Victoria Boutenko is my mother in law and she asked me to give some advice on giving green smoothies to children.  I started my little one, Nicolas, on green smoothies when he was 6 months old, he is now 5 1/2.  I continued to nurse him until he was a year old. He began green smoothies by having a small amount in a ’sippy cup’ once or twice a day before feeding, then he would finish off with breast milk.  He grew to really like it and demand his sippy cup at feeding time.  I kept the ingredients very simple and alternated between baby spinach and kale (don’t just go with spinach for a long stretch because it can actually be too much iron for the baby)  plus always a banana because it gives a great consistency and mango is great too, then I add water.  I did ask my pediatrician (as I was a new mommy) who confirmed that it was ok to feed such a young child raw greens, as long as the spinach was alternated with the kale.

From my experience, the green smoothie is the best possible thing you can get/give because it is so healthy and is immediately absorbed into the system. Being a liquid makes it easier to digest as well as starting your little one on the life long path towards eating well.  My family is not raw, but we know that by having the green smoothies, we are able to at least get the kids (we have two now) that extra boost of nutrients that are sometimes so hard to get into their daily diet.  Plus it gets them used to eating “green”.   I don’t know why but kids don’t seem to have a natural attraction to the color when it is in food yet it IS the most healthy!   I really believe it is because we started Nic on smoothies at 6 months of age that he hardly ever gets ill.  Our daughter Lily now asks for them regularly too and she too is in excellent health!

Good luck to all the parents out there!

Over Coming the Food Imprint

Learn about food imprints created when a baby first comes off breast milk in this clip from Valya’s film about helping children to be healthy. View Video Here.

Green Smoothie Recipes for Babies

I can’t believe this is good for me smoothie
By Marina Gadkikh (from Green Smoothie Revolution)
2 ripe mangoes, peeled
1 ripe peach
8 leaves of romaine lettuce
2-3 cups of water

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I try to avoid selling items on this blog and aim to make this a place where you can find useful information without being hit by heavy marketing, however I thought this latest product was too fun not to share. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see these stickers on school books and cars all over the world:)

If you would like to purchase a sticker for $3 (includes shipping), please go to the Raw Family store.

Today’s post is a wonderful heartfelt article written by Valya Boutenko. Valya has been on raw food for most of her childhood and into her twenties, which as she shares was not always easy, but it meant she developed some unique views early in life.  Valya has worked closely with inspiring many young people to be healthy and has developed a deep understanding of why children often rebel against nutritious food options.

Parents often ask me how they can make their children eat healthier. I tell them that they can’t make their children eat healthier, but they can inspire them to want to become healthier. It is not true that children don’t want to be healthy. Everyone wants to be strong, smart, and full of energy. What children are protecting themselves from when they say they don’t like healthy food, is the pressure to do what they don’t want to. If your children are revolting to the idea of health food, it means they have a will of their own. It is a sign that they want to choose for themselves, and this is a blessing.

Problems occur when we want a child to want something he or she does not want. In this case, it is important to consider what we would like the reason for the child’s action to be. Do we want our children to mindlessly obey our command and the commands of others? Do we want them to do what we tell them to out of fear of punishment? Or do we want our children to make decisions that are motivated by their own personal values?

In the words of Alfie Kohn, “Punishments and force produce only anger, defiance and a desire for revenge. They encourage power over reason, and crush delicate relationships between children and parents.” Punishments can make a child temporarily comply, but it’s unlikely that these kinds of tactics will teach children to make better decisions. When children know they will be punished for their actions, they deal with the situation in the most logical way, and begin to lie.

As Marshall B. Rosenberg writes in his book Nonviolent Communication, “I wonder whether people who proclaim the successes of punishment are aware of the countless instances of children who turn against what might be good for them simply because they choose to fight, rather than succumb, to coercion.”

So what is there to do? How can we help our children become healthy? I have noticed that children are highly susceptible to inspiration. When kids are around my brother and I, they start eating healthy things without our even mentioning raw foods. They can see for themselves how easy it is to eat good things, and how much fun it is to be healthy. As Krishnamurti once said, “To teach by example is not the best way to teach, it is the only way.” As parents, grandparents, and friends, you are one of children’s greatest influences. You can inspire them to make good choices.

I think there is no difference between children and adults. Grown-ups may have more life experience, we are all living this moment for the first time. There is nothing children love more, than to be spoken to as equals. They are so intelligent, that it is often unnecessary to simplify things for them. I am frequently amazed at the depth of understanding children possess. Sometimes children have been told to sit still and be quiet so regularly, that they are not sure how to communicate their true thoughts and feelings. In these situations questions like, “How was school?” are not enough to open their hearts and let them say what they feel. It is sad for me to see how often kids are hurtled into different diets without any clue of why it is so important.

When I speak to young humans about health, I try to make it very clear why I think it is so essential to be healthy. For me, health is truly the greatest gift there could be. To be healthy means to live a life without disease. It means being youthful throughout all of my life, recovering quickly from accidents, and having plenty of energy with which to manifest my dreams. Live foods have made me more alive! Continue Reading

Valya’s award-winning documentary, “Overcoming the Food Imprint” contains such an important message about helping children eat healthfully, that she decided to make two large sections of it available for free on Youtube.

