Green Smoothie confusion..help!

[light&happy]

Ok, I just read Green for Life and loved it! I have been drinking green smoothies for 5 days now, 1 to 2 quarts per day as part of a cleanse ( I am about to do Dr. Schulze's gallbladder/liver cleanse). Then I will have a raw recipe dinner or snack at night. One great thing is that my sugar cravings, and cravings for cooked food is almost gone just from upping my green smoothie intake!

My question is this...how many greens is Victoria Bouetanko actually recommending:confused: When she tells her story and listen to her interviews, it seems as though you need 1-2 bunches, or 1-2 pounds of greens per day. But when you look at her recipes, each of which equals about a quart, there is only about 1/2 bunch greens, or 5-6 leafs of kale, etc. I really want to make sure that I get the benefits of the greens but I am trying to fiqure out the recommendation.

How many greens do you add to your smoothies? Anyone?

thanks!

Melissa

[Bobbie]

I've found it impossible to drink 2lbs greens in smoothies, if I have 1lb its impossible to eat anything else I'm so full.

My smoothies are 200g greens with 4 pieces of fruit = 4 glasses.
I like kale and banana best.

I also can't afford to buy 2lbs greens a day. I pick weeds but its really difficult to get them down they're so disgusting!!

[light&happy]

Thank you Bobbie!

Ok, 200g are about 2-3 cups? I am a typical American who should not be ignorant of the metric system, but is.:rolleyes:

Melissa

[Stina]

I personally throw in a big handful of greens for my smoothie. Not exactly technical but I'm following my intuition. If I consume that and a salad throughout the course of the day, I'm think I'm doing incredibly wonderful and feel awesome.

[G42]

Are you mixing with water,and mixing kale and banana's ,whats in the mix:confused:

[KindnessToAllCreatures]

I also enjoy kale and bananas. I use:

kale
ripe banana
pineapple
grapes or frozen strawberries
water (I toss in a few ice cubes, too, to keep it cold)

Precise measurement is totally unnecessary.
As has been written in other posts, those new to green smoothies will often start with a small amount of greens and work their way up to using more.
SOME greens is definitely better than NO greens!:)

When using kale (for me, at least), the only 'essential' ingredient is the banana to offset any possible bitterness from the kale. Any other sweet fruit along with it works great.

[Veganforlife]

If I may pop in here for a minute? I would say start out with what you are comfortable with. You are consuming far more then you did say a year ago, right? Then build up to whatever YOU are comfortable with.
I am sure I use probably a pound per smoothie (34-36 ounces), but in addition to fresh bunches of greens be it spinach, collards, leafy lettuces, etc. I also use Alissa's green food powder, which packs a powerful amount of green in a more concentrated form. Different greens that I cannot get fresh locally. I also add MSM, spirulina, dulse powder, kelp powder, ground flax seed (a heaping tablespoon of all the powders) and a tablespoon of coconut oil. A whatever fruit I have available. Always a lemon. Most of the time a banana and lately pears and/or apples, grapes, pineapple, whatever is there in my kitchen waiting for me.
You have to figure also it's been what did you say, five days? Build up to how green you want it to be. You'll get "there".
Good job!!!
Just a little (two words) green smoothie food for thought here.

[veganman]

I agree with VeganforLife....you want to listen to your body and what you need. Everyone's hunger and nutritional needs differ.

For me, I will fill up the Vitamix with 1 bunch (as they come in the store) of Kale or collards or parsley or celery or lettuce and add 4 apples or a bunch of grapes or a mango, some spirulina and chlorella, and about a cup of water (sometimes more if it is too thick).

[Rubyred]

I started out with amounts Victoria suggested, and drank about 32-40 ounces a day. I still do that and drink half in the morning and the other half before dinner. I gradually added more greens but not a whole lot. I use around 2-3 cups liquid, anything from water with 1 cup nut milk or coconut water.

When I started drinking green smoothies everyday my cravings for junky foods went down too. After about six weeks, my fingernails, which were thin and would split, crack and rip, no matter what kind of supplement I tried, began to grow smooth and strong. So even throwing in a few greens into a smoothie makes a difference.

