by Joanna | Detox, Green Smoothies, Smoothie Recipes
Have you had your dandelions today?
For many people when they think of dandelions, their first thought is the weeds on their lawn. They view the common dandelion as a weed, and wage a small war to eradicate the plant from their lawns and gardens, but I want to encourage you to eat them!
Not everyone knows that dandelions are very healthy, and can be used in many recipes, including (of course) green smoothies.
Since they grow wild pretty much everywhere, you have a completely free food source right in your backyard or in the wild. Just don’t use the ones with the pesticides and herbicides on them! For those without access to organic lawns, dandelion greens are also available in farmers markets.
Health Benefits of Dandelion Greens
As all greens, dandelions are low in calories, but super-high in healthy nutrients, which makes them the ideal addition to green smoothies. In fact, this innocuous “weed” is one of the most nutrient-dense plants you can eat. Everything, from the flower all the way down to the roots, is edible.
Dandelions are great for detoxing the liver and gallbladder and to help support kidney function. They may help stabilize blood sugar (great for diabetics) and lower bad (LDL) cholesterol. They are also are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, K, calcium and iron, packed full of antioxidants, and contain copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium. Just one half cup of dandelions contains more calcium than a glass of milk, and more iron than spinach. Studies have found that the regular consumption of dandelion greens can lead to a reduction in your risk of cancer and stroke.
The taste of dandelion resembles a slightly bitter green like arugula. Look for firm, fresh, tender, bright green leaves that aren’t discolored or wilted. When refrigerated in a plastic bag, they will keep for a few days. Like spinach, dandelion greens are commonly enjoyed raw, but they also taste fantastic sautéed, braised, or even stewed.
You can toss them into your favorite salad medley, eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove. Wash, trim, tear, and toss in your favorite salad medley. Sauté with garlic and onions. Substitute spinach for dandelion greens in recipes, such as pesto sauce.
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipes
Dandelion greens have slightly bitter taste which might be difficult to mask with fruit in a green smoothie, so start with adding small amounts and/or mixing them with other greens, such as spinach or kale. In general, the younger the greens, the milder the taste, so you may want to choose the younger leaves.
You can help mask the bitter taste by using strong tasting fruit and berries, such as pineapple, oranges, bananas, strawberries or other ripe berries. The other way is to process them with some sort of fat, i.e. nuts, oils, and avocados.
Personally, I enjoy slight bitterness in my smoothies, especially since I know that it’s so good for me! The bitterness actually stimulates bile production, aids digestion, and cleans pretty much every inner organ inside the body. I find that my taste buds get used to the flavor quickly and after the first couple sips and I soon don’t mind the flavor at all. But I guess it’s an acquired taste.
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe #1
1-2 cups dandelion greens
1-2 pears
2 dates
1-2 cups water or coconut water
Blend on the highest speed until smooth and creamy. Yield: 3-4 cups
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe #2
2 cups dandelion greens
1 lemon (peeled)
2 large apples
1 banana
1-2 cups water
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe #3
½ bunch dandelion greens
2 stalks celery
2 peaches
½ pineapple
½ inch fresh ginger root
2 cups water
Blend in blender until smooth! Enjoy!
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe #5
If you are worried about the fruit content, here are some savory options.
1/2 bunch dandelion greens
4 tomatoes
2 dates (optional)
2 cups water
Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe #6
1/2 bunch dandelion greens
1 medium cucumber
½ avocado
2 dates (optional)
2 cups water
Blend in blender until smooth! Enjoy!
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Detox
If you haven’t been on a highly plant-based diet for a while, chances are you may experience some unpleasant cleansing reactions (detox) when you start drinking your green smoothies.
I’ve had many readers report to me that the experience various symptoms that range from mildly unpleasant to quite unbearable.
“I spent the afternoon and evening (really until I went to bed) in misery!! Achy muscles, head ache, stomach ache, gassy and nautious. Yesterday was the third day in a row I needed a small afternoon nap. I was starting to think I was pregnant again!!”
“I have been experiencing diarreha ever since I started drinking green smoothies. Is there something that I can do to help this go away? I want to continue with the smoothies, but I am getting afraid that something is wrong.”
When I started drinking green smoothies a couple of years ago I remember having flu-like symptoms, with a mucus in the back of my throat for about five weeks.
