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You are here: Home / Archives for Self Help / Health / Green Smoothies

Green Smoothies

The Truth About Smoothies

December 3, 2014 by Joi Leave a Comment

How Healthy are Smoothies?
The following article was written by Ron McDiarmid from MyHelathyLivingCoach.com.  As we near the closing of one year and the beginning of a new year, I hope healthy eating is at the forefront of your mind. Articles such as this one  – as well as the many other articles you’ll find on the My Healthy Living Coach website – will help you get where you want to be by this time next year!

It can be a challenge to create healthy, easy meals, especially when we are on the go. The smoothie is one of the more popular health foods to emerge in recent years. And these days, you can find them anywhere, from your neighborhood new age restaurant to famous fast food joints. There’s a reason that the smoothie is so ubiquitous; they are a fast, easy and convenient way to get a lot of nutrition into your body in a short amount of time. But although smoothies have many benefits to our health, they can also cause health challenges, depending on how they are made.

What’s In a Smoothie?

Blended fruit is the most basic ingredient in a smoothie. Unlike in a juice, a smoothie can contain the entire fruit including the skin and seeds. Fruit is simply cut up and blended until it’s a liquid, instead of having its liquid extracted, as is the case with juice.

But the smoothie has much more potential than just the addition of fruit. Beyond that basic element, smoothies can include just about anything. A large number of smoothies have some sort of fat component, often a protein-rich food like yogurt or nut butter. They also tend to include a variety of fruit. Some people add supplements like protein powder, digestive supports like fresh ginger and powdered cinnamon to their smoothie. Super foods like spirulina, maca, or raw cacao can also be added.

The green smoothie is a definite favorite. This includes green leafy vegetables such kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, arugula, and lettuce. These leafy veggies can be blended with sweet fruit like bananas, or a raw vegan fat like avocado or soaked almonds can be used.

Beware the Unhealthy Smoothie

The level of a smoothie’s healthfulness depends on what has been put into it. But it’s important to understand that in a smoothie; relatively large amounts of food have been broken into tiny bits. This means that far more calories can be consumed than we realize. Making a smoothie that has over 800 calories is very easy to do. And because smoothies are liquid, we can ingest a high volume without necessarily feeling full, and then feel hungry again shortly after.

Fruit contains a lot of calories as well as naturally occurring sugar. If a smoothie is largely fruit-based, and a sweetener like agave nectar or honey is added, the sugar calories skyrocket which can spike our blood sugar levels.

Weight gain is triggered by eating too much sugar. Many think that increased fat consumption causes weight gain, but in a smoothie, healthy fats like avocados and nuts are usually added. Eating a lot of sugar places a lot of stress on the bloodstream. Whatever the body doesn’t immediately use for energy is converted into fat. And this is what makes smoothies potentially fattening; the potentially large amount of sugar that’s ingested in a relatively short period of time.

Healthy Smoothie Versions

Of course, there are incredibly healthy versions of the smoothie. One example is the vegan smoothie which contains primarily leafy green vegetables with some healthy fats, plant-based proteins, and a small amount of fruit. The vegan smoothie is a great way to boost your health. You can enjoy a large serving of nutritious greens and camouflage their taste in the fruits you add. This is a great idea for those who find salads challenging to enjoy. You can even make a sugar-free smoothie with greens, lemon, avocado, and assorted seeds.

The secret to a smoothie that supports weight loss and overall health is the careful choice of ingredients. Include only those ingredients that you would feel good about eating in a single meal. For example, if you would not eat 4 ounces of nut butter or 3 bananas in one meal, you may wish to reconsider adding them to your smoothie, because you will be consuming a high amount of calories at once.

It’s always a good idea to include a bit of fat in your smoothie to make the vitamins in the vegetables more accessible by your body. Doing this will also increase the level of satiation so that you feel full for longer, but it won’t be so much fat that your smoothie becomes a dessert. Adding just enough fruit to make the greens palatable is preferable to turning your smoothie into a fruit salad. Avoid the addition of sugar and calorie-laden ingredients like fruit juice. Do not add sweeteners unless it is stevia, which provides the sugary flavor without blood sugar spike. Ensure your smoothies are high in fiber, as this will help to slow the absorption rate of any sugar that may be present.

It also makes sense to think of your smoothie as a meal instead of a drink. Use smoothies as a main meal replacement. Enjoy your smoothie as you would any other meal, by sitting at your dining table. Drink slowly, and chew it a bit. This will help to further break down the greens and help your body to absorb it more slowly and thoroughly. If you intend to lose weight or maintain your current weight, the calories in your smoothie can be counted as a part of your daily total.

Smoothies remain one of the most versatile, healthy and convenient meal options available today. With the push of a button, we can create elaborate and delicious concoctions of fruity and green goodness. But just as with anything else, smoothies are only as healthy as their individual ingredients, amounts, and serving sizes. Choose to include mostly green veggies in your creation, along with a little healthy fat, plant-based protein, and minimal fruit, and your body will reap the many benefits.

