Comments on: You Don’t Need Drugs Once You’ve Tried the Gateway Drug to Healthy Eating

By: Hanlie

Hanlie — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:53:37 +0000

So true, treat the person and not the condition. I’m so glad that more and more people are waking up to that. I love green smoothies, and you definitely don’t need berries if you can’t get them. I often use apples, pears and I quite like adding a bit of raw ginger or a slice of lemon.

By: Evita Ochel

Evita Ochel — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:29:32 +0000

@ JENNIFER – Thanks for your comment. Regarding your question about the spinach and oxalic acid. You are right about not wanting to eat spinach everyday. In terms of the bones, it basically blocks the absorption of minerals like calcium and iron. So it is not so much that it depletes it, as it blocks its absorption and then when your body needs it, it will take it from the stores in your bones. It also binds with any available free calcium to make an insoluble salt which can precipitate problems. However, this would normally only happen under extreme cases where someone literally eats spinach everyday for a few years.

The key as Nathalie said, is to alternate the greens – the recipe she offers is just one of many possible examples. If you take for example spinach, collards, kale, romaine lettuce, and bok choy, each weekday you have a smoothies with a different type of green. This is in fact the key to any healthy diet – balance and variety.

Here is some more info to help:

HIGH OXALIC ACID CONTENT:
Vegetables that are very high in oxalic acid and that we should not eat on a regular basis: amaranth, beet leaves, parsley, purslane, spinach, chard.

LOW OXALIC ACID CONTENT:
Dandelion greens, most fruits, kale, watercress, escarole, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, and most greens not mentioned.

Hope this helps. Your questions and comments are always welcome.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:04:54 +0000

I’ve been thinking about incorporating a morning smoothie into my daily eating routine a lot lately. I do like this recipe that Nathalie offered up. However, my concern is eating spinach everyday. I’ve recently learned that spinach is high in oxalic acid, which can deplete calcium from your bones and teeth if you eat it everyday. Will this smoothie work just as well with other types of greens? Or should I be looking for a new recipe?

By: Karl Staib - Work Happy Now

Karl Staib - Work Happy Now — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:11:30 +0000

Hi Nathalie,

Green smoothies always look weird to me, but I love spinich, kale, and collard greens, so I may as well give it a go.

I’ll try making a green smoothie this week. I have all the ingredients, now it’s time to blend them together. I’m going veggie this month, so this would be a great dinner.

By: Evita Ochel

Evita Ochel — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:48:28 +0000

Hi Nathalie

Thank you for sharing your knowledge here!

You provided some great tips where natural health is concerned and as most of the readers here know, I am a huge proponent of a return to a more holistic view of health and the human body, in fact including a holistic view of all of life!

And as a green smoothie drinker myself, I can honestly vouch for the many, many benefits that come with this type of lifestyle. Anything from starting the day with servings of fruits and vegetables, to proper elimination, to feeling more energized, and so much more… – they are an amazing way to go.

My personal, most common recipe is:

- 1-2 bananas
- 1/4 of fresh pineapple
- 4-6 large kale or collards green leaves
- ground flax seeds
- water

Mmmmmm! Just love starting my days with this and of course alternating fruits depending on the season.

Thank you again :)

By: Nathalie Lussier

Nathalie Lussier — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:39:48 +0000

Hi Bern!

I love the idea of always bringing in new recipes. Way to keep things fresh, and a truly wonderful idea. :)

Nathalie

By: Bern

Bern — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:46:13 +0000

Accepting new diets or new ways of eating envigorates the soul and liberates one from an habitual lifestyle. Lets keep on mixing it up, like your blended smoothie recipe, never to be reliant upon one form of energy ever again.

May each day bring new recipes into our lives.

By: Nathalie Lussier

Nathalie Lussier — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:30:17 +0000

Hi Bart! Great questions!

1) Definitely feel free to replace with any other fruits you can get your hands on. Or buy frozen blueberries/other berries.

2) I recommend you switch up the greens as much as possible: kale, swiss chard, collards, romaine lettuce, parsley, etc. And the fruit as well, but the greens are super important to switching. ;)

Yay I’m excited to have you in the program too! :D

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:21:29 +0000

Coincidentally, this is one of my main goals for 2010, eat more healthy/raw. I have seen this recipe while reading one of your newsletters in the past and always wanted to ask you two things. (1) Blueberries are not readily available were I live. What should I replace it with? (2) Is it okay to drink this every morning or should you replace the ingredients with others from time to time? Experimenting, I suppose?

Anyway, I look forward to Cure Cravings Forever!!!!!