Welcome to the Wonderful World of Green Smoothies! Green Smoothies are a fantastic, nutritious and alkalizing drink that are perfect to enjoy for breakfast. In fact, green smoothies are a wonderful drink to consume at any time throughout the day. The nutrition they give you are comparable to any good meal, and in some instances, even surpass the nutritional attributes of said meal.
I’m sure by now many people are very familiar with the term Green Smoothie. Perhaps though you may not know exactly what to put into these delicious drinks. For many advocates of the RAW movement, there are just countless varieties of recipes that are available to try. No two seem to be alike… and truly they are not. You will find just about everything from soup to nuts going into the smoothies as “wonderful ingredients”. But to be honest, are they really “wonderful ingredients”?
Yes, by themselves, they are fantastic, but when blended in a green drink, you may be compromising your digestion if you are not aware of proper food combining. Victoria Boutenko is a pioneer and expert in the Green Smoothie movement. Below is an excerpt from one of her many books outlining simple guidelines that are so very important to heed. By following the suggestions, you will find each green smoothie recipe that Victoria offers will easily digest in your system.
Do yourself a favor and take time to learn how to do these easy green drinks properly from the start. You will never tire of them nor feel unwell after you drink them.
Guidelines for Green Smoothie Consumption for Optimal Health Benefits.
Ever since the invention of the green smoothie, I have been drinking them daily myself and sharing them with others. I love green smoothies so much, I am committed to drinking green smoothies to the last day of my life. Everyone in my family fell in love with them and many of our friends did too. Wherever I go, I gather new information from green smoothie fans worldwide. Through everyday blending, research, experience, and letters from our readers, we have created the best recipes and came up with the basic principles of green smoothie making and consuming.
To help people receive the most benefits from drinking green smoothies and to avoid some typical mistakes, I have created the following guidelines:
Prepare your green smoothie first thing in the morning in the amount that you usually consume in one day, one or two quarts (liters). Pour enough smoothie in a glass for your morning enjoyment and keep the rest in a refrigerator or another cold place.
Sip your green smoothie slowly, mixing it with saliva. Sometimes I put my smoothie in a coffee mug with a lid and carry it with me to the car or to my office. That way I minimize a chance of spilling it and keep it private without distracting others.
Don’t add anything to your smoothie except greens, fruit, and water. I don’t recommend adding nuts, seeds, oils, supplements or other ingredients to your green smoothie. Most of these items slow down the assimilation of green smoothies in your digestive tract and may cause irritation and gas. I encourage you to stick to the basic green smoothie recipe (fruit, greens, and water) in your daily routine.
Drink your smoothie by itself, and not as a part of a meal. Don’t consume anything, even as little as a cracker or candy with it. You may eat anything you want approximately 40 minutes before or 40 minutes after you finished your smoothie. Your goal is to get the most nutritional benefit out of your green smoothie.
Do not add starchy vegetables such as carrots, beets, broccoli stems, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, pumpkin, squash, okra, peas, corn, green beans, and others to your green smoothies. Starchy vegetables combine poorly with fruit and may produce what my children call “gas 4 less.”
Don’t add too many ingredients into one smoothie, such as nine different fruits and a dozen different greens. Try to keep most of your recipes simple to maximize nutritional benefits and to keep it easy on your digestive system.
Learn to prepare a really delicious green smoothie so that you are always looking forward to the next one. If your drink is not tasty, you will eventually discontinue consuming it. Keep your taste buds happy.
Always rotate the green leaves that you add to your smoothies. Almost all greens in the world contain minute amounts of alkaloids. Tiny quantities of alkaloids cannot hurt you, and even strengthen the immune system. However, if you keep consuming kale, or spinach, or any other single green for many weeks without rotation, eventually the same type of alkaloids can accumulate in your body and cause unwanted symptoms of poisoning. Please note that you don’t have to rotate the fruit in your green smoothies. Most commonly used fruit have very little or none of the alkaloids and cannot cause the same toxic reactions as greens. At the same time, rotating fruits will enhance the variety of flavor and nutrition in your smoothies.
Choose organic produce whenever possible. The absence of pesticides and other toxic chemicals is only one of many benefits of organic food. The most important reason to consume organic food is the superior nutrition of organic fruits and vegetables in comparison to conventionally grown produce. We have been discussing earlier, how deficient most people are. The best way to nourish your body is to consume organic produce and whenever possible, locally grown. I consider it very important to get the fruit that was allowed to ripen on the vine because it is the best for nourishment. Tree-ripened fruit is several times more nutritious and when consumed shortly after picking retains significantly more nutrients.
This is an excerpt from the book Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko, reprinted with permission. You can purchase this book from Amazon by clicking on Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health
We all know how difficult it can be to “stick” to something… especially if it is something very different and new from what you normally do. Drinking green smoothies can appear daunting, especially since they are very green, but don’t let the ingredients fool you… they are extremely tasty. Visually it might be uncomfortable and awkward because it is new and looks strange, but before you dismiss it, give it a try. Once you taste it, you will be amazed at the delicious flavor… finding it so easy to drink, not to mention all the wonderful energy you will get out of them too.
As an added benefit for those of you who are wanting to lose weight, by incorporating green drinks/smoothies into your daily regime, you will find your weight loss accelerating rapidly. And for those of you who find it difficult to stick with a routine, you will find that hypnosis is one of the best ways to help you stay on track – especially with weight loss. By giving suggestions to your other-than-conscious mind, it becomes second nature to complete your mission and then continue forth with new goals.
Changing your habits can potentially be a challenge. Changing your habits in order to achieve success with your weight loss is also challenging, but not impossible. From my experience in dealing with thousands of clients, using hypnosis sessions to assist with your weight loss is definitely the answer. The soothing hypnosis sessions are painless and actually a lot of fun, but most of all extremely relaxing. And we all know how important to your well-being it is to remain stress-free and relaxed. Consider the possibilities of hypnosis and search out a competent, professional hypnotist/hypnotherapist to boost your success in the right direction… whether it be weight loss or anything else for that matter. A good hypnotist can really do wonders for you.
For immediate hypnosis in the comfort of your own home, just click on my Weight Loss Series link. Then you can just lie back, put your headset on, close your eyes, and get transported to the magical world in your mind where anything is possible. Allow me to soothe away your stress and worries even if just for a little while. You will arrive back into the world refreshed, revitalized and renewed.
This post has been written and read by Cynthia L. Fertal, M.Ch.T., C.I. ~~ A practicing and successful, professional hypnotherapist and Creative Visualization and Relaxation (CVR) specialist for more than 21 years.
Disclaimer: This information is for you to actually consider alternative possibilities for your success. Please seek advice from your medical professional before starting any weight loss or exercise program. Taking charge of your body is your right and privilege. Do so with knowledgeable information from trusted sources.
