Hello,

Ive been consuming alot of green smoothies recently and feel real good because of this, now im thinking about just having smoothies every day 3 or 4 smoothies with the ocasional peice of fruit or lettuce to eat.

Just got a couple of questions =


Can we live of green smoothies ?

Is anyone doing this ? (long term/short term)

Do they contain enough protein and all the essential amino acids ?

What fruit and greens would be best to consume each day, or a mix of different fruits and greens ?


So far i have just been adding kale as my green and then either a few bananas or a mango with water.
Any comments would be great.

Thank you, Paulie.

I have a desire to go more Green and less Fruit. When I'm eating a lot of Fruit it makes me not want to drink Wheatgrass Juice. A good plan (for me) might be a daily diet of Wheatgrass Juice, Carrot Juice, and two Green Smoothies. Every other day one of the Green Smoothies could be replaced with a Fruit Smoothie. After all, what am I going to do with all my Hunza Apricots and Turkish Figs??......WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2008 05:50PM by Wheatgrass Yogi.

Hey

How do you make your green smoothies ?
And where do you get wheatgrass from ? lol, i live in england and cant seam to find it anywhere, how good or important do you think it is to have wheatgrass juice ?

Thanks, Paulie

paulieGB Wrote:
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>
> How do you make your green smoothies?

Walnuts,
Corn (both yellow and purple...pre-soaked),
Oats (pre-soaked),
Water,
2 ounces of Organic Mixed Greens (pre-washed),
Sweet Pepper,
Celery,
Broccoli,
and lots of Tomato. Blend until completely Homogenized.

> And where do you get wheatgrass from?

There's only one reliable source...Grow your Own....WY

OK thank you

PaulieGB

I am living on just green smoothies, fruit smoothies and wheatgrass juice. I feel 200% better than ever. From almost everyone I've talked to here, agree that it is okay but you want to mix up your greens and not use the same one every single day. Wheatgrass can also be bought online or at a health food store if you don't grow your own (I don't). I would like it better however if I did grow it myself for texture reasons (powder form is a litle gritty compared to fresh squeezed smooth textured AND excellent tasting wheatgrass) but o'well.

I also highly recommend researching and reading as much as you can on the raw food subject and you'll be able to find what kind of regimen works well for you. Good luck : )

Kim

Thank you very much Kim

Also, can i ask what greens you use in your smoothies, im thinking kale one day and spinach or romaine the next, would a mix of kale and spinach each day be ok ?
Also any chance you could tell me how many smoothies and juices you have each day and what fruits you use and what you put in your green smoothies.
Sorry for all the questions, i really want to learn.

Ow and are sprouts (mung/azuki) ok in smoothies ?

Thank you, Paulie.

Here's a blog about a woman who was very heavy, and went on a program of living on green smoothies for I believe about 8 months. It's really interesting! It's VERY detailed, including how she felt, thoughts on current events, her weight loss, the vitamin content of each smoothie, recipies of the smoothies, and photos.

www.greensmoothieexperiment.blogspot.com

Angie


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

Angie1,your kid is one of the most beautiful kid I've ever seen. He is so vibrant and has a huge energy.Maybe this is the real energy of the raw/living food.Congrats!!!!
My greens make me happy too,every morning.I do understand him.

I have practically lived off green smoothies for a couple of months and it was a VERY cleansing and healing time for me. Because I often like to have the green smoothies as almost my only food a lot of times, I usually add a couple tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon or two of sunflower seeds.

Avocadess Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> .......I usually add a couple tablespoons of
> raw pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon or two of
> sunflower seeds.

You mix the 2 seeds? I use Walnuts,
Pecans, Pumkin Seeds, and Flaxseeds in my Smoothies,
but have never mixed any two. Would you tell us what
else you use in your 'favorite' Green Smoothie?......WY

well by the look of her name

would it be too wild to think that maybe she put in avocadoes??

la_veronique Wrote:
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> would it be too wild to think that maybe she put
> in avocadoes??

