Susan Savia has recently taken a Raw Foods/Living Foods Chef Certification Course. She passed along this article and I hope we will be hearing from her about Raw and Living Foods. Here is the Ode to Green Smoothie by Victoria Boutenko (she has written some great books about Raw Foods).
Ode to Green Smoothie
By Victoria Boutenko
www.rawfamily.com
What do I mean by green smoothie? Here is one of my favorite recipes: 4 ripe pears, I bunch of parsley and 2 cups of water. Blended well. This smoothie looks very green, but it tastes like fruit. I enjoy green smoothies so much that I bought an extra blender and placed it in my office so that I could make green smoothies throughout the day. More than half of all the food I’ve had in the last several months have been green smoothies. I have so much more energy and clarity that I have removed green juices from my diet. (Juicing has been something that I’ve been doing regularly for years.) Green smoothies have numerous benefits for human health.
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 can 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. (NOTE: I saw Victoria give a presentation and she recommended one to two quarts a day for optimum health.)
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.
Start playing with green smoothies, and discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful delicious and nutritious addition to your menu. You may find many more amazing facts about green smoothies in Victoria Boutenko’s book, Green for Life, available at www.rawfamily.com.
Below are five green smoothie recipes. They are merely basic ideas for your green creations. Feel free to substitute these ingredients with your own choice of greens and fruits. Be sure to use organic whenever possible. Enjoy!
Apple-Kale-Lemon Strawberry-Banana-Romaine
4 apples 1 cup strawberries
juice of ½ lemon 2 bananas
5 leaves of kale ½ bunch romaine
2 cups water 2 cups water
Peach-Spinach Pear-Kale-Mint
6 peaches 4 ripe pears
2 handfuls of spinach leaves 5 leaves of kale
2 cups water ½ bunch mint
2 cups water
Mango-Weeds
2 Mangos
1 handful of edible weeds, such as
lambsquarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc.
2 cups water
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