THE GREEEEEEN SMOOTHIE

Early on in my journey, I became aware that the easiest way to start each day (especially since I was making my breakfast sometimes before my grandsons awoke in the morning) was to do a blender raw shake. I began using fruit and flax and hemp milk and ice, but the result was that it tasted wonderful, but by 10 each morning I was searching for a cup of coffee to wake me up from my hypoglycemic dive.

So I looked to my friend Google for recipes for green shakes and Google as usual had more than I could have asked for. I gradually developed a recipe for my own version of the GREEN SMOOTHIE. My version includes kale, swiss chard, spinach or any super green leafy vegetable, protein powder (vegetable and Trader Joe's has a great green protein powder), flax seeds (ground or not ground), often a Tbsp of some kind of nut butter (I now make my own with nuts, coffee grinder, and coconut oil), and water or part water/part hemp milk. On occasion I will add grapefruit or lemon juice or salsa for a tangy flavor or sometimes throw in some sundried tomatoes in olive oil or some pesto for flavor.

The green smoothie in history comes from Dr. Ann Wigmore, who was born in Lithuania very premature and nurtured through illness and the war to go on to become one of the pioneers of raw food knowledge. From her biography: The beginning of my life was meant to take place in America because my father and mother planned to come here when I was about to be born. However, this was not to happen – I was born prematurely and very sickly in Lithuania. My father, who was a very stubborn man, told my mother that since I was a girl, I had not a chance to live and that I should be put in back of the barn for the wolves. This is not uncommon in many European countries.

My grandmother was to live at the homestead after my parents departed for America. Another grandparent also stayed behind. It was customary for the grandparents to move in with the children when they became old or sick. But my grandmother was very active in the field of health. She was a nature doctor. She immediately rescued me and took me into the barn, where she fed me with goat’s milk through an eye dropper, so that I would survive. She kept me there for some time - until my health improved and I was able to move into the house. I stayed up there until I was five years old. My grandfather was an alcoholic. Life was not very pleasant either for my grandmother or me then, so my grandmother moved out and took me to another village until World War I broke out.

During the war, life was horrible and dangerous - simply a matter of survival and moving from place to place... My mother was able, in spite of all the flying bullets and all of the dangers, to get hold of some food in the form of grass and seeds or whatever she could find that was not destroyed. Most of the gardens were trampled over. The food in the house was taken by the soldiers. The only life-giving foods available were grasses and weeds...But today, what I recall most vividly of that terribly drawn-out ordeal, is that grass and seeds brought me, a frail and sickly child, through alive. Yes, grass and seeds can also save people from the ravages of slow starvation leading inevitably to the huge premature death rate that so many countries are experiencing.

Victoria Boutenko actually popularized the green smoothies and continues to travel this country preaching it's many health benefits. She lists ten benefits of green smoothies.

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. The ratio in them is optimal for human consumption; about 60% ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% organic greens.

2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, most of the cells in the greens and fruits are ruptured, making the valuable nutrients easy for the body to assimilate. Green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.

3. Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber. Consuming fiber is important for our elimination system.

4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the greens balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding a nice zest to it. People who eat a standard American diet enjoy the taste of green smoothies. They are usually quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice.

5. A molecule of chlorophyll closely resembles a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, consuming chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion. Many people do not consume enough greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. By drinking two or three cups of green smoothies

daily you will consume enough greens for the day to nourish your body, and all of the beneficial nutrients will be well assimilated.

6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. In contrast, juicing greens is time consuming, messy, and expensive. Many people abandon drinking green juices on a regular basis for those reasons. To prepare a pitcher of green smoothie takes less than 5 minutes, including cleaning.

7. Green smoothies have proven to be loved by children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.

8. When consuming your greens in the form of green smoothies, you are greatly reducing the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.

9. Regular consumption of green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. After a few weeks of drinking green smoothies, most people start to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough greens is often a problem with many people, especially children.

10. While fresh is always best, green smoothies will keep in cool temperatures for up to three days, which can be handy at work and while traveling.

A couple of Victoria's web sites:

http://greensmoothiesblog.com/green-smoothie-facts/

http://greensmoothiesblog.com/green-smoothie-for-athletes/

Others have established websites and created e-books of recipes and information regarding green and other smoothies. The short list is below.

GREEN SMOOTHIE LESSON - LEISA WITH NICE AUSSIE ACCENT

http://chidiet.com/blog/raw-food-talk/leisa-wheeler-nd.htm

Leisa Says:

January 17th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

This is Leisa who made the above video, and I just wanted to say a big Thank you to Jim for posting it, and to answer the questions on the Superfoods.

As I mention in the video, there isn’t any need to add the superfoods in – the green smoothie on it’s own is a fantastic healing drink – and certainly you wouldn’t add all of those superfoods in all the time, but it was just to show an alternative way of boosting up the smoothie!

What I used in the video:

MACA powder – Peruvian root vegetable good for hormone balance, energy, adrenal support and stamina

Camu-camu – dried berry, very high in vitamin C

Wild Bee Pollen – high in protein, vitamin and minerals

Mesquite Meal – ground seed pods from the Mesquite tree, good for balancing blood sugar levels

Goji Berry powder – high in antioxidants

Spirulina – fantastic green food

Cacao powder – high in minerals and antixoidants

Chia seeds – essential fatty acids, good for the bowel

Coconut oil – helps other fats and fat soluble vitamins to be absorbed well

Goodness that is a lot! It certainly gives the smoothie a kick though!

Enjoy!

Leisa

http://www.smoothie-handbook.com/index.html

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuphBzV7Evs&feature=related SHOPPING FOR GREENS

http://www.squidoo.com/greensmoothies

http://www.greensmoothie.com/blend/green.html

http://friedfitness.com/2010/04/22/green-smoothie-mania/

http://www.vitamix.com/household/Health/green_smoothie.asp