Yes Green smoothies are not only a unique colour but they also offer unique health benefits. Made with leafy greens that are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, green smoothies are an excellent way to enjoy a delicious drink that satisfies hunger and offers maximum nutrition. You may think that turning leafy greens into a smooth, sweet delicious drink can be a bit of a challenge – and it is – for any kitchen appliance other than a quality blender like Vitamix.
I’ve Heard Green Smoothies Are Bad For You?
Recently some negative articles have surfaced online promoting that green smoothies are bad for your health which we believe to be completely misleading information as there is no evidence to support this. Over the past years at Raw Blend, we have received thousands of testimonials from customers all over the world letting us know how green smoothies have helped improve their health dramatically – all these customers can’t be wrong. At Raw Blend we have been drinking Green Smoothies daily for 5+ years and we are all feeling fit and healthy.
Rotate Your Greens & Don’t Overdo It
We always recommend rotating your greens (don’t have the same greens everyday) this will ensure you get a wide variety of nutrients and be sure to go easy on fruits which are higher in natural sugars (or this may cause a spike in your blood sugar levels). It all comes down to common sense really and there is no need to overdo it, we suggest 500ml – 2L as a recommended daily intake.
Nutritional Value of Green Smoothies
Here’s a quick look at the nutritional benefits of leafy greens: Leafy greens are packed with nutrition. They are a great source of non-dairy calcium, magnesium and Vitamin C. And they contain carotenoids that may help protect against macular degeneration and foliate to guard against heart disease and cancer. See link here for our range of: Green Smoothie Recipes
(Tommy from Raw Blend making a Green Smoothie in a Vitamix Blender)
Top Ten Reasons to Drink Green Smoothies
as suggested by the inventor of Green Smoothies Victoria Boutenko author of ‘Green Smoothie Revolution‘
1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. The ratio in them is optimal for human consumption; about 60% ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% organic greens.
2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, most of the cells in the greens and fruits are ruptured, making the valuable nutrients easy for the body to assimilate. Green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.
3. Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fibre. Consuming fibre is important for our elimination system.
4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavour, yet at the same time the greens balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding a nice zest to it. People who eat a standard American diet enjoy the taste of green smoothies. They are usually quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice.
5. A molecule of chlorophyll closely resembles a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, “consuming chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion”. Many people do not consume enough greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. By drinking two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough greens for the day to nourish your body, and all of the beneficial nutrients will be well assimilated.
6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. In contrast, juicing greens is time consuming, messy, and expensive. Many people abandon drinking green juices on a regular basis for those reasons. To prepare a pitcher of green smoothie takes less than 5 minutes, including cleaning.
7. Green smoothies have proven to be loved by children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.
8. When consuming your greens in the form of green smoothies, you are greatly reducing the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.
9. Regular consumption of green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. After a few weeks of drinking green smoothies, most people start to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough greens is often a problem with many people, especially children.
10. While fresh is always best, green smoothies will keep in cool temperatures for up to three days, which can be handy at work and while traveling.
Extract from the book ‘Green Smoothie Revolution’
(by Victoria Boutenko)
In search of the perfect human diet, I decided to look for an animal genetically close to human beings. I found that chimpanzees share an estimated 99.4% of their genes with humans. At the same time, these animals possess an extremely strong natural immunity to AIDS, Hepatitis C, cancer, and other fatal human illnesses. I was thinking that if we share 99.4% the same genes, our diets are supposed to be 99.4% similar. It appeared that the opposite was true. That is, the standard American diet is about 99% different from the diet of wild chimpanzees. Please see for yourself.
The Standard American Diet is almost 100% cooked or processed, while the diet of chimpanzees is 100% raw and whole foods. As you can see from the charts below, even the diet of the typical raw foodist resembles the diet of chimpanzees by only 50%.
Greens are high in cellulose which makes them difficult for the digestive system to break down. In perfectly healthy human bodies and with the absence of nutritional deficiencies, the greens are liquefied by two processes; first, by thorough chewing and then by being mixed with stomach acid.
Unfortunately, many people today don’t have normal levels of hydrochloric acid due to mineral deficiencies, particularly zinc. You may request your doctor to perform a stomach acid test on you. I would like to share with you an observation that might help you to decide whether or not you have low stomach acid. The average person probably has experienced vomiting several times in their life. If you ever vomited as a child maybe you remember that the acids from your stomach burned your throat, to such an extent that it hurt for several hours.
Maybe you can compare this experience with another incident of vomiting later in your life. Do you remember whether or not the burning sensation was still present or was weaker or not felt at all? That might be an indication of a reduced hydrochloric acid level in your stomach.
People who cannot chew their food and who have low hydrochloric acid eventually stop enjoying greens and even develop a distaste for them. I understand that this is a defence mechanism of the human body. As if it is telling us “honey, you are not able to digest these greens and they only become a burden on your digestive system, so I’m going to make you nauseous so you stop eating greens completely.”
It is a vicious circle. As humans consume more processed food they become increasingly deficient in nutrients. Being unable to create stomach acid, they stop consuming greens and become even more deficient. Their health continues to deteriorate.
At the time when I was researching the details of digesting greens, I was already missing my most important molars, and my stomach acid was extremely low. Naturally I started looking for a way of liquefying large quantities of greens. At first I decided to blend dark leafy greens in a high-speed blender. However, after I did so, when I opened the lid I had to quickly close it as the smell was unbearable.
I knew right away that I couldn’t possibly drink that mixture. At the same time I knew that I was on the right track. Blender after blender was poured into the compost. Several days passed before I came across a paragraph in Jane Goodall’s book about chimpanzees in which she mentioned that sometimes chimpanzees would take a fruit, role it in a green leaf, and eat it as a sandwich.
I stared at that paragraph thinking it was poor food combining according to human research. Then I thought that maybe chimps know better. Later I came to the conclusion that greens were erroneously placed in the wrong category as vegetables. There is a substantial difference between green leaves and vegetables.
Green leaves don’t have starch while vegetables such as carrots, beets, broccoli, zucchini, daikon, etc., contain a lot of starch. Starchy vegetables combined with fruit may cause bloating. Contrary to that, fiber in green leaves helps slow the absorption of sugar in fruit making this combination beneficial.
That discovery marked the beginning of my own green smoothie revolution. I peeled bananas and blended them with green kale. With trepidation I opened the lid of the blender and it smelled great. I tasted this super green drink and it tasted exactly like a banana smoothie.
I was able to trick my body. I was consuming a large amount of greens without any resistance from my body or my taste buds. I didn’t feel nauseous. In fact, I ecstatically enjoyed the greens for the first time in my life!
As I was drinking the first green smoothie of my life, it dawned on me that my children could also enjoy eating greens this way. And my friends. And my neighbours. And my co-workers. And my students. And, oh my goodness, the whole world too! At this point I started dancing in my office and then in the street. I couldn’t stop laughing and shouting with delight. I recognized that green smoothies were a perfect solution for people like me, of whom there were millions.
This is a chapter taken from Victoria’s book Green Smoothie Revolution.
You might also find these resources helpful:
- Green Smoothie Magic (Book $14.95 by Victoria Boutenko)
- Raw Blend Green Smoothie Bottle (1 Litre Bottle $14.95)
- Green Smoothie Products (Full range)
- Green Smoothie Recipes (20+ Recipes)