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made my first green smoothie today:
1 banana
1 handfull of mixed greens from trader joes (spinach, collard greens, two others i forget)
2 handfulls of frozen berries
16oz of water
Definitely too much water in it. I didn't feel like trying to fix it so I just drank it. I love smoothies so it was fine for me, but I would recommend one cup. Also, was a very large smoothie for one person/one meal. Hopefully I can fix it tomorrow. Thanks abg fairy.
I usually add all the greens first, then I add the fruits and blend them until fairly smooth. Then I add the water to the right consistency. This way my smoothies are not too watery or too thick, they're just right everytime 
Gotta admit, I laughed when I read to use hear plugs when using the blender, but I'm starting to think it's not a bad idea! I'm waiting for the neighbours to complain about the 'power tools' being used every morning 
Today's GS:
Baby Spinach
Bok Choy
Rocket
Passionfruit
Strawberries
Pear
Cinamon
Hi, I've just found this thread and I'm so interested! I have a question though (this might sound VERY stupid :redface: )-- would blanching (putting in boiling water for a couple of seconds) the greens take away the nutrients? I'm always so paranoid about bateria and parasites and all that... does anyone have any recommendations on what to do if it not a good idea?
hey i was concerned initially too.
there are two issues though : 1) bacteria and parasites 2) insecticides and herbicides of unhealthy level.
the 2nd problem can be easily solved. just buy greens that are grown hydroponically or organically.
1st problem is more tricky. always pick the greens that looks the 'freshest'+ as little holes as possible+ as little patches of black/yellow/brown as possible. parasites/ bugs shouldnt be much of a problem for these greens. as for bacteria its almost impossible to avoid. the safest greens would be those pre-packed for salad purposes, however you should pick those that come as a whole green and not shredded or detached from its original form. some of such examples include romain lettuce (the prefered green) and butterhead lettuce (less nutritional), which come in the standard plastic boxes. the label usually include "wash before consumption" which means they are fit to be consumed raw as salads. these are usually more expensive though.
however thorough soaking in a basin of water is sufficient to remove most of the bacteria. so we shouldnt be worried. i would only recommend placing the greens in boiling water if it is not organically grown or it doesnt look fresh. boiling water does remove some of the nutrients and some soluble fiber. but if you pump up the quantity. for example, 3 handful instead of 2 handful for the day should help i hope.
there are many anti-bacteria food that you can take together with green smoothie if you are very very concerned. for example garlic, onion. however, both give a nasty odour through your mouth esp. garlic. so you might want to take greens only when you are retiring for the day, in other words staying home at night. also take probiotics supplement to boost your immune if you are still worried.
hope my suggestion helps!
Today was my third try and first smoothie that I really really enjoyed. I basically made a strawberry banana smoothie with one large handful of greens. I put in one vanilla lowfat yogurt into mine and I think that helped a lot. I know a lot of people are sensitive to dairy, but its not as big a deal for me and the probiotics are probably good. I think using 100% juice instead of water would also help a lot even if its slightly less healthy.
Today was the first day I had a not so successful Green Smoothie. I added pawpaw instead of mango and didn't add any passionfruit, so it wasn't as sweet as others I've made. Although this one ended up being quite frothy, almost like a dairy smoothie, so it was still ok to drink.
Todays GS:
Baby Spinach
Bok Choy
Rocket
Strawberries
Pawpaw
Cinamon
I still love the whole concept of the Green Smoothie. Thankyou again ABG Fairy 
5th week on green smoothies.
currently only 2-3 cups of 250ml each cup daily. (1+ handful of green leafy, 1 apples + random greens and random fruits)
compared to last week in terms of facial skin: slight improvement
the week b4 starting green smoothie(before 11 jan 2008): 20+ pimples, very inflamed 75/100 with as much as 15 pus forming periodically, pimples ranging from small to big spread throughout the jawline and below the cheek.very oily. rate of healing 20/100.
