Are Green Smoothies a Fad?
Green smoothies are a powerful way to enhance your health and your energy levels. Basically they are made up of fruits, green leafy vegetables and some liquid. They were made popular by Ann Wigmore and Victoria Boutenko and are not just a passing fad. There are many reasons they are becoming so popular including the fact that they feed your body the essential nutrients it needs to function optimally and are quick and easy to make. By having green smoothies every day you will begin to notice that you …
★ feel more alive
★ have lots more energy
★ have clearer brighter eyes and skin
★ lose weight naturally
★ feel more confident and happy in yourself
You’ll really be amazed at the differences you will feel!
WHATS IN A GREEN SMOOTHIE?
Generally green smoothies contain a liquid such as water, milk, coconut water or fruit juice. Then fruit is added, (bananas, mango, pineapple and strawberry are popular). Then the desired amount of dark green leafys such as spinach or kale are added. You can also use lettuce, parsley, chard, basil, coriander, bok coy, celery and cucumber. However the best vegetables (in terms of nutrient density) are the dark leafy greens. The ideal ratio of green smoothie ingredients is about 60% fruit and 40% greens but you will find as your taste buds adjust you can add less fruit and more greens. You can also add superfoods to your green smoothie for added nutrition.
TOP TIPS FOR CREATING AMAZING GREEN SMOOTHIES EVERYTIME!
- Buy your fruit when in season or on offer and chop into inch size pieces and freeze in baggies or containers to have ready for use in your smoothies.
- Use a powerful blender for your smoothies (Nutribullets and Salter blenders work well), generally speaking the higher the wattage the better. If you are buying a blender check out my blog on what to look for here.
- Don’t forget to seal the lid to the blender well – cleaning smoothie off kitchen walls isn’t fun – trust me!!
- If you have a low powered blender, add the liquids and juicy (high water content) produce into the blender first (keeping a small amount aside) – this way a vortex is created and adding the other ingredients in then will make sure that you get a creamier, well-blended smoothie. Depending on the consistency you like add the additional liquid toward the end
- Always start at a slow speed and increase gradually to a high speed and then back down to a slow speed. If you start off too fast, the smoothie will end up on the sides of the blender so won’t blend well.
- Always test the smoothie before you pour it out so you can adjust for sweetness if necessary. If you find the taste of the greens too bitter (it’s an acquired taste!) you can always add a date(s), banana, apple or agave syrup to sweeten.
- Check the consistency too – remember if you have used chia or flax seeds then the smoothie will thicken quickly so if your smoothie is for ‘on the go’ you will need to thin it out more than you normally would.
- Serve in nice glass and garnish if you like ‘pretty’! Ideally sit and enjoy it by sipping slowly and savouring it. If your smoothie is for ‘on the go’, you can find nice glass containers in TK Maxx that you can use for transporting it and remember to keep it cool. Green smoothies will oxidise so to get maximum nutrition from it consume within a few hours.
- Ideally have your smoothie on an empty tummy so it will digest more efficiently so either first thing in the morning or as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack.
ALL SET? – If you want to try out Green Smoothies for a week you can download my recipes here.
All you need are…
✓The recipes
✓A blender
✓Ingredients in the shopping list
✓A positive attitude and off you go…