Green Smoothies

[johnshade]

These are one of the truly great tools for a healthy lifestlye. Last year I read Victoria Boutenko's book, Green for Life, and became a convert. They are often associated with the Raw Food lifestlye, but really, they would benefit anyone looking to increase their intake of green vegetables and increase their energy and boost metabolic funtion.

In essence, a green smoothie is a blended mix of raw vegetables and "some" fruit to make it taste better. The benefit of this to ,say, juicing or to cooking those greens is manifold. First, you are getting all the fiber from the plants which a juicer will remove. You are also getting all the rich aminos acids in the form of enzymes as well. When we cook green vegetalbes we destroy most of the essential enzymes. I don't know many people outside the raw community who can say they eat raw kale on a weekly basis.

Common mixing greens would be Kale, Chard, Dandelion greens, Collards, celery, beet greens, Lambsquarter.

For fruit, you can go with berries, bananas, kiwis or some citrus. The great thing is that anything goes. I drink maybe four of these a week and I absolutlely swear by them.

Today I made an incredible concoction. Last night I brewed some Pau D'arco tea with some green tea and I threw some Dulse(seaweed) into the container and refridgerated it overnight. This allowed the tea to soak in all the minerals from the seaweed. Then I used that as my base this morning. Threw in some blueberries, some cherry tomatoes, hemp seeds, one kiwi and a bunch of organic Kale. Blended it up in under two minutes and off you go.

Does anyone else use this great to tool for overall health? If so, what do you put in yours?

[Laura in Arizona]

I add greens to my protein shake in the morning and love it. It is a very easy way to get extra nutrition in. You are right that the small amount of fruit helps cover the taste. Because mine is for breakfast and I need protein: I use 2 eggs (yes, raw), about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of greens (love organic baby spinach and it usually makes up at least half that, then some kale and chard for the balance), about 1/3 cup frozen wild blueberries or mixed berries, a squeeze of lemon, 1-2 tsp whole chia seeds, a tablespoon of Carlson's cod liver oil and an ounce of a liquid glucosamine/chondroitin/msm supplement I am taking. Add about 1/2 cup of water, blend it up and it is very good. I have this 5-6 mornings a week and have grown to really love it.

I like your idea of using it more as a tonic during the day a few days per week. I also really need to branch out more and use different greens as you do. I think eating greens is an extremely healthy thing to do and I applaud your efforts.

Thanks for posting, you have inspired me to take another step and start experimenting with other greens!

[lisabinil]

Here's a great thread.


Fawn, I am drinking your shake right now!!

[Laura in Arizona]

Originally Posted by lisabinil

Here's a great thread.


Fawn, I am drinking your shake right now!!

Thanks for the link lisa - there is a lot of great info there. I have been inspired and am on my way to the grocery store to get a LOT of veggies to experiment with.

[johnshade]

YouTube - Running Raw: Green Smoothies - Tips &...

[lisabinil]

OMG I think this guy has green smoothie intoxication!

[Clannad]

Lol, he's a riot! Chew it, don't chug it!

[johnshade]

lol, um...raw food people are very, how shall we say, "excitable" about certain things.

I think its still got some good advice on how to get started tho.

[Laura in Arizona]

Originally Posted by johnshade

lol, um...raw food people are very, how shall we say, "excitable" about certain things.

I think its still got some good advice on how to get started tho.

Yes, he is very enthusiastic but it is entertaining and I think he does a good job. Thanks for posting it.

[Clannad]

Originally Posted by johnshade

lol, um...raw food people are very, how shall we say, "excitable" about certain things.

I think its still got some good advice on how to get started tho.

Oh, I love how excited he is! And you are right, he has some good advice. I enjoyed his videos a lot.

[Ma Bailey]

I've been doing this for some time. I could never understand "juicing". I always felt that you were tossing the best part. I know people that juice and they can't figure out the "smoothie" idea....I guess we all meet in the middle somewhere.
The one I made this morning had 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 cup of blueberries, about 2 cup of kale, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 tomato, some leftover salad from last night, few slices of fresh pineapple (core and all) 2 cups of water. I usually get enough for DH and I to have a quart each that we "chew" throughout the day. I love the fact that you don't need any salad dressing. It is basically a salad in a jar. I am going to get some hemp seeds and possibly Salba seeds. It is also a great way to get all of the fruit and veggies you will need all day.
Keep on blending....>^.,.^<

[johnshade]

although that smoothie has a bit too much fruit for me ma bailey, it sounds great. And I agree, when do you ever normally eat raw chard or raw dandelion greens? Its a great way to get greens into your diet and the blending really helps with digestion.

There is a guy I've listened to on the raw food sites who did nothing but Green Smoothies for like three weeks and said that he never felt better in his life. That he was vegan prior to that and he never felt as good or got in as good a shape like when he was on nothing but green smoothie. A lot of raw foodists also report needing less sleep b/c the energy required to process cooked foods and things like protein is no longer needed so they are sleeping like three or four hours a night. Not personally recommending this approach but thought it was interesting.

[fawn]

This is how I get the majority of my greens in....it helps me maintain a more than 50% raw diet. Running Raw is a fun site. Welcome John....I see you're in Northern CA as well?

[deacons98]

Hi!

