Kale —and other greens, including collard, chard, spinach, bok choy, dandelion, parsley, turnip and beet leaves — are true superfoods. They deliver a bonanza of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They are loaded with calcium, essential for strong bones and healthy. They provide stress-fighting B vitamins and help our eyes with vitamin A. They even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats. But when was the last time you had a bunch of kale?
The fact is kale (and other greens) is often neglected when it comes choosing your ingredients. It’s certainly not most people’s first choice when it comes to preparing salads or vegetable side-dishes.
Especially in winter, when there are fewer in-season vegetable choices — kale and other dark, leafy greens that thrive in cooler weather are a great addition to the menu. Plus, they are great for boosting immunity – so a kale smoothie recipe may be just what the doctor ordered ;-).
Even though I’ve known about the nutritional benefits of sprouting for quite some time, I’ve only recently started experimenting with growing my own sprouts and adding them to green smoothie recipes and other dishes. So, this winter, I’m determined to get more sprouts growing in my kitchen, and start eating them more often.
Really, when you think about it, it’s probably the most local, freshest, most nutritious food that you can get, especially in the winter. And even in other times of the year – not everyone has a garden – but you can have sprouts growing in your kitchen all year long.
Plus, sprouts are one of the most incredibly nutrient dense, affordable and easy to grow foods we have available. They can provide you with a steady year-round source of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, chlorophyll and protein, as well as a high concentration of health and youth-supporting enzymes.
To boot, they are low calorie and contain little or no fat. The fat they do contain is the healthy fat that your body needs. As some of the most nutritious foods that exist, they make a great addition to any healthy eating plan.
Have you heard about the Hippocrates diet? In the renowned Hippocrates Institute, where they regularly cure terminally ill people using only nutrition and other lifestyle modifications, sprouts are one of the key ingredients on their menu.
When is the right time for you to take control of your health?
Right now.
Eating more fruits, vegetables, and greens is like hitting a reset button. It’s a chance to start over after weeks of indulging in holiday fare. But sometimes we need an extra nudge to add the good stuff back in — and it had better be tasty, or the habit won’t stick very long.
That’s why green smoothies and juices are so popular — they are delicious and will surely make you feel better if you just stick with them.
The magic of juices and smoothies, of course, is that a single glass can pack several fruits, veggies and greens — and all of their vitamins and minerals — into one meal or snack. That makes it easier to increase the fruits and vegetables we eat, which is just what the doctor ordered for many of us.
It’s time to stop thinking about it…time to stop dreaming about it…time to make it happen.
Plus, you’ll be doing some good things for the planet too, if you start eating more unprocessed plant foods.
Pomegranate has always been high on my too-much-trouble-to-even-bother ingredient list. I always considered it as a fruit that’s just too much work to eat because it’s such a pain to de-seed, so I didn’t have it very often.
In my pre-vegan days, it was up right there with crab legs. Now that I’m vegan (it took me 46 years to get there), I no longer eat any animal parts, and I’m experimenting with various new and old ingredients that I don’t use very often – just like pomegranate.
So, finally, I decided to tackle this pomegranate situation. I bought a big pomegranate lately and it’s been sitting on my counter-top for over a week, so I knew it was time to try it. And surely enough, after just a tiny bit of research, I discovered that a whole pomegranate (minus the skin) can be blended up into a creamy froth, with no bittery flavor from the pith, using my Vitamix, so there you go!
I experimented a little with various ingredient combinations, and here is what I discovered:
Even a high-powered blender will not be able to break up the seeds completely, so be ready for some crunchy unblended seeds in this smoothie. Kinda like a raspberry smoothie may have. Personally, I don’t mind them at all – but if you are super-sensitive you have been warned! In my opinion, even if it’s a little chunky, it’s still delicious, so just get over it!
Most people have cranberries as cranberry sauce, usually a highly sweetened, over-cooked concoction. I used to always prepare it as a side dish to a roasted turkey meat on Thanksgiving dinner. I went vegan earlier this year (it’s been almost 6 months now as I am mostly vegan, sometimes vegetarian – usually during trips), so that combination is no longer acceptable for me, but I still love my cranberries in sauces, dressings and smoothies.
I love making a raw cranberry sauce or cranberry dressing, with oranges and other fruits – I will post a recipe for a delicious cranberry sauce soon.
For now, why not have some raw cranberries in your green smoothie?
Cranberries add a delicious, tart flavor to green smoothie recipes. You can add them to most berry smoothies to boost the tartness and antioxidants. Begin with 1/2 cup, then adding more to taste.
After a whole week of drinking cabbage and beet smoothies in various combinations, I’m ready to move on. I decided to try broccoli rabe in a smoothie. This is not a green that I use very often, so why not try it with some juicy fruit and see what happens. I’m also experimenting with adding…
Many people ask me about whether they will lose weight by drinking green smoothies.
The definite answer to this question is “Maybe.”
It really depends on your specific circumstances: how much smoothies are you drinking, what are you eating in addition to smoothies, what is your physical activity level, how often do you exercise, how committed you are to your diet and exercise, etc.
Generally speaking, green smoothies should help most people lose weight because they help you super-charge your body with nutrient-rich foods, foods that are nutrient-dense, and yet low-in-calories. They will also help break your food addictions, and, according to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, most people in America are serious food addicts.…
Your children (and quite possibly your adult family members too) may be resistant to the idea to trying smoothie recipes with any green ingredients added, however, don’t despair!
But, yes, you may need to use some tricks to encourage their consumption initially.
The great thing about green smoothies is that they disguise what might otherwise be unwelcome ingredients, including healthy leafy greens that may be eaten rarely or avoided completely.…
Based on my 4+ years experience with smoothies, I can definitely say that drinking green smoothies is the quickest, easiest way to obtain incredible health results without a lot of fuss or effort.
Simply by adding one green smoothie to your diet every day will likely start to bring about amazing positive change in your body. When the body gets the foods it needs, it can heal itself.
Green Smoothies are fast and extremely easy to make. No matter what your schedule is, you can manage making a Green Smoothie. From start to finish, it takes less than 5 minutes, and that includes cleaning up!
I’ve been drinking them for years, and I honestly cannot remember the last time I was sick or had a cold (I used to have colds ad least 3-4 times per year. Plus I suffered from seasonal allergies and a host of other issues.)…
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