I can't tell you how excited I am, coming across this post!

I've been trying really, really hard to eat as healthily as I can, but being a vegetarian I've been rather frustrated with how everyone just says "oh, eat fish." I do love salads, but sometimes I just want to try something different... my salads are often very cool, with tahini and different ingredients, but they can be a hassle, so I don't eat them as much as I should (which would be every day, you think.) Green smoothies will probably make it a lot easier for me to fit in all this good stuff.

I went to Trader Joe's and bought 5 different small bags of Organic greens for $2.75 each (which is not that expensive for organic greens.) Spinach, Herb Mix, Baby Romaine... yum! I also have, like, 10 different kinds of fresh/frozen fruit in my refrigerator, so this should be a cinch. Fruit and Greens are pretty cheap and easy to find during the summer, so I'm quite excited.

I bet that green smoothies are an excellent way to LOSE WEIGHT, if you replace a meal with one every day. Probably healthier than that wheat pasta, and definitely lower in calories.... Maybe this will help me get over those 10 pounds I gained this year?

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. 🙂

 

Thanks so much I just started today and I'm reading up on more of the health section now 😀 but I wanted to ask do you know where I can find out if a certain vegetable is a leafy green? Can you tell me your recipes as well? and how did you manage to make 8 drinks a day?

I can't tell you how excited I am, coming across this post!

I've been trying really, really hard to eat as healthily as I can, but being a vegetarian I've been rather frustrated with how everyone just says "oh, eat fish." I do love salads, but sometimes I just want to try something different... my salads are often very cool, with tahini and different ingredients, but they can be a hassle, so I don't eat them as much as I should (which would be every day, you think.) Green smoothies will probably make it a lot easier for me to fit in all this good stuff.

I went to Trader Joe's and bought 5 different small bags of Organic greens for $2.75 each (which is not that expensive for organic greens.) Spinach, Herb Mix, Baby Romaine... yum! I also have, like, 10 different kinds of fresh/frozen fruit in my refrigerator, so this should be a cinch. Fruit and Greens are pretty cheap and easy to find during the summer, so I'm quite excited.

I bet that green smoothies are an excellent way to LOSE WEIGHT, if you replace a meal with one every day. Probably healthier than that wheat pasta, and definitely lower in calories.... Maybe this will help me get over those 10 pounds I gained this year?

Thank you so much for posting! I'm so glad you're excited about the smoothies, and I agree that they are a terrific way to get in your important nutrients! I wasn't getting in enough greens until I started the smoothies either, and of course, they made a huge difference!

Greens are actually supposed to help balance your weight, so I definitely think they can help with weight loss, especially if you replace a meal with them! You could try adding some protein powder or half an avocado to make them more filling.

I hope you like the smoothies! Let me know how it goes, and welcome to the boards! 🙂

Thanks so much I just started today and I'm reading up on more of the health section now 😀 but I wanted to ask do you know where I can find out if a certain vegetable is a leafy green? Or do you have an recipes of your own that you drink that you can teach me? thanks so much!

Basically, any green vegetable that is leaf-like is considered a leafy green - spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, dandelion greens, spring mix, herb mixes, etc. are all considered leafy greens. For simplicity, you might want to start with the bagged greens, like spring mix, herb mix and spinach.

As for recipes, you can substitue whatever fruits/greens into the basic recipe that you want. The more you experiment, the sooner you'll find what you like. I mainly stick with apples, pears and bananas as my base fruit, and then I usually add some frozen fruit, like berries, pineapple, peaches, tropical mix, mangoes. Except for the berries, these are all really sweet fruits that will make your smoothies taste really great. You can also add in honey, stevia, cinnamon, protein powder, etc.

Any more questions? 🙂

yes you are very helpful I'm so happy hopefully it works out. But either way what leafy greens in your recipes? So anything that has leaves? Are their sites with lists? But thank you for the ones you put because now I have a more of a variety but I started with spinach and orange today is that good?

I think I missed something, but is anyone's skin completely clear or vastly improved after using Green Smoothies?

Also, can somebody, preferably the original poster, give me an example exact recipe for one of your smoothies?

yes you are very helpful 😀 I'm so happy hopefully it works out. But either way what leafy greens in your recipes? So anything that has leaves? Are their sites with lists? But thank you for the ones you put because now I have a more of a variety but I started with spinach and orange today is that good?

If your acne is mild/moderate, and if you're eating a mostly healthy diet, there's a good chance it will work. 🙂

The smoothies really are so simply - they do not at all have to be complicated. Basically, just combine fruit with greens. The base fruits and frozen fruits I mentioned are great if you want your smoothie to be more on the sweet side. Those are the main fruits I use - I should probably do more of a variety, but I'm keeping it simple for now. The main greens I use are bagged spring mix, bagged herb mix, and bagged spinach.