Fortunately, in most cases these reactions are short lived. They are simply a manifestation of your body using good building and cleansing materials that you are providing, and an opportunity to discard the toxic waste materials.
Why Do I Need to Detox?
Do I need to even answer that question?
Our bodies naturally detoxify every day. Detoxification is a normal body process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver. However, although the human body is very skilled at filtering out environmental and dietary toxins through the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin, just like any other filter, prolonged use without proper cleaning can reduce efficiency and cause toxic build up.
Food preservatives, pesticides and herbicides, genetically engineered foods, estrogen-mimicking chemicals leaking from plastic bottles and containers, hormones, antibiotics and drugs infused into the meat, poultry and fish, mercury in fish, chemicals in skin care products, chemicals in water that we drink – there is just so much that your body needs to handle every day.
No wonder our bodies are breaking down and we are feeling sluggish or out of sync! Symptoms of internal toxic build up include lack of energy, chronic fatigue, acne and other skin breakouts, constipation, allergies, dark urine, weight gain, respiratory problems, and many other.
Anybody can benefit from a cleansing. It’s a way to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew. Especially in the spring, when the body is coming out of what might be called hibernation. It’s a way you can jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life.
Natural Detox Cleanse Reactions On Green Smoothie Diet:
Here are some natural detox cleanse reactions that you may experience when you start adding green smoothies to your diet:
* headaches
* digestive disturbances
* skin breakouts or rashes
* feeling of sluggishness or weakness
* intestinal gas
* mucus in the back of the throat
* mood swings
* and other
The good news is that those reactions rarely last longer than a couple of days or weeks.
By drinking green smoothies you will be replacing lots of other foods – many of them unhealthy – in your daily diet. So, not only does a green smoothie detox give your digestive system a break, but by eliminating added sugar and other additives in the processed foods, saturated fats, and alcohol, it also rids your diet of things that can exacerbate health issues.
The longer you’ve been eating the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet), and the worse your diet, and the weaker your inherited constitution, the more likely you are to have tough time detoxing. If a “cleansing reaction” lasts longer than 2 weeks, it’s possible that you may be looking at a food sensitivity.
If they are really unpleasant, maybe you may want to reduce the amount of the smoothie that you drink temporarily.
And follow the tips for healthy detox below.
Detox cleanse: You may have to endure some unpleasant symptoms, but just think about the benefits of cleansing your body!
10+ Tips for Healthy Detox
1. Drink green smoothies and green juices.
Make sure you use organic greens and fruits (especially the ones on the Dirty Dozen list – in the United States alone, more than one billion pounds of pesticides are deliberately released into the environment every single year. Among these are some of the most dangerous synthetic chemicals manufactured today.).
2. Rotate your greens (don’t use the same greens all the time). Add some fresh ginger and lemon juice to your smoothies.
3. Eliminate caffeine, processed foods, simple sugars, smoking, and alcohol.
4. Consume lots of raw fruits and vegetables.
5. Drink extra water to help flush out toxins faster. Also, drink infusions using lemon, ginger, senna, milk thistle, star anise, fennel, and other herbs made with warm or hot water.
6. Eliminate all animal products: meat, fish and dairy, even if just for a few days and see how you feel
7. Eliminate or minimize use of chemical-based household cleaners and personal care products (cleansers, shampoos, deodorants and toothpastes), and substitute natural alternatives.
8. Rest and limit stressful life situations along with detoxifying your body. Yoga and meditation are two simple and effective ways to relieve stress.
9. Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.
10. Dry-brush your skin to remove toxins through your pores. Special brushes are available at natural products stores.
11. Exercise. Jumping on a mini-trampoline or jump-roping will invigorate you and help cleanse your lymphatic system.
12. Massage your intestines. Before you get out of bed in the morning, deeply massage your transverse colon (you may use a tennis ball or your hands), starting lower right in your pelvis, straight up to the level of your navel, across to a couple inches inside the left hipbone, and down.
But, please, don’t abandon your new routine. Keep in mind that your body is doing good, necessary work, you ARE burning fat, eliminating toxins, and the discomfort is temporary.
If you are trying to lose weight, this you will start seeing results soon. When you replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie, high-nutrition foods (green smoothies!), weight loss will follow. You will start feeling lighter and more energetic soon!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
