2789 replies to this topic

[gMARIAs]

I see a lot of people mix fruits with their smoothies, but I am weary of doing so. When you juice fruits you won't get the fibre like you would from eating it normally. Also, I believe sugar levels increase by turning fruit into liquid?

I once tried these Green Smoothies about a year ago. I threw in an apple, lots of spinach and some cinammon flavouring. Unfortunately, the taste of it was unbearable and each drink of it nearly made me gag.

However, the idea of Lemon Juice, Spinach and Parsley does sound good! I would throw in fruits as well, but I'm concerned regarding the sugar levels Would anybody care to shed some thoughts on this?

BTW, ABG Fairy - you are doing a fantastic job in this thread. I'm sure everyone appreciates your kind deeds. Thank you very much.

Blending a smoothie is a lot different than juicing fruits and veggies. When you blend fruits and veggies, you're simply breaking their walls. The fiber is still there - which is why smoothies tend to be thicker (unless you water them down considerably). You're not turning the fruit into juice. You're simply breaking it up, freeing the juice but making the fiber molecules smaller. The same goes for the veggies.

Also, even in juicing, sugar levels don't magically increase. When you juice something (which doesn't happen when you make a smoothie), you are removing the fiber content and squeezing out more of the juice content. The juice tends to have higher concentrations of sugar - but those sugars were already present. Now they just aren't accompanied by fiber. But unless you're using fruit juice in your smoothies, using whole fruits doesn't remove the fiber when blended.

Your smoothie probably tasted badly because you might have added too much spinach and cinnamon, overpowering the sweeter taste of the apple. You have to have a good enough balance for your taste tolerances. Try adding more fruits, or stronger tasting fruits. I've found that my favorite smoothie involves peaches and a half a banana occasionally.

Depending on your blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, fruit sugars are not bad for you. Our bodies run on sugar - which is why a lot of what we eat gets converted into sugar whether it's sugar or not. It's fuel. Too much fruit sugar CAN be bad such as for your teeth, but ultimately, fruit gets a bad rep. I believe you can rebuild your insulin sensitivity by starting with low sugar fruits - such as berries (which are lower in sugar than apples and taste more potent). I started off using a berry mix and spinach. It was low in sugar and the spinach was completely overpowered by the berry taste.

After about a week, I started adding in half a banana and just kept pushing my fruit intake up. I haven't had a single adverse affect from eating fruit. This doesn't mean that you won't or that you should up your intake as quickly as I did, but it's worth trying. I currently eat a lot of fruit - especially while visiting my boyfriend because it's usually the healthiest thing at his house. I also eat a lot of veggies to balance it out.

Just try making a green smoothie with berries at first to see how you react. Fruit has many health benefits and coupled with greens, it will certainly increase your overall health.

[Brissyguy]

gMARIAS has hit* the spot on that! It has more nutrients and fibre and I like the taste (thick). It makes me full whilst I'd have to drink a litre of juice to be full, and that'd only be for half an hour..

Skytenshi - I can't pm you! I tried to ask you about the exfoliating and scrubbing.

To the guy who said his smoothie was not enjoyable, guys PLEASE REMEMBER no cinnamon in smoothies! You can't down cinnamon because it's impossible to swallow (don't try it, you might choke). That's why people sprikle a TINY bit on for the lovely smell for coffee and tarts. But it won't dissolve or mix in smoothies. I've tried this - BAD MISTAKE - plus I think it's a laxative, 3 times I've tried. Plus another more than a TINY SHAKE of cinnamon ruins the whole meal or drink because it's SO OVERPOWERING.

Edit: Don't eat subway, if you must eat their salads only. I thought it was 'healthy' and ate it non stop for years and moreso when I started my anti acne diet. Until you read the carbs in their bread and their ingredients ... wow. Their tuna is not 100% tuna. Just saying ;]

Edited by Brissyguy, 09 February 2010 - 12:45 AM.

