Green smoothies are an excellent way to add nutrients to your body when you are short of time. You can include large amounts of leafy greens and fruits into your daily diet by sipping a glass of green smoothie. The result, your body, enjoys all the plant based nutritional nourishment in an easy and tasty way.
Wake up, throw in the prepared ingredients into the blender. Blend and Boom! A super delicious, healthy green smoothie is yours to enjoy. This article gives you some stunning and easy to prepare green smoothie recipes. Scroll down and jot down. Check out prolonging smoothie shelf life here.
What Is A Green Smoothie?
Jolinda Hackett a Food Expert gives an interesting definition. She says “A green smoothie is a smoothie that is blended with fresh leafy green vegetables such as kale, collard greens, rainbow or Swiss chard or Spinach.”
Mint and fresh parsley are also added in a green smoothie. Nutritionally speaking it would be best to add fresh raw foods. You can add raw fruits rather than canned or frozen. To add variety you can use fresh juice, almond milk, and coconut water.
Are Green Smoothies Really Healthy?
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YES! Leafy green vegetables are super healthy. You tend to eat a lot of them in the form of a smoothie rather than a salad.
Pureed greens are much more easily digested. A research study from the University of College London says that eating seven or more portions of fruits or vegetables a day reduces the risk of death up to 42% at any point of time. The research found that veggies have significantly higher health benefits than fruits.
As you can see green smoothie can be a great and easy way to add more fruits and veggies into your diet. If you are a picky eater, then a green smoothie is your only way out to ensure wholesome nutrition.
Green smoothies oxidize slowly and maintain the majority of nutrients for long periods of time. The fiber present in it slows down sugar absorption. They give you a feeling of fullness and fuel your workouts.
Green smoothies are a sustainable dietary habit. You can swap your breakfast or lunch for a green smoothie every single day for the rest of your life.
Can We Use Green Smoothie As A Meal Replacement?
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This is a very interesting question. As more people are getting in the fast lane, somewhere along the way, even health food took liquid form.
As we saw earlier, a smoothie uses the whole fruit and veggies. It has two key advantages the fiber keeps you full for longer periods of time. Plus you can blend satiating ingredients like avocados and peanut butter.
Before we come to a conclusion, we will analyze this question from all angles. The tastiest smoothies are loaded with sugary fruits. There can be 90 grams of sugar in one drink, and all these are from natural sources. This sugar trap will skyrocket your insulin levels.
A better option would be adding greens like kale, cucumber, and spinach to a green smoothie. It adds flavor and contributes to your daily serving of vegetables. These type of smoothies even balances your sugar content.
The secret to packing a heavy nutritional punch is to go in for a dominant vegetable smoothie. You can opt in for low-sugar fruits like blueberries, apples or strawberries.
Throw in some protein source like soft tofu or Greek Yogurt, fiber-rich carbohydrates like steel cut oats and healthy fat like cashew butter.
A green smoothie should not be limited to being green. You can use fruits and veggies that are in every color of the rainbow. So you get all the phytonutrients like anthocyanins and beta-carotene.
Health experts give you a foolproof formula for a healthy smoothie. 1 cup of fruits and a half to two cups of green leafy vegetables according to your taste.
Amazing tips to nutritionally enhance green smoothie
You can boost your energy levels by adding these smoothie boosters. They increase your immunity levels, promotes relaxation and makes you look young.
Green Smoothie Boosters (Superfoods)
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- Acai berries
- Bee pollen
- Dark cocoa powder
- Flax seed oil
- Green superfood powder
- Matcha or green tea powder
- Hemp seeds or hemp protein powder
- Pea protein powder
- Probiotics
- Resveratrol
- Rice protein powder
- Spirulina
- Whey protein powder
To add a gorgeous hue, tons of nutrients and fresh flavors add these super greens to your smoothie.
Super Greens
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- Arugula (Rocket)
- Bok Choy
- Dandelion greens
- Kale
- Mizuna (Japanese mustard greens)
- Red leaf lettuce
- Romaine
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard and
- Wheatgrass
Stunning Health Benefits of Green Smoothies
These wonder ‘green concoctions’ can provide wholesome goodness. They provide stunning health benefits. If you are all new to this green smoothie phenomenon. Try it and you will become a lifelong fan of green smoothie.
