Drink Your Greens!

In her book, Green Smoothie Revolution (North Atlantic Books, 2010), Victoria Boutenko describes her journey to an all-raw diet, and how in the process she discovered deliciously palatable smoothies made from lots of leafy greens. Of Boutenko’s many wise suggestions, I especially like her recommendation to make smoothies delicious so that you will continue to drink them daily. Boutenko loves leafy greens because they are so nutrient-dense and have little starch compared with other vegetables.

Long-Term Tips

Here are a few tips for getting the best benefits from your smoothie:

• To expose your body to a greater variety of nutrients and to avoid developing any intolerances, rotate your greens every week.
• If reducing toxins matters to you, whenever possible use organic produce.
• Drink them by themselves for the first meal of the day so that they can be easily digested.
• When you drink, drink slowly, mixing each sip with saliva.

Jane’s Great Green Breakfast Smoothie

Here is my own recipe. I use a high-performance blender, blending on “High” for 1½ to 2 minutes to achieve a smooth texture.

Ingredients

• 2 cups filtered water
• 6 to 10 leaves lacinato kale
• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• ½ to 1 peeled lime
• 1 to 4 pitted dates
• A few drops stevia (a natural sweetener)
• 1 cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root (optional)

This makes about 45 to 50 ounces.

Tip: I vary the types of kale and even have tried turnip greens—though those were quite strong! I sometimes put in a pear instead of an apple, and often omit the banana. You can also experiment with adding other healthy ingredients such as coconut oil, avocado, ground flax seeds, or chia seeds.