I used a whole Avocado in a smoothie once and
it didn't have the proper consistency. Bananas probably
do the same thing....too thick.
Green Smoothie making can become an Art Form. I'd say to
make them slightly on the 'too liquid' side. What do you say
La_V?......WY

I have an amazing recipe for green lemonade that you can alternate with green smoothies. Even with my cheap juicer, you can throw the lemon rind and apple core right in. I got it out of Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet, which is loaded with great recipes. Here goes:

1 head romaine lettuce or celery (I like to mix or alternate)
1-2 apples (Fugi apples are recommended, and preferred by me)
1 lemon (rind and all)
3-6 stalks of leeks (make sure to wash thoroughly, sand or dirt grit can ruin your enjoyment)
ginger to taste

The lemon cuts out the green taste, and makes for a delightful drink. I have one in the morning hours before switching to afternoon carrot juice. You probably could live on just green smoothies, but you'd be missing out on so many other delicious and nutritious coctails like this one. Change things up. Your taste buds will thank you.

Thanks for the recipe, Rockinrawbin. We can all let our imaginations run Wild.
I've gone to Fruit Smoothies predominately. Since I drink Wheatgrass Juice, I feel I'm getting enough Green......WY

I would love to live on just raw green smoothies,.

Haha, La_Veronique, you win the cacao cigar! Yes, I do love to put avocados in my green smoothies~ I prefer to put a whole avocado in, but when budgeting I put one-half avocado.

My basic green smoothie recipe is the following and only which fruits (other than the bananas which most always stay) change:

3+ cups of pure water (which takes care of any problem of being too thick)
3 bananas
1/2-1 organic apple
1/2-1 organic pear
pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (about 2-3 TBL total)
1/2-1 avocado
1/2-1 bunch of dark leafy greens (from spinach to arugula to kale to whatever)

and, when I can afford, I love to add berries, especially blueberries...yum!!!!

The 1/2 portions are only when I am having to budget. When flush I use:

3+ cups of pure water (which takes care of any problem of being too thick)
4 bananas
1 organic apple
2 organic pears (or peaches or watermelon in large amounts)
pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (about 2-3 TBL total)
1 avocado (even if it is large!)
1+ bunch(es) of dark leafy greens (from spinach to arugula to kale to whatever)

When I am using a fairly bitter green such as dandelion greens or arugula I mix those greens with milder ones, especially spinach.

When it's too thick, I just add more water. I don't HAVE to have the bananas but when I cannot afford more of the other sweet fruits then bananas it is. I would rather eat bananas than not eat my green smoothies. The avocado adds a different kind of consistency to the smoothie than does the banana, by the way. I love what an avocado does to a smoothie. Woo-woo...!!!!!!

Oh. I maybe should add my "technique" here, as my recipe makes basically two blenders ful of drink:

First I put 3 cups of pure water in the blender, add the bananas and avocado and blend at the lowest speed.

Then I pour half of that mixture in a large cup and set it aside.

I leave the other half of the first mixture in the blend and then add the pumpkin and sunflower seeds, the pear (washed and cut into chunks, throwing out the stem and core but keeping the peeling) and half of the greens and blend at the highest speed until the greens are broken down really well.

Then I pour that into a pitcher and then using the remainder of the water-banana-avocado mixture, add the remaining ingredients (washed, cored and de-stemmed apple cut into chunks and the rest of the greens plus berries if I have them) and blend again at the highest speed.

And last but not least, I do the "mad scientist with the test tubes thing" of pouring the drink from the pitcher into the blender and vice versa until it is well mixed, pour a large one for myself and the remainder stays in the pitcher in the frig for me to finish (preferably within the next 6 hours, when the enzymes are most active).

I'm inspired by this thread and going to visit the green smoothie blog by Valarie Winters to do daily green smoothies! I do them often, but now I'm going to do them everyday.

I am going to make double my recipe as Avocadess does so I can have it thru the day..it will be all made and ready for when I feel hungry.

Thanks so much for this thread and the links!

Love,
Prism

By the way, I just LOVE what wild organic blueberries do to add to a green smoothie!!! It costs, but OMG its sooooo gooooood....!