This post is contributed by Ron McDiarmid, who is the founder of My Healthy Living Coach. Having had health challenges along the way Ron was keen to share the research and learning he gathered. Through MHLC this continued into a current presentation of healthy lifestyle choices and how to implement them. Check out his website at www.myhealthylivingcoach.com.

Filed Under: Green Smoothies, Health Tagged With: healthy eating, smoothies

The Mysteries of Bone Health

November 3, 2012 by Joi 2 Comments

Steel Cut Oats

 Knowledge is Power. Power is Healing.

Continuing with the National Health Blog Post Month Challenge.

For today’s topic “prompt,”  I chose “I Don’t Know About This, But I’d Like To.” I kind of figured this would be open-ended and fairly easy to do because, quite frankly, there’s so much I don’t know!  Since it IS a Health Blog Challenge, I confined my choices to things I don’t know much about in the medical arena.

Again, so much to choose from.

My choice kind of chose itself because it hits close to home: Bone Health. A few years ago, I had a bone scan and was told that I had Osteopenia. Naturally, I immediately turned to WebMD and asked it, I’m paraphrasing here, “What in the bloody heck is Osteopenia?!”

Osteopenia: Osteopenia refers to bone mineral density (BMD) that is lower than normal peak BMD but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis.  – WebMd

I’m a “glass is half full kind of gal,” so after I read the definition, I threw a mini party in my head because I didn’t have osteoporosis.  When the party was over, I returned to WebMd and said, “I don’t realize if you know this or not, but I’m not, like, in my 100’s or something. I’m only in my 40’s.”

I learned something as interesting as it is unsettling, All people begin losing bone mass after they reach peak BMD at about 30 years of age.

Further research also told me that certain factors can increase your chances of having Osteopenia or Osteoporosis:

  • Metabolic Problems
  • Thyroid Disease (guilty)
  • Not getting enough calcium in your diet (guilty)
  • Smoking (innocent)
  • Pre-Menopause or Menopause (guilty)
  • Steroid Medicine used to treat asthma (guilty)
  • Diet Soft Drinks (about as guilty as you can get)

I found that I was guilty on so many counts that I didn’t have the gaul to complain.  I bought a bag of chewable calcium supplements and found that they caused my heart to race like I’d just ran a marathon or had a great fright – like seeing a zombie or a member of KISS today without makeup.

After a little more research, I basically found, ‘Yeah… they can cause a few people’s hearts to run amok.”

I don’t care for my heart running amok, so I stopped them altogether.  It was a huge shame because…

  1. It would have been a simple, fast way to increase my calcium.
  2. They were delicious, so there’s no way I’d have missed a day.

The Osteopenia and Osteoporosis Prevention Research Ends

To be honest, I stopped researching calcium sources, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis, how to strengthen your bones, and how to prevent Osteoporosis.  It’s not that I didn’t still care about my bones… but, they were MY bones.  I tend to research topics to the end of the earth and back when they relate to my husband, daughters, and sons-in-law.  I want them to see doctors, take supplements, and have perfect health.  But like a lot of wives and mothers, I tend to put myself at the end of the “Care” list.

I realize that tendency is a whole other topic, and I won’t even begin to address that one right now! Suffice to say, I stopped reading about these conditions and I stopped researching foods that provide more calcium and things like that.

The Osteopenia and Osteoporosis Prevention Research Resumes

I’ve started reading more about bone health recently because of a couple of issues I ran – well, more like walked (literally) – into. I somehow managed to develop a very painful stress fracture on one of my feet.  Now get this… the only exercise I do is walking.  If my bones are so puny that walking makes them think they’ve been overtaxed, I have to start giving them more attention.

I also recently recently have a toe that’s giving me a lot of problems. The pain is similar to the stress fracture.

As I was putting ice on my toe last night, it kind of hit me… what if, Heaven forbid, I broke an arm or leg.   UGLY PAIN!  I’m allergic to ugly pain, I break out in whimpers.

Needless to say, I’ve stocked up on milk and plan to have smoothies and fortified cereal as often as “Jared” has Subway.

However, I want to be more proactive than that.  I want to learn about foods that lead to better bone health.  One of my favorite quotes is, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates.  I’m convinced THAT’S where healing is, so the research continues.

If your bone health is something you’re concerned about (and everyone should be!), Organic Authority.com has a super write-up about Calcium Rich Foods to Prevent Osteoporosis.   A few of the foods named were:

  • Kale
  • Broccoli
  • Collard Greens

When I saw Kale and Collard Greens listed, I had to smile because I’m on the right track with my new-found love for Green Smoothies. If only I’d been drinking these beauties for years!  I’ve read that Osteopenia is reversible and that there’s no reason in the world anyone who has it HAS to develop Osteoporosis.  This sore-toed, smoothie drinker is determined that’s not going to happen!

What Are Your Own Health Concerns?

