green drinks making me sick

[britaniefaith]

So I went to this juice bar yesterday and had a kale, spinach, spirulina and carrot juice & when I took the first sip I had to control myself and not vomit, I felt immediately like I was going to vomit and I felt so sick to my stomach... I was literally shaking the taste was so horrible, but more so than the taste it was the feeling of the drink, right when it hit my stomach I just had this really "sick" feeling. It was weird. I've heard so many people say that they "love their green drinks!" so why am I having such a hard time with them?? Maybe I need to add some fruit into it with the greens? Any suggestions?? I've been taking this green drink that's called The Kelly Green Drink, you can see it HERE (http://www.kellygreendrink.com/) I take that every morning with some fruit and that tastes really good!! Is that enough greens or should I force myself to drink more?? I just wish their were some more combinations that I could come up with so that I could try and tolerate the drinks.

[GlimR]

Hi~ *s*
I can't do straight green veggie drinks either. The best way to get your greens in, drink wise, is to add them to your fruit smoothie in the morning, you won't even taste them.

I add mango, pineapple, banana and two huge handfulls of greens, mostly spinach, parsley, spring mix...sometimes a few leaves of kale or collards, but they taste stronger. All you taste is the fruit...thin w/water as needed.
Fresh would seem to be better than any "bottled" green mix to me.
Give it a try~

[jaurequi]

britaniefaith, I think most people are referring to green smoothies; not green juices.
Years ago, in an attempt to get my greens, I used to juice them -- baaaad idea :D. Probably too much info, but it gave me terrible diarrhea; and I have a stomach of steel! Of course I was juicing massive amounts of greens; but it's a similar reaction, I think.
Anyway, greens are very powerful. Many times when you read about wheatgrass, for example, you will be warned to start out with 1/2 an ounce because it is so strong.
When you make green smoothies, you don't have to worry about this issue because you are consuming the entire vegetable with all its fiber.
Give the smoothies a try, using lots of sweet, juicy fruit; I think you'll like those much better :)

Best,

[Ariannah]

I couldn't drink the concoction you just described either.

I cut my greens with plenty of fruit. Greens and fruit are an excellent food combination. Greens are not in the same category as "vegetables" when they're referring to "don't mix fruits and vegetables together". They are leaves and seem to be in a different class.

My favorite green smoothie is 3 dates, one banana, sometimes a pineapple slice, and handfuls of your favorite greens (mine are romaine, baby spinach, and mixed field greens, dandelion greens, kale, depending on my mood), until you see a nice bright green color. (Of course water to make it blendable) If you're not used to too many greens, start off with only a handful or two, then with each subsequent smoothie, add an extra handful and see how much you want.

The fruity flavor balances well with the greens, giving it a "nutty" flavor.

[Raw_Medic]

I agree with everyone else, green juices/drinks are something that in my experience you need to start off slowly with. I had a green drink at a juice bar a few days ago and felt the same way as you. Another thing I've noticed is that I have to have my drinks at least some what cold. You didn't mention if yours was cold, but the juice bars I've been too usually serve their juices room temp. Another thought is to try adding wheatgrass juice into your diet. I like wheatgrass juice because although it doesn't taste great you only drink it in a couple ounces at a time. Plus you get all these amazing vitamins, minerals, and so much green juice good stuff in a small amt. Anyone can drink a shot of wheatgrass juice and stomach it!

But if wheatgrass juice isn't your thing, I would try just throwing lots of compatible fruits in with your greens, and I'd start with something mild like spinach, and maybe some kale before moving on to some more intense greens like chard (which I think tastes like dirt!lol) Good luck!

Hope I helped.

Ursula

[stephbkr]

kale, spinach, spirulina and carrot... blech! That sounds nasty, no wonder you were shaking with disgust!

I love veggie juices but put a lot of effort into them: spinach, half a tomato, red bell pepper, celery, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, one or two carrots (not too much) and maybe a sliver of beet, sometimes cucumber, parsley, cilantro, daikon or radishes, it depends on what is in my fridge, but mine are really savory and yummy. If I do kale I can only do 2 or 3 leaves with a cumber and 2 apples or pears, it rounds out the stong flavor of the kale. Spirulina is only ever done in a smoothie and only half a tsp!

You have to find what works for you. Juices are amazing, you could never eat a salad that big, or even a smoothie, your stomach is just not that big! Remove the fiber and get all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes! You just have to experiment... happy juicing.

Oh, I find juice bars very frustrating because they often don't have what I want for my juice, limited selection. And not to mention expensive. Buy a cheapie juicer or borrow a friend's and try it out for yourself.

[sport]

I think that the carrot was the problem. If you buy green powder it is recomended that you not add it to carrot juice but to any other juice. I dont see why it is different for non dried greens. It is a pity if this juice bar is serving drinks which are not nice because if some one is not committed and just experimenting it will put them off.

