄2 lemon juice ,4-5 leaves of kale, Water

Finger banana-spinach= 10 finger-bananas, 2 handfuls of spinach leaves, Water

Mango-weeds= 2 mangos, 1 handful of lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane & etc, Water

Kiwi-banana-celery= 4 very ripe kiwis, 1 ripe banana ,3 stalks of celery, Water

Bosc pear-raspberry-kale= 3 Bosc pears, 1 handful of raspberries, 4-5 leaves of kale, Water