What health issues or topics are you curious about – whether for yourself or for a loved one? Are there diseases that tend to run in your family? If so, that’d be a great place to start!  Research ways to prevent this particular disease or diseases.  Find the foods that are associated with the disease’s prevention and even cure.

Remember:  Knowledge is power.  Power is healing.

~ Joi

Filed Under: Green Smoothies, Health Tagged With: Bone, bone health, Calcium, green smoothies, how to strengthen your bones, osteopenia, osteoporosis, Prevent, prevent osteoporosis, Preventing Osteoporosis, Research, Strengthen Your Bones

How Green Smoothies Saved My Life by Kim Caldwell

September 20, 2012 by Joi 5 Comments

How Green Smoothies Saved My Life

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

I recently wrote a review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies. I all but got on my knees and begged you to buy the book, read the book, and use the book. Well, I’m on my knees again.

I was sent a few books by an author who I think of as a breath of fresh air, Kim Caldwell. The first one I read and, subsequently, will review first is the one you see pictured above, How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life.

I love fun books like this – books you know you’re going to get along famously with, just by looking at the cover. It was a joy to discover that the cover (bright, friendly, colorful, and fun) reflected the author beautifully.

My last article about green smoothies turned out to be somewhat of a novelette, so I won’t step back up on my green smoothie soap box. I’ll let Kim Caldwell have the honors today!

Book Description:

One of the first books of its kind to combine nutrition for the body with nutrition for the mind. Imagine vibrant health, great moods, and getting “that glow”.

In this book you will discover:

  • How to make quick and delicious nutrient packed green smoothies.
  • Simple foods at the grocery that will charge your body with energy and life.
  • Secrets to help you look and feel more attractive than ever before.
  • Power words you can use to feel better now.
  • How your thoughts affect your well-being.
  • A common drink that will rev up your metabolism, reduce your appetite, and protect your body with a large supply of antioxidants.
  • Tips to excellent colon health.
  • Tips for lifting your mood and attitude.
  • A technique that will make your skin look more youthful and radiant.
  • Inspiring testimonies from people just like you getting wonderful results.

This easy to follow guide will give you tips for:

  • More confidence
  • Increased Energy
  • Weight Loss if needed
  • Tips for making green smoothies
  • Adding more raw foods to your diet

There is no skin cream available on the market today that can compare to the beautifying effects of a regular supply of green smoothies. – page 11

This positive and informative book is one of those books that “read fast.”  In this day and age, that’s always an asset.  You’ll definitely mark certain pages to refer to as you begin (or continue) your green smoothie journey. The author includes 9 great green smoothie recipes that you’ll use again and again.

You’ll also love the many “Success Stories” in the book – testimonials for green smoothies from different individuals whose lives have been changed for the better with a mere 5 minutes of preparation each day.  Trust me, after you’ve enjoyed green smoothies for a few weeks, you’ll wish with all your might that you’d been drinking green smoothies since childhood!

My favorite testimonial was by Kim’s own beloved grandmother, Evelyn. Evelyn (who sounds like a perfectly lovely woman to me) credits green smoothies with giving her more energy and making her feel better in every way. My favorite quote in the book (even though I loved many) is actually from Evelyn, herself.  She had this to say about the effects of green smoothies: “I am finally felling like my true self.”  If that doesn’t make you stop and smile, I’m not sure what would.

I think about those words often now.. “my true self.”  When I find that I have more energy or when I see unwanted weight coming off – I, like Evelyn, sort of salute my “true self.”

Other success stories involved women raving about how much better their complexions are after beginning to drink green smoothies.  As I mentioned in my own novelette, my hair is noticeably healthier and even thicker.  When you think about it – it all makes sense, right? When we give our bodies the nutrients they need, in the manner in which they can break everything down and utilize all the “good stuff,” the inside and outside of our bodies will reward us with better health.

Health is a beautiful, beautiful thing!

I like the 80/20 rule. If you eat healthfully 80% of the time, you can get away with a little indulgence the other 20%. – page 37

How Green Smoothies Saved My Life – in addition to green smoothies – tells you the ins and outs of eating healthier across the board. The author explains the benefits of raw foods as well as another of my personal great passions – tea!   The information is given in a simple to understand, clear manner that doesn’t leave you scratching your head or looking for the dictionary.  When I read books or articles containing words that are longer than my right arm, I walk away without a lot of knowledge – plenty of aggravation, but not much knowledge.

Kim Caldwell is an author who puts everything within everyone’s reach.

As I made the segue from the first section of the book (Nutrition for the Body) to the second section (Nutrition for the Mind), I realized that this is truly the only way we should ever approach any course of self improvement or self growth – with our body and mind.  Think about it – if one tries to go anywhere without the other, it won’t get very far!

If you are serious about beginning a healthy journey, physically, you have to be mentally ready for the trip.

