Are green smoothies good for bad for your health? Well, are leafy greens good for you? Is fresh or frozen fruit good for you? Can there be any harm in combining them? The answer seems easy, but what exactly is a green smoothie, you might ask.
Any fruit smoothie that has leafy greens added to it is considered a Green Smoothie. Depending on the items you choose to use, a green smoothie can actually end up any color from red to dark brown, but if it’s fresh or frozen fruit with leafy greens added, it’s still called a Green Smoothie.
Why Use Greens?
It’s an easy way to get more greens into our diets and that’s something we could all use. Leafy greens like lettuce, baby spinach, Swiss chard, and kale are an excellent source of the minerals that our bodies need, and very few people find that they can eat large amounts of these beneficial foods on a daily basis. Many greens do not taste that good by themselves and coating them with oily dressings defeats there value, but blending them in a smoothie is an easy, low-calorie way to benefit from them.
What Is The Best Combination To Use?
The secret to a great tasting green smoothie is to always start with a really ripe banana (the riper it is, the sweeter the smoothie will be) and either water or maybe a little nut milk (nut milk = more calories). Then add your favorite fresh or frozen fruit, like pineapple, mango, and/or some berries. Next, add a handful or two of your choice of greens, and blend it up. Using berries is where the red to dark brown smoothie colors come from. It’s also a good idea to start with some of the more mild tasting greens like lettuce and baby spinach until your taste buds are ready for the stronger flavors of celery, kale, and Swiss chard.
Should Anything Else Be Added In?
Some people do add grass powders or so-called “superfood” powders to their green smoothies, but they are not really necessary and there are definitely things that should be left out. Raw vegetables should be avoided because they will not add any flavor and they will make your smoothie coarse and gritty. There are no other sugars needed, and even raw cacao should be used rarely and then only if you are sure you want the caffeine.
The Easiest, Best Tasting Green Smoothie Recipe
- 1 cup of pure filtered water
- 1 or 2 very ripe banana’s
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit (fresh in season is best)
- 2 cups of leafy greens (change often)
- Blend It (a high-speed blender is best)
That’s All You Need For A Great Green Smoothie
It’s that simple to start adding valuable high-quality nutrition to your diet. A green smoothie every day can be a great way to start the transition to a raw vegan diet and it can contribute to feeling more energy and reaching and maintaining your ideal weight. Give it a try. Most people find the more often that they have a green smoothie, the more often that they want one.