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

Thanks for all the great information and help everyone has been adding!!!!

neverforget,
Thank you for those kind words! gMARIAs gave you some awesome advice - hope you'll give the smoothies a try!

Brissyguy,
I'm wondering what kind of cinnamon you use? I love adding cinnamon to my smoothies! I don't find it overpowering at all. I agree that just a little is all you need, but I think it's a great addition to smoothies, and cinnamon has healthy qualities as well.

[Skytenshi]

I'm weary about too much fruits as well, mainly because of the sugar ...

Well, I went for an apple/cucumber/green pepper/celery juice today. Unfortunately, the dude at insisted on adding tonnes of apples (again) because the apples apparently juiced better ... and I guess apples are cheaper ...

Edited by Skytenshi, 09 February 2010 - 06:09 AM.

[Brissyguy]

Never let them decide for you, you're the customer. I haven't bought a juice in store (just fruit smoothies) but if I ever come across a situation like that I'd bite his head off. Imma rage!

ABGF, cinnamon is a little bit hard to down even when I add small amounts so I've cut it out although I love it! It smells so good but every time I've tried it (3 times) it makes me run to the loo! It might be the nutmeg? Dunno, they're both similar.

If you guys mix 1 teaspoon cocoa + 1/2 tea spoon raw honey and drizzle it over a bland green smoothie it'll work wonders.

I've emailed you skytenshi so you might want to remove your email for privacy issues =p (spam = bad!)

Edited by Brissyguy, 09 February 2010 - 12:56 AM.

[LiveLifeAcneFree]

I see a lot of people mix fruits with their smoothies, but I am weary of doing so. When you juice fruits you won't get the fibre like you would from eating it normally. Also, I believe sugar levels increase by turning fruit into liquid?

I once tried these Green Smoothies about a year ago. I threw in an apple, lots of spinach and some cinammon flavouring. Unfortunately, the taste of it was unbearable and each drink of it nearly made me gag.

However, the idea of Lemon Juice, Spinach and Parsley does sound good! I would throw in fruits as well, but I'm concerned regarding the sugar levels Would anybody care to shed some thoughts on this?

BTW, ABG Fairy - you are doing a fantastic job in this thread. I'm sure everyone appreciates your kind deeds. Thank you very much.

Blending a smoothie is a lot different than juicing fruits and veggies. When you blend fruits and veggies, you're simply breaking their walls. The fiber is still there - which is why smoothies tend to be thicker (unless you water them down considerably). You're not turning the fruit into juice. You're simply breaking it up, freeing the juice but making the fiber molecules smaller. The same goes for the veggies.

Also, even in juicing, sugar levels don't magically increase. When you juice something (which doesn't happen when you make a smoothie), you are removing the fiber content and squeezing out more of the juice content. The juice tends to have higher concentrations of sugar - but those sugars were already present. Now they just aren't accompanied by fiber. But unless you're using fruit juice in your smoothies, using whole fruits doesn't remove the fiber when blended.

Your smoothie probably tasted badly because you might have added too much spinach and cinnamon, overpowering the sweeter taste of the apple. You have to have a good enough balance for your taste tolerances. Try adding more fruits, or stronger tasting fruits. I've found that my favorite smoothie involves peaches and a half a banana occasionally.

Depending on your blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, fruit sugars are not bad for you. Our bodies run on sugar - which is why a lot of what we eat gets converted into sugar whether it's sugar or not. It's fuel. Too much fruit sugar CAN be bad such as for your teeth, but ultimately, fruit gets a bad rep. I believe you can rebuild your insulin sensitivity by starting with low sugar fruits - such as berries (which are lower in sugar than apples and taste more potent). I started off using a berry mix and spinach. It was low in sugar and the spinach was completely overpowered by the berry taste.

After about a week, I started adding in half a banana and just kept pushing my fruit intake up. I haven't had a single adverse affect from eating fruit. This doesn't mean that you won't or that you should up your intake as quickly as I did, but it's worth trying. I currently eat a lot of fruit - especially while visiting my boyfriend because it's usually the healthiest thing at his house. I also eat a lot of veggies to balance it out.

