Green Smoothie

Green smoothies have many health benefits. They typically include greens such as spinach or kale. If you’re feeling more adventurous you can add just about any green than you can handle. Adding a banana helps to hide the bitterness of the greens. Other fruits to consider adding are avocados, berries, apples and pears.

All these fruits and veggies provide a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals that you need on a daily basis. Most fruits and vegetables are high in Vitamins A and C as well as minerals. Dark, leafy greens contain high-quality amino acids, important minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and beneficial phytonutrients. And unlike juicing, smoothies are made from the whole fruit so you get plenty of fiber as well.

Most people struggle to get the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables to their diet, but a green smoothie makes it easy to do. A typical smoothie has four or five different fruits and vegetables. It’s also a great way to get picky kids to eat their vegetables!

You can tweak your smoothie to meet your needs. Try adding chia or protein powder to bulk it up. If you need a more filling drink, add almond milk.

Consider adding some superfood additions to boost the nutritional value even more. Suggested additions are raw cacao powder, coconut oil, goji berries,
spirulina, maca powder, hemp protein and acai berries. Try cacao nibs sprinked on the top.

Green smoothies are a great fast meal substitute or a snack to help get past the mid-afternoon slump. All you need to have on hand is a good quality blender. It will be an investment, but if you are in a pinch you can also benefit from smoothies averaging $6 or more from a juice bar. It is a worthwhile purchase to make sure you are getting a healthy dose of nutrients.

Green smoothies will also help you to stay hydrated. Most of us don’t drink the 6-8 glasses of water that’s typically recommended. That’s probably because many of us get bored drinking water all of the time.

Another possible bonus is weight loss. Substitute a green smoothie for a meal several times a week and you may notice you’re shedding weight as well as boosting your immune system.

For convenience, you can pre-assemble a few days of smoothie ingredients in advance in mason jars. Just fill with fruit and greens on the top and your smoothie will be ready in minutes.

To create your green smoothie with what you’ve got on hand, add 1-2 cups of dark greens, up to 2 cups of liquid and 2-3 cups of fruit (plus ice if you aren’t using frozen fruit.) If you’re using any superfood add-ins, add them now. Blend until smooth.