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Green Smoothies - My Breakthrough

Hi,

I just wanted to share a bit of my story for anyone who is having trouble staying raw (or incorporating more raw into his/her diet).

I have been reading about raw for at least six years and have tried maybe 50 times to "go raw". Usually my stints would last a day or two, maybe three. I had a green smoothie here or there, but maybe only two or three times during all of my previous attempts.

I had read a lot about green smoothies and how great they make people feel and how they help prevent cravings. So this time (I think it was on the morning of day three) I started incorporating green smoothies in my diet. I drink about a blender full a day (six cups), half in the morning and half in the afternoon. I make my smoothie when I get home in the evening and put it in two thermoses for work the next day (I'm not a morning person, so having it ready makes a great difference).

The difference is astounding. I hardly crave cooked food (in fact I've been craving more greens), I am not very hungry in the evenings (I graze on veggies, fruit, nuts, crackers all day), my skin has become a lot softer, I'm more energetic, and have a higher sense of well-being - and it's only been a week raw tomorrow!

There are a lot of websites and forums that talk about green smoothies. I highly recommend drinking one in the morning - it's made a difference in my life!

Comments

  • I absolutely have to agree! When I start my day with a green smootie I am MUCH less likely to crave sweets or cooked foods.

  • Yes, I totally agree. If Victoria Boutenko had not put out her book, I doubt I'd be (practically) 100% these days. Green smoothies keep me raw. Absolutely.

    There is just no way on earth to chew that many greens in the average day, but with the smoothie- it's on!

  • The reason I discovered RAW was through Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko. Changing over to RAW overnight is a very daunting endeavor so I started by drinking green smoothies for about 6 months before making the transition to RAW. Even in those smoothie only months I experienced lots of amazing changes (like weight loss, 25 lbs which is all I needed to lose, loss of arthritis and tendonitis to name a few). Even though I am still a 100% wannabe, the smoothies keep me from falling off the wagon completely. I also drink savory ones too (just blend up any green juice recipe and keep the healthy fiber!).

  • I am starting to go raw and I miss the "solid" kind of food. I've made fruit smoothies but would love to hear some green combos that others have enjoyed...particularly savory kinds of green smoothies! Thanks!

  • Right now I am sipping on a green smoothie made from three pears, bunch of kale and about 5 mint leaves and water. I like it alot.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    I would have to agree. Green smoothies does help with the cravings.

    However, I have done a 10-day raw, vegan diet which consisted of about 10% vegetables (including greens) and the rest were nuts, grains, seeds, and oils... and that diet quenched my cravings for sweets dramatically (more so than green smoothies). I cannot explain what made the difference besides the grains, but I don't think grains are that high minerals. it was also my first attempt at a raw diet and maybe my body just thanked me for it.

  • wichtenwichten Raw Newbie

    green for life is also how i got started into raw! that book is amazing. smoothies do make a big difference for me too. yumm...

  • Sunrise, i'm glad you started this thread. As a long-time vegetarian, having smoothies for breakfast and lunch are what finally cut the cravings for me as well. i am not a morning person either and usually pack my personal blender and fruit bag in the morning so that i can make smoothies at work. Do you always use just leafy greens or do you ever add fruit? Sometimes i juice the greens and then add it to the fruit and blend. What is your method? Are you blending the greens and drinking the pulp? Or are you straining with a cheese cloth?

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    i'm way too lazy to juice stuff anymore so i just throw all of the fruits and veggies in.

    for the past two days, i've only been eating smoothies because i got my wisdom teeth out. uhh i can't stand it!!

    i'm getting tired of the same old banana/spinach and banana/strawberry combo. any others you guys really like?

  • Hi Readingatwork,

    I am glad the green smoothies work for you! I always use leafy greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc.) and fruit (mangoes, pineapple, blueberries, etc). I use only one type of green at a time (I think it tastes better) and one, maybe two types of fruit.

    My blender isn't top notch (saving for a Vitamix for when the one that I have breaks) so I make sure to blend the fruit first with water. And then I add my greens and blend. I never strain, because I want as much fiber as possible :)

    When I use greens with thick stems though, I onlu use the leafy part at the moment because my blender wouldn't break it down enough to be palatable.

  • When I jumped right into 100% raw back in early 2007, the biggest thing that helped make that successful for me were green smoothies.

    I have also used green smoothies as a fasting transition food going into a juice fast and found it very easy to start and come out of my very first juice fast thanks in part to green smoothies easing the transition to/from bulky foods.

  • ZemphiraZemphira Raw Newbie

    This is a great thread and it's getting me thinking about the amount of fruit I put in my smoothies. Maybe I'm not adding enough because lately, it seems I've been craving cooked food more - basically warm/carbo types of food like breads and potatoes. I changed my diet a bit this week and instead of having a salad for lunch, I'm making another green smoothie as well.

    It seems to be helping a bit, but I'm still craving the bread. Luckily I've got some of Kandaces yummy onion bread waiting for me when I get home.

    Oh and Joannabanana, I definitely feel your pain. Getting your wisdom teeth pulled is not pleasant to say the least and the worst part for me was the healing process. I think the smoothies are most definitely your best bet right now. Have you tried using frozen mangoes and/or blueberries to your smoothies for variety?

  • Hi Zemphira,

    Do you think it could be the opposote - that maybe you aren't adding enough greens? I know everyone is different but I think it is the greens that are helping me with the cravings - they make me crave more greens..

  • ZemphiraZemphira Raw Newbie

    Hmmm..you have a good point and something definitely worth experimenting with. Thanks, I will try and add more greens!

    =]

  • Thanks for the info Sunrise. That helps a lot! i am more about fruit and not so much about veggies. i need to get better about that. I don't know if it's the season, but i'm having a hard time finding ORGANIC variety, even at Whole Foods. i'll have to post and see if anyone else is also. Joannabanana, i love using coconut water as a base with anything.

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