Green Smoothie Quantification

[Smileen]

Please correct me if my thinking is wrong...

Is it not more important to state what amount of greens one uses in their smoothie, rather than the volume of smoothie consumed? I know even Victoria Boutenko refers to having a quart a day. At the same time, she states that if used in a smoothie, we need about a 1/2 to 1 bunch of greens per day. I can take a half bunch of kale and make a quart or a gallon drink out of it depending on water added. Please help me unstick this point!

Thanks,

[MysticTree]

I imagine it's down to taste. If you like a quart with the recommended amount in then you take all your greens in that quart. If you like less green in each smoothie and you still want to have that recommended amount then I guess you put less in and drink more.

I am a GS virgin so maybe I got it all wrong :confused:

Georgina

[Veganforlife]

If you take said bunch of greens and blend it into 8 ounces and glurp that down or take same said bunch of greens and blend it into a gallon and enjoyably drink that - it's up to you. It's however YOU can drink these greens, so yes, essentially taste is all about it.
That being said, I would recommend to Green Smoothie virgins to start out slowly with a little greens because if you don't like the taste off the "git-go", you ain't gonna drink it.
You will find what works for you and your body. I think too VB gives a general description of what she feels is recommended for the general public. What her studies found worked well for the groups she has worked with over these many years. Also basing on her chimpanzee studies - their diet versus ours and how we can mimic theirs and reap from it's benefits.
Ya'll are making me thirsty!
::runs off to make green smoothie::

[Smileen]

I appreciate both of your responses very much. It seems I probably didn't make my question very clear or am maybe belaboring an unimportant point. I am actually not talking about how I should take my green smoothies, but rather just how people "talk" about the amount of smoothies one should consume. For example, I could say I had a quart of green smoothie today but it may only have 1 leaf in it, whereas someone else might have a cup and it had 3 leaves in it. So I guess I'm saying, doesn't it seem pointless to say one should have a quart of green smoothie? Shouldn't one say "you should have a half bunch of greens in your smoothie per day"?

[MysticTree]

ah ... I see what you mean now :o I don't know the answer though!

What counts as greens? Is it just leafy greens or anything green?

Georgina

[baltochef]

Smileen

Once I re-committ myself to going back on a high raw diet.......

I'm going to start weighing out the ingredients that I put into the blender, & writing it down in log form ..

Fruits & vegetables vary in size, and "a handful" or "a bunch" are hardly precise terms..

I'm thinking I'll do so for 3-6 months..

That's the only way I can think of that will let me get a handle on things so that I have a quantifiable set of facts that will allow me to assess my moods, reactions to different foods, etc..

That way I can say to myself, "I ate this yesterday & I feel great, so I'll keep eating that combo"; or "I ate this yesterday & whoooa!!, that didn't work..I don't want to eat that combo again"..

After a while I'll no longer need to do so as I'll understand my body's needs better than I do currently..

It will also allow me to check calories & nutritional data with one of the online services so I can make sure I'm getting a proper balance of nutrition..

Bruce

[Bananna]

What I am wondering is if there is a difference between having a giant salad with said greens is any less healthy than blending them into smoothies. Does it really matter?

[rawsurfer]

i put in as much as i can handle without it being unpalatable. usually, these are not the tastiest, but they are excellent fuel, and i am learning a lot about life by not focusing on the taste of food as some high point in my day.

[Smileen]

Rasiaca...unless you chew your greens to the point of a creamy consistency (Per Victoria Boutenko) you are not assimilating as much of the nutrients since the blender breaks down the fibers and allows instant access.

[gettingskinny]

about a handful is all i can handle as well. we all have to do what is best for us. so i guess a GS to me may be different than what a GS is to someone else. we are all drinking healthy smoothies with green stuff so we all rock! ;)

[MiahTay]

Well, I typically shoot for more greens than fruit, somedays it's WAY more greens and some days it is a shot of Barley Max. What I have to remind myself is yes, I'm living this life because it is great for me nutritionally but if at any point it becomes a chore (ie. I have to weigh and measure everything I eat) it is no longer a joy and it is not going to continue. But that's just me.

Have a great day!

Heather