Just try making a green smoothie with berries at first to see how you react. Fruit has many health benefits and coupled with greens, it will certainly increase your overall health.

Perfectly said... literally.

But, wheat grass and barley grass is wonderful for you. One of the top greens. However, at least during my one time experience, don't try to blend wheat grass!!!! If you want wheat grass, juice it then feel free to add it to your smoothie.

[CelloIsLove]

I got a little $16 Hamilton Beach mini blender It worked better than I thought it would; definitely a good option for those out there on a budget.

So I drank my first one today I feel pretty awesome, and very full. I tried to drink it pretty slowly, but I think I might have done it a little too fast (wasn't really paying attention, just drinking more and more), so my tummy is a little overwhelmed. But it's bearable. I used a branch of kale and a large handful of spinach, a tablespoon of milled flax seed, a dash (? ) of blueberries, and a few pieces of mixed frozen fruit. I had to add a bit of water because it was too thick for the blender, and I added one packet of Truvia. Made one tall glass of yummy goodness


Edit: Ok, that was definitely a flop on the Stevia. I've always been super sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and I thought this would be different since it's natural. Nope But no worries, I'll just go without. I've also read that artificial sweeteners can make it harder for people to break sugar addictions...

Edited by CelloIsLove, 09 February 2010 - 03:09 PM.

[gMARIAs]

I got a little $16 Hamilton Beach mini blender It worked better than I thought it would; definitely a good option for those out there on a budget.

So I drank my first one today I feel pretty awesome, and very full. I tried to drink it pretty slowly, but I think I might have done it a little too fast (wasn't really paying attention, just drinking more and more), so my tummy is a little overwhelmed. But it's bearable. I used a branch of kale and a large handful of spinach, a tablespoon of milled flax seed, a dash (? ) of blueberries, and a few pieces of mixed frozen fruit. I had to add a bit of water because it was too thick for the blender, and I added one packet of Truvia. Made one tall glass of yummy goodness


Edit: Ok, that was definitely a flop on the Stevia. I've always been super sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and I thought this would be different since it's natural. Nope But no worries, I'll just go without. I've also read that artificial sweeteners can make it harder for people to break sugar addictions...

Ingredients for Truvia:

Erythritol (sugar alcohol)
Rebiana (Stevia Extract)
Natural Flavors (god knows what those are)

Ingredients for Sweet Leaf:

Inulin soluble fiber
Stevia leaf extract

So, there's a good chance Truvia isn't actually natural. Sweet Leaf is. I'd say try Sweet Leaf. Hasn't given me problems.

[CelloIsLove]

I got a little $16 Hamilton Beach mini blender It worked better than I thought it would; definitely a good option for those out there on a budget.

So I drank my first one today I feel pretty awesome, and very full. I tried to drink it pretty slowly, but I think I might have done it a little too fast (wasn't really paying attention, just drinking more and more), so my tummy is a little overwhelmed. But it's bearable. I used a branch of kale and a large handful of spinach, a tablespoon of milled flax seed, a dash (? ) of blueberries, and a few pieces of mixed frozen fruit. I had to add a bit of water because it was too thick for the blender, and I added one packet of Truvia. Made one tall glass of yummy goodness


Edit: Ok, that was definitely a flop on the Stevia. I've always been super sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and I thought this would be different since it's natural. Nope But no worries, I'll just go without. I've also read that artificial sweeteners can make it harder for people to break sugar addictions...

Ingredients for Truvia:

Erythritol (sugar alcohol)
Rebiana (Stevia Extract)
Natural Flavors (god knows what those are)

Ingredients for Sweet Leaf:

Inulin soluble fiber
Stevia leaf extract

So, there's a good chance Truvia isn't actually natural. Sweet Leaf is. I'd say try Sweet Leaf. Hasn't given me problems.

