Raw Lifestyle: How to Add Vegetables to Your Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are freshly blended shakes that have green vegetables added.

When made properly, green smoothies are extremely health-inducing and potentially life-transforming. They can be a part of a raw foods lifestyle, or just a healthy addition to a more standard diet.

Usually, the best way to begin experimenting with the benefits of a daily green smoothie, is with recipes that have more fruit than vegetables.

By the way, you can get instant access to our 1-minute green smoothie video tutorials by subscribing to our free Longevity e-Newsletter at the bottom of this article.

Do Green Smoothies with Raw Vegetables Taste Good?

Over time, as you learn to love smoothies and your taste buds begin to appreciate vegetables, you can gradually transition into recipes that have more dark leafy green vegetables and less fruit. This will:

• ◕ further reduce the sugar in your daily diet
• ◕ increase your energy
• ◕ shed body fat — particularly in the belly area
• ◕ help to prevent illness and disease


green smoothies can help you lose fat and live longer


 
Generally, when someone is new to smoothies and the blender lifestyle, they enjoy the sweet taste of fruits, and so create all sorts of smoothie concoctions in a rainbow of colors. All are very tasty and, of course, good for you, but eventually beginners find that they’re ready to take it one step further and begin to gradually add raw vegetables — small amounts at first, then gradually, with time, more and more.

 

The more vegetables in your blender (especially the dark, leafy greens that are so terrifically healthy for you) the more green the smoothie. The greener the smoothie, the better it is for you.

Acidic Foods

There are way, way too many acidic foods in the standard, modern diet. Popular foods that are acidic include:

• Sugar
• Wine
• Wheat Flour products
• Beans
• Peanuts and Peanut Butter
• Corn
• Beef
• Bacon
• Canned Fruits
• Coffee

Alkaline Foods

My favorite kinds of smoothies are green smoothies because they are so strengthening, restorative, and alkaline-producing. Lots of fruits can be acidic and, with all the acidic foods in the standard modern diet, it’s important to counter with alkaline-based foods.

with all the acidic foods in the standard
American diet, it’s important to counter
with alkaline-based foods.”

Try making a completely alkaline smoothie to help get the balance right. Green smoothie ingredients that are alkaline include:

• Almonds
• Alfalfa
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Pumpkin seeds
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Pineapple

 
Pineapple, by the way, is highly alkaline and very sweet — a great way to suppress the bitter taste of dark greens.



Complex Carbohydrates in the Raw Food Lifestyle

Green vegetables contain complex carbohydrates that are rich and take longer to digest slowly and releasing their nutrition, which means they will sustain your energy-levels for many hours.

Simple carbohydrates are absorbed much faster and are also known as simple sugar. These are things like bread, pasta, candy, or sodas — plus the naturally occurring simple sugars in fruit. Simple carbohydrates give you a rush of energy followed by an energy-crash that we’ve all become far too accustomed to.

2 Good Smoothie Vegetable Choices for Beginners

During the first couple of weeks as you seek to introduce more complex carbohydrates into your smoothie recipe, I recommend two vegetables in particular (because they’re great “entry” vegetables for beginners):

#1: Cucumbers in Smoothies

The first is cucumber. I love cucumber in a smoothie because it tastes so refreshing — which is especially noticeable during the hot summer months.

#2: Spinach in Smoothies

The second is spinach, fresh is always best when possible, but the frozen organic kind will do, too. You’d normally want to add ice to your blender anyway so frozen fruits and vegetables are great because then you don’t have to worry about using them before they spoil.

You can just drop the spinach right in your blender and you won’t even taste it in the smoothie as the freshness of the other ingredients — such as spices or fruits — will usually dominate the taste.
 
I encourage you to try adding tasty, alkaline and green, complex-carb veggies to your smoothie. Let me know how it goes; or if you have any questions or ideas, use the comments section below!