When you are feeling inspiration, joy, love, and appreciation, you know you are on the right track. – Page 60

When you begin a healthy routine such as drinking green smoothies regularly, eating healthier foods, and eliminating junk food – you will only go as far as your mind will permit you to go. If you allow negativity to creep in, it will choke the life out of your best intentions.  The second part of  How Green Smoothies Saved My Life gives you wonderful, wonderful, wonderful tips and guidance on keeping your mind headed in the right direction as well.

A few tips include:

  • Discover what makes you happy and do it
  • Release anyone or anything that does not feel good
  • Start each day by listening to or reading something uplifting
  • Talk yourself into well being!
  • Take responsibility for your moods
  • Enjoy the age you are
  • Do not worry about what others think

Each of these tips (as well as others) are “fleshed out” and expounded upon.  Great stuff… truly great stuff.

In a section of the book called, “Choose Your Words Wisely,” Kim Caldwell gives us a list of “Switchwords.”  Here’s a little more about switchwords from page 81: “I discovered switchwords a few years back and have so much success with them that I cannot imagine life without their help.  Switchwords were first presented by James Mangan during the 1960’s with his book The Secret to Perfect Living.  Mangan spent more than 45 years of intensive study and conducted thousands of experiments with people in order to bring these life enhancing words and concepts to us.  He had a passion for helping people live the perfect life. He knwe how to do this and wanted to share his knowledge.  Your mind can only hold one thought at a time, so choosing a switchword can help you focus on what you want.”

In addition to more enlightening information about switchwords and the power of positive thought, the book lists a wonderful group of switchwords for use daily, along with the situations for each.  Certain switchwords are used to attract and activate positive feelings and situations and certain switchwords are used to change or remove negative and destructive thoughts.

For example, one of my favorite switchwords is CLEAR.  Simply say the word when your mind entertains a negative thought or seems to be on the brink of going down a negative and destructive emotional highway.  CANCEL is another switchword that’s effective for this type of stinky thinking.

I can’t tell you how in love I am with these switchwords!

Frankly, I’m in love with the whole book. I’m passing it around each of my daughters and I know they’ll love it as well.  I hope you’ll grab a copy right away. This is a great one.
~ Joi

See How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life for more information right away.

Also See: Love reading? Live for books? I totally recommend She’s Got the Book for Fiction Book Reviews.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Green Smoothies, Positive Thought Tagged With: book review, green smoothie book, green smoothie book review, green smoothies

Green Smoothies: My Personal Experience

September 19, 2012 by Joi 6 Comments

Nutri Bullet
Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System

I recently wrote an article on Self Help Daily about Green Smoothies. I reviewed the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies and gave you a few links. I hope you checked them out and hope, with all my heart, that The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies is either in the mail or, better yet, lying right in front of you.

I’d been planning to write this follow-up article a few months down the road.  Several members of my family and  I recently began drinking green smoothies daily and I thought that an article, say 6 months down the road, would be an effective way of letting you know how it’s going, and what you can expect.

Problem is, I’m so excited by what I’ve already seen (and felt) that I couldn’t put a lid on it.  I’d much rather tell you NOW so you can buy everything you need to start enjoying the benefits of green smoothies right away.

So what do you need to make green smoothies?

If your budget wouldn’t feel the pinch too badly, I personally think you should invest in the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System.  Why? Several reasons. For one thing, the system absolutely, positively mixes up and pulverizes greens, seeds, and vegetables better than a blender.  I happen to have a very nice blender – when it comes to buying me things for the kitchen, my husband has never pinched pennies.  Sometimes when shopping for a small appliance, I’ll pick one out that I think’s perfectly good, only to have him find one twice as much and hear him say, “But this one’s better.”  It’s what happened when we picked out our current blender – so… know this… it’s a great blender.

However, when I made my first green smoothie, I noticed that it was a lot chunkier than I needed for it to be. My blender’s great for fruit smoothies, shakes, and things like that – but when it comes to green smoothies, it’s just not as good as the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System.   Can you make green smoothies in a traditional blender? Yes. Will they be better with the Nutri Bullet? My experience doesn’t just say yes, it screams it!

Another benefit of buying the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System is the literature that comes with it. Invaluable.  You get a “Pocket Nutritionist” booklet as well as a User Guide & Recipe Book. The Pocket Nutritionist lists a ton of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and tells you why you should add them to your green smoothies. For example, almonds can help reduce the risk of heart disease up to 30%.  They’re also high in heart-healthy magnesium and blood pressure-regulating potassium.  This same little booklet details the selection process for these healthy foods and… something I’ve really found beneficial… how to store the foods.

I’ll tell on myself, here. When I first read through the booklet, I just looked at the health benefits. I thought, “Gimme a break, I know how to store food and I certainly know how to pick them out.”  Not so fast, blogger girl, not so fast. Turns out there were quite a few things I didn’t  know.

Go figure!

Long Story Short: Yes a blender will do the job, but a Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System will perfect the job.

What foods go into a green smoothie?

