I made three lifestyle changes that helped
me to overcome my 7-year battle with Chronic Fatigue: 1) I got off all forms
of processed Sugar, 2) I got off of all products that contain Wheat, and 3) I
began drinking Green Smoothie's daily.
I learned about Green Smoothies from the
book, "Green For Life" by Victoria Boutenko. Everyone needs more raw, dark
green, leafy vegetables in their diet. Green Smoothies are the easiest and
best tasting way to get mega-doses of fresh, dark greens into your body!
The link to Victoria's Book is on my,
"Misc. Information" page.
Here are some additional links related to
Green Smoothies:
http://www.askmoxie.org/2006/09/green_smoothies.html
You will get used to the taste of Greens
over time. I like to joke with my audience that the Green Smoothie I serve to
them is like a "Kindergarten" Green Smoothie and you can work your way up to
Graduate Level :-) In the beginning, try the milder tasting greens and use a
60% fruit to a 40% greens ratio. Over time you can graduate to the more bitter
tasting greens and change your ratio to 50/50 then 60 to 70% greens and 40 to
30% fruits. Or, you can just stick with whatever balance works best for you! I
find that the more dark green leafy vegetables I can get into my diet, the
less cravings I have for junk food and the more energy I have during the day.
Here are some Greens
I have tried with asterisk by the ones I use the most:
Kale*
Romaine
Baby Spinach*
Collards*
Parsley* (this took some getting used to
but now I like it a lot!)
Arugula
Endive
Carrot Tops
Broccoli (strong flavor)
Celery (also a strong flavor)
Cucumber (another strong flavor but good
for skin)
Wheat Grass*
Fruits:
I've used about all of them...
Bananas are always good with fruits that
are tart like raspberries and blackberries or, any greens that are on the
bitter side because bananas are sweet.
I use apples whole. I peel the orange part
off of an orange, but leave the white pit because that is where most of the
calcium, bioflavanoids, and vitamin C is located.
Remember to follow the same directions as
I gave for making Juices on my recipe page. You must start out with a mixture
of either frozen fruits or ice that is very, very thick. As you blend, in
about two minutes, the drink will turn liquid from the friction heat of the
blades, but you stop the machine right at the time when it is still very, very
cold but no longer frozen like a slushy. This allows you to break the
ingredients down to the cellular (most bioavailable) level.
My Green Smoothies are rarely the same
from day to day... some taste great and some, well... :-)
======================
My Newly Famous "Emerald Ecstasy"
Green Smoothie Recipe
(this is the Green Smoothie that I make at
a show)
Put Ingredients into the Vita-Mix in the
following order:
1-2 Cups of Green Grapes
1/4 of a large Pineapple or 1/3 of a small
Pineapple
One whole large Banana
Half of an Apple
2 big hand fulls of Spinach (at a show I
add a touch of Kale and Parsley too)
2 cups of Ice
This will make 2-3 LARGE servings or 4-5
smaller (juice glass size) servings.
Blend according to the instructions in my
Fruit Juice section (until the icy slushy mixture turns into a smooth
liquid). This is a "beginner" Green Smoothie. As you get used to the taste
of the greens, you can increase the proportion of greens to fruit, try out
some of the "stronger tasting greens" (remember, Spinach is one of the "magic
veggies"), and use fruits that are not as sweet - like berries for instance.
======================
Dr. Oz's Green Drink
(as seen on Oprah)
