I did this for a while last year, but have slacked off since the summer.
I ordered this book, Green for Life, which I've read before, and decided today that I need a copy of it. I'll post some specific information from it once it arrives, but for now I will advocate green smoothies on my own.
Here is a basic recipe:
1 banana
1 orange
2 cups of greens (green/red leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.)
opt. 1-2 T. ground flaxseed
2 cups water
Blend it all together and add water to get the consistency preferred (I like it to be fairly watery so it's easier to drink). You can, of course, use any fruit or greens, substitute juice for water... pretty much adjust it any way you like!
A major benefit to drinking green smoothies everyday that I noticed right away was the absence of what I call the 'snooze feeling', that is, the feeling that keeps you in bed when your alarm goes off in the morning. After 3 weeks to a month of drinking a green smoothie everyday (probably coupled with increased exercise) I had absolutely no trouble getting out of bed, even at five in the morning.
So, the more I've thought about this, the more I think I'm going to try it. There's a serious lack of greenery in my diet, and I think this will definitely help with that. (I'm also more than a little interested in banishing that "snooze" feeling from my morning). I have a couple of questions, though:
ReplyDelete1. When you brought your smoothies to work with you, did you keep them refrigerated at all? Since they're just fruit, veg, and water, I don't see how they could spoil over the course of the day, but how did this affect taste?
2. Do you see any problem with blending up several days' worth of smoothies at a time? I kind of hate washing my blender as it is, so I think having to do that every day would be a serious turn-off for me.
3. I looked through the book when you had Todd's copy, and I remember the author kept talking about some special blender she recommended. The thing is, there's no way I'm going to buy a new blender (especially not one that costs hundreds of dollars). Did you have any trouble making the smoothies with your blender? (I'm assuming you have a regular old one, like mine.)
Hmm... that's a lot of questions. Sorry! I'm really getting excited about this, though. I've been in hibernation mode all winter, and now that spring's on its way, I need to get rid of my sleepy-sleeps!
1. I used to keep them in the fridge at work but lately I've been drinking them (an entire quart) in one sitting. I also take them to school with me and drink them on the bus, or as soon as I get to school, and they don't get very warm over the course of an hour. The key is to put the bananas (peeled) in the freezer, and the oranges in the fridge.
ReplyDelete2. I don't know about keeping them for days... I only actually wash my blender with soap about once a week. I rinse it out with really hot water right away, and leave water sitting in it until the next morning.
3. The only trouble is with the frozen bananas... so I put the water in, then the banana, and after a few minutes I flip the banana so the other side end of it can be in the water for a few minutes, and this seems to melt it enough to blend well.
I'll work on another post with specific health benefits so you'll be super motivated!