Green smoothies are fast to make, delicious and nutritious at the same time. No other food can compete with the two main advantages of green smoothies- nutritional value and practicality.
A few guidelines to keep in mind while preparing your green smoothie -
Prepare your green smoothie and have it first thing in the morning.
Sip your green smoothie slowly, mixing it with saliva for better absorption.
Green smoothie should only consist of greens, fruit and water. No nuts and seeds or any other supplements as most of these items slow down the assimilation of smoothies in your digestive tract and may cause bloating and gas.
Drink your smoothie as a meal. Do not consume anything along with it.
Do not add too many ingredients to one smoothie, keep it simple on your digestive system.
Do not add starchy vegetables such as carrots, beets, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, eggplant, pumpkin, okra, peas, corn, green beans etc to your green smoothies. Starchy vegetables combine poorly with fruits and cause flatulence.
Rotate the green leaves that you add to your smoothies. Almost all greens contain minute amount of alkaloids which can strengthen the immune system. However, if you keep consuming the same greens, the same type of alkaloids can accumulate in your body and may cause unwanted symptoms of poisoning.
Fruit rotation is not mandatory as most commonly used fruits contain very few or no alkaloids. However, rotating fruits will enhance the variety of flavour and nutrition in your smoothies.
If your taste buds crave a savoury smoothie, use non-starchy veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, avocados, celery and consider using low glycaemic index fruits such as apples, berries, plums, grapefruit.
There is a big difference between consuming greens as a salad or in the blended form. Since the blender breaks open the plant cell walls, our bodies can assimilate the nutrients from blended greens more than the chewed greens.
Consider adding 3 packed cups of greens if you intend to blend them as smoothie.
Use either fresh or frozen greens. Fresh greens are significantly more nutritious and tastier than frozen.
Green smoothies taste best when fresh, but they can be kept for 2 days in the refrigerator.
It has been proven that green leaves are the only food that can be combined with every other food group without any negative effect.
Below are a few combinations to try out. Listen to your taste buds and go creative with the quantity of ingredients.
Green Smoothie combinations
Mango, Kale, water
Celery, peach, pineapple, ginger, greens
Apple, banana, cucumber, parsley, water
Peach, greens, raspberry, water
Papaya, banana, spinach, water
Mango, Freshly squeezed orange juice, lettuce
Pineapple, guava, banana, greens, water
Grapes, Kiwi, orange, aloe vera, greens, water
Cucumber, lime, apple, pear, greens, water
Strawberries, banana, avocado, greens, water
Apple, Pear, Strawberries, greens
Greens, Gooseberries, apples, water
Banana, Apple, Pear, Kale, Water
Apple, Banana, Parsley, Dates, Lemon juice
Bananas, pineapple, coconut flesh, coconut water, spinach
Mango, Lettuce, Mint, water
Apple, Lettuce, dates, cinnamon powder, water
Mango, banana, pineapple, spinach, water
Celery, tomatoes, pear, apple, water, greens, water
Spinach, mango, oranges, rosemary leaves
Pineapple, Mango, banana, greens, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, water
Beet greens, apple, banana, water
Savoury Green Smoothies
Spinach, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, oregano, thyme, jalapeno, lime, water
Cucumber, dill, avocado, greens, celery, lime, cloves
Tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, kale, basil, celery, line, water
Cucumber, kale, avocado, garlic, fresh turmeric, ginger, lime, cilantro
Tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, basil, water. Blend all of them. Stir in chopped cabbage and green onions.
Cucumber, parsley, dill, avocado, lemon, water
Cucumber, celery, avocado, lemon, mango
Orange, kale, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, cilantro
Blueberries, red grapes, cucumber, parsley