Today Staten Island Chiropractor Dr. Victor Dolan is going to focus on how to add the maximum amount of nutrients into your body naturally with one simple action: drink a Green Smoothie every morning.
Even though the Green Smoothie has become something of a cultural phenomenon in our country, many of my patients still have no idea what a Green Smoothie is when they first walk into my office! So I want to present a basic introduction on how to implement the Green Smoothie into your lifestyle. By the way, if you are an old hand at making smoothies, it would be great to hear about your recipes. Please post them in the comments section below.Plant-Based and Raw
Green Smoothies are healthy. They are quick and easy. And they are absolutely delicious.
The recipes I have posted below are designed to be full of naturally-occurring food-based vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes. All of the ingredients are plant-based and raw, so that you are getting the maximum amount of nutrients possible from whole food sources.
The Standard American Diet consists of a lot of meat and diary products and tends to be highly acid-forming, while the Green Smoothies detailed below are alkalizing and will help counter-balance the acidity in your body.
The essential tool you need to make a smoothie is a blender. Any blender will do, but eventually you will want to graduate to using one of the more powerful blenders on the market such as those made by Vitamix. Because the Vitamix is so powerful, it does its job very quickly and makes a smoothie that is highly digestible. With motors that are approximately 2 horsepower at peak operation, they are a lot of fun to use.As you will see below, the combination of ingredients for smoothies is almost endless.
Kale, Watercress, Dandelion
Basically you are combining sweet fruits and vegetables in an approximate 50/50 combination. The most nutrient-dense vegetables such as kale, watercress, dandelion, etc. yield smoothies with the greatest nutrient value. The amount of fruit can be varied to make your smoothie more or less sweet. Fruits that work well in smoothies are anything from apples and pears to pineapples and mangos. Note that although you may add several cups of raw dark greens such as kale to a smoothie, you will taste mostly the sweet fruit and the result will always be delicious.
Here is a breakdown of basic ingredients that you can use to make any Green Smoothie:
- Greens: 1 bunch leafy greens
- Juicy Fruit: equal to the amount of greens
- Creamy Fruit: 1 or 2 bananas or 1 avocado
- Water: enough to cover blender blades and allow all the ingredients to liquefy
You may want to add ingredients such as ginger or lemon for added flavor, and ingredients such as flax seeds or hemp seeds to increase nutritional content. As you become more experienced in smoothie-making, you will be adding all sorts of ingredients for both flavor and nutrient content. For now, practice on getting the texture and basic flavor of the drink to your liking.
Finally, just blend all ingredients until they reach a marvelous creamy consistency.Nutrient-Dense Health Drinks
Here are a couple of great Green Smoothie Recipes that are easy to make and contain powerful antioxidant ingredients. These recipes will give you some idea of how to combine your ingredients. Don't worry ... after a little practice, your smoothies will taste like the creamy shakes from your childhood instead of the nutrient-dense health drinks they really are. And remember your children will love these drinks.
Just put all the ingredients into the blender and add enough water until creamy like a shake. Each recipe serves about two people. Enjoy! MMMMMMmmmmmm!
Pineapple-Cress Smoothie
1 big bunch watercress
2 frozen bananas
1-2 cups Spring water
Green-Pear Smoothie
1 bunch of parsley or 3 large kale leaves
2 ripe pears, core removed
2 bananas
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1-2 cups Spring water
QUESTION OF THE DAY: How much greens do you put in your morning smoothie? Please post your comments and observations at http://www.facebook.com/Dr.VictorDolan.
