Green Smoothies

PIC

What is a green smoothie?

A blended drink made of juice or water, and varying green vegetables and/or fruits.

Why drink it?
To get nutrients in raw form, a way pool different fruits and vegetables in one place. They can be a great alternative to salads, for people on the go, and can be made sweet or savory to taste.


I've tried Green smoothies on and off over the years. At first I was terrible at it; my ingredients were off. I think the issue was that I was trying to pack too many ingredients in thinking I would get the most nutrients that way. While that may be true I was ending up with a thick, slushy, weird tasting mess and got no nutrients because I couldn't stand the taste thus wasting perfectly good vegetables. The term 'less is more' proved itself. I had to learn simpler, tastier recipes.

I always have good results when I drink them consistently. I notice after a little over a week of drinking one green smoothie a day my skin starts to glow. But like usual I eventually fall off. I decide to stop for a bit for some stupid reason eventually going back to how I was with my skin getting dull again(I have a problem : / ).   I never checked to see if there was any effect on my hair growth but it doesn't matter to me as I drink them for overall health. I've also read on hair forums about green smoothies concerning hair growth and many reported wonderful hair, skin, and overall health results.

Other things I've noticed are keener sense of smell(eg. with meat), decreased sugar cravings, and boundless energy. Around last September/October I was on green smoothies for about a month and I was bouncing off the walls. That was actually my longest green smoothie stint. I had so much energy I couldn't sleep. I'd want to throw on my sneakers and go running around the block just to burn some energy but couldn't because it was late at night and I'd probably get snatched up and end up on a milk carton. So I took up some free dance classes with Shape Up NYC (if you're not using their resources you need to get on it). When I got midnight snack cravings I'd also make a green smoothie instead of getting a sandwich, ice cream and/or cornbread (hanging head in shame), frying an egg, or any other atrocity I shouldn't be eating at that time of night. Looking back, late night green smoothies didn't help my insomnia. Smh.

This is a smoothie I made today.

Kiwi, ginger, aloe, spinach.

Mix mentioned above, White Rose honey, Spectrum apple cider vinegar

 

Approximately 24oz. This batch was yummy.

My recipe

12oz. water

1 handful spinach

half kiwi

1 piece aloe

small piece of ginger

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon MSM

Amount of honey needed for desirable taste.

My findings/sugestions:

-Don't use regular spinach you need BABY spinach. I made the terrible mistake of making a smoothie with that stuff and nearly died.#throwsupinmouth# Slimy mess.

-Don't use tomatoes. Extremely acidic. Might work out in savory green smoothies. Look here.

I sometimes add apple, blue berries, straw berries, banana, chlorophyll, chlorella, celery, etc. Just about anything I have on hand that I think will taste good. My base juice is lemon, water, and honey. I used to use apple juice but wanted to try something more basic and unprocessed. Occasionally I'll go back to apple juice and other juices for a different taste.

So since I've been feeling sluggish lately I'm putting myself on a challenge to drink at least one green smoothie a day. If I drink more, like the entire contents in the above batch then great but this is my minimum goal. I also want to try my best to eventually replace my artificial juices with green smoothies and water.

When I'm really low on time or feeling lazy I add liquid chlorophyll to my juice so I'm at least getting some liquid greens in there. So that can be an option for someone. You can also use powdered chlorella, spiralina, or any other kind of powdered greens, or drink them in pill form.

What are your experiences with green smoothies?