My 7 Favorite Green Smoothies

Starting the day with a nutrient packed green smoothie gives you energy and will effortlessly help you lose weight.  A smoothie is the perfect breakfast to alkalize your body, removing acids that occurring naturally from the detoxification process that happens while sleeping. They are so simple yet so powerful.

Green smoothies will…

• Boost your energy
• Make your skin glow
• Tame your cravings for sweet or salty foods
• Help you release excess weight

Benefits of Green Smoothies

High in Nutrients – Green smoothies are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants which feed and heal your body.

Alkaline – The green vegetables in smoothies are the most alkaline foods you can eat. These alkaline foods reduce acids in your system which cause inflammation that can result in diseases like, cancer, arthritis or heart disease. Green smoothies are the perfect anti-inflammatory food.

Easy to Digest – When blended, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become broken down into small particles that are easy for the body to assimilate.

High In Fiber – Fiber makes you feel full so you are satisfied. Fiber also cleans out the “bad” LDL cholesterol and keeps your system free from toxins. Fiber keeps the pipes flowing.

Formula for Making a Green Smoothie

There is no “perfect” way to make a green smoothie, there’s only the way you like it. Create a green smoothie that is tasty and works for your body.

Equipment – A blender which can be purchased for about $25. A Magic Bullet is also a good choice. Once you realize how great smoothies are you may want to get a high speed blender like a Vitamix.

Green vegetables – Use 3-4 cups (handfuls). Switch your greens around, spinach one day, romaine another, swiss chard etc you get the idea. Spinach has the mildest taste, perfect if you are just getting started.

Extra Greens – As you get more familiar with making smoothies add in celery, parsley)or cilantro. These extras are highly alkaline foods.

Fruit – Ideally you want to choose low glycemic fruits, berries, apples, pears since these fruits will not spike your blood sugar. I keep frozen organic blueberries, strawberries and mixed berries in my freezer to have on hand. If you are new to making smoothies add in a banana to make your smoothie creamy and sweet. In the summer you can use local fruits, peaches, cherries etc. Lemons or limes (without the peel) can be added for extra flavor and alkalinity. Have fruits make up only 30% of your smoothie.

Protein & Healthy Fats – I like to add either chia seeds or flax seeds to my smoothies which provide Omega 3 fats and protein. If you want additional protein add in a scoop of vegan protein powder or undenatured whey protein. Hemp seeds, almonds or almond butter, brazil nuts, coconut oil are all good choices. Avocado is full of healthy fats and makes your smoothie rich and creamy.

Liquid – Any liquid will work. Use water, nut milk, coconut milk (Trader Joe has canned coconut milk without any guar gum and in BPA free cans) or hemp milk. Stay away from fruit juices and dairy milk. Add ice cubes to make your smoothie cold and thick.

The Recipes

                                                 

Apple Pie Smoothie  Apples are among the least acidic fruits. Cinnamon has many health benefits including lowering blood sugar levels.

Pear Coconut Green Smoothie – Pears are a great source of water-soluble fiber. This is a great fall and winter smoothie.

Low Glycemic Blueberry Smoothie – This smoothie is packed with 5 of the top 10 foods to aid blood sugar control. Those are berries, parsley, cinnamon, flax seed and lemon.

                                              

Pink Power Strawberry Smoothie I like this smoothie because it is bright pink. The beets cleanse the liver. Romaine is make this a mighty powerful way to start the day.

Alkaline Green Smoothie  – This smoothie is filled with lots of alkaline vegetables, vitamins and nutrients to help prevent inflammation.

Grapefruit Cilantro Smoothie – When you combine citrus fruit and cilantro they synergistically work together to alkalize the body and detoxify the liver.

Easy Blueberry Green Smoothie – This is my go to smoothie. It only has a few ingredients and takes minutes to make.