If you’re like most people, the words “green smoothie” might evoke some kind of slimy image of a drink made up solely vegetables that you couldn’t choke down even if someone paid you. Fortunately for you, that is not the definition of a green smoothie.
Green smoothies are typically made from 60 percent leafy green vegetables blended with 40 percent fresh fruit. Great fruits to put in a smoothie include apples, bananas, pears, berries, mangos, papayas, or pineapples. Spinach, romaine lettuce, and kale are great leafy greens. The fresh fruit completes the nutritional aspect of the green smoothie, taking off the bitter edge of vegetables by adding natural and healthy sweetness. Blending the greens breaks down the cellulose in the plants, which gives the added benefit of easy and rapid absorption of the vitamins and minerals. The natural sugar found in the fresh fruits is absorbed slower, thus not causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels.
The addition of green smoothies to your diet can help with weight loss, aid in helping digestion and elimination problems, strengthen your immune system, give you increased amounts of energy, as well as improve the texture of your hair, nails, and skin.
To make the smoothie, simply put the fruits and vegetables in a blender, adding just enough water to blend the fruits and vegetables into the desired smoothie-like consistency.