Your smoothie of orange and spinach is just fine! 🙂 Orange is tart, but not considered a sweet fruit, so if you wanted more sweetness, keep that in mind.

There are websites that have more recipes - just google <"green smoothie" recipes>. You can also google <"green smoothie"> to get in depth info and more leafy green ideas. 🙂

I think I missed something, but is anyone's skin completely clear or vastly improved after using Green Smoothies?

Also, can somebody, preferably the original poster, give me an example exact recipe for one of your smoothies?

After about 6 weeks, I noticed I wasn't breaking out anymore. I've been doing them for over a year, and they keep my skin clear.

The basic recipe is posted on the first post - you can substitute whatever fruits/greens you like, but I'll give you an example of how I made mine today.... 1 apple, 2 tangerines, 2 handfuls of spring mix lettuce, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple, 1 scoop brown rice protein powder, about 3 cups water.

There are links in the first post with more information as well. Glad you're looking into them! 🙂

Thank you very much, I am currently doing the paleo diet, and will continue to, and these green smoothies fit in perfectly.

I've been eating more healthy my acne used to be very mild and then got severe and then mild again and then clear and then mild again and now I'm in between mild and severe it was pretty good for a few months I've tried to eat as healthy as I good, either way your very helpful hopefully it'll work but I won't put my hope up I guess I just have to get more healthy food cuz my foods aren't fully healthy. Either way how do you make those 8 cups a day? Do you spread it out? I'm not in the house enough to have that many so I ask how'd you do it thanks I'm happy to here that you are successful

Thank you very much, I am currently doing the paleo diet, and will continue to, and these green smoothies fit in perfectly.

You are very welcome! I hope you get the results you're looking for! 🙂

I've been eating more healthy my acne used to be very mild and then got severe and then mild again and then clear and then mild again and now I'm in between mild and severe it was pretty good for a few months I've tried to eat as healthy as I good, either way your very helpful 😀 hopefully it'll work but I won't put my hope up I guess I just have to get more healthy food cuz my foods aren't fully healthy. Either way how do you make those 8 cups a day? Do you spread it out? I'm not in the house enough to have that many so I ask how'd you do it thanks 😀 I'm happy to here that you are successful 😀

You're welcome! Happy to help. 🙂 From you what you described, I'd say there's a good chance they'll help. I first started the smoothies just for health benefits - I read in the "Green for Life" book about green smoothies that they help with acne, but I wasn't expecting it - I was happily surprised! 🙂

Back when I was drinking 8 cups a day (I didn't even realize at first that I was making that much, haha), I usually did mine all in the late afternoon/evening - took an hour or two to drink the 8 cups (but you can drink them down quickly if you need to). But, you could drink 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening as well. I find I can eat about 30 minutes after the smoothies - they don't keep me full for that long.

Ah thanks! That brings up another question...I was wondering from what you just said does that mean I can drink all 8 cups at once? Or do I have to spread it all out during the day? Also I have two types of blenders I had the plain blender like those that you normally see and now I got a new blender called a rocket blender which makes less at once. and is shaped like a medium tall sized plastic cup. I'm not sure which one to use although today making my first green smoothie I used the rocket blender(aka the smaller blender)and I drank the whole thing and counted it as one cup so in total today I only drank 3 cups. And I read using a juicer doesn't get the fiber because it breaks the fruits and greens down but isn't this the same thing? thanks so much again for the help.

Ah thanks! That brings up another question...I was wondering from what you just said does that mean I can drink all 8 cups at once? Or do I have to spread it all out during the day? Also I have two types of blenders I had the plain blender like those that you normally see and now I got a new blender called a rocket blender which makes less at once. and is shaped like a medium tall sized plastic cup. I'm not sure which one to use although today making my first green smoothie I used the rocket blender(aka the smaller blender)and I drank the whole thing and counted it as one cup so in total today I only drank 3 cups. And I read using a juicer doesn't get the fiber because it breaks the fruits and greens down but isn't this the same thing? thanks so much again for the help.

You're welcome! 🙂

Yes, with a blender, you keep the fiber. Juicing gets rid of the fiber. We want the fiber in our smoothies.

It's fine to drink it all at once, however, the most healthful way to drink it is slowly, but just do what you can. Drinking it all at once is better than not drinking it all!! haha

I would use your normal blender, as it will hold more content. Either should do fine though as long as they both blend well.

Just to note... some of the best greens are:

Swiss chard

Mustard greens

Collard greens

Kale

The amount of nutrients in these greens compared to lettuce or spring mix is like comparing sugar content of maple syrup vs. flavored water.

Those four greens have so much vitamin A, K, and C. And many others.

Read up on it anywhere online. Check out a website called world's healthiest foods.

