Hey everyone,

I have another thread going about my constipated toddler and a recommendation for using Green Smoothies has been brought up but I know nothing about them and whether or not a 20 month old baby should be having them. My Naturopath told me she was too young for them, but if its just fruit and green vegetables I can't see why that would be a bad thing. What exactly do you put in them?

I put spinach and romaine in mine. That's my favorite. I never put fruit, but I've seen recipes for romaine, spinach, and a banana. I believe people use dark leaft greens (kale, etc) and romaine. They are quite tasty!

i put 2 big handfuls of baby spinach a banana and another fruit of my choice. sometimes i add dandelion or kale but haven`t in awhile. sometimes chia seeds. my green smoothies keep my hubby regular as far as bm`s
patty

Does anyone know how long it takes to digest a green smoothie? I try not to eat solid foods too soon after drinking a green smoothie. I usually give it 3 hours, but I find that I am really hungry at that point. How soon could I eat solid food?

rufio -- I find that waiting for the first weak hunger signal is enough. Have you noticed that hunger signals start out very weak and hard to detect and then if ignored they come back stronger and stronger and stronger until finally you silence them by either eating something or waiting out the approximately 3 days when the appetite disappears and comfortable fasting begins ? Well the first weak signals are easy and you have to be attentive to detect them but they indicate that your body is ready, willing, and able to accept food. I use an early weak hunger signal daily to time my switches from one mono meal food to another and they work just great. The body is truly a marvel isn't it. ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2008 11:11PM by EZ rider.

Thanks everyone!

I had my first one this morning and I put in spinach, banana, ground flax seeds and raspberries...yummy!

I had a muffin with my smoothie, rufio, but I'm sure someone else will give you more detailed info about the specifics of this.

I wonder if a smoothie will be difficult to digest for a toddler. The food is broken down by the blender, but some people have digestive difficulties with green smoothies unless they actually chew them further to mix them with saliva. A toddler is probably not going to do this.

It's just a theory.

-M

Itzdavey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if a smoothie will be difficult to digest
> for a toddler. The food is broken down by the
> blender, but some people have digestive
> difficulties with green smoothies unless they
> actually chew them further to mix them with
> saliva. A toddler is probably not going to do
> this.
>
> It's just a theory.
>
> -M

She had one sip and then told me no. But that's typical for her. Even without the greens she doesn't want to drink fruit smoothies...but she loves apple juice...go figure.

I started giving my boy spinach and banana smoothies when he was 18 months. They digested wonderfully. I wouldn't give things like kale until they were about three or four.

If my child were picky about them I would show her how everyone eats greens. The cows, horses, monkeys and even dogs and cats eat greens. I would tell her it is the food for us. Leaves and fruit are what humans are supposed to eat most. I would always push it in a positive tone. I would say she needs to eat healthy food so she can grow big and be strong. She is too young for the words of the book, The Health Guardians, but it has great pictures and you can tell the story in your own words until she is older. It is full of super hero healthy foods and an evil gang of bad foods. Food is so emotional and I believe we can use that to our advantage when it comes to teaching our kids. When you are having your green smoothie you could say "mmmmm....I love my Emerald Princess smoothie. It makes me beautiful and healthy." It may not work the first time but keep it up, be persistent and she will come around. Create good feelings about healthy food.

Thank you so much for these ideas! I always make an extra effort to show her how much I'm enjoying my food, but I like how you really make it applicable to a child. I've never heard of The Health Guardians but I've found the website and will check it out. She loves animals so getting her to take notice on the amount of greens they eat is such a great suggestion. We live out in the country next to a field of cows and she just loves them...and all they do all day long is eat grass. I'm really excited to try these ideas out.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I start every morning with greens juiced in a juicer and these digest VERY quickly.
I use Kale, red swiss chard (my favorite) or even beet greens, celery, cucumber, one whole lemon and slices of fresh ginger. To that I add some stevia at times.
No digestion problems and I usually eat an hour or so after that, but could eat sooner if I was hungry.

<<<Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!>>>

You're welcome. Nice to be so appreciated. Thank you!!!