[Dominique]

Do I have to put greens in my smoothies?

You don’t have to, but we highly recommend that you do! Greens are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A (as beta-carotene), C, K and many B vitamins. They are also rich in chlorophyll and antioxidants. Most people do
not eat enough leafy greens each day so blending them with fruit in a smoothie is the best way we have found to sneak more greens into our diet.
If adding leafy greens to a fruit smoothie just seems too alien of a concept, or even disgusting to you, try it out by adding just one small handful of fresh baby spinach to a fruit smoothie. You won’t taste it! Once you’ve taken this
first step, add another small handful and work up to 2 handfuls of leafy greens per smoothie. Before long, you’ll be blending an entire bunch of kale or dandelion greens!


How many green smoothies should I drink in a day?

We try to have at least two 32 ounce (1 liter) of green smoothie every day using an entire bunch of leafy greens in each smoothie. Most often, we drink up to 70 ounces of green smoothie in a day – one at breakfast and one at
lunchtime. Davy’s smoothies are about 750 to 800 calories each, and Tracy’s are about 400 to 500 calories.
If you are starting out, this will probably be too much for you. Start with a 16-ounce smoothie and work your way up to a quart. Then go from there. We don’t necessarily advocate or recommend a liquid, smoothie-based diet.
For us, it’s purely for convenience. You can get the same or similar nutrition by drinking one 16-ounce green smoothie in the morning and having a large salad or vegetable meal at lunch.



You say to eat two bunches of greens per day. How much is a “bunch” of greens?

When we say a “bunch” of leafy greens, we are referring to how you would typically purchase them in a supermarket – such as several stalks of kale, dandelion or swiss chard bundled together. Typically, there are about 4 to 5 cups leafy greens in a bunch when chopped.
A bunch can also be an entire large head of green/red leaf lettuce or romaine. We would consider 2 heads of baby bok choy or 3 heads of baby romaine lettuce as one bunch of greens.
When it comes to bagged or packaged salad mix, such as spring mix or fresh baby spinach, we consider a “bunch” to be 4 to 5 cups (or handfuls) of packed or chopped greens.
Our recommendation is to consume about two bunches or equivalent of leafy greens per day.



Do I have to make my smoothie fresh each day? How long will it stay fresh after I make it?

Yes, you definitely should make your smoothie each and every day. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but you will lose some nutrients as it sits in the fridge. It will also not taste as fresh after the first day and water separation may occur.
Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes to blend up a green smoothie in the morning. You can store leftovers in the fridge for drinking later. You can also make it the evening before and have it ready for you to grab the next morning before you go off to work or school.
Some people make up a big batch of smoothie and drink it over 2 to 3 days. Personally, we don’t like the way smoothies taste after the first day. Fresh is best!



How do I loose weight with green smoothies?

Green smoothies make a perfect weight loss shake because they are naturally low-calorie, high in fiber and loaded with nutrients. If you use only fruits and vegetables, they wont have added sugars, preservatives or any chemical additives.
Beyond that, green smoothies help boost your metabolism, give you energy and after a while, reset your taste buds so that you begin to enjoy whole, natural foods. You’ll start to crave green smoothies, salads and fresh fruits and vegetables.
We both lost about 30 pounds in a few months by simply adding green smoothies to our diet. We drank a 16-ounce smoothie with breakfast and another one with a healthy, fruit or vegetable-based lunch, or as a midday snack.
We do not recommend severe calorie restriction and you should not just drink three 16-ounce green smoothies per day in order to lose weight. Be sure you are getting enough calories to maintain your ideal weight and your body will naturally achieve that goal weight as you slowly make healthier food choices.


Why do your green smoothie recipes not have milk or yogurt?

None of our smoothie recipes call for milk or yogurt because dairy is not necessary for making a rich, creamy smoothie. Dairy doesn’t facilitate detoxification, it contains hormones and promotes animal cruelty (as well as providing young calves for the inhumane veal industry). It is easy to make a thick, creamy smoothie using the right types of what we call “base” fruits like banana, mango and durian. If you still want to use milk, try hemp, almond or rice milk. You can find brands at most supermarkets that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D as well. They are much healthier alternatives to cow’s milk.



How can I get more calcium in my smoothies without dairy?