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Click on the food to see the nutrition facts.

^ Thanks for the info! I get great results just using mostly spring mix and spinach, but I would like to eventually venture on to more nutrient dense greens like the ones above - I'm just too attached to the "pre-washed" greens. haha Also, my local grocery store doesn't have organic kale, chard, collards, etc.... guess I should start going to Whole Foods more often and start washing my greens! I might as well get as much nutrition as I can from the smoothies! Thanks again for the post.

Ah thanks! That brings up another question...I was wondering from what you just said does that mean I can drink all 8 cups at once? Or do I have to spread it all out during the day? Also I have two types of blenders I had the plain blender like those that you normally see and now I got a new blender called a rocket blender which makes less at once. and is shaped like a medium tall sized plastic cup. I'm not sure which one to use although today making my first green smoothie I used the rocket blender(aka the smaller blender)and I drank the whole thing and counted it as one cup so in total today I only drank 3 cups. And I read using a juicer doesn't get the fiber because it breaks the fruits and greens down but isn't this the same thing? thanks so much again for the help.

You're welcome! 🙂

Yes, with a blender, you keep the fiber. Juicing gets rid of the fiber. We want the fiber in our smoothies.

It's fine to drink it all at once, however, the most healthful way to drink it is slowly, but just do what you can. Drinking it all at once is better than not drinking it all!! haha

I would use your normal blender, as it will hold more content. Either should do fine though as long as they both blend well.

 

Interesting I thought a blender would do the same since they're both breaking the food down.

By drinking it slowly do you mean spreading each drink throughout the day?

Ah thanks! That brings up another question...I was wondering from what you just said does that mean I can drink all 8 cups at once? Or do I have to spread it all out during the day? Also I have two types of blenders I had the plain blender like those that you normally see and now I got a new blender called a rocket blender which makes less at once. and is shaped like a medium tall sized plastic cup. I'm not sure which one to use although today making my first green smoothie I used the rocket blender(aka the smaller blender)and I drank the whole thing and counted it as one cup so in total today I only drank 3 cups. And I read using a juicer doesn't get the fiber because it breaks the fruits and greens down but isn't this the same thing? thanks so much again for the help.

You're welcome! 🙂

Yes, with a blender, you keep the fiber. Juicing gets rid of the fiber. We want the fiber in our smoothies.

It's fine to drink it all at once, however, the most healthful way to drink it is slowly, but just do what you can. Drinking it all at once is better than not drinking it all!! haha

I would use your normal blender, as it will hold more content. Either should do fine though as long as they both blend well.

 

Interesting I thought a blender would do the same since they're both breaking the food down.

By drinking it slowly do you mean spreading each drink throughout the day?

 

The reason why you drink and eat slowly is very scientific. Your saliva starts a break down process in food the longer it stays in your mouth and the smaller you chew foods. As your saliva mixes with the food or drink it rapidly increases the speed at which the nutrients are absorbed in the digestive process. Saliva has enzymes in it that start breaking down food and even juices.

i'm going to make a green smoothie today. hopefully it tastes better than last time

Interesting I thought a blender would do the same since they're both breaking the food down.

By drinking it slowly do you mean spreading each drink throughout the day?

Yes, it sounds like both your machines break down food in a similar way. The blender might be easier to use simply because it holds more.

Drinking it slowly basically means you're not drinking it all down at once. However, I usually drink the first two cups down all at once, and then I drink the rest of it slowly - that way, I don't dirty up two glasses. haha It's not necessary to spread it out throughout the day.

Just do what works for you, and keep it simple - it doesn't have to be complicated. 🙂

i'm going to make a green smoothie today. hopefully it tastes better than last time :sick:

That's great Jordan! If it doesn't go well, please let me know, and I'll help you out. 🙂

Oh okay I kept on thinking you meant slowly as in spreading it throughout the day. Yeah I'm not make a blender full made for 8 cups and drink that all at once I think I'm gonna do it seperately although I guess that takes longer, to make those 8 cups. I dunno. I guess I'll have to do it not like my blender is that big to make that much at once. Btw your recipe on the first page is for ONE smoothie correct? How did you make the 8 cups initially?

And this is kinda off topic but how come the blender keeps the fiber meanwhile the juicer takes it out?

Your such a big help

Cool thread.

Thank you so much for all the info.

I'm googling to find more info about recipes, right now I'm mixing Straws with bananas and Romaine lettuce or spinach (sometimes both)

Sometimes I get a good a delicious smoothie, sometimes not, i'll keep trying.

Oh okay I kept on thinking you meant slowly as in spreading it throughout the day. Yeah I'm not make a blender full made for 8 cups and drink that all at once I think I'm gonna do it seperately although I guess that takes longer, to make those 8 cups. I dunno. I guess I'll have to do it not like my blender is that big to make that much at once. Btw your recipe on the first page is for ONE smoothie correct? How did you make the 8 cups initially?

