What an exciting event I have, to tell you about. Tomorrow, that is August 15th is International Green Smoothie Day!
Now there is a celebration to be excited about, for what could be better than celebrating the goodness of Mother Earth and our health!
This will be the second annual Green Smoothie Day and it has a lot of health enthusiasts on the net buzzing with excitement!
This phenomenal event was started by The Green Smoothie Queen. Check out her page for an excellent write-up of green smoothies and why you cannot afford not to try one yourself!
So in celebration of this day, I wanted to cover two parts in this article. First, my experience with green smoothies with tips for you, especially if you are brand new to this whole “green smoothie” thing and secondly leave you with some fantastic green smoothie recipe sources, from around the net, for you to try and enjoy!
Life Before Green Smoothies
Before I started drinking green smoothies, I was your typical milk drinker in the morning, juice drinker throughout the day with hints of water in between. Then I gave up dairy – probably one of the best decisions that I have ever done in my life, then I gave up refined sugar and processed food, another phenomenal turning point in my health, and awakened to a whole new world! The world of green smoothies!
Having tried them, I thought “geez how is it that I have been deprived of this goodness for so long?!” And more importantly why isn’t EVERYBODY talking or knowing about this???
Life With Green Smoothies
Today, and for over a year now, green smoothies have been a part of my daily life. I start each day with a green smoothie, usually just over 2 cups worth (as seen in the picture at the top). I even bought special, extra large glasses that would suit me not needing to refill a small glass.
As I like to tell people “my milk is GREEN!“
Honestly, looking back now, I cannot imagine ever going back, never mind to the other stuff, but going back to a life without green smoothies. They just make you feel so good drinking them!
Here are some other benefits:
They provide an opportunity to get some critical, nutrient-dense greens into another meal in the day, and hence reap the rewards of more servings of greens each day!
They start the day off on an alkaline, not acidic note, and are just plain alkalizing period!
They provide opportunities to get many more fruit servings into one’s day.
They provide maximum surface area for easy and efficient nutrient absorption.
They are raw and fresh!
They are so easy and so quick to make! They are economical, delicious and did I mention oh so nutritious!
So How Do You Make A Green Smoothie?
The first thing you want to do, is make sure you have a blender. It doesn’t have to be a fancy one, just a blender. Even a hand held one may do, though I am not sure how good of a job it will do with the greens.
The next thing you want to do is pick your greens. Top nutritional picks are collard greens, kale, bok choy or swiss chard. Spinach is great too, but due to being high in oxalic acid, it may not be the best choice for those concerned about their iron intake as it binds the iron. And by all means, don’t just stick with one green, rotate them so you get the maximum benefits of them all.
With the greens about 4 – 5 medium leaves will do for a 2 cup serving, or 5 – 6 huge leaves like from collard greens will be good for a 4 cup serving. But play around with this yourself and don’t be shy when it comes to the greens!
Simply rinse the leaves, and I usually tear the leaves off of the stalk and throw into a blender. If you have a really good blender, you can even throw them in with their stalks.
Next, you pick some fruits. 2 or 3 will do. Sometimes more will actually take away from the taste instead of add to it. The best fruits to consider are bananas, pineapple, peaches, strawberries, kiwi, mango, etc.
You can make amazing fruit smoothies from any fruits really. Again here, play around and find a few combinations you really enjoy.
The fourth thing I usually add is some omega-3 rich food. I alternate between flax seeds/flaxmeal and hemp hearts. Both are an excellent source of omega-3′s and so beneficial in so many other nutritional ways! If you want more calories however and an excellent dose of a complete protein and healthy fats, then go for the hemp hearts.
Finally, you need a liquid. Most people start off with some kind of a juice (hopefully unsweetened and as natural as possible). Some use soy milk or other plant-based milks. While this may be okay for some, the ultimate goal is to use water. Juice will mess around with your blood sugar and you will not find the smoothie as satiating. While plant-based milks, may present some of their own problems, like coming from genetically modified sources, being too processed, etc.
Whatever you do, don’t use a yogurt or any other dairy as the base, as it diminishes the whole idea of the green smoothie and its nutritional benefits.
Now simply blend until smooth and serve! I find both chilled and room temperature work for me.
So that information above will give you the basic foundation for making a green smoothie, but as you get creative you will find that many different combinations of fruits, vegetables, herbs and even nuts and seeds can be used. For a visual depiction of making a green smoothie, check out the post “How To Make The Perfect Green Smoothie” from Hanlie of FertileHealthy, that includes a video of Sergei Boutenko from the famous Raw Family, making a green smoothie.
Most importantly, enjoy being creative, while caring for your health!
