green smoothie revolution!

have you heard about 'green smoothies'? This is the newest craze in our family.

They were developed by raw food pioneer, chef and auther, Victoria Boutenko, (wrote "Green Smoothie Revolution") and they provide endless health benefits! One of the most important things lacking from our diets is usually dark leafy greens. And once blended, they are even more easily digested by your system, allowing your body to get even more of the nutrients out of them (plus they are raw in the smoothie, not cooked so they retain all their nutritional value).

Ok, so here's some of the benefits of green smoothies, just to name a FEW:
1. According to Victoria Boutenko in her book, 12 Steps to Raw Foods, "when blended well, most of the cell walls in the greens and fruits are ruptured, making the valuable nutrients easy for the body to assimilate. Green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth."
2. They are full of fiber which is very important for good colon ecology and elimination of waste.
3. They are chlorophyll rich. Chlorophyll is the blood of the plant and it is the molecule that most closely resembles human blood. It purifies our blood. It fights bad breath and bad body odor. It is an immune enhancer. It can help to correct anemia. It will rejuvenate your body.
4. They give you much more than the minimal requirements of fruits and veggies recommended by the American Cancer Society.
5. They are high in antioxidants and phytochemicals.
6. They will help to bring down the acidity in your pH and make you more alkaline. Cancer does not grow in an alkaline body. In fact, most disease grows in an acid environment




There are so many ways you can make your green smoothie, so you should definitely experiment to find your favorites. As a general rule, start out using 40% greens (spinach, collard greens, romaine lettuce, kale greens....anything green!) and 60% fruit. But, I do have a suggestion for getting started. Actually it's how i make my smoothie every day. I use about a handful of spinach and 2 bananas and some water. Something about the bananas and the spinach makes it taste so smooth and almost like nothing. You can add honey or real maple syrup if you need it, or just add more banana. You might have to tinker with it to get it perfect.
***note: do not use spinach every day. spinach has phytates in it, which blocks the absorption of iron. (soy has the most phytates of anything ever, one of the 1,000 reasons not to drink/eat soy)
So try it if you are interested! You might not need your cup of coffee anymore in the morning from all the extra energy you'll have! Even Ndi LOVES them and begs for more!