[themindless]

hey i've been using 2 handfuls of collard greens and a banana and orange and i've been feeling dizzy or itchy. the collard greens are organic but the banana and oranges are not. i usually eat them with no problem. could this be a detox reaction or are the organic veggies reacting with the non organic fruits? thanks

[PomegranatePip]

hey i've been using 2 handfuls of collard greens and a banana and orange and i've been feeling dizzy or itchy. the collard greens are organic but the banana and oranges are not. i usually eat them with no problem. could this be a detox reaction or are the organic veggies reacting with the non organic fruits? thanks

Could be an allergic reaction, a detox reaction, a candida reaction... it's hard to say. I doubt it has much to do with the organic versus non-organic produce, though. Especially since bananas and oranges (usually) have the peels removed, thereby lessening the chance you're ingesting any toxic pesticides. If anything, the nutrition of those fruits just won't be as high. I don't see why that would cause a reaction.

[EZ rider]

I have found that by juicing the greens you can use an enormous amount of greens in a day. I have a Green Power juicer for doing greens and it squeezes every drop of juice out of the greens. My favorite green drink is to juice a half a bunch of celery into a frosty mug. Yumbo !

[ski bumette]

Even before I went raw the only thing I had for breakfast was a smoothie. Been doing it for about 2 years. Here's what mine consisted of:
2 cups green tea
1 scoup protein powder
3 teaspons greens+ powder
1cup frozen fruit
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Now of course I don't use the protein powder or the yogurt and use real greens instead of the powder.

Yesterday for the first time I used fresh pineapple, pear, strawberry and kale. Wow...it was sure light and refreshing.

[Dj 247]

I have the Green for Life book as well. Have you tried to make the smoothie recipes in the back of the book? I am drinking one of her smoothies right now. It is really good.

[chopstiklb]

I guess everyone has a different recipe for the green smoothie. We call it the Greenie or Green-Gorilla.
Simple recipe;

5oz Baby Spinach
5oz Baby Romaine
1 frozen BAnana
1 ripe avacado
1C fresh carrot juice.
1Tbsp of ground golden flax seed
1 carrot for a Pusher when using the Blend-Tek or Vita mixer.

Makes about 4 -8oz containers. MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm;) :)

[chopstiklb]

Mellisa,
Can only say that you 'll need to adjust your greens to your liking. We use Baby Spinach and Baby Romaine for an excellent flavor. Good luck
Chopstiklb

[light&happy]

Thanks for all of the replies everybody! Yes, I have been making the recipes in the back of the book and I love them. i don't have a problem putting alot of greens in the smoothie. I guess my question was more like, to get the mentioned benefit of the greens (reversing illness, losing weight, stronger nails, etc), how much is she recommending? I guess the answer is just as much as you can get in there!

I am really enjoying the green smoothies, I drink about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts per day. Killed my sugar and coffe cravings, so I must be doing something right;)

Melissa

[themindless]

Jack LaLanne HealthMaster 100 Blender Tips:

* Always remove large pits such as peach, mango, apricot, etc. before processing as these pits can damage the blade and cause the motor to malfunction.
* Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables before juicing to remove any dirt or chemicals.
* Remove all stems.
* Fruits and vegetables juice best when they are fresh and firm.
* Always serve fresh foods immediately. After just a few seconds they start to loose vitamin potency.

wait does that mean i can't store my smoothie in a thermos and carry it out with me? i want the max nutritional value from these smoothies

[EZ rider]

* Always serve fresh foods immediately. After just a few seconds they start to loose vitamin potency. wait does that mean i can't store my smoothie in a thermos and carry it out with me? i want the max nutritional value from these smoothiesOnce the food is exposed to air it begins to oxidize and lose potency. If you have ever cut a potato or an an apple and watched the white part turn brown you can appreciate how fast this oxidation occurs.

[themindless]

wait so should i even bother packing in a green smoothie in a thermos for lunch?

[Stina]

wait so should i even bother packing in a green smoothie in a thermos for lunch?

Absolutely! I do and get terrific results. They stand up well thanks to the fiber being intact. When I go camping, I'll do a three day supply ahead.