It’s very important to switch up the greens you use. I try to keep at least three types of greens on hand all the time.  You add about 2 handfuls of greens to each smoothie. The following are perfect to use in green smoothies:

  • spinach (my personal favorite)
  • kale
  • collard greens
  • romaine lettuce (a great one to start with – it’s very mild)
  • spring greens
  • Swiss chard (work up to this one!)
  • parsley

The following fruits and vegetables are all excellent in green smoothies, but you simply can’t beat a good old-fashioned banana. Bananas put the smooth green smoothies. They’re also excellent at concealing the flavors of the harsher greens (yes, Swiss Chard, I’m looking at you.).  Experiment with the fruits and vegetables you use in your smoothies. That’s part of the fun! The best green smoothie recipes will be the ones you come up with yourself because they’ll be the ones that include your favorite flavors.

  • apples
  • avocados
  • bananas
  • blackberries
  • blueberries
  • broccoli
  • cantaloupe
  • carrots
  • celery (like bananas, they can dominate the flavor – so go easy, unless you’re WILD about celery)
  • cranberries
  • cucumbers
  • figs
  • grapes
  • honeydew melons
  • kiwifruit
  • mangoes
  • nectarines
  • oranges
  • papayas
  • peaches
  • pears
  • pineapples
  • plums
  • raspberries
  • strawberries
  • watermelon

Most people, in addition to the greens and fruits/veggies, add an extra nutritional “boost” called… are you ready for it… “boosts.”  You can add about 1/4 cup of these flavor and health enhancers. Some of our favorites are:

  • almonds
  • cashews
  • chia seeds (I’m addicted to these nutritious little guys – sometimes I just pop 1/4 tsp in my mouth for kicks.)
  • flax seeds
  • Goji berries (dried)
  • hemp seed
  • pumpkin seeds
  • sesame seeds
  • sunflower seeds (awesome in green smoothies)
  • walnuts

How do you make a green smoothie?

It just takes a few minutes to throw together a green smoothie.  I put a few handfuls of greens into my Nutri Bullet, followed by the fruit I’m in the mood for that day (usually a banana and pineapples, apple, grapes or berries). Then I add my “boosts” (some wicked cool combination of chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds…).  If the greens are anything besides spinach or romaine lettuce, I’ll add about a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for extra creaminess and goodness.  Then I add some purified water, juice, or green tea and blend it all together.  It isn’t necessary, but I finish my smoothies off by adding a little ice to the smoothie  and blending it again – I prefer my green smoothies not just cold, but shivering.

After I make mine, I prepare my husbands and put it in the refrigerator for him.  He likes to enjoy his coffee, check his e-mail and sports news THEN have his green smoothie. Your’s truly goes for the Green right off the bat.

When I first heard about green smoothies, I thought, “I don’t really need these green guys because I eat lots of salads and snack on fruit.”  I figured there HAD to be something special about putting everything together in a smoothie, so I did  a little research.  Turns out, by processing the food in the blender or Nutri Bullet, more nutrients and health benefits are extracted than would be if we just ate the foods raw.

I’ll let Kim Caldwell, author of  How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life explain it. The following is from page 22 of her wonderful book (which I’ll review on Self Help Daily tomorrow!):

Why can’t I just eat my green leafy vegetables in a salad?  This is a commonly asked question. Some people explain that they eat several salads a day and therefore do not need to drink Green Smoothies.

There is a big difference in the consistency of a salad and a green smoothie. Green smoothies are blended into a liquid which breaks down the plant and releases the chlorophyll much more efficiently than normal chewing. Blending makes the liquid super easy for our bodies to digest and assimilate the nutrients.

Also, when we eat salads, we top them off with dressings and sometimes even croutons or bacon bits, whereas in green smoothies, they’ll be topped off with fruit and healthy boosts. Green smoothies for the win!

In the author’s quote above, you noticed the word “chlorophyll.”  I thought you might like a little explanation of why this is important for our health as well as weight management.  Chlorophyll – something green smoothies excel at like none other – is, quite simply, a blood and body cleanser.  It gives your body what you need in order to operate at the highest level!  When you drink green smoothies regularly, you’ll find that you visit the bathroom more regularly.  When this happens, you’ll be able to truly appreciate the cleansing power of chlorophyll.

Green smoothies give your body what it needs for optimum health and fitness and eliminates the rest – toxins that’d like to stick around and lead to a dramatic sickness are sent packing.

My own experience with green smoothies.

Several members of my family are enjoying green smoothies and have fallen in love with the way they make them feel.  I’ll briefly give you the highlights of their experiences and then I’ll share my own.

Emily – My beautiful oldest daughter works in the school system, in the school nurse’s office. She has to get up each morning around 6:00.  NOT something she enjoys!  A few weeks into the school year, she told me that she loved her job but HATED getting up so early. She said by the time she got off work, she just wanted to go to bed.  She also said that she’d put on about 5 unwanted pounds.  My husband and I gave her our Green Smoothies sermon and she went immediately to the store to load up.  A few weeks later? The 5 pounds she gained have gone, and took a few extra pounds with them!

