Many people know that eating dark leafy greens (Kale, Collards, Spinach etc...) is good for human health, but our busy lifestyles often get in the way of eating our "Fruits and Veggies". An easy and enjoyable way of consuming the ideal amount of greens daily is by blending the raw greens with fruit. You will need a blender to do this but with this kind of smoothie, the body can absorb the essential nutrients much more efficiently. Also you get an immediate energy boost and all it takes just three minutes to make and clean up. This is an incredible way to take control of your own health.
I have so much energy and clarity from eating green smoothies it has been a revolution in my fast paced life running a fast growing organic food company. Often I drink a quart for breakfast and then head to the office then I eat a good sized lunch of healthy food and then have a quart of monkey smoothie for dinner. The results? Weight loss, lots of energy, great digestion and restful sleep. These smoothies have mega fiber so BAM!!! Your digestion will be humming. Good digestion is key to good health and staying disease and illness free.
Although it seems like a simple idea I was inspired to eat green smoothies or "Monkey Smoothies" by reading a book called Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko. In the book she compares the standard American diet with the diet of wild chimpanzees. Chimpanzees share an estimated 99.4% of genes with humans, but their diet is dramatically different from ours. Their diet consists of essentially 50% dark greens and 50% fruit. Based on these observations, Victoria has developed a series of green smoothie recipes that enable anyone to consume the necessary amount of greens daily in a delicious way.
Here is some info from Victoria the author:
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 fiber. Consuming fiber 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 flavor, 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. 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 you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce 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. 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.
Start playing with green smoothies, and discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful delicious and nutritious addition to your menu. Add superfoods to them as well to boost their power available at beonliving.com.
You may find many more amazing facts about green smoothies in Victoria Boutenko's book, Green for Life, available at www.rawfamily.com.
Below are five green smoothie recipes. They are merely basic ideas for your green creations. Feel free substitute these ingredients with your own choice of greens and fruits. Enjoy!
Green Smoothie Recipes
Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
½ lemon juice
5 leaves of kale
2 cups water
Blend until smooth
Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
½ bunch romaine
2 cups water
Blend until smooth
Peach-spinach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
2 cups water
Blend until smooth
Mango-weeds
2 mangos
1 handful of edible weeds, such as lambsquarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc
2 cups water
Blend until smooth
Pear-kale-mint
4 ripe pears
5 leaves of kale
½ bunch of mint
2 cups water
Blend until smooth