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Is it ok to replace the water with a 100% fruit juice? (like grape)
That would be okay, but it's best to stay away from fruit juice, as it's very high in sugar since it's highly concentrated and doesn't contain fiber. If that's what it takes at first to do the smoothies though, then go for it! After a while, you may find that the smoothies are sweet enough with just the fruit blended with water. I find that apples, pears, bananas and frozen pineapple make the smoothie really sweet. You could also try adding a little honey or stevia instead of the juice. Good luck!! 🙂
Does anyone still do this? I'm going to start making green smoothies every day once I get a blender in a week or two. 😀
I still do of course. hehe 🙂 I've been doing them for over a year. I'm glad you're going to give them a try! You might want to start out with a mild green, like spinach, and use sweet fruits like apples, pears, bananas and some sweet frozen fruits like pineapple, peaches, mangoes and tropical mix. It's awesome to thow in a handful of frozen raspberries or blueberries as well for an extra flavor kick. Occasionally I like adding things like cinnamon, honey, cocoa powder, protein powder (from brown rice), onions, garlic, termeric, etc... After a while, you'll discover what you like. Good luck! 🙂
This one is pretty cheap and its at Target, will this one be alright?
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-...asin=B000BHIHLQ
This one is pretty cheap and its at Target, will this one be alright?http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-...asin=B000BHIHLQ
I think that one will probably do just fine - how long it will continue to blend well, I don't know. I really like the Vita-Mixes. They blend so fast that they work just fine even with dull blades. You can find them used on eBay. I use an old one from the 80s, and it works fine. I would try out this one from Target though to start out with. It's a great price! I hope you like the smoothies. Please post or PM if you have any questions! 🙂
does this really taste ok?
Well, of course you know that I will tell you it can taste great. 🙂 I would start out with a small handful of spinach, as spinach has a great texture and a very mild flavor. I would do a couple base fruits, like an apple and banana, and then add some sweet frozen fruits like pineapple, tropical mix, mangoes or peaches. You could then add some honey or cinnamon if you wanted.
If you keep experimenting with it, I think you'll find the smoothies are great. I made one the other day with cocoa powder and LOTS of spinach. My sister tasted it commented that it tasted like a chocolate shake, and we both laughed about the fact that it had spinach. haha It was delicous! I used one banana, 1 very large handful of spinach, 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries, 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder, about 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and water.
Ok, I took green smoothies everyday for almost 5 months(maybe miss a day or two) now and sadly I still have acne. I tried a lot of fruits/greens combinations without much success. Sometimes I'm clear and sometimes I breakout big time but that wasn't different than before.
Well, even if they're not working for me I still continue to take them because they taste great and it's very convenient to do.
It is sad that I must add the greens smoothies to my ever growing list of "miracle product that works for everyone but not for me". 
Awww..... I'm so sorry to hear that! Must be discouraging to have so many things not work for you. What is your diet like? If you eat a lot of junk food, then the smoothies may not work. If you're eating pretty healthy though... and something tells me you are, I'm not sure. It might be that you might want to try 8 cups a day (or, two large handfuls of greens) instead of just the 4 cups a day. I did 8 cups my first 6 weeks.
Have you looked into Dr. Joel Fuhrman's high-nutrient diet (link is below)? If the smoothies didn't work for you, I would recommend doing his Eat to Live diet - I'd be surprised if that didn't work for you. He is, in my opinion, probably the most knowledgeable doctor on the planet. He looks at all the credible, peer-reviewed studies out there and basis his opinions on those. He's all about getting down to the truth - not just the truth that people want to hear, but the "real" truth. Some doctos seek out studies that will support opinions that they think will be popular with the public in order to sell books and make a profit - Dr. Fuhrman's interest is in helping people, so he says it like it is, and he doesn't look at silly, uncredible studies like a lot of doctors sadly do. I highly recommend seeking out his info... again, the link is below. 
Awww..... 🙁 I'm so sorry to hear that! Must be discouraging to have so many things not work for you. What is your diet like? If you eat a lot of junk food, then the smoothies may not work. If you're eating pretty healthy though... and something tells me you are, I'm not sure. 🙁 It might be that you might want to try 8 cups a day (or, two large handfuls of greens) instead of just the 4 cups a day. I did 8 cups my first 6 weeks.
Yeah I eat pretty healthy: no meat, no dairy(milk, cheese etc), no grain, no junk food at all - I think the last time I ate something like that was when I was in Italy and I tried some real Napoli Pizza two years ago!
Mostly only fruits/veggies and fish. I wonder if I don't have any nutrients absortion problem? Might be the case because with all these fruits and veggies I sure do get a lot of them. Now I'm thinking to add some fish oil; that thread's very popular! Just hope I won't have to add it to my list...