The biggest difference is the fact that she doesn’t get up at 6:00 am anymore… she gets up at 5:30!  She tells me that she has more energy than ever before and doesn’t even experience that mid-day lull that most people trudge through.

She has also noticed something else I have noticed – the cravings for junk food and fast food have disappeared.  Instead of wanting a burger and fries, she finds herself craving a smoothie, grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, or a salad.

I can’t put my finger on it, but drinking at least one green smoothie a day all but eliminates the cravings for unhealthy food. It’s as though your body suddenly becomes a certified nutritionist and automatically knows what’s good for it. It begins craving healthy foods. Believe me, I was as shocked as anyone.

My Husband has lost over 10 pounds since we began having green smoothies each morning.  He has more energy than before, just like Em. He recently had a back injury that almost always requires surgery, but his body was able to begin healing itself. It continues to do so and I’m certain the doctors are as amazed as we are delighted.

He has also noticed an improvement with his sinuses and seasonal allergies. Generally, around this time he’d be in agony, but so far not so much as one sneeze.

My youngest son-in-law, Rusty.  Now this one’s a shocker. I’ve always called Rusty “Hamburglar” because he eats a wild amount of hamburgers. As for vegetables, green beans and potatoes are it. Fruit? Forget about it… unless you count Strawberry Kool-Aid.  I made Rusty a green smoothie one night, kind of as a dare.  Not only did he take a drink – he drank it all!  This… from a guy who HATES green vegetables with all his heart and soul.  He has had one each day since (I think it’s been like 5 days) and he has lost 4 pounds.   Here’s something even more shocking – he hasn’t made any other changes at all and the green smoothie he drinks isn’t even as a meal. It’s in addition to his normal meals.

That’s the magic of green smoothies!

Rusty has also found that he doesn’t need Red Bulls or other energy drinks for energy. He gets his energy naturally now.

My own experiences with green smoothies are just as wonderful.  I happen to have a couple of health issues – very mild compared to what some people live with – but they’re things that can make it almost impossible to lose weight or keep it off.  I have asthma, seasonal allergies, low blood sugar, and a thyroid problem. My thyroid had to be destroyed years ago and I’ve been on Synthroid since.  I don’t say all of these to brag (even though that’s pretty boast-worthy material right there), I simply want anyone with similar issues to know they have a kindred spirit.

Below are a few of the lovelies I’ve noticed with Green Smoothies:

  • Normally, this time of year would have my asthma in a tail-spin – it’s much, much better this year. I’m actually going to begin having 2 green smoothies each day instead of 1. I figure if my health is already this much better with 1, I can’t wait to see how it is with 2!
  • Like the others, I’ve noticed that I  have more energy.  In fact, I”ll let you in on a little secret – sometimes my “get up and go” gets up and I have to catch up. I simply find that I want to move more than ever before.  My daily 30 minute walk is now more like a 45 minute walk and some days it’s 2 30 minute walks.
  • Emily and I both have low blood sugar which rears its ugly head when we’re even the slightest bit hungry. We’ll get kind of nauseous, light-headed, and have to dive for the nearest cracker or granola bar we can find.  This is why I was kind of skeptical about either one of us replacing our breakfast with a green smoothie.  I just knew I”d be dying of hunger an hour later.  HOWEVER… green smoothies keep me full longer than my normal breakfasts did. Emily has noticed the same exact thing.  Green Smoothies are extremely filling and satisfying. I’ve noticed that they eliminate the need for a mid-morning snack and they even allow you to eat a lighter lunch than normal.
  • Anyone who has thyroid disease knows that it’s almost impossible to lose weight. Your metabolism is so screwed up when you have thyroid disease – and Heaven help you if you happen to be in or near menopause (the killer of metabolisms everywhere).  I’m thrilled to report that I am losing weight. Yay! I FEEL better than I have felt in a very long time and the funny thing is I never realized I didn’t feel fantastic.  I thought I was fine and dandy… then I began drinking green smoothies and I was reminded of how great it feels to feel great.
  • Again, I can’t explain the “whys” but my hair is thicker and in better condition. The extra nutrients and vitamins are simply showing up in the most unexpected places. And I couldn’t be happier.

I realize this article has become almost a book – my word count right this minute is well over 2,000! I apologize for the length, but there’s just so much to say.  Don’t worry, though, I’m almost through and you can go make yourself a green smoothie to celebrate.  I’m certainly going to!

I’ve created a new category on Self Help Daily called Green Smoothies (found under the Health category).  I’ll post updates about our experiences, recipes, tips, book reviews, and so forth. I’ll be reviewing Kim Caldwell’s  How Green Smoothies Saved My Life: A Guide for Using Green Smoothies, Uplifted Thinking, and Live Food to Enhance Your Life tomorrow.  It’s a great book and I’m in love with her writing style.  In fact, I have another one of her books to review later this week!

