QUESTION: How much green smoothie do you recommend I drink daily?
VICTORIA: In the beginning people tend to drink more green smoothies, sometimes up to two gallons per day depending on how acidic their body pH is. After several months the quantity goes down to 1-2 quarts per day.

QUESTION: Do I have to make fresh green smoothie several times per day?
VICTORIA:  Smoothies can stay in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, but fresh is best. As soon as a smoothie is warmed to room temperature, it should be consumed.

QUESTION: How much greens does one really need? I generally consume a head of lettuce. Do you think this is enough?
VICTORIA: One needs fewer greens in the form of green smoothies than in the form of salad, because blended greens assimilate several times more thoroughly then chewed greens. I estimate that if you prefer to eat greens as a salad, you should consume at least two bunches of greens (or 6 packed cups) per day. If you drink your greens in blended form, then one bunch (3 packed cups) will be sufficient per day.

People who have an acidic pH balance in their body could benefit from consuming up to 80% greens in their diet. When they reach a stage of balance, they will notice that they want less greens and less green smoothies, but they will enjoy them more than ever.

QUESTION: It seems you talk about having an entire bunch of chard, or other greens, daily. Yet in your recipes, a smoothie only has 3-5 leaves from an entire bunch. Are you having more than 1 smoothie a day?
ANSWER: The goal is to eventually consume more greens in the smoothie than fruit. However, many of us are not used to consuming large amounts of greens. Also many don’t have adequate hydrochloric acid to digest greens. For this reason, I recommend starting with more fruity green smoothies and slowly using more and more greens. As the body finds out the many benefits of greens, it becomes very excited and starts craving greener smoothies. Experiment with what amount of greens you find palatable and gradually add more greens so that you work up to the equivalent of one average-sized bunch of greens per day.

It is possible that you will start with a fruity green smoothie and progress to extremely green smoothies. Yet, there will be another change later. As you keep consuming green smoothies on a regular basis for many months, you will eventually reduce the total amount of green smoothies that you consume daily.

This happens because the assimilation of nutrients increases and the body can get more nutrients from less smoothies, your body satisfies the most urgent needs for nutrients, it also becomes more alkaline and doesn’t need as much greens as before. Please remember to keep rotating your greens for variety! Continue Reading

Recently I posted an article about Clent Manichs, who was able to reduce his weight to 170lbs from 400lbs. You can read about  Clents history and  green smoothie experiment here.

In this post Clent answers the most popular questions he received after losing weight on a raw, green smoothie diet. People who are struggling with the transition to a green smoothie diet or concerned about how to cope with cravings and the social pressure of being raw, may find Clent’s perspective helpful. I found it interesting to learn that even after such a dramatic change in his weight, Clent doesn’t have hanging skin. This is because the raw food diet helps bring the skin back to life and encourages its natural elastic ability. Victoria Boutenko explains that the Chlorophyll in the greens and especially from fresh wheat grass juice, can be responsible for skin elasticity. So if you are losing weight be sure to have lots of green smoothies and drink wheat grass.

This interview took place in 2008

Q: What are your favorite Green Smoothies?
A: ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS- if you can find them. I like to get my produce from the local growers market to save money and find the freshest available. Organic Produce is the most nutritiously grown, and grown without pesticides. There may not be enough nutrients in commercially grown produce. BEWARE!!!!!! STAY HEALTHY!!!!! BUY ONLY ORGANIC

Strawberry-banana-kale : Diabetic friendly:
1 cup strawberries 1 mango
2 bananas handful of blueberries
1/2 bunch kale 1 bunch of dandelion greens
2 cups of pure or filtered water 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional) tastes good
2 cups of pure or filtered water

My daily favorite that has helped me lose a good portion of weight:
Super high in greens (about 70-80 % greens):
big handful of mixed greens
big handful of spinach
4 leaves of kale (and /or)
4 leaves of collard greens (and/or)
l/4 bunch of dandelion greens (and/or)
1/4 bunch of parsley (and/or)
handful of beet leaves (and/or)
1 banana
1 large tomato or 2 medium tomato’s
1/2 avocado
1/2 lemon squeezed
1/2 lime squeezed
1 apple
4 large strawberries
2 tbls ground flax seed
2 cups of pure or filtered (clean) water
1 cup ice

Makes a full Vita-Mix blender pitcher of 64 fluid ounces. add or remove water for texture.

I use four 16 oz. plastic containers to hold my smoothies and I keep them cold in a ice packed lunch cooler and consume every 2-3 hours until gone. I start my day with a fresh carrot juice with wheatgrass and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. 1/2 hour later i begin drinking my green smoothies.