This short film explores the reasons why children are often resistant to eating healthfully. Victoria explains that the food imprint is the first and most important imprint we learn because it is natures way of teaching us survival skills.

You will also learn about what can be done to inspire children to make healthful choices. In part 2 there are some wonderful tips on how to practically approach eating well in the home.

If you would like to purchase the full DVD we have 100 copies on sale for $5, you can find this special offer  at our Raw Family store click here

It’s common for  parents to struggle with getting their children to drink green smoothies. There are several green smoothie web sites and raw food parents who have spoken about this topic with some of the following creative suggestions…

• Hide the green color with a fancy cup, maybe one with a lid.
• Use a special smoothie straw.
• Start making smoothies that aren’t green, like a strawberry smoothie. As time progresses, add one leaf, then two leaves. Eventually the kids will understand that the color never detracts from the taste.
• Give the smoothie a creative entertianing name like ‘Power Blaster Drink’ or ‘Green Monstor Slurper’
• Make the smoothies “slushy” by adding ice and/or frozen fruit, they think they’re having a Slushee or Icee.
• Tell them it’s a scientific experiment.
• Use green smoothies as a delicious treat.

In one of her past teleconferences, Victoria answered a question from a lady who’s daughter refused to drink green smoothies. While briefly addressing the above solutions, Victoria’s response was also from a deeper level, inviting adults to look at the relationship they have with their child and what responses it is creating. Parents are an authority, if your child is saying ‘no, I don’t want to drink that smoothie’ they are not saying ‘I don’t want to be healthy’, they are saying ‘I don’t want to be told what to do’. As Valya Boutenko says ‘If your children are revolting to the idea of health food, it means they have a will of their own. It is a sign that they want to choose for themselves, and this is a blessing’.

VICTORIA BOUTENKO, FROM 2008 TELECONFERENCE:

It’s a sad question when parents ask how to get their child to drink green smoothies, because I know most children naturally love them. There could be two answers: maybe you could make more delicious green smoothies or maybe she has a preconception relating to raw, healthy food. Perhaps she’s been pressured by other adults in her life and doesn’t want anything to do with it, even if she likes it. Try to find others who can introduce greens and raw foods into her life. Perhaps she can get together with others who eat raw food and be invited to participate without you being present. Perhaps you could buy her own cheap equipment or involve her in preparation. You could say “Let’s make one together that you will like? What is your favorite fruit?” Go to the market and have her choose her favorite green. Praise her when she makes one herself, ask her how she feels and explain to her that greens are liquefied sunshine. There is something amazing about them! If that doesn’t work, just love her and remember to be a good example.

I would like to share with you a very amusing music video produced by Sergei Boutenko. Sergei raps about how it’s not always easy being a raw food kid and that having a balanced diet is the key for everyone. This clip is a lot of fun, however be warned, it’s a catchy tune and may stay in your head for hours!

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We were served this amazing green smoothie pudding at our Joy for Life Retreat. Victoria’s daughter Valya Boutenko showed us how creative you can be with green smoothies and how decadent they can be.  Each layer has it’s own unique taste and as you can see they look like miniature works of art. This is the  perfect creation for a healthy, celebration alternative.

Put 10 clear glasses on tray.

For the bottom layer:
Blend well:
1 cup blackberries
2 apples, chopped
1 lemon sliced with skin
4 sprigs mint
2 cups water

The liquid in your blender will be thin. Turn your blender on lower speed and add 4 heaping teaspoons psyllium powder while blender is running. Stop the blender and quickly pour into glasses, filling each glass approximately one third.

For the middle Layer:
Blend well:
4 cups spinach (or 1 bunch)
2 ripe bananas
3 oranges (peeled, seeded and sliced)
2 cups water

The liquid in your blender will be thin. Turn your blender on lower speed and add 4 heaping teaspoons psyllium powder while blender is running. Stop the blender and quickly pour into glasses, filling each glass approximately one third, on top of the bottom layer

For the top Layer:
Blend well:
2 cups cranberries
7 large pitted dates
1 ripe banana
2 cups water

The liquid in your blender will be thin. Turn your blender on lower speed and add 4 heaping teaspoons psyllium powder while blender is running. Stop the blender and quickly pour into glasses, over two previous layers. The pudding will solidify in a matter of minutes. Decorate with fresh fruit and greens.

Serves 10

Interesting fact: Psyllium is the husk of the seed of the Plantain a wild-crafted wild edible.

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Miner’s Lettuce Smoothie

Sergei Boutenko

3 cups wild crafted miner’s lettuce (wild edible)
2 ripe pears
½ pint blueberries
2 cups water
Yields 2 quarts

Coco-Tango

Sergei Boutenko

Thai coconut, meat and water
5 leaves kale, stems removed
2 nectarines
2 peaches
1 mango
Yields 2 quarts

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