Green Smoothies Boost Overall Health
Green smoothies super-boost overall health and the immune system by addressing one of the causes (poor diet) of the United States being near the bottom of the charts in health. In fact, researchers have rated us at a low 28 out of 34 countries studied.(1) Only six nations are unhealthier than the U.S.! The impact is astounding: 49% of Americans have one or more chronic diseases.(2)
Personally, its hard for me to eat healthy without being constantly in the supermarket and in my kitchen cooking from scratch. Green smoothies is my personal choice of solving that problem. I can happily, easily and deliciously get my 6 to 8 servings of fresh, organic produce I need in just one blender container. And food nutritionists/researchers/scientists report that at least 80% of our food should be eaten raw.
Benefits of green smoothies:
Going in the blender and consumed raw keeps their enzymes that cooking destroys.
They are alkalizing to the body; cancer cells cannot live in a alkaline, oxygenated environment.
A quick and delicious way to get your 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies per day.
If you arent a veggie lover, you can cover the taste of the veggies safely and naturally with an apple and/or pear OR raw honey (manucca is best) OR pure grade B maple syrup.
Green smoothies offer a wide array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals to nourish your body to the cellular level.
According to Joan Salge Blake, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Vegetables are high in potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. If the vegetables are pureed so that the fiber is still intact, they will help fill you up.
A tasty way to stay hydrated.
Smoothies are a quick and easy way to use the superfoods like berries, lemons, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, ginger, dandelion greens, parsley, aloe vera, sprouts, kelp, acai berries and avocados.
You can add proteins and live cultures like plain Greek yogurt and ground chia or flax seeds.
You can sweeten with manucca or raw local honey or pure grade B maple honey or even stevia powder or Stevia Plus (the pure powder being preferred over the extract extract not being the best).
A great way to lose weight by replacing a meal with a green smoothie. The plus is you wont have to cook and clean up all those pots, pans and utensils afterward. And you can rinse your blender pitcher, pour your smoothie into a commuter mug and out the door you go.
Cautions: You should include your doctor in your get healthy protocol first, especially if you have any health issues. For example, some veggies contain high levels of vitamin K which might interfere with blood thinner medications when eaten in high amounts (parsley, kale, dandelion greens, collards, cress, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, broccoli raab, radicchio, lettuce). (3)
Also, people with kidney health problems and/or concerns will want to monitor the oxalates contained in some vegetables. (beetroot, any form of soy, beet greens, leeks, okra, poke weed, spinach, Swiss chard, elderberries, almonds, figs, dried, hazel nuts, green gooseberries, rhubarb, star fruit) (4)
Pregnant women and diabetics should always consult your doctor with any dietary changes, especially when fruits are juiced to sweeten the greens with.
Those with thyroid issues should monitor the usage of veggies that contain high levels of goitrogens. If eaten in excess, they can interfere with the healthy function of your thyroid gland. (bok choy,broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips). (5)
Tips for making green smoothies:
Add your most water/yogurt/coconut/almond milk first. If you find a recipe online, add in the order they suggest to make sure everything is well blended.
Its always better to choose organic and non-GMO (genetically modified organism) produce.
Its better to not ever use soy milk as a liquid base (GMOs). In your local supermarket look in the dairy case area, and you will find chilled half gallons of coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, flax milk, etc. I like using coconut milk. Silk brand is a good brand to use if you have a choice. Choose the unsweetened milks and sweeten yourself with a healthier sweetener.
Always rotate your greens to avoid alkaloid buildup in your body. Staying with seasonal veggies is an easy way to do that.
If you dont have a high-powered blender, you might want to grate your hard veggies like carrots and ginger in a food processor first.
No need to buy a smoothies book. There are hundreds of free smoothie recipes online. Just do a google search for Green Smoothie Recipes to find more recipes than youll ever use.
Heres the way I do a basic smoothie. I put into my blender:
1 c. coconut milk (liquid base)
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (active cultures)
1/2 c. berries (super antioxidant fruit)
2 handfuls of organic spinach
4 large kale leaves (high goitrogenic to be rotated usually with dandelion greens or lettuce)
1 inch of peeled, fresh grated ginger (anti-inflammatory)
2 Tblsp ground chia seed (I use my coffee grinder) (plant protein, antioxidant)
1 apple or pear (to sweeten)
If it tastes too green, I will add another 1/2 piece of fruit OR put in a couple of spoons of raw honey. If you want a creamy taste and texture, you can use a banana.
