From Horrified to Hooked on Green Smoothies

From Horrified to Hooked on Green Smoothies

by Kelly Marra

I’d read the books, watched a bunch of videos online, and even seen a few articles about how much celebrities love these things called green smoothies.  I was a fruit smoothie making machine at the time, but I always thought yuck, why would you ruin something so tasty with greens?

Horrified of Green Smoothies

Friends would make green smoothies and offer to let me taste them.  “I’ll pass,” I always said.  Finally, someone convinced me to try a sip.  It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t imagine drinking a whole green smoothie.

I poked around the internet and came across Tera Warner’s free 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  I’d do it, I told myself, with Tera’s help.  In the end, I didn’t make a single green smoothie over those three days.

A year later, Tera ran a program called Believe In Green.  It was a 10-Day green smoothie challenge and the timing was perfect.  I’m going to do it, I decided.  And I did, with Tera’s help.  She supplied nearly two weeks of inspirational emails, green smoothie recipes daily and a health committed community I could participate in.  I tentatively tried green smoothies day in and day out until I was hooked on them.

Health Benefits of Green Smoothies

There’s no denying that getting more greens in your diet is a good thing.  Adding greens is a great way to detox, reset and rebuild your body.

There are times when we all skimp on the greens; I’ve been known to skip the salad and head straight to a main course often.  But, after having a green smoothie for breakfast I don’t feel so bad about that.  Throwing 3-4 large handfuls (the size of a decent salad) in a smoothie doesn’t really impact the flavor much and adds a lot of health benefits.

1.  Fiber.  Fruit and veggie juices are great, but you don’t get any of the fiber.  A green smoothie is loaded with fiber to help regulate your blood sugar and your bathroom visits.
2. They are easy to digest.  I’m guilty of not always chewing my food enough, but with a green smoothie, the blender does all the work for me!  It’s liquefied veggie magic.
3. They can help you lose weight and detox your body.  Already eat a lot of salad?  Switching to a green smoothie instead will save you calories—no oily dressing needed!  Just adding fruits and vegetables to your diet will help alkalize and detoxify your body.

The list could go on and on but you get the picture: green smoothies are good for your health!  Want inspiration, motivation and a great community to interact with?  Join Tera’s 21-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  I promise it’ll change your life.

Simple Green Smoothie Recipe

Here’s my favorite, easy recipe.

Ingredients

• 1-2 super ripe Bananas
• 3-4 Large handfuls of greens (try spinach, Swiss chard or romaine)
• 1 Cup Water or Ice

Directions

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  Scared of the color?  Trying to get kids or a picky eater to drink it?  Add 1/2 -1 Cup blueberries and the green will disappear.

What’s your favorite green smoothie recipe?

 

Meet Kelly Marra

 Kelly Marra is the kitchen and health conscious force behind RawLifeCoaching.com.  She spends her time working in her ever expanding garden, creating new, healthy and delicious recipes in the kitchen and playing board games with her husband.  With free time she loves to hike and take photos of everything.