What Are Some Green Smoothies Health Benefits?

The following information is for education only and is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or treat illness. It is valuable to seek the advice of an alternative health care professional before making any changes. The statements below have not been evaluated by the FDA (or your country's equivalent). Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Whether trying to shed some unwanted pounds, purify the body, improve immunological health or simply are in need of a healthier diet, green smoothies are the perfect choice. Additionally, people who aren't fond of vegetables enjoy drinking green smoothies as they have a 60-40 ratio fruit to green veggies, and the fruits more than compensate for the greens in the beverage. Consider the following green smoothies health benefits when looking for a delicious way to consume the recommended daily intake of green vegetables.

Enhanced Digestion Leads to Vitamin Absorption

Over the years it seems that the human body has gone through some major changes. Some scientific studies suggest that we no longer process greens the way we once did. This could be as a result of evolution and the horrible diets we have been eating for centuries. It has been suggested that eating green leafy vegetables may not be as beneficial to our bodies as drinking them. The reason for this is that blended greens have already been broken down and therefore go through our digestive systems much easier, thereby enhancing our ability to benefit from the vitamins found in them.

Green Smoothies Health Benefits and Weight Loss

There are hundreds of so called "miracle weight loss foods," however one of the many health benefits of green smoothies is that they help to promote weight loss as a result of the high fiber content found in them. Many people use green smoothies for juice fasts as they are so rich in everything their bodies need. In addition, they can mix up the fruits and green veggies being used in such a way as to be certain they are getting a low fat and delicious meal, one that will never be boring. This will reduce the amount of unhealthy foods being consumed as an added plus, of course helping with the journey to a healthier body.


Green Smoothies and Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is most definitely a miracle food simply because of the amazing similarity its molecular structure has to hemoglobin. The only difference is that the center of the atom on chlorophyll is magnesium whereas in hemoglobin it is iron. In laymen terms this means chlorophyll, when ingested helps hemoglobin serve its purpose. Because our blood is comprised of about 75% hemoglobin, this is a major benefit to our red blood cells. This of course helps to enhance our energy levels almost immediately. Foods such as spinach, leeks, broccoli, bell peppers, seaweed, green olives and romaine lettuce contain high amounts of chlorophyll, with spinach being at the top of the list.

Of course there are many fruits which can be incorporated into green smoothies to improve taste and make them even more appealing, especially where children are involved. For parents who have problems getting the little ones to eat greens, this is an amazing way to 'indoctrinate' them to the wide world of green veggies and much easier than saying, "Eat your veggies, they're good for you!" As people become more and more aware of living healthy and eating raw foods, it is no surprise that the green smoothie has become so popular.

Green Smoothie FAQs - Discover The Healthy World Of Raw Food Green Smoothies

Green smoothies can very well be considered nature's fast food...

They are really quick to make, are very nutritious, and are easily assimilated by the body. In essence, the pre-digested, raw state of the greens allow the nutrients to be easily absorbed by the body.

Let's get into some common green smoothie questions...

How to make a healthy green smoothie

How to make them 'healthy'? Simple, use healthy organic ingredients and the resultant smoothie can't help but be healthy.

A common recommendation is to keep the smoothies simple and not go overboard with too many ingredients. Your body will be better equipped to digest and assimilate the food when less ingredients are present.

Kale is considered the most nutrient dense green. For the fruit, any kind of berry is good. They are low glycemic and loaded with anti-oxidants.

Can I use blueberries for green smoothies?

Of course! I feel berries are the best choice when selecting fruits for your green smoothies. As mentioned in the answer to the previous question, berries are low glycemic so they do not affect the blood sugar as much which is important to some individuals.

Best equipment for making green smoothies?

All you really need is a blender. Blenders with pre-programmed smoothie blenders are usually best but even a cheap blender on high speed can do the trick.

As for cups for your smoothies.. I use 1 liter and 500 ml wide-mouth mason jars. They are easy to clean and BPA free because they are glass, plus they hold a lot.

Is it a good idea to use two or more green leafy veg in a smoothie?

Sure, why not. I never use more than 2 because I try to keep the number of ingredients down but it doesn't hurt. Mixing kale and spinach with perhaps some hemp (and of course water and fruit) makes a great post-workout smoothie.

Do I need to add water to my green smoothie?

You probably don't have to add water but I always do. Some liquid is necessary to allow the smoothie to blend properly in the blender. You can use 100% orange juice or another type of juice. Adding the liquid first usually helps the blending process and prevents the solid food from becoming stuck in the blades.

How often should I have a green smoothie?

Well.. have green smoothies as often as you like. They can be consumed for any meal of the day. It is suggested by some authors that smoothies, when choosing the right ingredients, may be all your body needs to survive and thrive.

Smoothies are said to digest with 20 minutes so there should be very little concern for food overlapping and food combining.

How soon should a fruit smoothie be consumed?

Whether a fruit smoothie or green smoothie, it is best when consumed immediately, but when stored in a proper container with a tight fitting lid (like a mason jar) in the fridge, it can keep for 24 hours or more.

Does your body digest smoothies more easily than eating solid fruit?

Yes, smoothies are essentially pre-digested when blended until smooth. This allows the body to digest and assimilate the foods better and provide less nutritional stress on the body.

Do green smoothies destroy raw food enzymes?

If a smoothie is blended to the point where heat is introduced it may destroy enzymes and nutrients in the greens and fruit, and may result in oxidation.

