Go the Green Smoothie

[Aussie Brenda]

Hi Courton, I believe Kale ( a super food) is a winter crop, so it will be available more readily then, I am attempting to grow some now but have been told it will bolt to seed, but I hope to get a few feeds off it, I have never tried it, hope it isn't too bitter.

[Wonder]

Hi Courton, i found the changes to be very subtle and really took a couple of weeks for me to really notice. I haven't changed my diet in any other way and drink far to much alcohol but did increase my exercise and have slowly been loosing weight which i think is helped by the green smoothie. What I've been most pleased about is just a general feeling of lightness and I'm not having stomach cramps or bloating that I've struggled with for years. After talking to our dietician at work she said many of the benefits my not be that noticeable because they are more internal and are associated with how the body is able to digest food and the benefits it is able to draw from other foods and the toxins the green smoothies helps eliminate. I've also had quite a jump in my good cholesterol levels which she said was most likely helped by the smoothie. I've seen the introduction of the green smoothie as a part of my daily routine and while I may not be able to see all the benefits I'm sure long term they are doing a lot of good as for the first time in my life I'm confident that I'm getting all the nutrient my body should be getting. Unfortunately if you are looking for a quick fix or result I'm not sure that you will see it.

[courton]

Thanks for your detailed reply Wonder. Everybody talks of the heatth benefits without saying in what way...Do you use spinach as the main base...i was a  bit concerned after reading about some issues of using uncooked spinach. One of the reasons I want to vary the greens.

Living in humid Sydney, Kale is basically not available at this time of year.

Aussie Brenda, are you growing Kale from seed or seedlings? I might try to grow some... if the possums don't go for it.

Has anyone used any other greens? if so, which ones?

[Wonder]

Fortunately i've been able to get Kale here fairly regularly from either Woolworths or the local organic grocer so I generally alternate between kale and baby spinach with the addition of some parsley which we have growing. I haven't read anything regarding issues with uncooked spinach so I'll look that up. I've also had success growing Kale and purchased new seedlings on the weekend of two different types of Kale, when growing kale they seems to be a magnet for white moths so you have to be vigilent with picking off the bugs each day. The local nursery said this is the beginning of the time to purchase Kale and Swiss Chard seedlings and they would be getting more stock of both shortly. I've also used Romaine (cos) lettuce which is meant to also be very high in nutrient value.

[courton]

We love our green smoothies (my version is similar to this) but we were recently warned that consuming raw spinach wasn't very good for our health.

I did some google research and found that raw spinach contains large amounts of oxalic acid which can apparently inhibit the absorbtion of iron and calcium in the body.  Oxalic acid can also combine with calcium in the kidneys and form kidney stones.  Cooking spinach breaks down the oxalates which enables the body to absorb the high levels of calcium and iron present in the spinach and also prevents these unabsorbable "stones" from forming.

We have been having silverbeet in our smoothies lately so I am now off to check if silverbeet contains oxalix acid also!  It probably wouldn't be a worry to most people, but I just thought I would post a warning incase people are making these regularly. 

See above quote wonder as well as lots of other blogs which mention it. I am now totally confused as to which way to go... since I do not want long term kidney issues.

[Aussie Brenda]

Hello again Courton, I am growing the Kale from seed, I have a elderly uncle in care not far from my house and I give him seeds to raise for me then transplant them, I did ask him to maybe stat me 6 Kale for a start, but when I picked them up I think he emptied the whole packet into his little hot house, but no worries I will share them with my neighbour. I'm looking forward to trying it at the moment I'm basing my juice on sliverbeet and fresh sprouts.

[Wonder]

AussieBrenda, I've heard the Kale freezes well so if you have excess you could maybe try freezing.

[courton]

I will try to grow Kale - thank you for your hints Aussiebrenda.

I went on the blog 'happy healthy long life' and also sent her an email seeking her opinion. Here is her advice...

I don't worry about oxalates from spinach---I eat a variety of greens, and get plenty of iron from eating beans daily.  I rarely use spinach for smoothies.  I make them mostly with kale, sometimes Swiss chard.

Here are two links that discuss oxalates--one re kale, and one, in general.

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=38&tname=foodspice
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=48&tname=george

I like her blog since it is based on evidence based research. Have a read of it if you are interested in reading more about the health aspects.

[princesslotta]

  DELICIOUS 
Thanks for sharing, my boys love it - I called this one Shrek Juice for the colour.

[judydawn]

I found this site the other day - fruit smoothies with the addition of spinach leaves. Have a good browse of the site, you will find so many recipes to try.  I made the Watermelon-orange smoothie - looks horrible but tasted good.

[KerrynN]

Despite the horror at the thought of drinking silverbeet and spinach I decided to try this this morning after seeing a similar recipe in the Go Vita magazine - I am starting to go with things on instinct if I see/hear about them from multiple unrelated sources.

So I tried 100g or so of silverbeet leaves (should I have used the stalks too?), spinach leaves, iceberg lettuce, and a small amount of parsley added to the nuts/seeds combination mentioned in the first post, plus a banana and a pear with skin on, plus water.

WOW! I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I am not sure that I will have success getting anyone else to drink it, but it is a nice change from just a fruit smoothie, which I follow exactly the same as this but replace the greens with other fruit (mango, apple, orange, berries). The nuts and seeds certainly make it more filling.

[gertbysea]

I love veggie smoothies. Anything and everything goes into it. Waste nothing. Of course mine ALWAYS has to have chilli. Great way to start the day. Black Quinoa  is my latest additive.  Buy it at Woolworths. Macro brand. great for Tenina's recipes as well.

Gert