1 week after starting green smoothie(18 jan 2008): 20+ pimples (only 3 new with disappearance of several old ones), moderately inflamed 50/100, pimple shunk significantly and healing faster then usual + bigger acne flatten and turn light brown with as much as 4 pus forming periodically. still spread throughout jawline and below cheek. still very oily. rate of healing: 55/100
2 weeks after starting green smoothie(26th jan 2008): 20+ pimples (4 new with disappearance of several old ones), moderately inflamed 50/100, healing as fast as last week, no significant change with reference to lst week. as much as 4 pus forming periodically. still very oily. rate of healing: 55/100
3 weeks after starting green smoothie (2nd feb 2008): 10+ pimples (3/4 new with disappearance of several old ones), moderately inflamed 35/100, healing slightly faster then last week, some change with reference to 2nd week. as much as 2/3 pus forming periodically. skin moisture better maintained for some reason hence only turn oily after much longer compared to the past. rate of healing: 60/100
4 weeks after starting green smoothie (9th feb 2008): 10+ pimples (4/5 new with disappearance of several old ones), moderately inflamed 35/100, healing speed somewhat slower then week 3 because of lower dosage of greens. relatively the same as compared to last week if not worsen slightly. rate of healing 55/100
5 weeks after starting green smoothie (17th feb 2008): 10 plus minus pimples (1/2 new with disappearance of several old ones), mildly inflamed 25/100, healing speed same as week 3, although still at lower dosage of 1 handful of greens a day. slight improvement as compared to last week. rate of healing 65/100
external factors that could have caused change in no. of pimples forming:
* week 2: exam and other issue related stress.
* week 2: addition of daily intake of kombucha (a fermented tea by friendly yeast and bacteria that helps detox - 1 days after consuming suddenly increase in pimples. slowed down after the 3rd day and back to the constant healing rate 55/100)
*week 3: addition of daily intake of 10B probiotics supplement from GNC. addition of garlic supplement from GNC. both helpful in maintaining healthy gut flora and eliminating unwanted bad bacteria/yeast like candida. candida could be a possible reason why i have severe acne, gas bloating and weak nails. furthermore i have taken half a year supply of antibiotics in the past.
*week 4: reduced consumption of greens due to time constraints and diet constraints. its chinese new year here and im having a hard time trying to accept the junk food XD
*week 5: no more junk food since chinese new year is over. garlic/virgin coconut oil/probiotics might be helping.
**note that the scores ?/100 given are only an approximate gauge of how well/bad the aspect is doing. the higher the score the larger the extent.
in terms of inflammation: 100/100 = whole face red. 50/100 = half of the face red. 0/100 = skin not red at all.
in terms of healing rate: 100/100 = no new pimples forming, old pimples are disappearing. 50/100= no additional pimple count, new pimples forming = old pimples disappearing.
0/100 = little or no signs of healing, new pimple forming continuously.
*note that i only use an ordinary tea tree oil facial wash for hygiene purpose, and no topical cream whatsoever, which did not help with my skin condition in the past. => improvement in skin condition is solely due to what is consumed into my stomach =D
Just me!,
Glad you found the thread! 
I would recommend just thoroughly rinsing your produce. For certain veggies though, I suppose blanching would be okay. That's actually what frozen veggies go through, and they are supposedly more nutritious than fresh! Some people soak their produce in water with hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, etc.
Pigsweeper,
Glad you are making smoothies! They sounds really good! Keep in mind that fruit juice should be avoided by those prone to acne. I'm glad that you're liking your smoothies now - it really is a personal thing in figuring out what you like. Glad you are experimenting to find your perfect blend.
Wanabeacnefree,
LOL about the neighbors! haha I've definitely been laughed at for wearing "ear protection" (I just use the earmuffs) while blending! haha But, anything over 90 decibels damages hearing... even if the exposure is only a few seconds everyday, so I like to protect by ears since my blender is over 90 decibels and especially since I use it everyday! haha Definitely a good idea. I know so many people who can't hear well due to lots of noise exposure - even some young people! It really is important to protect our hearing. I even wear ear plugs if I'm going somewhere that might have really loud music (I cut them in half so they don't stick out so much, use skin colored ones, and then cover them with my hair).
