What is a green smoothie?
A green smoothie is a mix of fresh fruits and dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, chard, lamb lettuce or dandelion greens.
Why should you start drinking them?
Green smoothies are easy to make, portable, custom-made, and they offer pure nutrition. They offer a quick and easy solution to get large amounts of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.
Are they nutritious?
The amounts of vitamins and minerals you will get depends on the fruits and vegetables you choose for the smoothie. The average green smoothie recipe (below) will provide a great source of vitamins A (as beta-carotene), B, C, E and K. As for minerals, green smoothies are an excellent source of calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and many other trace minerals.
Are they easy to digest?
Absolutely, because blending fruits and vegetables together breaks down the cell walls of plants and improves digestibility. The blender unlocks the nutrients and maximizes their delivery to your body more than chewing any salad could. Blended fruits and vegetables have a smaller particle size, which provides higher surface area for digestion, and it is likely to improve digestive efficiency and therefore gastrointestinal absorption.
What is the ideal ratio of fruits and vegetables in the green smoothie?
Beginners should start with a 40% greens, 50% fruits and 10% fat ratio and try to move towards 50-60% greens, 40-30% fruits and 10% fat.
Fats (chia seeds, flaxseeds, hempseeds and nut butters) are the highest energy food per gram and provide an excellent boost to your green smoothie. As an added bonus, fat slows down gastric emptying (the movement of food through the digestive system) and reduces the insulin spike associated with carbohydrate ingestion.
Are they easy to make?
Yes, all you need is a blender and a couple of minutes of your time. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend for about 45 seconds.
Below, you will find three recipes to get you started:
1. Green smoothie:
Ingredients for two 3 dl glasses:
○ 2 large handfuls of greens (spinach, lamb lettuce, Swiss chard, kale etc.)
○ 1 large ripe mango
○ 2 frozen bananas
○ 4 dl of water
Blend and top it with some chia seeds, hemp seeds and goji berries!
Optional extras: green barley grass powder (1tsp)
2. Berry smoothie:
Ingredients for two 3 dl glasses:
○ 2 large handfuls of greens
○ 1 cup of frozen berries
○ 2 frozen bananas
○ 4 dl of water
Blend and enjoy!
Optional extras: acai powder, chia seeds, hemps seeds
3. Chocolate smoothie (dessert):
Ingredients for two 2.5 dl glasses:
○ 1.5 large handfuls of greens (here, lamb lettuce is the best)
○ 4 medjool dates
○ 1 ripe avocado
○ 3 frozen bananas
○ 2tbsp of raw cacao powder
○ 3 dl of water
Blend and enjoy it fresh!
Optional extras: raw cacao nibbles on the top
About the author :
Zsofia Csaszar is a naturopath, acupuncturist and nutritionist. She practices at Cabinet Houweling in Neuchâtel. She has previously worked in private practices in London, UK and Bern and has contributed to a number of cooking workshops.
Zsofia believes that health should be approached in a simple and open minded fashion. There is no single approach to good health; a balanced lifestyle is the key to a healthy mind and body.
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