Monday, July 16, 2012
What is a Green Smoothie?
Think of a green smoothie as a health shake. It is made by blending raw, usually leafy, green vegetables, raw fruit, and water. Some more creative recipes add fresh herbs, seeds, or fruit juice. Fresh organic ingredients are the preferred choice for optimum nutrition and to avoid pesticides.
Drink Your Vegetables!
We all know that we should eat more greens. Full of vitamins and minerals, greens are nutritional powerhouses that surpass all other vegetables in value. Dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of vitamins A, C, and K, and folate, and minerals such as iron and calcium. They also are great sources of fiber.
Unlike Popeye, however, rarely do any of us truly enjoy our spinach. A green smoothie is a more palatable way to incorporate spinach and other dark leafy green vegetables into your diet.
Green Smoothies for Weight Loss
Dr. Mehmet Oz, of The Doctor Oz Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, says he makes a green smoothie, which he calls his "green drink," for breakfast on many mornings. Green smoothies retain all the fiber of the raw foods you blend. It is the fiber that keeps you from getting hungry.
Having a green smoothie for breakfast or a snack can be a smart choice for weight loss. The typical green smoothie is very low in calories and fat. One serving of Dr. Oz's Green Drink provides 110 calories, 25 g carbohydrates, 4.6 g protein, and 1.2 g of fat. Bariatric surgery patients and others who need more protein may opt to add a raw organic egg to the blender when making a green smoothie recipe.
Don't rely solely on green smoothies for weight loss. Rather, consider using green smoothies as part of a healthy diet that helps you to lose weight. A long-term sustainable change in diet and lifestyle will provide you with weight loss and optimal health.
Easy Green Smoothie Recipe for Weight Loss
You can make tasty green smoothies in your blender fairly quickly and easily. The typical ratio is 60% fruit to 40% vegetables to balance the flavors, and liquid such as apple juice, orange juice, or water. Popular green smoothie vegetables include spinach, kale, Swiss chard, celery, and the herbs parsley and ginger. Green smoothie fruits include strawberries, mangoes, bananas, apples, and pears. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until completely smooth. You may add more liquid as necessary.
Bariatric surgery patients and others who may have issues with the natural sugar in fruit, can use avocado and/or unsweetened coconut flakes and semi-sweet fruits like grapefruit, berries, green apples, and add stevia to taste.
Many health advocates also add chia seeds to green smoothies. Yes, the seeds from which Chia Pets grow their "hair." Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants.
If you do not care to experiment making your own green smoothie recipe, there are an abundance of recipes to be found online or in books. The recipe for Dr. Oz's Green Drink can be found on The Dr. Oz Show website.
References:
Center for Young Women's Health Dark Green Leafy Vegetables accessed 07-12-2012
Oprah Health Dr. Oz on How to Turn Back Time accessed 07-12-2012
Victoria Boutenko Raw Family accessed 07-15-2012
Dr. Andrew Weil Chia for Health accessed 07-15-2012
The Dr. Oz Show Dr. Oz's Green Drink accessed 07-15-2012
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My Story...
You can read about my decision to have weight loss surgery back in 2003 and my journey to maintain a lifetime of obesity disease management since that time. My wish is to help you on your own journey of lifetime obesity disease management with shareposts along the way to help you navigate that journey successfully.
Seven Myths About Obesity 
How Did We Get So Big: Five aspects of the obesity crisis in America 
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