So glad you are still enjoying the smoothies!
Bluks,
Thanks for your update!
Ok, I've found my perfect combo:
Chinese Baby Leaf Mix (I buy it prepacked yet fresh) or Baby Spinach Leaves
Bok Choy
Coriander
Mango
Passionfruit
Red Grapes
Cinamon if I need a little extra sweetness
No complaints from the neighbours about the noise from the blender yet. But that might be because they are all too busy with the domestic violence going on in one of the other apartments this week. Cops were called and took them both away. Geez, it was awful to hear!
Oops, sorry about going off topic 
Anywho, I still love experimenting and will keep you all updated 
Today I thought I'd make the ULTIMATE. I first of all juiced a whole cucumber and 2 giant stalks of celery. Cucumber and celery are so lovely to your skin.
I then blended
An avocado
Hanful Kale
Handful Flat leaf Parsley
Punnet blueberries
with my magic cucumber and celery juice
I'll be honest, it wasn't the nicest tasting smoothie I've made but it sure as hell will do my skin a good deed
I always blend with water but lately I think you can step up the magic if you blend with juiced fruit and veg... ABGF what do you think?
I'll be reaching my 3rd week in a couple of days. I started making my smoothies with green tea now instead of water for added anti-inflammatory goodness 😀 I also started making them in a smoothie blender I forgot I had. It seems to make the smoothies frothier than the blender. My face feels super healthy. I still have 2 pesky nodules that I had before I started the smoothies that just don't want to go away :wall: but If I didn't look in the mirror I could swear I didn't have any spots at all.
Such great news Panda!! I think you're green tea idea is really smart and creative. 🙂 You're already doing so well, it'll be exciting to see how you're doing in another 3 weeks!
Today I thought I'd make the ULTIMATE. I first of all juiced a whole cucumber and 2 giant stalks of celery. Cucumber and celery are so lovely to your skin.I then blended
An avocado
Hanful Kale
Handful Flat leaf Parsley
Punnet blueberries
with my magic cucumber and celery juice
I'll be honest, it wasn't the nicest tasting smoothie I've made but it sure as hell will do my skin a good deed 🙂
I always blend with water but lately I think you can step up the magic if you blend with juiced fruit and veg... ABGF what do you think?
It's sounds really good! For that one, I'd probably leave out the blueberries and add in a whole lemon and maybe half an apple, for some extra sweetness and tartness to add a zing to all the veggies, but that's just me. 🙂
I think using veggie juice is fine, but for those prone to acne, it's best to stay away from fruit juice, as it's such a concentrated sugar.
hey peeps, i was thinking of adding flax seed to my green smoothie. but i dont hae ground flax seed, i only have the whole flax seed. do you think the blender can grind the seed well enough for me? hmm..
I don't know, but you have nothing to lose by giving it a try. 🙂 I use ground flax seed in mine, but I'm sure the whole ones would work just fine.
Sorry for my ignorance, but what are flax seeds, how do they help acne and where do you buy them?
They are a great way of getting omega 3s and lignans - an internet search will pull up some good info. They're not essential to the smoothies but are just healthy to add in, and good oils are great for your skin. 🙂
I've done quite a bit of research about flax seed and wanted to share what I've learned.
It is important to grind up the flaxseed in some way. Whole flax seeds will just pass right through your digestive system and you won't get the nutritional benefits of it. I've been blending them at the start of my smoothie but I just ordered a coffee grinder to grind them more efficiently. Also, only grind enough for a couple days because once it is ground it can go rancid pretty quickly. Whole seeds will last for several months in an airtight container or refrigerator.
As far as feeling bloated or gassy, be careful not to eat more than two tablespoons in a day; any more, and all of that fiber may make you feel bloated.