Have you looked into Dr. Joel Fuhrman's high-nutrient diet (link is below)? If the smoothies didn't work for you, I would recommend doing his Eat to Live diet - I'd be surprised if that didn't work for you. He is, in my opinion, probably the most knowledgeable doctor on the planet. He looks at all the credible, peer-reviewed studies out there and basis his opinions on those. He's all about getting down to the truth - not just the truth that people want to hear, but the "real" truth. Some doctos seek out studies that will support opinions that they think will be popular with the public in order to sell books and make a profit - Dr. Fuhrman's interest is in helping people, so he says it like it is, and he doesn't look at silly, uncredible studies like a lot of doctors sadly do. I highly recommend seeking out his info... again, the link is below. 🙂
No I didn't know this Dr. Fuhrman. I'll try to check if his book is available at the public library, since all these fruits and veggies cost a lot I have no money for a book 😀
In the last few days I've come to a conclusion: too much smoothies is bad for me. I usually took six cups for breakfast! That's 1.5 liter in 20-30 minutes. I don't think it was really the smoothies causing problem but only the fact that I was surcharging all my digestive system (which is not in really good shape to begin with..) with this huge amount. Now I took 4 cups in the morning and put the remaining in the fridge for later. I feel much less bloated now. The problem I think come from the fact that I never feel "satisfied" when eating. I can eat very large amount of food and still feel very hungry. 
A lots of people and friends are just amazed by how much I can eat even if I weight only 130lbs. Since drinking only 4 cups I see myself (and my skin) doing much better, I just hope it will continue...
By the way,
I just started researching the health benefits of leafy greens and they are vast. This is good stuff.
I hate to make things more difficult than they need to be but it looks like you need to steam these greens for about 5 minutes to get the full health benefits in them. I read this from one source, then confirmed it in about 15 other sources. To get the most nutrients out of greens they must at least be steamed.
Here is a great list of leafy greens to use which are popular and full of benefits (just search benefits and you will see, energy/weight loss/better skin/less diseases/ it goes on and on).
Swiss chard
Kale
collard greens
mustard greens
I am going to steam for 5 minutes and then put them into a smootie. This will maximize nutrients. Great tip that this is and it really can be life changing.
I found an excellent site called the world's healthiest foods and after a brief glance it seems really well put together and full of good advice. I just was looking at greens but it was excellent info.
In the last few days I've come to a conclusion: too much smoothies is bad for me. I usually took six cups for breakfast! That's 1.5 liter in 20-30 minutes. I don't think it was really the smoothies causing problem but only the fact that I was surcharging all my digestive system (which is not in really good shape to begin with..) with this huge amount. Now I took 4 cups in the morning and put the remaining in the fridge for later. I feel much less bloated now. The problem I think come from the fact that I never feel "satisfied" when eating. I can eat very large amount of food and still feel very hungry. :think: A lots of people and friends are just amazed by how much I can eat even if I weight only 130lbs. Since drinking only 4 cups I see myself (and my skin) doing much better, I just hope it will continue...
Hey! Yeah, I drink my 4 cups over about an hour - usually 2 at once, and then I take longer to drink the other 2 cups. If I drank 6 at once, I'd feel very, very full.
You could try adding a protein powder - I like Rainbow Light's food-based brown rice protein powder. I only add that though, because I'm not a big eater and suspect I might not be getting enough protein.
I'm glad you're seeing improvements with your skin!! 🙂 I can take several weeks, so keep hanging in there! 🙂
This is an amazing health habit and should be adapted by everyone who wants better skin or just wants more energy/health.I went all out on my blender.
I bought the blendtec which is what starbucks and jamba juice use. It is flat out amazing. If you have $ then buy it because it will work for 10 years and you will have perfect smoothies.
Thanks for your positive words and the tips about steaming your greens and the blendtec! I hear great things about that blender as well - it's right up there with the Vita Mix! It's great that you're using a variety of greens - you've encouraged me to do the same!! I've been sticking with what's easy - the packaged lettuces and spinach!! haha Thanks again for posting! 🙂
I wanted to start implementing the same thing, but I am a bit confused on a few things:
I'm worried about the whole spinach thing, I want to use it, but know we have a national crisis with it, and you use the prepackaged ones... are they safe?
Also, how much does it cost weekly (for you), to make a week's worth of smoothies?
I want you to tell me like a story what your weekly ritual is for shopping to get items.
I wanted to start implementing the same thing, but I am a bit confused on a few things:I'm worried about the whole spinach thing, I want to use it, but know we have a national crisis with it, and you use the prepackaged ones... are they safe?
Also, how much does it cost weekly (for you), to make a week's worth of smoothies?
I want you to tell me like a story what your weekly ritual is for shopping to get items.
Well, it can vary, but usually, I go through about 2 - 3 of the smaller sized plastic boxed cartons a week, so about $8 -12 on greens. I hear that Costco carries bigger sizes of the greens for the same price. As for the fruit, that varies according to the prices and what fruits I buy. Bananas are really cheap, and sometimes, you can buy a big bag of apples for a good price. You can store apples in the fridge to make them last longer. They don't have to big expensive. Adding frozen fruits adds to the cost - if you just stick to the greens and lesser expensive fruits, green smoothies are very affordable.