Green Smoothies links:
Top Green Smoothie Recipes - Simple Green Smoothies
Green Smoothie Recipes | Incredible Smoothies
5 Delicious Green Smoothies For Beginners
http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
For more links, just Google green smoothie recipe
Sources:
(1) CHARTS: US Less Healthy Than Peer Countries - Business Insider
(2) The Impact of Chronic Diseases on Healthcare Costs
(3) Foods high in vitamin K use like for complete list and values:
Foods highest in Vitamin K
(4) Foods very high in oxalates use link for complete list and values:
http://www.ohf.org/docs/OxalateContent092003.pdf
(5) Foods high in goitrogens use list for complete list and values:
foods containing goitrogens
Green smoothies super-boost overall health and the immune system by addressing one of the causes (poor diet) of the United States being near the bottom of the charts in health. In fact, researchers have rated us at a low 28 out of 34 countries studied.(1) Only six nations are unhealthier than the U.S.! The impact is astounding: 49% of Americans have one or more chronic diseases.(2)
Personally, its hard for me to eat healthy without being constantly in the supermarket and in my kitchen cooking from scratch. Green smoothies is my personal choice of solving that problem. I can happily, easily and deliciously get my 6 to 8 servings of fresh, organic produce I need in just one blender container. And food nutritionists/researchers/scientists report that at least 80% of our food should be eaten raw.
Benefits of green smoothies:
Going in the blender and consumed raw keeps their enzymes that cooking destroys.
They are alkalizing to the body; cancer cells cannot live in a alkaline, oxygenated environment.
A quick and delicious way to get your 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies per day.
If you arent a veggie lover, you can cover the taste of the veggies safely and naturally with an apple and/or pear OR raw honey (manucca is best) OR pure grade B maple syrup.
Green smoothies offer a wide array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals to nourish your body to the cellular level.
According to Joan Salge Blake, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Vegetables are high in potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. If the vegetables are pureed so that the fiber is still intact, they will help fill you up.
A tasty way to stay hydrated.
Smoothies are a quick and easy way to use the superfoods like berries, lemons, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, ginger, dandelion greens, parsley, aloe vera, sprouts, kelp, acai berries and avocados.
You can add proteins and live cultures like plain Greek yogurt and ground chia or flax seeds.
You can sweeten with manucca or raw local honey or pure grade B maple honey or even stevia powder or Stevia Plus (the pure powder being preferred over the extract extract not being the best).
A great way to lose weight by replacing a meal with a green smoothie. The plus is you wont have to cook and clean up all those pots, pans and utensils afterward. And you can rinse your blender pitcher, pour your smoothie into a commuter mug and out the door you go.
Cautions: You should include your doctor in your get healthy protocol first, especially if you have any health issues. For example, some veggies contain high levels of vitamin K which might interfere with blood thinner medications when eaten in high amounts (parsley, kale, dandelion greens, collards, cress, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, broccoli raab, radicchio, lettuce). (3)
Also, people with kidney health problems and/or concerns will want to monitor the oxalates contained in some vegetables. (beetroot, any form of soy, beet greens, leeks, okra, poke weed, spinach, Swiss chard, elderberries, almonds, figs, dried, hazel nuts, green gooseberries, rhubarb, star fruit) (4)
Pregnant women and diabetics should always consult your doctor with any dietary changes, especially when fruits are juiced to sweeten the greens with.
Those with thyroid issues should monitor the usage of veggies that contain high levels of goitrogens. If eaten in excess, they can interfere with the healthy function of your thyroid gland. (bok choy,broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips). (5)
Tips for making green smoothies:
Add your most water/yogurt/coconut/almond milk first. If you find a recipe online, add in the order they suggest to make sure everything is well blended.
Its always better to choose organic and non-GMO (genetically modified organism) produce.
Its better to not ever use soy milk as a liquid base (GMOs). In your local supermarket look in the dairy case area, and you will find chilled half gallons of coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, flax milk, etc. I like using coconut milk. Silk brand is a good brand to use if you have a choice. Choose the unsweetened milks and sweeten yourself with a healthier sweetener.
Always rotate your greens to avoid alkaloid buildup in your body. Staying with seasonal veggies is an easy way to do that.
If you dont have a high-powered blender, you might want to grate your hard veggies like carrots and ginger in a food processor first.
No need to buy a smoothies book. There are hundreds of free smoothie recipes online. Just do a google search for Green Smoothie Recipes to find more recipes than youll ever use.
Heres the way I do a basic smoothie. I put into my blender:
1 c. coconut milk (liquid base)
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (active cultures)
1/2 c. berries (super antioxidant fruit)
2 handfuls of organic spinach
4 large kale leaves (high goitrogenic to be rotated usually with dandelion greens or lettuce)
1 inch of peeled, fresh grated ginger (anti-inflammatory)
2 Tblsp ground chia seed (I use my coffee grinder) (plant protein, antioxidant)
1 apple or pear (to sweeten)
If it tastes too green, I will add another 1/2 piece of fruit OR put in a couple of spoons of raw honey. If you want a creamy taste and texture, you can use a banana.
Green Smoothies links:
Top Green Smoothie Recipes - Simple Green Smoothies
Green Smoothie Recipes | Incredible Smoothies
5 Delicious Green Smoothies For Beginners
http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
For more links, just Google green smoothie recipe
Sources:
(1) CHARTS: US Less Healthy Than Peer Countries - Business Insider
(2) The Impact of Chronic Diseases on Healthcare Costs
(3) Foods high in vitamin K use like for complete list and values:
Foods highest in Vitamin K
(4) Foods very high in oxalates use link for complete list and values:
http://www.ohf.org/docs/OxalateContent092003.pdf
(5) Foods high in goitrogens use list for complete list and values:
foods containing goitrogens