A few last tips:

  • For optimum health, I (and I noticed Kim does as well) recommend you drink more tea.  I drink green tea and black tea all day long and simply swear by them. They work beautifully along with green smoothies – riding your body of what it doesn’t need while loading you up with life-giving antioxidants.
  • Frozen fruit is great in smoothies.
  • Pineapples make any green smoothie even better.
  • Experiment with using juice in your smoothies. When cold and flu season get here, a little extra orange juice can keep you healthier.
  • Speaking of cold and flu season, why not start your green smoothie regime today – it’s just in time to give your body the extra strength it needs to fight off colds, bugs, and other miseries.
  • Think green smoothies are too expensive?  Here’s what I’ve found – there is almost always some fruit, vegetable, and variety of greens on sale at all times.  Check several stores and grab what each one has on sale. I ducked into a store in town that I never go in – a Save-A-Lot. They had cheaper frozen fruit than a few other stores and they’re produce section was pretty reasonable as well.  Wal-Mart is another store with very inexpensive produce, seeds, and nuts.
  • If you try one green smoothie and don’t care for it, try another! I fell in love with green smoothies right off the bat (as did Emily and my husband), but some people have to try a few combinations before they find the one they like.  With another beautiful daughter, Brittany, I hit pay dirt when I added pineapples and an apple to spinach along with a little pineapple juice.  In her words, “That’s really, really good!”  Another day, another convert.  Her boyfriend has also jumped on the bandwagon.  He had some of one I made for Rusty a few nights ago and said, “I love it.”  I’m the green smoothie piper.  Might as well, I gotta do something with all this energy.

Thank you for sticking with me through these thousands of words – you are a champ. I hope you’re able to pick up on my excitement and I hope (with all my heart) that you’ll give green smoothies a chance.  They could be the catalyst to take you to better health, weight loss, increased energy, better skin, and (man I love this part) thicker hair.

~ Joi

Filed Under: Fitness, Green Smoothies, Health, Must Reads Tagged With: green smoothies, more energy, weight loss

It’s Simple: Green Smoothies + A Healthier Diet = A Healthier YOU

August 29, 2012 by Joi 6 Comments

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Smoothies
I fancy myself the inquisitive type. The type of person who, upon hearing a particular name mentioned or an interesting new subject broached, has to research the dickens out of it until she can carry on an intelligent conversation about said person, place, thing, or idea.  When teaching our three beautiful daughters in our home school, I always told them to latch onto anything that interested them and “study” it from all sides and angels until they could, literally, write an essay on the subject.

I wish I had a dollar for every essay they ever wrote over those years. 

As a component of staying as mentally active as possible and as someone who writes (and reads) a great deal about brain fitness, I encourage everyone – in addition to my girls – to read and study as many subjects as you possibly can.  Don’t just latch onto one and don’t limit yourself to one source – dissect a subject like an earthworm on a board. Look at it from every possible angle, while keeping an open mind and always, always, always think for yourself.

Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to write an essay.

I’ve been reading a lot the past few months about a couple of different subjects. Like my brain, these subjects are all over the place:

  • Green Smoothies
  • Preservatives in Food
  • Squirrels
  • Joan of Arc
  • Yoga

Did you know that, although we’ve always seen paintings of her as a fearless fighter, riding into battle armed and dangerous – the heroine of the Hundred Years’ War (between France and England), Joan of Arc, never actually fought in a single battle? She certainly never killed an opponent.  (For 6 other cool facts about Joan of Arc, check out History.com.)

Green Smoothies and Raw Food

My fascination with Green Smoothies came about a while back when I was sent The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies to review. I was mesmerized immediately.  The book is easy to read, simple to understand, and the first step you should take if you’re considering green smoothies.

From the Back Cover:

Blended from fresh, natural, whole foods and juices, green smoothies help burn fat, promote immune and digestive system health, and rid your body of toxins.

The next best thing to a personal smoothie chef, this superb guide gives you 150 taste-tempting recipes to amp up your nutrition, satisfy your cravings, and cleanse your body.

In it, you get:

  • Advice on combining ingredients and flavors into delicious green smoothies even kids will love.
  • Easy ideas for creating energizing green smoothies packed with protein to fuel the athlete in you.
  • Recipes for powerful superfood smoothies that increase your vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient intake.
  • Tips for blending nutritionally dense, low-calorie weight loss smoothies that leave you feeling satisfied.
  • Healing green smoothie and tonic recipes that boost your immunity and purify your body from the inside out.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies is the perfect (ideal, ideal, ideal) introduction to Green Smoothies. The author, Bo Rinaldi, is a chef and co-owner of Blossoming Lotus Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. He’s also the co-owner of VeganFusion.com and HealthyLessons.com. He has written several great books for The Complete Idiot’s series.

What you eat empowers you. – Bo Rinaldi, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies

In addition to the 150 Green Smoothies recipes, this great guide includes the following informative chapters:

  • Why Green Smoothies?
  • The Bountiful Benefits of Green Smoothies (fiber, nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants…).
  • Making the Perfect Green Smoothie.