- It helps in natural weight loss
- The combination of fruits and vegetables increases your physical and mental wellbeing.
- It lowers the risk of early death.
- Aids in easy digestion and nutrient assimilation.
- It is high in antioxidants and phytonutrients which pep up your natural defenses.
- Provides powerful boosts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and increases your energy levels.
- It greatly enhances your mental clarity and focus
- Increased fiber intake prevents constipation.
- It exits the toxins and gives you a clear and glowing skin.
- It gives you a feeling of fullness and reduces cravings.
- Dark green leafy vegetables contain calcium, magnesium and phosphorous and enhance your bone health and
- The chlorophyll content
Green Smoothie Recipes
1. Glowing Green Smoothie
The complete beauty detoxes by Kimberly Synder
This amazing recipe enhances your beauty. It makes your skin healthy, clear and glowing from inside out. It rejuvenates your skin, grows healthy hair and keeps on track with your weight. Can’t wait to try it? Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients
- Cold water – 1 ½ – 2 cups
- Spinach- 1 cup
- Romaine Lettuce – 1 cup
- Celery – 1 stalk
- Pear-1
- Green apple -1
- Banana- 1
- Lemon – ½
Method
- Clean all the green vegetables and fruits.
- Peel the lemon.
- Cut it into medium sized pieces.
- Pour the cold water into the blender.
- Add the spinach, romaine lettuce and celery. Blend well.
- You can also vary the leafy greens according to the seasons.
- Add the green apple, banana, pear and lemon.
- Again blend well.
- Pour into tall glasses and enjoy.
For this recipe, you have to follow the combination of 70% greens and 30% fruits. This smoothie helps you to slim down and increases your skin radiance.
Kimberly Synder advises drinking this smoothie every morning instead of taking breakfast. This green smoothie flushes out the toxins from the body and helps in detoxification. So you get all nice and fit to face the day.
2. Super Green Smoothie
This wonderful recipe is the brainchild of Tracy a Smoothie Specialist and Owner of the blog Incredible Smoothies.
Tracy says this high energy smoothie will fuel your body for intense activity. This smoothie provides a good amount of protein, omega three fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins.
Things needed
- One large mango, peeled and pitted
- Eight large strawberries
- 3 bananas
- 3 cups of chopped dandelion greens
- One tablespoon ground flax seeds
- One head of green leaf lettuce
- 8 ounces of water
- One scoop of protein powder
Method
- Add the water to the blender.
- Then add the mango, strawberries, and bananas.
- Add the ground flax seeds and the protein powder
- Add the greens.
- Blend on high for 30 seconds.
- Pour into glasses and enjoy.
- This recipe makes a large 40-ounce smoothie.
3. Antioxidant and Iron Booster Meal Replacement Smoothie
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This wonderful recipe is again by Tracy, Owner of the blog Incredible Smoothies. Iron booster smoothie is especially good for those suffering from anemia.
Ingredients
- Red grapes- 1 cup
- Frozen cherries or mixed berries -1 cup
- Cacao powder- 1 tablespoon
- Chia seeds soaked – 1 tablespoon
- Baby spinach- 2 cups
- Unsweetened almond milk – 8 ounces.
Method
- Add the unsweetened almond milk into the blender.
- Throw in the frozen cherries, cacao powder, chia seeds and baby spinach.
- Blend well and pour into glasses and enjoy.
4. Nutrient Dense Green Smoothie
This recipe is by Kitty Clemens a registered holistic nutritionist
Nutrient dense green smoothie contains some awesome ingredients that will provide you with optimal nutrition
Ingredients
- Banana – ½
- Avocado- ¼
- 1 cup of of any kind of melon.You can eat the sweet parts and freeze the rind of the melon. It has lots of nutrients and great flavor.
- Unripe apple- 1. Unripe fruits are high in pectin which helps to clean the body.
- Hemp hearts – 2 tablespoons. Hemp hearts are raw shelled hemp seeds. They have more protein and omega three fatty acids.
- Ground flax seeds- 2 tablespoons. You can grind them in a coffee grinder.
- Turmeric – 1 teaspoon
- Almonds soaked overnight – 10 nos
- Oregano- ½ a cup
- Basil – ½ a cup
- Herbs strengthen your immune system.
- Kale – 2 cups or you can use spinach.
