I blinked. The ceiling was covered in green smoothie. The walls were covered in green smoothie. The floor was covered in green smoothie. I was covered in green smoothie.
Apparently, I hadn't fully secured the lid onto the blender, and in the process of blending my smoothie, the lid had flown off, spattering splotches of green smoothie everywhere. Uh, oh.
Thus began my journey of drinking green smoothies 6 years ago. Hopefully, you'll blend one too after reading their benefits and my recipe.
The Benefits of Drinking Green Smoothies
Green smoothies up your vegetable intake. I easily consume about 3 cups of vegetables each morning in my smoothie.
Green smoothies are "fast food." It only takes about 10 minutes to make a smoothie. It's an easy way to ensure a healthy meal on a busy day or when your energy levels are low.
Green smoothies are easy to digest. Since all the vegetables are blended, they are easier on the stomach. For a year in my illness, all I could eat were smoothies and pureed food.
Green smoothies are high in fiber. Fiber forms bulk in your colon and helps bind and excrete toxins and inflammatory mediators.
Green smoothies can aid in weight loss. The fiber in green smoothies makes them very filling, and they are low in calories.
Green smoothies are more economical than juicing. With green smoothies, you're blending the whole vegetable, vs juicing where the fiber is removed. With smoothies, nothing is wasted, and you won't have to buy as much produce.
How to Make a Green Smoothie
Buy a quality blender. Originally, we bought a NutriBullet, but the motor failed after just a few months. Now we own a VitaMix. It's expensive, but it blends beautifully, is long lasting, and comes with a warranty.
Start with a liquid base. I use 2 cups of filtered water for making a smoothie that blends to the 5.5 cup line. You could also use green tea, almond milk, etc. for your base. Use more or less liquid to adjust the thickness of your smoothie.
Use plenty of organic vegetables. I use about 3 cups of vegetables, including lettuce, kale, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and carrots. Mix and match vegetables to find what tastes best together.
Include nuts, seeds, or peanut butter. These will make your smoothie more filling and give you fat and protein.
Use fruit sparingly. Try to limit the amount of fruit in your smoothie and use lower glycemic options like apples and berries. Sugar, even sugar from fruits, feeds yeast and bacteria in the body. I often only use half of an apple in my smoothie.
Add ice. Green smoothies are more palatable when they're cooler. I blend 6 ice cubes into my smoothie.
And, yes, make sure the lid is secured onto your blender. Need I say more?
Now I'm off to drink a green smoothie. Will you join me?
