Over the last six months or so, green smoothies have become a necessary part in my diet. The reason why I started making them wasn’t so that I could lose weight, even though that is one of the benefits. My desire was to consume more greens, fruits and vegetables. It did take a bit to make this a daily habit and it was more of pain in the beginning. I had to make sure that I woke up a least ten minutes earlier and that my blender was washed the night before. I also went through a learning curve as I discovered which greens I liked, what fruit worked best, and what my blender could actually blend effectively. As time went on, I began to get used to the amount of greens I was using and began to pack more into the blender. Now, I use twice the amount and use a wider variety. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite greens and their amazing benefits.
The first one that I want to share is spinach. Spinach is by far my favorite and is staple in my refrigerator. It has a milder taste compared to other greens and is perfect for people who are just starting to incorporate greens into their smoothies. It’s also a great choice of greens when making smoothies for children. Spinach is also easy to find year round and can be bought in bulk from Costco. It’s over forty-two percent protein, which makes it the best source of protein amongst the green family. A serving a day gives you your daily folic acid requirement, as well as plenty of iron and vitamins A, C, and E. It also contains high amounts of fiber, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Spinach is literally a powerhouse of nutrients that are vital for our body to function. One thing pops up when considering consuming spinach on a daily basis is the fact that it contains high amounts oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is known to bind to calcium and iron, which can cause kidney stones. However, according Robyn Openshaw (The GreenSmoothieGirl) there is “one research study that says that when food containing oxalates are blended, it renders the oxalates harmless” 1*. She also states that she has been consuming handfuls of spinach for the last fifteen years and hasn’t had any side effects. I also have been shoving a couple of handfuls in my smoothies for the last six months and haven’t had any effects either. Due to this, I do believe that it is safe to consume on a daily basis. However, I do recommend that you incorporate several different greens so that you can get a wide variety of nutrients.
This is when my second favorite green takes the stage. Kale was the second green that I tried. It does taste slightly greener then spinach does and is the next green I would recommend to try for those who are trying to get used to the “green” taste. Since it is a cruciferous vegetable, it is related to broccoli and therefore has similar benefits. It’s particularly high in fiber, which makes it very effective in cleaning out the gastrointestinal tract. Basically, it acts like a broom, sweeping toxins and diseased cells out of the body. Since it rids the body of toxins, it helps with bloating and means that kale is an anti-inflammatory. It also contains lots of calcium and vitamins A and C. Kale is also available year round and can be purchased in bulk. There are several different varieties of kale, such as Red Russian, Italian, Flowering Kale, Black (lacinato), and Curly (dinosaur). With such a wide diversity, there is bound to be one that appeals to your taste buds.
Arugula is one of those greens that I must admit I have to be in a certain mood for. It has a pretty potent taste and if you are not used to it you may not like it. I found this out very quickly. I just dropped two big handfuls into my blender like usual. I obviously didn’t know what I was doing. I soon found that Arugula has a very strong mustardy, peppery, and nutty flavor. I now find this to taste pretty good, especially accompanied with a little almond butter and frozen blueberries. However, I did have to work up to using a handful. After that first experiment, I realized that I was being a bit ambitious. So I just put two leaves of it in the blender and crammed the rest with spinach. This took the edge off the Arugula, but I could still taste it! I was amazed how strong it was. Even though I don’t purchase this green all the time, I still have it as one of my favorite. Here’s why. Arugula is extremely high in calcium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. For those of you who don’t know, beta-carotene is converted by our body into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin, hair growth, good eye health and much more! Beta-carotene is what gives carrots and sweet potatoes their amazing vibrant orange color. I personally love it because I have found that eating large amounts of beta-carotene has helped to fight my acne. Therefore, I still eat Arugula because of its health benefits, even though I don’t find it’s taste to be the most amazing in the world.
Last, but not least, is Romaine. Romaine is traditionally put into salads, but you can also put in smoothies. I suppose you can put pretty much anything you want in them (I don’t recommend trying grapefruit though, trust me), but since I was of the mind that it was only found in salads I hadn’t thought about it. This particular type of green is soft, so it makes the smoothie pretty smooth. Even though it’s low in fiber, it’s high in minerals. It contains calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, Vitamin K and folate. Plus, it’s low in sodium. Folate’s also plays a role in battling depression 2*. It’s also one that you can find pretty much year round and can be bought in bulk. You can also find mixed leafy greens packages that contain it as well. I’m sure that the thought behind buying a mixed one is that you will be using it to make a salad, but why not just throw it in the blender?
All of these greens are amazing and can be used for much more than smoothies. But I challenge you to toss a few into your smoothies so that you can harness their amazing benefits as well!
Sources:
1* Openshaw, Robyn. The Green Smoothies Diet. Berkeley, Ulysses Press, 2009.
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