Ok I just made my very first green smoothie! I usually don't eat a lot of carbs during the week, and that includes veggie carbs. But I am rethinking that and decided to bite the bullet today and try one of these!

My portions weren't very large but I did some avocado, dandelion root, kale, tiny bit of blueberries, cucumber, one egg, .5 cup Jay Robb protein and yb cream. Its actually sweet! Think I will take out the PP next time and see.

Not sure how it will effect my weight but I am a little tired of fearing veggie carbs lol!!

Thanks for the tips!

[johnshade]

Originally Posted by fawn

This is how I get the majority of my greens in....it helps me maintain a more than 50% raw diet. Running Raw is a fun site. Welcome John....I see you're in Northern CA as well?

Yep, I live in downtown SF. I've seen a number of your posts Fawn and I think our approach to food is very similar. I am aiming for about 50-60% raw myself. I think that matched with a clean whole food diet with lean protein and some healthy carbs, no refined sugar....is the sweet spot for me. I'm almost there and Green smoothies are a nice way to get alot more raw green into my diet. As i said, I try not to eat too much fruit b/c of the sugar. But I eat some fruit almost everyday. Usually one piece. More than anything, I try to avoid overly processed foods whenever possible. That, along with cutting out sugar, has made the biggest difference.

[Laura in Arizona]

In part because of this thread I am now up to 4 cups of leafy green things per day in my shake. Thanks for getting me going. I started with organic baby spinach and found it to be very mild. When I saw this thread I got a little over excited and added kale, beet greens, dandelion, escarole, collard greens. It was a little over the top! So I backed up and did 2 cups baby spinach and 2 cups kale. That was pretty tasty so then did about 1 1/2 cups of the baby spinach, 1 1/2 cups kale and then the remaining 1 cup something else. The shake tastes a little "green" (and boy it looks green) but it is pretty good. Just wanted to encourage anyone thinking they need to add extra greens to their diet this really is an easy way to do. Now if I could just figure out how to slip in some liver...

[fawn]

Originally Posted by johnshade

Yep, I live in downtown SF. I've seen a number of your posts Fawn and I think our approach to food is very similar. I am aiming for about 50-60% raw myself. I think that matched with a clean whole food diet with lean protein and some healthy carbs, no refined sugar....is the sweet spot for me. I'm almost there and Green smoothies are a nice way to get alot more raw green into my diet. As i said, I try not to eat too much fruit b/c of the sugar. But I eat some fruit almost everyday. Usually one piece. More than anything, I try to avoid overly processed foods whenever possible. That, along with cutting out sugar, has made the biggest difference.

A bay area friend! Do you shop at the Farmers Market at the ferry building? That's a fabulous and one of my favorite days for sure. I'm also a realtor John for Herth on Castro with my satellite office at the river.

I too limit my fruit intake to 2 per day which I think is necessary for me yet healthy......

Now if I could just figure out how to slip in some liver...

Oh Laura I tried that for low iron........I blended it with coconut milk. Got two doses down and almost vomitted the 3rd. I now take a mineral supp with iron.

[Laura in Arizona]

Originally Posted by fawn

Oh Laura I tried that for low iron........I blended it with coconut milk. Got two doses down and almost vomitted the 3rd. I now take a mineral supp with iron.

Ewww! I was just joking - can't believe you really tried it! I don't eat liver but really want to try and get my vitamins and minerals from food stuff. What is your opinion of dessicated liver caps?

I probably could make myself eat a small amount of liver once a week and am thinking it is probably the better way to go (provided I can get good, clean liver). I did Weight Watchers with my mom and sister in the early 1970's and they required you to eat liver once a week. My mom came up with a recipe for liver stroganoff using yogurt that I could get down. Never really liked it but I could do it. Better pull out the recipe...

[fawn]

Interesting you should ask. I don't like to bring up stuff I haven't researched thoroughly and tried myself so here goes! I am now taking glandulars and researching them. I think if your source is a nice clean one, it's a fascinating tought. This dates back to paleo and maybe someone who has studied this can chime in but traditional peoples would treat themselves with the organ of the bovine for any ailment they thougt h they might have liver for liver, kidney for kidney, you get my point. I'll keep you posted too as to my results.

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by fawn

Interesting you should ask. I don't like to bring up stuff I haven't researched thoroughly and tried myself so here goes! I am now taking glandulars and researching them. I think if your source is a nice clean one, it's a fascinating tought. This dates back to paleo and maybe someone who has studied this can chime in but traditional peoples would treat themselves with the organ of the bovine for any ailment they thougt h they might have liver for liver, kidney for kidney, you get my point. I'll keep you posted too as to my results.

I've been trying to see if I can figure out how to make offal not awful. I made a beanless chili and added grass-finished beef liver and could not tell that the liver was in there . I soaked the liver overnight in milk (read that removes the bitterness), whizzed it in a food processor (turned into a gelatinous icky mess), made my chili using hamburger and lamb burger. Stirred in the liquefied liver then simmered for a while. The liver just disappeared into it and the spiciness of the chili must have covered up any flavor - or maybe that milk soak makes it all better. And really hate liver.

My theory is to grind it and spice it so you can't really tell what is in there.

I just found lamb's heart, kidneys, and liver. Looking for how to fix those too.

[fawn]

tell me what you think about the glandulars?