Leafy greens are the best way to get extra calcium in your smoothies. One cup of chopped dandelion greens has 10% RDA of calcium while one cup of kale has 9%. Young coconuts have 10-17% RDA of calcium. Lemons and papaya have 7% while oranges have 5%. It’s pretty easy to make a big green smoothie with 50% of your daily value of calcium.



What smoothie recipes are good for doing a detox?

All fruits and vegetables facilitate detox. Be sure to use only organic ingredients in your smoothie recipes, avoid animal products, dried foods and additional sweeteners during your detox and find a workout routine that works for you. When it comes to making the “ultimate” detox green smoothies, we use dandelion greens and citrus such as orange, grapefruit,
lemon and lime.


Is it okay to use frozen fruit in a smoothie?

We regularly freeze strawberries and bananas when they are on sale and we frequently buy frozen wild blueberries.
Freezing does destroy some of the nutrients but not enough to really worry about as long as you eat plenty of fresh, ripe, non-frozen and raw foods. We recommend that you not use too much frozen fruit. Drinking and eating ice cold (or steaming hot) foods can interfere with digestion or cause damage. It’s best to drink a green smoothie at room temperature, but if you do not like to, then add a few frozen berries to chill it slightly.



Which is better, green smoothies or green juices?

Both blending and juicing are a wonderful part of a healthy diet and lifestyle and both have their uses. Green juices and green smoothies are both nutrient-rich beverages but juices are missing the fiber of smoothies.
Because of this, juices are not a whole food. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with juicing. Use juices to nourish while skipping or delaying a meal, while sick or recovering from an illness or simply to boost your nutrition without the excess fiber.
Smoothies are perfect for getting more whole fruits and vegetables into your diet, using as snacks or meal replacements and for losing weight. You don’t need to choose between blending and juicing. Do them both!



Why is it important to rotate greens in smoothies?

Leafy greens contain small amounts of toxins as a defense mechanism to protect a plant from predation. Glucosinolates in Brassica vegetables like kale, turnip and cabbage as well as oxalic acid in spinach and beet greens may provide some health benefits in small amounts, but in large amounts, are toxic to humans and other animals.
Eating two bunches of greens each day is perfectly safe, but to prevent a potential for a buildup or overdose of toxic elements in a certain species of plant, it’s best to rotate every few weeks.
For example, we might eat dandelion greens and romaine lettuce every day for two weeks, and then we’ll switch to beet greens and kale for a couple weeks. Then we might do leaf lettuce and spinach for a few days.
It is important to rotate greens among different plant families. Rotating one Brassica like kale with another Brassica like bok choy isn’t a good rotation because you are still getting the antinutrients that are in all Brassicas. A better rotation for kale would be a non-Brassica like beet greens, lettuce or chard.



I hate (am allergic to) bananas, but a lot of smoothie recipes call for them. Are there any substitutes?

Bananas are in just about every green smoothie recipe because they are the perfect fruit-base for a smoothie. Bananas naturally have a soft, creamy texture that blends well and strong flavored fruits such as pineapple and strawberries easily mask their flavor.
However, bananas are not the only base fruit out there. Other fruits you can use in place of bananas include mangoes, pears, apples, peaches, melons and durian. You might need to add less water or more of a particular base fruit (like two pears to one banana) to get the same, creamy texture.
Mango is the best banana replacement as it creates a smooth consistency and has nearly the same calories as a large banana. Alternatively, use two pears, apples or peaches for one large banana. Two cups of papaya or melon can also be substituted for one banana.



Are there any nutrient interactions or potential issues with mixing fruit and vegetables in a green smoothie?

There are varying philosophies about food combining. We don’t pay much attention to them. Basically, if it feels good, do it!
Most natural health experts agree that blending fruit and leafy greens is healthy and beneficial. Where some health experts disagree is on blending other vegetables with fruit, or blending non-sweet fruit like tomatoes with sweet fruit.
Our feeling (and experience) is that if you add a tomato or two to a green smoothie and you enjoy it and you do not experience any digestive difficulty or other health issues – particularly with your skin – then it’s perfectly fine.



I get tired of drinking green smoothies every day. What should I do?

Don’t get stuck in a smoothie rut! Mix it up. There are endless combination’s of fruit that you can use. Go through your produce section and try new things. Find exotic tropical fruits and pair them with bananas or other common fruits to make new flavor mixes. Be sure to rotate your greens as well. Experiment with spices like vanilla, ginger, fresh dill and cacao.