Green Smoothies Offer an Easier, Tastier Alternative to Juicing

Green smoothies are easier and quicker to make than juicing, but shouldn’t replace juicing entirely. They can both be used to complement each other. But there are numerous reasons to start making green smoothies, from being less expensive than juicing to, you guessed it, boosting overall health.

Green smoothies are often used by raw food vegans or as starters for going into a raw vegan diet, a diet that’s not for everyone. However, green smoothies and juicing will improve anyone’s health as long as processed foods, chemically treated or GMO produce, and pharmaceuticals are avoided.

Any process that liquifies organic veggies and fruits is a conveniently compact way to consume massive amounts life-giving chlorophyll and fresh unadulterated fruit juice.

Making Smoothies

First, you need a strong blender. And interestingly, a few were tested against each other in a Popular Mechanics video that shows the most expensive blender is not necessarily the best (though the comparative test is far from perfect). Still, something to think about.

I personally use a KitchenAid blender because it is strong, inexpensive, and it’s one piece hard plastic housing and blade is very easy to clean. Hard to clean creates some discouragement for most of us, so that can be an issue.

Here are some tips on getting started with your smoothie journey:

• In the beginning, it’s recommended to go with an approximately 40/60 by volume blend of organic green veggies to fruits. This helps start out with something tastier at first if you’re not used to raw ground up greens. You can get bolder with a higher 50/50 ratio of greens to fruits after consuming your first few green smoothies.

• Greens can be chosen from several healthy orgaic vegetables: Chard, spinach, kale, cilantro, parsley, cucumber, or wheat grass are all easy to blend. Another difference between green smoothies and vegetable juice is that carrots are usually a base for juicing. Not so with green smoothies. No carrots are used, only green leafy vegetables and organic fresh fruits with good water. Why add fruit? Well, besides the added nutrition, it helps make a green smoothie smoother and less bitter.

• Plants contain insoluble fibers, the kind needed for making paper and cloth. Although those fibers are also good for human bowel and colon purposes, they don’t mix well in water with a blender. On the other hand, most fruits contain soluble fibers. Soluble fiber fruits create a creamy homogenous mix without particle separation, while offering a more palatable sweet taste for those accustomed to the standard American diet (SAD).

• Fruits containing soluble fiber include: Bananas, pears, kiwi, and berries of all types. Apples don’t have soluble fibers, but as with juicing, they add taste, body, and nutrition.

• Make sure you take out the stem, but leave the seeds. The apple and apricot seeds cyanide toxicity story is misinformation. The seeds contain cancer fighters.

• You need to add just enough fluoride-free water to liquefy the smoothie into a thick, drinkable consistency. Most are surprised by how much they enjoyed the taste of their very first homemade green smoothie.

So go ahead and experiment. Mix and match different greens and fruits at different times.