10 Sources for Great Green Smoothie Recipes
- Pineapple Kale Smoothie from me here at EvolvingWellness.com
- Spinach Fruit Green Smoothie from me here at EvolvingWellness.com
- Mango Coconut Green Smoothie from Natasha at Raw Radiant Health
- Green Smoothie Recipe Ingredient Ideas from Hanlie at FertileHealthy
- Green Smoothies for Babies from Tracy at The Green Smoothie Blog
- Green Smoothie Recipes from Earth Mother at In The Raw
- Green Smoothie Recipes from Alanna at A Veggie Venture
- Summer Green Smoothie from Kimberly at Envision Beauty Blog
- Green Smoothie Recipes from Victoria at Green Smoothie Revolution
- Green Smoothie Recipe from Andrea at Holistic-Show.com
Let’s then raise a glass of green smoothies and cheer to our health!
Happy International Green Smoothie Day Everyone!
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
8 Comments to “International Green Smoothie Day – August 15”
Thanks for the links! I can’t imagine my life without green smoothies either…
I want to add here that I have a really cheap blender, but it makes wonderful green smoothies. I blend my greens and water first and add the fruit piece by piece. My secret ingredient is a nice fat chunk of ginger and I have recently started experimenting with lemon – about a quarter of a lemon with the peel – nice and tangy!
The reason why it’s important to add a source of fat to your green smoothie is that green leaves are rich in the fat-soluble vitamins A and K. In order for the body to use these vitamins they have to be accompanied by a little fat. I love using coconut oil in my smoothies!
Great article, Evita! I plan on doing a three-day Green Smoothie celebration, starting tomorrow.
Intl green smoothie day? How is it aug 15? Okay, never mind, it sounds fun.
I was using my blender a couple times a day so I finally got VitaMix. It’s worth the money. The consistency of the smoothie is completely different. Whereas regular blender just break things down to tiny bits, VitaMix purees!
I like dandelion in my smoothie. Or I may use cirantro or italian parsley with romain or kale. I like their characteristic flavor.
Didn’t know about spinach interrupting iron intake. As always, thank you!
My fav smoothie is a simple combination of kale and mango (with water). Mango makes nice thick and beautiful smoothie.
I’ve never made green smoothie before. I think I’ll try your advice, Evita.
Thanks for your meaningful comment in mine!
I’ll try it with the pineapple however I have to honest it doesn’t sound very good although it does seem healthy.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
@ HANLIE – Hello Hanlie and thank you for adding some more valuable tips for people new to the idea of green smoothies.
I have tried a little ginger in my smoothies once, and they did give them a jolt of refreshing taste! Super healthy too!
And I love adding fresh squeezed lemon juice to them, as I love the tangy taste. My husband though, not so much, so I settle for making them without the lemons usually ;)
And as far as the fat component is concerned, that is an excellent point and thanks for adding it. Anything like raw coconut oil even can be an excellent and healthy addition to the green smoothies.
@ AKEMI – Oh lucky you for getting a VitaMix. I have heard nothing but AMAZING things about them and that has become a tool that I definitely look forward to getting in the near future – for all the smoothies and pureed soups that we do, I think it is almost a must :)
Mmm and mango, definitely an amazing addition. I have made one with parsley before and it was surprisingly refreshing as well!
Thanks for your additions here Akemi!
@ LINA – You are welcome and I definitely encourage people to try these, as they are amazing for the whole family!!! Even babies love them :)
@ DOROTHY – I completely understand Dorothy, it sounds odd at first to be blending fruits and greens like that, but believe me when you try it and really open yourself up to it – they are amazing! And after all why not eat fruits and veggies like that?
We are usually the only ones who limit ourselves from great things :)
I like to add 1/4 of an avocado to my green smoothies. It adds to the creamy texture, boosts the healthy fat content and adds calories for a breakfast smoothie. I also love making smoothies with young coconut.
I toasted Green Smoothie Day with my usual mango-blueberry-kale smoothie with a bit of avocado and rice protein powder. Makes a great breakfast!
I just tried making a green smoothie with collard greens yesterday and it came out really good. I am drinking one with dandelion greens right now (1/2 cucumber, 1/2 pineapple and 1 bunch dandelion greens).
@ DAVY – That sounds like a wonderful idea with the avocado!
Thank you so much for stopping by and adding in the valuable ideas – they are very much appreciated :)
I love smoothies too, of any colour! :) I grew up in a natural environment, with much vegetables, fruit and animals surrounding me, and my mum always used to make smoothies for me, growing up of any kind. :) I am glad that you are reaching out to others here, who might not have had the chance of tasting these natural mixtures of earth. I do like this idea – International Green Smoothie Day. Sounds like a good way to integrate the idea in today’s busy social schedule.