And this is kinda off topic but how come the blender keeps the fiber meanwhile the juicer takes it out?

Your such a big help 😀

I recommend carefully reading over the first post again, as it will answer many of your questions. The recipe on the first post states that it makes 4 cups. If you want to make 8 cups, double the recipe (more important than the 8 cups though is to get 2 large handfuls of greens a day), make it all at once, and store the excess in the fridge until you're ready to drink it.

Blenders simply blend without removing anything. Juicers remove the fiber/pulp. A google search would be helpful if you're wanting more details. If you want to know more about juicing and why it can be, at times, more helpful to remove the fiber and pulp, click here: http://www.startthehealing.com/juicing.html

I recommend that you just jump in and start making smoothies - the more you make and experiment, the more you'll realize it doesn't have to be complicated. I would focus on getting 2 handfuls of greens a day. 🙂

Cool thread.

Thank you so much for all the info.

I'm googling to find more info about recipes, right now I'm mixing Straws with bananas and Romaine lettuce or spinach (sometimes both)

Sometimes I get a good a delicious smoothie, sometimes not, i'll keep trying. 😛

You are very welcome! 🙂 It's great that you're googling for more recipes and are experimenting. My favorite fruits for great tasting smoothies are apples, bananas, pears, and frozen fruits like pineapple, mango, peaches and tropical mix. Frozen berries are great as well. 🙂

So sorry! Dumb me didn't catch that

So I guess my 4 cups have been actually 16 cups? I dunno I did 2 handful of greens 4 times or so with ekk too much? I guess I use a taller cup than most people so maybe I should start using a smaller cup. The smoothie is making me so full!

Plus I've been eating fish oil and B5 is that a really bad combination?

So sorry! Dumb me didn't catch that

So I guess my 4 cups have been actually 16 cups? I dunno I did 2 handful of greens 4 times or so with ekk too much? I guess I use a taller cup so maybe I should start using a smaller cup. The smoothie is making me so full!

Plus I've been eating fish oil and B5 is that a really bad combination?

No worries - there's a lot of info on the first post. 🙂

LOL about the 16 cups! haha Well, I think the only way to know for sure is to pour your mixture into a measuring cup.

2 handfuls of greens 4 times in one day? 8 handfuls total? I certainly don't think it will hurt you, but I think you'll get results by just doing 2 handfuls a day.

Fish oil and b5 are supposed to be good for acne - there are some threads here that discuss them. 🙂

That's what I kept thinking too LOL. I don't think that it is even that much because I followed your recipe. for 4 cups but it comes up to about 1 tall glass so I dunno what that means LOL. and I don't measure exactly I get 1 handful for one mixture with the fruits with the water. But I don't measure it. It comes up to about 1 tall glass so to me it seems only like 1 cup LOL. I'm just scared I'll be drinking too little.

Yeah I read those I'm just wondering if I could mix the fish oil and B5 with the green smoothies.

That's what I kept thinking too LOL. I don't think that it is even that much because I followed your recipe. for 4 cups but it comes up to about 1 tall glass so I dunno what that means LOL. and I don't measure exactly I get 1 handful for one mixture with the fruits with the water. But I don't measure it. It comes up to about 1 tall glass so to me it seems only like 1 cup LOL. I'm just scared I'll be drinking too little.

Yeah I read those I'm just wondering if I could mix the fish oil and B5 with the green smoothies.

haha, I know what you mean (LOL - I can hear Napoleon Dynamite saying that line in the movie! hahahahaha). 😆 Mine don't always come out to exactly 4 cups - like today, I wound up with more like 3 cups, but I got my handful of greens in there, so that's the main thing. It depends too on how much water you add - I don't measure my water. I just fill up a glass and pour it in. You want to add enough water so that your smoothie is drinkable though (unless you like it thicker). To start out, just make sure you're getting two good size handfuls of greens a day, and add enough fruit so that it tastes good. As long as you're getting two handfuls of greens and a serving or two or fruit, you should be doing just fine. 🙂

You can add the fish oil, but it might taste weird - you might just want to take a spoonful or two before you drink your smoothie. The fats do help to absorb nutrients, so the fish oil is a good idea. As for the B5, adding that should be fine as well.

Did you say that the rest of your diet is pretty healthy? If your acne is mild-moderate, and you're eating fairly good, I'd say there's a good chance this will work.

Remember - 2 handfuls of greens - two to four servings of fruit. 🙂

Is this making more sense? If not, keep writing back. I'm here to help. 🙂

K I think im going to try this soon , Can I just use lettuce and fruits such as bananas and apples ?