Green smoothie
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A green smoothie is a smoothie or beverage made by blending green leafy vegetables, such as spinach or kale with fruit, water or ice. To balance flavor and nutrition the typical ratio in a green smoothie is about 60% fruit to 40% leafy greens.[1][2]
Green smoothies are popular in the raw foodism movement, and have been promoted by celebrities and fitness professionals, such as Robert Downey Jr who is seen drinking a green smoothie in the movie Iron Man[3] and Dr. Mehmet Oz who featured green smoothies in his 'How to Turn Back Time' series on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[4] Victoria Boutenko is known primarily for her promotion of green smoothies with books such as Green For Life (2005)[5]. She makes dramatic claims regarding human's similarities to chimpanzee DNA, their diet of primarily leaves, and their immunity to diseases such as cancer.
Companies have begun producing green smoothies or green juice drinks including Bolthouse Farms's Green Goodness [6], Naked Juice's Green Machine[7], and Odwalla's Original Superfood[8]. These products may be pasteurized, for example Nakes Juice and Odwalla are flash pasteurized.
Ingredients
As mentioned above the primary ingredients are leafy greens and fruit, preferably raw. These may include spinach, kale, chard, edible weeds, wheatgrass, kiwi, bananas, mangoes and apples. Other possible ingredients include green tea, blue-green algae, spirulina and ground flax seed. An authentic green smoothie does not include vegetables which contain starch such as broccoli, zucchini and carrot. Combining starchy vegetables with fruit is considered bad food combining and can cause difficulties with digestion.[9]
Nutrition and bioavailability
Greens are filled with amino acids, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.[10][11] Chlorophyll carries significant amounts of oxygen with it and thus plays a critical role in supporting the aerobic bacteria.[9] With the high oxygen content in chlorophyll and high mineral content in green plants, greens are highly alkalizing.[5]
In order to assimilate the many needed nutrients from greens, the human body needs to be able to break the tough insoluble cellulose structures of plants, preferably down to the molecules. A high speed blender has the ability to disrupt plant cell wall structure and significantly reduce food particle size which may enhance the bioavailability of essential nutrients in fruits and vegetables.[12].
See also
References
- ^ Boutenko, Victoria "Ode to a Green Smoothie", first published 2005 newsletter, RawFamily.com.
- ^ Zavasta, Tonya (2009), "Smooth Moves: Enjoy the Benefit of Green Smoothies and Puddings", Raw Food and Hot Yoga, ISBN 0974243493
- ^ "Iron Man, Man of Veggies...", DiseaseProof.com. Posted on May 11, 2008 by Gerald Pugliese.
- ^ ""Go Back in Time"". The Oprah Winfrey Show. January 01, 2006. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Boutenko, Victoria. Green for Life. Raw Family Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0970481969.
- ^ "Green Goodness", BoltHouse.com.
- ^ "Green Machine", NakedJuice.com.
- ^ Odwalla.com.
- ^ a b Boutenko, Victoria. Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health, pg 46. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, 2009. ISBN 1556438125.
- ^ Albi, Johnna and Catherine Walthers. Greens Glorious Greens!, [page needed]. St. Martin's Press, NY. 1996. ISBN 0312141084.
- ^ "Plant-based nutrition" (doc). Spring 2002. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Breakthrough Research": Effect of Vitamix blender vs a control blender and chewing on the particle size of different fruits and vegetables, Vitamix.com. University of Toronto, Ontario Canada.