All of this info from these sites:
I've done quite a bit of research about flax seed and wanted to share what I've learned.It is important to grind up the flaxseed in some way. Whole flax seeds will just pass right through your digestive system and you won't get the nutritional benefits of it. I've been blending them at the start of my smoothie but I just ordered a coffee grinder to grind them more efficiently. Also, only grind enough for a couple days because once it is ground it can go rancid pretty quickly. Whole seeds will last for several months in an airtight container or refrigerator.
As far as feeling bloated or gassy, be careful not to eat more than two tablespoons in a day; any more, and all of that fiber may make you feel bloated.
All of this info from these sites:
Thankx that info helps. Will go to those web sites also.
Great info Lutya! Remember too that you can buy them already ground and just store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
ahmad89,
Pretty much - they're basically fruit smoothies with leafy greens added in. Try to get at least one large handful of greens a day in your smoothie and at least 2 pieces of fruit. You can drink it all at once or throughout the day - whichever you prefer.
I've done quite a bit of research about flax seed and wanted to share what I've learned.It is important to grind up the flaxseed in some way. Whole flax seeds will just pass right through your digestive system and you won't get the nutritional benefits of it. I've been blending them at the start of my smoothie but I just ordered a coffee grinder to grind them more efficiently. Also, only grind enough for a couple days because once it is ground it can go rancid pretty quickly. Whole seeds will last for several months in an airtight container or refrigerator.
As far as feeling bloated or gassy, be careful not to eat more than two tablespoons in a day; any more, and all of that fiber may make you feel bloated.
All of this info from these sites:
Thankx that info helps. Will go to those web sites also.
today i made my first real fruit smoothie, i put strawberries and bananas with milk. While i was doing that i cut up 2 mangos but i read that if they arnt frozen in the blender, it will make it slimey so im going to add those in tonight when i make it again. Which leafy greens should i get? i want something that will give me the most vitamins and minerals to help my acne. Also is it bad to eat flaxseed and fish oil at the same time or one after another? will be considered overdosing?
^ Kale, collards, bok choy and spinach are all awesome. You can check out this nutrient chart: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article17.aspx . Baby spinach is mild in flavor and great to start out with.
How much flaxseed and fish oil are you thinking about taking?
I've done quite a bit of research about flax seed and wanted to share what I've learned.It is important to grind up the flaxseed in some way. Whole flax seeds will just pass right through your digestive system and you won't get the nutritional benefits of it. I've been blending them at the start of my smoothie but I just ordered a coffee grinder to grind them more efficiently. Also, only grind enough for a couple days because once it is ground it can go rancid pretty quickly. Whole seeds will last for several months in an airtight container or refrigerator.
As far as feeling bloated or gassy, be careful not to eat more than two tablespoons in a day; any more, and all of that fiber may make you feel bloated.
All of this info from these sites:
Thankx that info helps. Will go to those web sites also.
today i made my first real fruit smoothie, i put strawberries and bananas with milk. While i was doing that i cut up 2 mangos but i read that if they arnt frozen in the blender, it will make it slimey so im going to add those in tonight when i make it again. Which leafy greens should i get? i want something that will give me the most vitamins and minerals to help my acne. Also is it bad to eat flaxseed and fish oil at the same time or one after another? will be considered overdosing?
1 tablespoon a day or 3 times a day whatever it says on the bottle
1 tablespoon a day or 3 times a day whatever it says on the bottle
Hmm... well, I'm no expert about this, but I know you don't need a lot of supplemental fats. I think if you're doing 1 tbs of ground flax seed a day that you'd be fine with just an additional teaspoon or two of fish oil. Be careful not to do "too much" fish oil, as that can actually be dangerous. If you're also eating foods with healthy fats like avocado, nuts/seeds like walnuts and sunflower seeds, you should be just fine. Fish oil isn't even necessary, as there are other DHA oils out there, like Dr. Fuhrman's, but some people, like those with depression, do better with fish oil and at higher concentrations.