Oh, you are so right about blueberries in a green smoothie..one of my fav things to add when they aren't so darn expensive! Even frozen blueberries are too much lately.

I did have my green smoothie today, with more in the fridge waiting for me to indulge for second helping later.

Love,
Prism

I recently found www.juicefeasting.com and it's very interesting and helpful.

There's also www.greensmoothiegirl.com too.

Z

i like the idea of a few days on all greens too and have the same questions you do. i would add, can we get enough protein? i prefer not to put in fruit, too much sugar for me. You mentioned you put in "a few bananas" how many can you eat a day? don't they constipate you?

robinbird Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i like the idea of a few days on all greens too
> and have the same questions you do. i would add,
> can we get enough protein? i prefer not to put in
> fruit, too much sugar for me. You mentioned you
> put in "a few bananas" how many can you eat a day?
> don't they constipate you?


Hello,

im not putting bananas in my smoothies anymore because they did constipate me, mangos are always good and taste amazing when mixed with spinach rather than kale.
Now i also prefer not to add fruit because i suffer badley from candida and i just cant get rid of it so i am stopping all sweet fruit or atleast trying to.

I havent made a nice tasting green smoothie without sweet fruit yet thou but i will keep trying

green smoothis are entirely over rated in my opinion.

many people don't have nearly eough grees in the smoothie to compare with having a nice, well put together, glass of green juice.

mixing everything together in a smoothie seems to be a much more complicated digestive task for the stomach.

make a green juice combination with all you favorite greens and some lettuce and flavor it with lemon garlic jalpeno and some apple lemon and pear if you like it a little sweet.

i have been using the pulp by adding other stuff like avacado red and yellow peppers onion garlic cuke tomato and a simple olive oil and unpasteurized apple cider vineagar and seasalt( lemon juice is good too). there is no set way ...i just use my imagination. you can remove your pulp before the apples and pears discharge if you don't like them in your "pulp salad".

all this business about green smoothies is much overated in my opinion.

drink the juice and make a creative salad combination with pulp and eat some delcious fruit whole for dessert. ummm.....

highspeed blending is ok ...but i think low rpm juicing and makeing a salad with the pulp has got to be food of a higher quality.

may you have a healthylife,

juicin' john

i do agree that masticating jucers are the best. they are just more time consuming. i never thought about a pulp salad, thats a great idea! why do you think you can get more greens from juicing than blending? today i took 3 pieces of kale, 3 pieces of a different kale,3 chard, handful of cilantro, 2 stalks of celery, ginger and lemon and had that. Yes it takes longer to "drink" since its more like a soup than a juice but i think thats a lot of greens. am i wrong?

hi robin

well....try putting 3pieces of kale,3 pieces of chard, cilantro, and two stalks of celery in an efficient juicer and you will have small glass of juice the rest is pulp.

i personally think it is much easier to drink lquid juice which is not thick like a smoothie and easier for the body to efficiently assimilate,

now the pulp sald is just something new i've goten into. there are lots of ways to make delicious pulp salad...evan let it marinate with dressing for several hours and then cut up some crunchy veggies ( pepper,onion,garlic radish,parsnip, jerusalem artichoke tomato, avocaddo and whole lot of others) mix it up different each time for variety. (of course you separate the pulp from being in a "clump" whats nice is the pulp is already chewed up and all you need to add is your saliva for good digestion.

you can get alot more greens in your body as juice and still have your fiber as needed from the leftovers made into a pulp salad with fresh veggies added for crunch and flavor.

i realize this is not for everybody...but it is another possibility.

i enjoy my fruit whole as a dessert.

juicin' john

thank you for those suggestions.i do agee that drinking the juice is easier, its just quicker and easier to make in the blender! Do you think you can eat too many greens in a day? do you think it ever becomes toxic or do certain greens become toxic? i tend to eat the same ones over and over because its what o know and its what my local store has.

JJ - since you eat the pulp anyway isn't that the same as just blending it initially? I don't get the difference?