[Crystal Rose]

Everyone's suggestions are great. The wheat grass suggestion is a great one, and if you follow it with a smoothie, it won't be as hard on your stomach. My experience is that one once (vs. two) does me just fine. But, as was already said, everyone has to find what works for them.
vicki

[sweetgoddess]

Ugh, that is how I felt too when I first had a green juice.
To build up a taste for greens, I started off making smoothies in my blender with bananas, frozen strawberries and handfuls of spinach or spring mix. You cant taste the greens, it tastes like a strawberry smoothie.
Then, as already suggested, I increased the greens a bit at a time. My tastes changed. Soon I could add kale or make it more greens than fruit.

Drinking what you drank would make me nauseaus also! ick!

Carrot and apple are great to mix with greens when juicing because they cut the flavor a lot and give you something sweet to taste.

You are brave..lol

[TimmyC]

I love my green smoothies....but like I've said many times it takes time to build up tollerance for them....now after 40 days of drinking them, I really look forward to the taste....it's kind of weird as at first it wasn't for me...

My favorite= two green apples, a whole bunch of kale, and about 16 oz of water. MMMM tastes really good.


Tim

[MoniDew]

FIRST - Juice bars are notorious about 1) not cleaning the equipment, allowing stuff to sit, rotting and fermenting all day and 2) using chemicals to clean, making the juice contaminated

SECOND - Spirulina is a single-celled algae. A lot of people have "single-celled" issues, like candida, cancer, yeast/mold/fungi allergies, etc. Spirulina, regardless of how revered a health-food institution CAN and often DOES flair these up, making you feel sick.


THIRD - isn't all that weird.

[SamL]

I take to green juices fine, if I keep having them.

At first I had to get used to them.

I find they have amazing healing benefits. My digestive system has a rest, while i'm still feeding all those amazing benefits to my organs / cells

Depending on how down I was feeling, I find within a day or two of gren juices I'm as bright as a button, clear minded, clear eyes, full of energy, skin already starting to look the right color.

[Autumn]

You poor thing. I'm sorry you went through that. :( I'm a firm believer of not forcing yourself to eat or drink anything you don't like, regardless of how "good it is for you." If I don't like it, I don't put it in my mouth. :D I do the greens/fruit smoothies as well. More fruit than greens, since I do eat a LOT of greens, I don't feel the need to drink them as much.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Next time you go to the juice bar ask for this:

orange juice (about 4 oz)
1-2 bananas
strawberries
frozen fruit (peaches, berries, mangos, etc.)
small handful of spinach or other mild green
(if not enough frozen fruit, add ice)

Blend

I'm sure they can whip that up for you. Make sure you tell them you can't have any dairy or refined sugar (sometimes they sneak non-fat frozen yogurt in there).

[Angelina]

EWWW....I agree with most, that your green juice you tried was quite potent!!... I alternate between green smoothies (in the blender) and green juices (in the juicer). Try to go for milder, less bitter greens ~baby spinach or romaine are great to start with. For the smoothie I add frozen mango,banana and strawberry chunks. Trust me, you won't tast the greens. The current juice I drink is romaine, lemon, celery, ginger, apple and watercress ~ again, the milder the greens,the less potent. Good luck

[Darkmoon]

This is the second day of my 30 day challenge. When I made my fruit smoothie this morning I tried putting in a handful of baby spinach with the banana and strawberries and almonds. I was so sceptical...but it's true! You really can't taste them...!

[Sweet lips]

My favorite= two green apples, a whole bunch of kale, and about 16 oz of water. MMMM tastes really good. Tim

As you can see TC adds apples - I, a veteran, of juicing, smoothie for almost 30 years, would not touch that offering of God's greens without an applle or a banana or even agave nectar!, but that whoosh - those drinks always remind me of someone who needs that because they got drunk the night before -was that you? ;) ( kidding)

[free]

This same thing happens to me, but about an 1/2 hr. after I drink the juice. Am I using to many greens?

I like to buy the pre packaged mix springs greens and other mixed blends. I take a regular sized bowl fill the bowl to the rim and this is what I juice.

[Angelina]

Hey Free, are you talking about Green juices (made in a juicer) or Green Smoothies (made in a blender)??? When I make smoothies I use a lot (and I mean A LOT) of greens, a huge package of baby spinach with either frozen berries or bananas and mangos. When I've juiced I have used up to a head of romaine along with some stalks of celery and also a few leaves of kale..that does make a lot of green!! So you may not be using too much green, it might be what you're mixing with it. My current experience (candida) is forcing me to limit my fruit intake, but thats a whole other issue..You didn't mention what else you were mixing with the greens and whether its a smoothie or juice?

[maraw]

Another option that works for me is a vegetable/green drink or "smoothie." It is basically Alissa's pea soup recipe, I just add a few other things to it. I add a great big handful of spinach and about a cup of cilantro. I can drink the whole darn thing (about a qt when it's all finished) for one meal. When nothing else sounds good to me, I go for that drink/soup.

I have also added spinach to my morning smoothie of banana/strawberry/mango and it tastes great. It is a little funny looking, but if I don't look it doesn't bother me - kind of a baby poop brown - Euw! But I digress... anyway, my point is, there are lots of creative and wonderful ways of getting the greens in. Sorry your experience was just a disaster. Don't give it up!

Anna