Thanks! I'll look into that one. Hmm, seems a bit shady of Truvia to sneak artificial sweeteners in there...

[gMARIAs]

I got a little $16 Hamilton Beach mini blender It worked better than I thought it would; definitely a good option for those out there on a budget.

So I drank my first one today I feel pretty awesome, and very full. I tried to drink it pretty slowly, but I think I might have done it a little too fast (wasn't really paying attention, just drinking more and more), so my tummy is a little overwhelmed. But it's bearable. I used a branch of kale and a large handful of spinach, a tablespoon of milled flax seed, a dash (? ) of blueberries, and a few pieces of mixed frozen fruit. I had to add a bit of water because it was too thick for the blender, and I added one packet of Truvia. Made one tall glass of yummy goodness


Edit: Ok, that was definitely a flop on the Stevia. I've always been super sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and I thought this would be different since it's natural. Nope But no worries, I'll just go without. I've also read that artificial sweeteners can make it harder for people to break sugar addictions...

Ingredients for Truvia:

Erythritol (sugar alcohol)
Rebiana (Stevia Extract)
Natural Flavors (god knows what those are)

Ingredients for Sweet Leaf:

Inulin soluble fiber
Stevia leaf extract

So, there's a good chance Truvia isn't actually natural. Sweet Leaf is. I'd say try Sweet Leaf. Hasn't given me problems.

Thanks! I'll look into that one. Hmm, seems a bit shady of Truvia to sneak artificial sweeteners in there...

Especially with the name. Always check ingredients

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

Brissyguy,
So strange about the cinnamon!! haha I love adding cocoa and honey too!! Spinach, banana, cocoa and honey tastes awesome!!

CelloIsLove,
Glad you liked your first smoothie!!! I agree with gMARIAs about Sweat Leaf. I get their liquid stevia and love it!

[neverforget]

gMarias - Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to write that up for me. All your advice is took on board and I look forward to trying the smoothies for a second time!

[gMARIAs]

gMarias - Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to write that up for me. All your advice is took on board and I look forward to trying the smoothies for a second time!

No problem!

Just remember to try some berries - low sugar with a potent taste that overpowers most greens, especially spinach. (I use a frozen Berry Medley from Wal-mart. no sugar added)

[Brissyguy]

ZOMG man my smoothies are tasting better than ever. I haven't used spinach in a week though! *guilty face* but I eat it with salads so all is good!

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

Brissyguy,
Are you just doing fruit? Remember that when you blend you get four times the amount of nutrition because the cell walls are so thoroughly broken down. So, if you were putting 1 cup of spinach in your smoothies, you'll need to be adding 4 cups to your salads to reap the same benefits, hehe. Try to rotate your greens too!

[CelloIsLove]

Wow, it's only been three days since I started drinking green smoothies!



So far I'm feeling pretty good. My skin feels more taut and smooth, and my existing acne seems to be getting smaller/clearing. I admit, I've been cheating a little too. So I'm going to try going more towards the 90% healthy food range than what I'm at now (which is less).


I've also noticed more regular bowel movements, which was something of an issue with my celiac disease. I haven't had regular bowel movements since it surfaced and I started getting symptoms about 3 months ago.

I had some hyperkeratinization (lsign of Vitamin A deficiency) on my upper thighs and it's pretty much gone now.

The vertical ridges in my nails (sign of malnutrition) are smoothing out.


The only negative thing I've noticed is that I've been having headaches a lot. I've heard this is a sign of your body detoxifying. So I'm going to assume that they'll go away pretty soon. Anyone else experience this?



Oh-and many many thanks to ABGFairy for all that info you sent me!

[joconnor]

Question time...

We could run a little Cohort Study among ourselves here to help promote green blends (if you guys dont mind!)

