green smoothie question

[BDraw]

Does anybody else get instantly tired (as in would love to lay down and tak a nap) while drinking a green smoothie?

I've noticed this before, months ago, when I was doing green smoothies on a regular basis, but didn't really put 2 and 2 together. Today, while drinking a combination of 1 pear, 1 banana, lots of spinach, 1 T. sesame and 1 T. flax seed, plus lots of water, I'm ready for that nap again.

Anybody else have this problem?

[tinystrawberry]

i think i'm the opposite! i always have a lot of energy after my green smoothie. maybe you could add another banana?

this is the green smoothie i had today:
2 small bananas
1 cup raspberries
3.5 cups spinach

[solarliving]

I usually work after I have one and it sustains me through at least 3 hours of massage, so if your not burning it and sitting around, maybe you could become tired. It could also be the fat (flax) and fruit combo.

[wisslewj]

BDraw,

The tiredness is likely from sugar and your body design.

First, you cannot handle lots of sugars well. The fruit is spiking your blood sugar which tires you out and puts your blood on a roller coaster. (I am not this way but my wife is) This can be remedied by adding fat to your mixture. One good source if you are striving to stay vegan is coconut oil. In fact the combo of cocnut and greens is EXCELLENT for getting nutrients to the cells. The fat carries the goodies where they need to be!

The secon thing, and your inability to thrive on fruits seems to point to this, is that you probably are not best suited to be a vegetarian. (based upon your nervous sytem) Some are, some are not. Without a lil more info on you and the lil i have, it sounds like you would thrive with the addition of raw animal fat/protein. (Again, my wife does more then I do) If ya dont like the idea of raw meat and fat (even though it IS good for ya) then raw milk/cheese/butter will fix your energy and health up just as well.

(It is VITAL the dairy be raw. Otherwise is will be mucus forming and clog up the works. I repeat, cooked milk is QUITE toxic.)

Any questions, email me.
God Bless
Jeff
wisslewj@yahoo.com

[wisslewj]

BDraw,

Your problem is almost certainly sugar related. My wife suffers the same problem. Try backing down or removing all together the fruit. If you must have fruit (and it is good for you) add raw coconut oil to the mix. that will slow down how fast the sugar gets into your blood stream preventing the highs and lows of blood sugar.

(cocnut oil and greens is an EXCELLENT way to get minerals into the cells. They ride the fat in like its a golden chariot!!)

Finally, based on your issues with fruit I do have other suggestions but they cannot be said here as they go against a 100% vegan diet and in keeping with the site I cannot post that stuff.

I would be happy to offer advice for correcting this issue further if you desire. The answer is raw, just not vegan.

God Bless
Jeff
wisslewj@yahoo.com

[eatyourbroccoli]

ill bet its the flax and sesame seeds

both of those always make me very very tired

[Vandy]

two tablespoons of nuts/seeds sounds like A LOTTTT to be putting in your smoothies. I don't even eat that much fat in a day. Because they are more difficult to digest, this could be the reason why you get tired: if takes so much energy to digest these that your body shuts down to complete the task. Try taking out the nuts and seeds for a few weeks, and I am sure you will have bountiful energy. I don't think adding any oils will help you; if anything, I think they will contribute to your feeling tired.

[shelah]

i also believe it could be the added fats. i am a big proponent of eating healthy amounts of quality fats BUT when it comes to green smoothies, the magic seems to be in the fruit & greens only formula! my husband and i notice loads of energy and clarity of mind that are sustained for hours -- no spikes or drops at all.
when i have too much sugar, even from fruit, without the greens, i get brain fog -- so i definitely know the difference!
hope this helps -- i'd say at least try a green smoothie with only fruit & greens and see how it suits YOU! :)
many blessings,
shelah

[wisslewj]

BDraw,

One thing I forgot...

Your drink has very little saturaded fat in it. Saturated fat like coconut oil is the best vehicle for ushering minerals etc into your cells. So, again, I would still advise cutting back on the sugar a bit and swapping out your fats source. Too much polyunsaturated is actually bad for you. Saturated fat (raw) from sources like coconut are so needed. Some tidbits to ponder...

50% of each cell is saturated and its the saturated fats that give cells there proper firmness. (when we are deficieant in saturated fat our cells get floppy)
74% of the fats blocking arteries in autopsies are actually polyunsaturated.

My point is....perhaps if you swap fats to one that better moves minerals and energy to your cells, you wont get so tired. (also, the mono and poly fats are better absorbed in the presence of saturated fats like coconut oil)

My green/fruit/coconut/olive oil shakes only started really boosting my energy with the addition of coconut. Anyway, raw food for thought. :P

God Bless
Jeff

[fiddler]

I don't get tired; but, my ingredients in my smoothies never include oils/nuts. They taste great with just lettuce plus a few bananas. Today, I had two green smoothies, each containing 1 head of leafy green lettuce and 4 small bananas. [your mileage may vary]

Very tasty to me. In fact, it was weird cause I haven't had a green smoothie in awhile and it really reminded me of a chocolate shake. Freaky, I know but has anyone else ever experienced such a dramatic taste change?

Ditto what Vandy posted. Anyway, experiment with your food. Maybe you could try eliminating the fat for a couple of weeks and see if the post-smoothie tiredness goes away.

Also, are you sleeping well at night too?

Cheers,
Fiddler

[BDraw]

Wow! What awesome responses!

I do believe the the first thing I will try is leaving out the fats all together. The reason I added the flax in was to get extra fat to my skin. Winter is here and in our dry Montana conditions, I will have cracked fingers all winter. The sesame seed was for the calcium.

I do not think it is the sugar, considering I consume lots of sugary fruit on a regular basis, as in: 2 bananas for breakfast -- no tiredness.

Yes, I sleep well at night.

I do thank you for your input and will consider all the above. I would like to figure out a way to get cocoanut oil in me, but first I'll leave out all fats -- experiment time.

Thanks!

[shelah]

BDraw,
glad we could be of assistance!
i'm sure you can find other times of day/meals/snacks in which to incorporate your oils and seeds -- dressings/sauces, puddings, pates, cheezecake!!!
please get back to us to let us know your results.
many blessings,
shelah

[Joyful Mary]

Maraw has a terrific green smoothie with a young coconut base on her blog. This is my favorite smoothie and it gives me energy for hours on end.

[Missrawdiva]

You could get your fat by making hemp butter.. just grind up hemp seeds w/raw agave nector. Hemp is high in fat.. I eat it every morning with my apples!

[BDraw]

Feedback time -- I am now have a green smoothie without any fat. . . and no desire to fall under the table and nap.

Thank you so much for solving this dilema for me. ;)