[highlight color=”yellow”]Recipes in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies include Everyday Smoothies, Powerful Superfood Smoothies, Smoothies for Weight Loss, Healing Smoothies, Green Smoothie Tonics, Smoothies for Athletes, Kid-Friendly Smoothies, Exotic Green Smoothies![/highlight]

I’ll be writing more about nutrition, preventing diabetes. raw foods, and yoga in future posts but I wanted to share a few links with you.  I’ve loved smoothies for a long time now. Strawberry, Banana, Peach… Never met a smoothie I didn’t love.  I also am a huge fan of vegetables, so when the subject of Green Smoothies came up, how could I NOT be fascinated? Green Smoothies were, apparently “invented” by the late Dr. Ann Wigmore in 1988.

Most people, today, credit Victoria Boutenko with taking Green Smoothies to amazing new heights.

Victoria Boutenko and her family are champions of raw foods, including green smoothies. They’ve used raw foods in battles against a long list of diseases, and unlike Joan of Arc, they DID kick some major butt.   You can visit Victoria Boutenko’s blog for more information, as well as her family’s website Raw Family.  Beautiful lady, beautiful kids. One of her beautiful children also has a website, Sergio Boutenko. His story is a great one. Be sure to read in all the nooks and crannies of each of these websites and blogs.

Another name you need to know in the world of Green Smoothies is Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw.  At 45 years young, Robyn says she has never felt better in her life.  Green Smoothies, as well as a healthy, back-to-basics diet are responsible.  Robyn is introducing a whole new generation to Green Smoothies and her website is outstanding.  Be sure to watch the videos and read everything you can get your eyes on. The information is priceless.  She’s another beautiful lady with beautiful children.  Seems to be a trend…

Finally, you might want to check out the NutriBullet.  We recently got one and I love it muchly. I’ve used it each day (several times in fact) since it came into my kitchen.  Green smoothies are as delicious as they are nutritious and, this really shocked me… they’re filling! Will you want to drink green smoothies every meal for the rest of your life.  Heck no. But any meals throughout the week that you can replace with a healthier alternative is only a positive, and healthy, move.

I know you’ll get a lot out of each of the websites above. I hope you’ll read what each individual has to say, watch their videos, and (most importantly) try green smoothies for yourself.

Remember, when reading what other’s write about diets, nutrition, etc – you aren’t trying to be them. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t want to) mirror everything they do, say, or even eat.  Everyone has different physical needs and each person is, quite simply, different.  Don’t try to mimic anyone else’s diet per se.  Simply try to be a better, healthier version of YOU.

Also, focus more on adding healthy food(s) to you daily diet than you focus on what you’re giving up.  If you keep thinking about what you’re giving up or what’s missing, it’ll simply stay right there in your brain and, trust me, if it’s there, you will return for it! If I sound like the voice of experience, I am. A year long battle trying to give up diet soft drinks taught me well.  As soon as I began focusing on the good alternatives – and experimenting with different flavors and varieties of tea – I turned the corner, and a healthy one at that.

I stopped thinking, “I’m not going to drink a Diet Dr. Pepper today,” and instead thought, “Green tea, Passion tea, or black tea.. what will it be today?”  It sounds simplistic, but it works.  After a week with no diet soft drinks, I noticed that my rings were no longer tight.  Imagine that.

Cranberry Cooler Smoothie Recipe (From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies)

3/4 cup water
1 TBS Maple Syrup
2 medium ripe pears or apples (your choice), cored and chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup shopped fresh parsley

  1. In a high-speed blender, combine water, maple syrup, pears, cucumber, cranberries, celery, and parsley, layering ingredients to ensure proper blending.
  2. Blend until completely smooth.

Variation: If cranberries aren’t available, you can substitute other berries like blackberries or gooseberries. Also try replacing the celery with whole peeled oranges accompanied by 1/2 cup chopped fennel for more of a holiday flavor.

To Your Health:  This delicious and detoxifying smoothie makes a great Thanksgiving cocktail or a cooling summer companion.  Parsley, cucumbers, and cranberries are all well known for their tonifying effects on the kidneys, which can be very helpful if you’re trying to burn off heavy holiday food.  Drink this in the summer to keep your electrolytes replenished in the heat and to take advantage of your body’s natural tendency to detox during the warmer weather. – page 81 The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies.

You’re familiar with the word catalyst, right?  I think of a catalyst as an emotional spark plug – a stimulus that leads you to something else.  To me, the greatest thing about Green Smoothies is the fact that they can be a catalyst for healthier eating and cleaner living.  The “inventor” of green smoothies, Dr. Ann Wigmore is credited with one of my favorite quotes, and I think it’s a perfect one to end on: “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

The choice is ours.

~ Joi

Also See: Love reading? Live for books? I totally recommend She’s Got the Book for Fiction Book Reviews.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Books I Love, Fitness, Green Smoothies, Health Tagged With: book review, green smoothies, healthy eating

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