Sometimes I'll run in the grocery store just to stock up on more greens - I have a store next to my gym, so it's really convenient for me to just run in whenever I happen to run out of greens. I'll go in, grab 2 cartons of greens (usually one spring mix and one spinach), and then I'll grab some apples (2-3), pears (2-3) or bananas (small bunch). For my frozen fruit, I always go to Whole Foods and stock up on a ton of it all at once (they probably think I'm crazy, LOL). I find they have a better selection and better prices on frozen organic fruit than the regular grocery stores.
As for the spinach, as far as I've heard, the spinach scare is over. I'm not worried about that any longer. When the spinach scare was going on, spinach was pulled off the grocery store shelves. The chances of getting bad spinach would be very slim - you'd probably have a better chance of winning the lottery. 🙂
Let me know if you have more questions. 🙂
Great post! Thanks so much Sounds very affordable, and you are right! I actually buy two bags of apples a week (I eat a lot of apples) and they are actually cheap! $2 a bag, lasts a whole week too.
Awesome, I can't wait to try this out. I hope it tastes okay =)
I was thinking, do you think it would be better to just buy two low sodium V8's instead since it contains all the veggies listed?
I wanted to start implementing the same thing, but I am a bit confused on a few things:I'm worried about the whole spinach thing, I want to use it, but know we have a national crisis with it, and you use the prepackaged ones... are they safe?
Also, how much does it cost weekly (for you), to make a week's worth of smoothies?
I want you to tell me like a story what your weekly ritual is for shopping to get items.
Smoothies can't cost more than 15-20 bucks a week. Totally worth it. Food costs money, this is the best food on earth.
The best greens are: Kale, collard greens, swiss chard, and mustard greens.
I just buy a few bunches of kale and collard greens. I am now going to buy one bunch of all four of those. I stack my drinks 60-70% green because I don't care if it tastes not so great. It takes 2 minutes to drink. I always over do things too, I drink 2 big 16 oz glasses in the morning and 2 more in the evening. I also weigh almost 200 lbs so I can handle that much.
This is FLAT OUT amazing in the amount of benefits. 15 bucks a week for a few more hours of energy, no sickness, not dying of cancer, sleeping less, feeling naturally great and vibrant.
I would pay MUCH MUCH more than 15 bucks a week for those benefits.
Each bunch of greens is between $1.80 and $3.00. Then good OJ and apples are 10 bucks or so.
This is probably the best health habit you can adapt because you get your daily serving of vegetable and get a TON of vitamins and nutrients that keep your body healthy and energized. I would do this first thing upon waking up and sometime in the last few hours you are awake.
AWESOME is the only word to describe this habit and the benefits you will receive after a month of practicing. (even after a week!)
Great post! Thanks so much 🙂 Sounds very affordable, and you are right! I actually buy two bags of apples a week (I eat a lot of apples) and they are actually cheap! $2 a bag, lasts a whole week too.Awesome, I can't wait to try this out. I hope it tastes okay =)
I was thinking, do you think it would be better to just buy two low sodium V8's instead since it contains all the veggies listed?
You're welcome, and I'm really happy that you're going to give them a try! 🙂
I hope they taste okay for you as well. It took me a few tries to get mine to taste good, so hang in there if you don't like them right away. Honey, stevia, cinnamon, cocoa powder, etc are all good things to add, and frozen fruits can really make a difference as well, especially the sweet ones like pineapple, mango, peaches... You can freeze bananas as well.
As for the V8 - I tried it once when I was out of town for about 5 days, and it didn't work - I was soon greeted by a lovely blemish when I returned home. V8 is pasteurized, so that will destroy much nutrition, and I doubt that V8 really has many greens. It's best to do fresh greens. Same goes for powdered greens - fresh greens are always better. 🙂
Good luck with the smoothies! I'd love to know how it goes!
I'm definately going to try this.Like Bob, I'm not too fussed about what it tastes like, as long as it works, I can deal with it 😀
That's great!! Welcome aboard the green smoothie train. 🙂 They don't have to taste bad though - if you use the right amount of greens combined with sweet fruits, they should taste great! I'm here if you have questions. 🙂
I'm definately going to try this.Like Bob, I'm not too fussed about what it tastes like, as long as it works, I can deal with it 😀
How many do you think is the minimum to drink a day to get the benefits??
I think 2 a day is a good start. Morning and night. Easy routine. Takes only 10 minutes to do (only really 5 of you actually being there and 5 minutes to let them steam)
Remember to steam these as it just about doubles the nutrients you get.
So these green smoothies should only be made with leafy greens and no other types of vegetables but with lots of different fruits?
Some say not to combine veggies with fruit, but if you find you have no problems digesting them together, then I don't see a problem with adding whatever veggies you'd like to the smoothies. Actually, Dr. Fuhrman (mentioned in the first post), says it's fine to combine veggies and fruit as well. But yes, leafy greens and fruit and the main things that make up your smoothie - just make sure you'd getting a large handful of leafy greens a day if you're hoping to see results with the smoothies. 🙂