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Green Smoothie Recipes
Green smoothies can be a nutritious, delicious and an energizing way to start the day, but there is also a dark side to green smoothies.
Green Smoothies: the Pros and Cons
The Dark Side of Green Smoothies. While green smoothies and juicing have gained a reputation for being super healthy, these drinks have a dark side that few people are aware of.
Read on to learn about the potential health problems associated with the “over-enthusiastic” consumption of green smoothies and why drinking these beverages regularly may not be beneficial for optimal health.
✅ Always use organic, pesticide-free greens, veggies, herbs, plants, fruits and ingredients. Organic produce may contain lower levels of glyphosate, pesticides, harmful chemicals and heavy metals, such as thallium, compared to conventionally-grown produce.
✅ Green smoothies can be a nutritious, delicious and an energizing way to start the day, but there is also a dark side to green smoothies.Green smoothies can be a nutritious, delicious and an energizing way to start the day, but there is also a dark side to green smoothies. Rotate the ingredients, add diversity to your diet, and use a variety of in-season plants, vegetables and fruit.
✅ Leafy greens tend to be high in oxalates. Oxalates are plant-based compounds that may promote kidney stone formation, inhibit the thyroid, and increase inflammation when consumed in large amounts.
✅ Green smoothies may have adverse effects on the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland requires the mineral iodine to produce thyroid hormones. Cruciferous veggies are a common ingredient in green smoothies, which contain compounds called glucosinolates that inhibit iodine uptake by the thyroid. This may impact healthy thyroid function. Although a large intake of raw crciferous veggies can be problematic for healthy thyroid function, cooked or steamed cruciferous vegetables may be a safer option. Cooking cruciferous vegetables helps to deactivate the goitrogens.
✅ Don’t use the same ingredients such as kale day after day after day.
✅ Be mindful of heavy metal toxins such as thallium toxicity that accumulates in cruciferous veggies such as kale, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. If you are regularly drinking green smoothies and experiencing any unusual health problems, it may be time to investigate your thallium level and reconsider your green smoothie habit.
✅ Always include a source of protein and fat (coconut oil, MCT oil, avocado, a handful of nuts or seeds) to the smoothie, which will increase nutrient absorption from the veggies, plants and greens
✅ Chew your smoothies to breakdown the nutrients and encourage easier digestion.
✅ Be creative with the addition of various organic herbs and spices.
✅ Limit the amount of fruit used and instead use more veggies, plants, fresh herbs and leafy greens
✅ Blend vs juicing to increase fiber intake, reduce insulin-spike, use less veggies, and increase satiety
✅ Shop at your local Farmer’s market for a variety of in-season, organic veggies, greens, plants and fruit
✅ Be creative with the ingredients. Add something new such as moringa or purslane
✅ Lastly, it’s super important to thoroughly clean the blender after each use with hot water, a couple of drops of dish soap and a little bit of white vinegar and baking soda, otherwise mold can begin to develop, contaminating your beverage.
If you wish to enjoy a green smoothie every now and then, below you’ll find a few recipes.
Blending vs Juicing. Although juicing can be a better option for those who have malabsorption problems, a damaged intestinal lining, or a serious disease such as cancer, my preferences is blending in a Vitamix or a Nutri-Bullet or any other high-powered blender versus juicing. When veggies and greens are blended compared to juiced, all of the fiber is retained. Although juicing may have greater nutrient density, it’s void of fiber, fat and protein, does not fill you up, can trigger an insulin spike, and the amount of veggies and greens needed is nearly triple when juicing as opposed to blending.
Shades of Green Smoothie Recipe
- 2-3 cups of mustard greens
- 6-8 dandelion greens
- handful of fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 green apple
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 celery stalk
- Fresh ginger root
- Avocado
- Watercress
- Juice from a fresh lime
Add water adjusting the amount depending on desired consistency. After blending the above, add coconut oil or coconut manna, 2 scoops of grass-fed protein or collagen peptides, and ice.
Beet Blend Smoothie
- 1 organic beet with the greens
- 2 carrots
- the juice from one fresh lime and one fresh lemon
- 1 knuckle ginger, peeled
- one half avocado
- 1 small green apple
- 2 scoops grass-fed, organic, non-GMO protein or collagen peptides or another source of protein
Add water and ice. Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix or high-powered blender. Enjoy!
Love Your Liver Smoothie Recipe
- 1-2 celery stalks
- 1 whole lime, peeled
- 3-4 cups dandelion greens (or other bitter green)
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 small green apple
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 scoops grass-fed, organic, non-GMO protein or collagen peptides or another source of protein
Add ice and water. Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix or high-powered blender. Enjoy.
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