- Coconut water- 1 cup. It gives you lots of electrolytes.
- Water- 1 cup.
Method
- Add the banana, avocado and the pieces of therind of any melon.
- Add the unripe apple, hemp hearts, ground flax seeds, turmeric, and almonds.
- Throw in the herbs basil and oregano.
- Add kale.
- Add the water and coconut water.
- Blend well.
- Pour into huge cups and enjoy.
5. Healthy Green Smoothie
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This wonderful recipe is by Tanya Burr. You can make your mornings come alive with this awesome smoothie.
Ingredients
- One large cup of pineapple cubes.
- Two handfuls of spinach
- A stick of celery
- 4 inches of cucumber
- Banana- 1
- Ginger- ½ inch piece
- Coconut water- 1 cup
Method
- Peel the ginger. Clean and cut all the veggies and fruits.
- Add the ginger, pineapple pieces, spinach, celery and cucumber.
- Blend and add coconut water.
- Blend well.
- Serve in tall glasses.
6. Bee Pollen Booster Green Smoothie
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This awesome smoothie recipe is given by Cecilia Kinzie, Raw Food Health Coach and the Owner of RawGlow.com
Things needed
- Bananas-2
- One small apple
- Nectarines-2
- Celery – 1 stalk
- Cilantro – 2 cups
- A pinch of stevia powder
- One teaspoon of bee pollen
- Water -1 cup
Method
- Add the bananas, nectarine, apple, celery and cilantro to a blender.
- Throw in the stevia powder, bee pollen and finally, add water.
- Blend well.
- Pour in huge glasses and enjoy!
Tips For Making The Perfect Green Smoothie
To blend a perfect smoothie and make it a daily part of your life. The following are the must haves. Have a look at them.
- Kale
- Spinach
- Ripe bananas
- Berries
- Oranges
- Nut milk
- Nut butter
- Ice
- Cinnamon
- Superfoods (energy boosters that we saw earlier)
- Good protein powder
- For great toppings, you can go in for coconut shreds
- Hemp shreds
- Gogi berries and
- All natural granola
To get the perfect ratios pair one serving of fruit with 1 cup of greens, 1 cup water and ½ a cup of nut milk. If you want your smoothie to be greener add an extra ½ cup to 1 cup of greens.
If you want your smoothie to be fruitier, add a half cup of berries, orange, pineapple or banana. Always use seasonal fruits and mix and match for a perfect flavor.
Try to have a menu plan for a week. So you can add different kinds of greens and veggies for the various days of the week. If you have a plan, you can have all the necessary ingredients ready at hand. This way your body can enjoy a wide array of nutritional goodness.
You can switch up your creativity by adding different dairy free milk. Think out of the box and try something like vanilla cinnamon cashew milk. You can go in for almond milk, hemp milk, rice milk, coconut milk and coconut water. Wow! This sounds so exciting and refreshing.
Invest in some super foods. Though they cost more, they last very long, and you need it only a little bit. Consider buying superfoods as an investment for your health.
If you are short of time, you can prepare the ingredients the night before. Store them in zipping lock baggies and keep in freezer or fridge. If you are really hard pressed for time. You can prepare the ingredients for the entire week on a Sunday night itself and store it in the freezer. Now take out the ingredients in the morning. Add some ice and liquid and blend. Your smoothie is ready.
You can make your green smoothie extra delicious by adding nuts like walnuts, pecans or tahini.
Sometimes green smoothies may not be perfectly green because of the ingredients added to it. It can turn a muddy brown, but this is also equally delicious.
Widen your collection of jars, shooters, wine glasses and milkshake glasses. Green smoothies taste extra delicious when you sip it from such awesome glasses.
Blend the ingredients thoroughly. At times, it may take 60 seconds or more to get the perfect blend. Check out the consistency of the green smoothie with a spoon. And voila! Your perfect smoothie is ready.
Conclusion
Green smoothies are great for meal replacement. You can gulp down all the nutrients in one go even though you cannot enjoy a hearty meal due to time constraints. Play with your creativity and make delicious and nourishing green smoothies and enjoy optimal health.
It also helps that it’s very easy to make and most of the ingredients you can combine to make one are within reach. The benefits green smoothie would give your body is not temporary. In time, your body would be able to retain the effects of the nutrients you have acquired from replacing your meals with a green smoothie.
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