Green smoothies are what I have for breakfast – daily.
But what is a green smoothie and how do I mix my green smoothies?
The green smoothie story
Green smoothies were “invented” by Victoria Boutenko. She and her family had already been eating a raw food diet for several years and had benefited greatly (i.e. her son was able to avoid insulin injections), but at some point, they reached a health plateau.
Their health did not decline but they felt that it could be even better. So Victoria began to read, investigate and study wild life.
She discovered that apes consume a lot of leafy greens and tried to copy them by eating tons of salad every day – to an extent that she could not keep up with the amounts. Then she had the idea to blend her greens. and got her blender out.
But once the mixture was ready, she wanted to pour it out immediately – it smelled and tasted horrible.
How do apes do it?
Then she noticed one ape wrapping a peeled banana into a leaf and munching on it happily. So she added a couple of bananas to her green concoction and started her blender once more. To her great surprise, the result neither stank nor tasted bad – on the contrary!
It was so good that (and I got all this off her, first hand, so I am quoting here!) she ran out on the street and started handing out her new invention to total strangers.
By now, Victoria has written books about this topic and the Green Smoothie is on its way to conquer the world 🙂
Why I love green smoothies
I too wanted to integrate more greens to my diet and started with green smoothies when I heard about them from Victoria Boutenko. Originally I mainly made them with baby spinach, but then I learnt from Victoria that you should actually use different greens every day. Therefore I now have a box or bag with mixed leafy greens in my fridge and I also started to plant lettuces and herbs in flower pots – very handy when all shops are closed and you discover your fridge is empty!
What I also noticed was that green smoothies (and juices) make me happiness levels go up up up – seriously, some mornings I am so grumpy, but once I have had a green juice or smoothie, it’s all good – and this does not work if I put any random food in my belly.
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What do I put into a green smoothie?
In terms of fruit I usually mix in whatever I have at hand. The general rule thereby is to always also blend in one creamy piece, in order to make a smoothie that’s, well, smooth, instead of a watery green something.
Some of the creamy fruits are: kiwi, pears, avocado, mango, papaya, pineapple, banana, strawberries, peaches, apricots or coconut.
In addition you can blend superfoods, like a teaspoon of Maca or cacao, but it is not necessary.
And to be sure the whole thing does not turn into a mush, add 1-2 cups of water or, if you like it sweeter, fresh (apple) juice.
If you have never had a green smoothie, I recommend to use less greens and more fruit, at a ratio of 1: 3 – so 1 cup greens, 3 cups diced fruit.
You can also omit sweet fruits entirely and i.e. make a smoothie with fresh cilantro (coriander), celery, cucumber, avocado, coconut water and jelly, and a few drops of stevia.