This is of very little concern. Some cheaper blenders may introduce heat early in the blending process, but the mid to upper end blenders generally keep the smoothies cooler.

Your smoothies can probably be blended until smooth within 30 to 60 seconds which should be a safe time frame. If still not blended, wait for the machine to cool than try again.

Learn more about how green smoothies lend themselves well to a raw food diet. Visit RawFoodHealthWatch.com.

Article Source: Green Smoothie FAQs - Discover The Healthy World Of Raw Food Green Smoothies by Michelle Bosmier

Green Smoothies Q&A

Q: Can you freeze your spinach for green smoothies?

I have prepackaged fruit smoothie ingredients into individual servings and I would love to do the same thing with green smoothies. Has anyone tried freezing their spinach before using it? Should I blanch it? Does it change the flavor or texture of the smoothie at all? My idea was having my frozen fruit and spinach in baggies so all I had to do in the morning was throw it in the blender and add water or juice. Thanks!

A: Yes you can freeze them as is no problems.

A: it should make it look greener, but much depends on what else you put in it and how much. i dont really trust prepackaged fruit so i wud wash them well before putting them in

A: blanch it first.
Remember, you can buy frozen spinach...

A: I do that, I blanch fresh spinach and then puree it with a bit of the cooking liquid, freeze it in ice cube trays, I have dozens I got from the Dollar marts, I do my yogurt, soya protein and fruits to like this, then I drop a few in the blender, add some soya milk, yogurt, soya lecithin and sweetener, buzz and I have a full level protein shake for my breakfast.

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Q: I love green smoothies I was told that mixing fruit with veg's causes the foods to forment in your stomach?

I love green smoothies (which are fruit smoothies with spinach or kale added)

A friend of mine said that it is bad to eat fruit WITH vegetables because it causes both to FORMENT in your stomach.....(?) is that B.S. or true?

A: B.S.
How would you explain salads with raisins or cranberries on it.
How would you explain gazpacho soup, it contains a variety of vegetables as well as tomatoes, tomatoes are fruits.
As food is broken down in the digestive tract fermentation does occur but that is natural and a process of the flora in your body doing what it has to do to enable the body to utilize the nutrients in the food.

A: all food ferments in your stomach.

If you drink milk it ferments, the stomach acid curdles the alkaline milk.
If you eat potato and other starches there is an enzyme in the stomach that breaks down the food, it is meant to do that.

if you ewant to get into food combining you wont eat protein and starch together- no bread and cheese, or pasta with cream or cheese. No smoothies with yoghrt AND fruit- that is carb and protein.
Its not a bd thing but its completely boring to do this food combining stuff, it is really limiting, and in fact youre not supposed to eat melon with anything, as it takes longer than other foods, and cant' even be eating with other fruit.

ALL food is broken down by stomach acid in the natural part of digestion.

Actually if you only eat on etype of food- it is a bit quicker to digest, but this way of eating is hardly practical.
YOu can't even eat ceareal with milk.

Fruit and veg together are OK.

Fruit is carbs and so are a lot of veg- potatos have carb, tomatoes have hardly any, pineapple has a lot, it's all about the sugar when it comes to fruit and some veg has a lot os fructose and sugars too.

Spinach is fine, ignore the terror alert.What next- it's dangerous to eat healthy?

Nit picking

A: No. That isn't true. It's very healthy for you, and there is no bad result of mixing fruits and vegetables. It's very strange what kinds of rumors spread...

Source: Yahoo! Answers

Which Greens Are Best To Use To Get Healthy?

Dark green leafy vegetables, or simply greens are often discussed when talking about 'health' and becoming 'healthy'. Health experts and parents alike can be heard saying 'eat more greens'. The truth is... people need more greens in their diet than they realize.

Also, people would probably need to consume way more salads than they would want (or have time for) to consume the amount of greens that are recommended by the natural health experts.

Additionally the greens need to be chewed down to essentially nothing before swallowed to actually be digested by the body. If the healthy greens aren't digested properly, don't expect them to be assimilated. Assimilation refers to the nutrients being absorbed into the bloodstream and used by the body.

On top of that, if the greens are cooked, a lot of the nutrients and enzymes (if not all) will be cooked away. So.. eating greens in their raw state is recommended by raw foodists and other natural health experts. But raw greens aren't always so tasty.

But there is a solution. There is an easy way to get lots of raw greens in your diet and have them taste good. Also, this method allows you to assimilate the greens properly... We'll get to that, but first, let's answer the question... which greens are best to consume to contribute to health?

The short answer.. all of them!

However, some will have more nutritional value than others, kale being the most nutritionally dense (meaning lots of healthy benefits).

Just don't eat the same green daily for months at a time. Change it up a bit.

And now the answer to how?

Mix your greens in green smoothies (fruit smoothies with greens blended in) to sneak more into your diet. Also, blending them will put them into a pre-digested state, allowing them to be more easily assimilated.

Use all greens, preferably organic and locally grown. Try beet tops, carrot tops, parsley, dill, cilantro (my personal favourite next to kale), romaine lettuce, spinach and others, as long as they are dark green and leafy!

And adding more than one green in your smoothie will not pose a problem. Now go blend some greens and get healthy!

Find some green smoothie recipes and also learn more about raw food and how it contributes to health.

Article Source: Which Greens Are Best To Use To Get Healthy? by Michelle Bosmier

How to make a Green Smoothie