Green Smoothies? WHY?

[ghostlykisses]

Alright I have a totally newbie question. I need to get some books on eating raw because they would probably tell me the answer but since we are preparing for a long distance move I can not bring anymore 'stuff" into the house :rolleyes:

Any hoo....I know that most raw food people drink green smoothies. Can you please tell me what the difference is between eating the greens in a normal salad type way and having them in a smoothie? Is there a reason for doing this? I really can not wrap my mind around drinking a savory smoothie or a sweet one with greens in it. I plan on trying it but I was just wondering if there is a specific reason for doing this. I really enjoy eating different kinds of raw greens in the customary fashion so if I did that would I still want to make green smoothies? :confused:

Thanks for helping the curious newbie out. I am off to make myself a normal smoothie sans greens :cool:

[Revvell]

This may help you: http://tinyurl.com/36fm7w.

Revvell

[steveoregon]

Oops Revvell, your link doesn't work.


Can you please tell me what the difference is between eating the greens in a normal salad type way and having them in a smoothie?

They are the same nutritionally. The answer, condensed down to one sentence:

Smoothies make it easy to get significant quantities of leafy greens on a daily basis - that would otherwise take too many large salads - and too long to chew.

[Revvell]

Oops Revvell, your link doesn't work.



Hmph. Works for me. *scratches head and looks mystified* :confused:

Well, we'll go the long route then: http://rawfood.revvell.com/2007/04/11/revvell-revati-invertiews-victoria-boutenko.aspx.

[MrsJohnnyG]

Definitely listen to Revvell's interview with Victoria Boutenko... absolutely worth the listen!

Smoothies make it easy to get significant quantities of leafy greens on a daily basis - that would otherwise take too many large salads - and too long to chew.
This is it in a nutshell. I personally prefer to consume most of my leafy greens in solid form (as a salad), mainly because there are great benefits to chewing (more time in the mouth + the saliva interacting with it during the chewing process = more enzymes allowed to be absorbed in the mouth, etc.). But, I am addicted to my morning green smoothies... the more leafy greens the better, and I'm not too keen on having a huge salad for breakfast since I usually have them for lunch and dinner! :D

[ghostlykisses]

Thank you all. It makes sense that it is a quantity issue. I made this wonderful salad for dinner tonight but there was only so much romaine I could fit in my belly along with the other veggies, grains, and fruit I put in it.

Maybe I will have to experiment a little when I get more groceries in the house. Right now I am at the mercy of what is on hand.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Hmph. Works for me. *scratches head and looks mystified* :confused:

Well, we'll go the long route then: http://rawfood.revvell.com/2007/04/11/revvell-revati-invertiews-victoria-boutenko.aspx.

worked for me as well rev. *great interview by the way!*


Thank you all. It makes sense that it is a quantity issue. I made this wonderful salad for dinner tonight but there was only so much romaine I could fit in my belly along with the other veggies, grains, and fruit I put in it.

Maybe I will have to experiment a little when I get more groceries in the house. Right now I am at the mercy of what is on hand.

it's not just about quantity. it's also about breaking down the cell walls of the greens and assisting our bodies to assimilate the nutrients more efficiently. honestly, you can't chew your food to the same consistency as a green smoothie.

if you are interested in greatly increasing your health while possibly reducing some weight... green smoothies are a GREAT way to do it. my hubby is on his second green smoothie feast in a couple of months. he started adding a green smoothie to his daily regime in january but his blood sugars were still high, then he began his first green smoothie feast... his first was 20 days. his blood sugars became low and healthy for the first time since he was diagnosed with diabetes! amazing... he was so 'lost' - trying everything to get his numbers down and he simply couldn't get them into the healthy zone. he decided to do another green smoothie feast... and now he's made the decision to go raw with me. (yipppeee)

he's dropped 25 pounds, feels great and loves his new level of health. he's looking forward to increasing his health even further.

so in answer to your question... green smoothies aren't just about adding more quantity to your diet (of greens) - it's about adding health!

[RawSinger]

I really can not wrap my mind around drinking a savory smoothie or a sweet one with greens in it.

Just start out by making a mostly fruit smoothie and adding only a small amount of a mild tasting green (maybe half a handful of baby spinach). You don't even have to taste the greens or see them unless you want to-but you'll still know all the nutrients you're getting!

[Pilgrim]

Victoria Boutenko has a book called Green for Life which really makes the case for the green smoothies. That's what it's all about--getting a quantity of the greens in your system.

[Veganforlife]

Green Smoothies - WHY???

::falls backwards off chair::

[Revvell]

worked for me as well rev. *great interview by the way!*



Thank you ma'am. :)

[jacsam]

There is no way I'd ever chew up my greens the way they get broken down in your green smoothies. I feel like I'm really getting the full nutrition they have to offer. A fruit smoothies taste doesn't change that much when you add a couple handfuls of spinach to it....yes, the color definately changes but think of all the extra greens your getting by just drinking a fruit smoothie. To me it's just an easy way of getting in alot of extra greens.

[SuBu]

I began modestly with a small amount of spinach or kale in my smoothies. Had them daily. Since I had to share w/my dh, I realized how little greens I was actually getting. I have upped the greens to anywhere from 10 to 16 oz. and even though I am sharing the GS w/hubby, I can really tell the difference. I am satisfied for a much longer period of time, for one thing.

[Pilgrim]

I'm doing the same thing, trying to increase the amount of greens I put in every day. They really have a lot of nutrition in them, but we couldn't break down the cellulose with our own teeth very well. The blender breaks down the cell walls and makes the nutrition accessible to our bodies.

[steveoregon]

Hmph. Works for me. *scratches head and looks mystified*

Figured it out. My spy blocker did not like anything from tinyurl. It does now.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Green Smoothies - WHY???

::falls backwards off chair::

*giggling... picks lucy up and fans her with a palm frond*

[Revvell]

Figured it out. My spy blocker did not like anything from tinyurl. It does now.

Ahhh, good to know in case someone else has a problem. Thank you for the update.