1 - Who here is totally clear? Nb - if not totally clear then please reply also - very important!
1a - If you are clear then for how long?
2 - How long have you been taking a green smoothie *daily*?
3 - Any *special* ingredients in your smoothies? Outside of the usual you can buy in the supermarket.
4 - Are you taking, doing anything else for your acne? Eg BP, Antibiotics, Accutane, Colostrum, Other washes etc

Now obviously for anyone who knows their biostats, this is going to be biased, but its a start!
Thanks
John

Edited by joconnor, 13 February 2010 - 03:02 AM.

[joconnor]

My answers...

1 - Not clear, but improving daily. At this rate will be clear incl redness in 10 days
2 - 2 weeks
3 - My usual is broccoli, spinach, apple, orange, pear, some ginger
4 - Im also using a Sulfur soap bar 2x a day and BP nightly, and Colostrum 2x daily since Dec 13th. In 2 weeks(if totally clear) i plan to drop BP and rely on Sulfur soap and Greens only. I dont think its the Colostrum thats helping my acne, since it was breaking me out horribly until i started Greens + BP 2 weeks ago

[CelloIsLove]

Question time...

We could run a little Cohort Study among ourselves here to help promote green blends (if you guys dont mind!)

1 - Who here is totally clear? Nb - if not totally clear then please reply also - very important!
1a - If you are clear then for how long?
2 - How long have you been taking a green smoothie *daily*?
3 - Any *special* ingredients in your smoothies? Outside of the usual you can buy in the supermarket.
4 - Are you taking, doing anything else for your acne? Eg BP, Antibiotics, Accutane, Colostrum, Other washes etc

Now obviously for anyone who knows their biostats, this is going to be biased, but its a start!
Thanks
John

Hi there!


1) I'm only on day four, so I'm recovering from my detox (initial breakout, headaches, fatigue), but I am noticing a lot of improvement in my skin, and my allover health.
2) Four days. I also upped my veggie intake in general, reduced meat, and reduced grains even more (I already eat gluten free though, because I have Celiac Disease).
3) *Special* ingredients? Haha Mine are pretty basic. I alternate my greens between kale and spinach. I use a largish handful of greens, a carrot, about 1/4 c of water, and a few slices of frozen peach, a few frozen strawberries, and a piece or two of frozen pineapple. Kale will never be delicious in smoothies, but this combo with spinach is delightful! It's not very sweet at all, but it has a nice light flavor. Spinach and strawberries are soulmates.
4) [See signature]

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

CelloIsLove,
You are very welcome for the information!! I'm thrilled you're getting such great results with the smoothies!! Yay!! The headaches could definitely be a sign of detox, so I would say to hang in there for sure!

joconnor,
Great idea!

1 - Who here is totally clear?

I'd say 98% of the time, my skin is blemish free.

1a - If you are clear then for how long?

Exactly 4 years now! I started doing green smoothies in January of '06! Time flies! I remember drinking my smoothies during the last Winter Olympics!! haha It took about 4-6 weeks to see results. I was doing the smoothies for health reasons. The side-benefit of clear skin was so delightful!!!! I had been trying for quite some time to clear up my skin. I also started using Paula Begoun's products at the same time, but many times, I tested the smoothies by going a few days without them, and each time, I would start to break out again within a week or so, so I knew the smoothies were essential for keeping my skin clear. These days, I eat so many veggies, that if I go a few days without the smoothies, I'm usually okay.

2 - How long have you been taking a green smoothie *daily*?

4 years

3 - Any *special* ingredients in your smoothies? Outside of the usual you can buy in the supermarket.

I mostly use spinach, collards, bananas and apples - they are my basics. Kale, pears, frozen fruits and berries and random veggies/greens often find their way in as well. I always get some cruciferous greens in every week - very important I think!!

4 - Are you taking, doing anything else for your acne? Eg BP, Antibiotics, Accutane, Colostrum, Other washes etc.

I use Paula Begoun's skin care line for combination skin and love it. I also take fish oil, vitamin D, a multi, and probiotics, which are all supplements that help your skin and overall health.

Edited by *`*~ABG Fairy~*`*, 13 February 2010 - 05:22 PM.