Green Smoothie Recipes

If you've never had a green smoothie, your first thought might be "yuck!". "If it's green it probably has lettuce, spinach, parsley, or something else in it that sounds pretty gross blended..."

Well, you're partially right. It can have spinach in it, or parsley, or anything else that's green and leafy. But, contrary to what you might think, they're actually pretty good! As a matter of fact, some are pretty darn delicious!

Of course, everyone is different and has different tastes, but it's really not hard finding one that you like.

By adding 60% fruit to 40% greens, you won't even taste the green part. The sweet taste is way more powerful than the green.

If you use a strong tasting green like parsley or mint, you might have to use a stronger tasting fruit like pineapple, but you'll hardly notice the taste of the greens with most of them.

A really good book to read regarding green smoothies is Green For Life, by Victoria Boutenko. She explains why greens are so good for you and how, if you've hit a plateau in your raw food diet, to get past it.

She also tells about a 30 day experiment that was done to a group of people. This group agreed to drink a green smoothie everyday. They had a doctor examine them before and after and the results were very interesting! If you haven't already read this book, I highly recommend it.

Alright, now for the recipes!

Honestly, I hardly use "recipes" anymore, because it's so easy just to pop in whatever I have on hand with a cup of water or so. Sometimes I'll just look at the recipes to try something different that maybe I hadn't thought of before. But just using the 60/40 ratio and adding a cup or so of water works well.

I've only had a couple of drinks that I really didn't care for and had to toss. Seriously! It rarely happens. Actually I should have wrote down those recipes and created a list of recipes not to make because there are so few!

Recent research has shown that watermelons has very concentrated amounts of carotenoid lycopene. They contain more lycopene than any other fresh fruit ~ including tomatoes!

Lycopene has been known for lowering
the risk of many different cancers.

Watermelons are also a great source of potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C, and B6.

• 5 cups watermelon
• 4 handfuls spinach leaves
• 1 cup purified water

Pineapples contain a mix of enzymes called Bromelain. Bromelain has been shown to lessen inflammation and reduce certain swelling. To maximize the benefits, proper food combining rules should be followed so the enzymes don't get used up digesting food.

Pineapples are also a good source of vitamins C, B1, B6, copper and dietary fiber.

• 1/2 pineapple
• 1 banana
• 2 ribs celery
• 2 handfuls lettuce
• 1 cup purified water

Kale has a rich sulfer content. Sulforaphane is formed when the kale is chopped or chewed. This triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals.

Kale is also rich in calcium, lutein, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K.

• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1 pear
• 2 handfuls kale
• 1 rib celery
• 1 cup purified water