I will snack along the day on veggies and fruits if hungry (gives jaw some exercise). I drink lots of pure water all day long. Once a day I mix barley grass powder in my water especially during work outs to help reduce soreness in muscles. Do not mix powdered greens with smoothie. It will taste nasty! Do not add protein powder to your smoothie. There is a monster amount of excellent proteins in the green smoothie already. Too much protein can damage your kidney’s over time and increase your chances of certain cancers. This formula seems to rip the fat off my body and gives me energy all day. Remember what works for me may not work for you. Although I have received optimal health, extreme weightless and no longer have symptoms of Diabetes while on this program, I will not accept any responsibility for those that follow my program. You must discuss and seek advice from a health care professional and a lifestyle specialist such as Dr. Donato www.dolphindoctor.org before beginning a lifestyle change in your diet. Personally, I am closely monitored by my Physician, Endocrinologist and Dr. Donato. I have my blood work checked regularly and check my blood sugars daily. Those of you that follow my current program, please let me know your progress. I would love to hear from you!

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QUESTION: When I’m making a green smoothie and breaking up greens in the blender, do they oxidize and lose most of their nutrients? Incidentally, I do consume a ton of greens by eating huge salads and juicing.

VICTORIA: In my book, Green For Life, I explain that in order to get nutrients from greens, every cell of the green leaf has to be ruptured. To get all of the nutrients from food by oral mastication, one would have to spend several hours a day chewing, and have extremely healthy teeth that are all in place, including wisdom teeth. By observing the results of those who regularly consume green smoothies, I now think that the assimilation of nutrients from smoothies is several times more efficient than from chewing greens. Of course, these numbers are different from person to person, but I estimate that two bunches of greens chewed are equal to approximately to half a bunch of greens blended (not juiced, because juice is missing an important ingredient: fiber). When I was juicing my greens on a daily basis, I noticed how quickly the green juice turned brown and began to taste bitter. This doesn’t appear to happen with blended greens, probably because of the large quantities of antioxidants in the fiber. Green smoothies continue to stay bright green and taste fresh for many hours if kept in a cool place.

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QUESTION: I make my green smoothies with a lot of sweet fruit and even dates, raisins, figs, prunes, etc. I’m worried that I consume too many sweets. Should I use less?

VICTORIA: You may put more sweet fruit and even dates in the smoothie for a beginner or for a child. Most people are not yet accustomed to the taste of chlorophyll and simply will not drink it if it will taste too “green” to them. I think it is very important to prepare smoothies that are so delicious that everyone will look forward to them. Based on my observation and feedback from other smoothie drinkers, most people naturally start to crave greener smoothies in several weeks. On the other hand, some people were trying to be too perfect too quick, and prepared “super-green” smoothies from the very beginning. Then they complained that the green smoothies tasted awful, quit, and never wanted to try them again. If you are sensitive to sugar, for such reasons asdiabetes, candida, hypoglycemia, and other reasons, then you may have to start with less-sweet smoothies by adding low glycemic fruit, such as berries and apples. As another option, you may prepare savory smoothies made from greens and non-starchy vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and others.

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. The ratio in them is optimal for human consumption; about 60% ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% organic greens.

2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, most of the cells in the greens and fruits are ruptured, making the valuable nutrients easy for the body to assimilate. Green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.

3. Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber. Consuming fiber is                                                                                  important for our elimination system.

4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the greens balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding a nice zest to it. People who eat a standard American diet enjoy the taste of green smoothies. They are usually quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice.

5. A molecule of chlorophyll closely resembles a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, consuming chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion. Many people do not consume enough greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. By drinking two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough greens for the day to nourish your body, and all of the beneficial nutrients will be well assimilated.

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If you have browsed the Green Smoothies Blog you know that rotating the variety of greens in your diet is very important. Wild edibles are a fantastic way to increase the diversity of greens in your smoothies, they are higher in nutrition than store bought greens and they offer a cost effective solution for those on a budget.

This article is written by Sergei Boutenko. Sergei  is extremely passionate about wild edibles and has shared his knowledge through talks and guided hikes all over the world. Sergei will be touring Australia in April 2010, click here for more information.

Wild Edibles

By Sergei Boutenko

After several months of drinking green smoothies I got very tired of using kale and spinach. It was at that time that I first embraced weeds. I appreciate that weeds presented me with a practically unlimited variety of greens. This summer I discovered heavenly scrumptious and nutritious “new” foods such as: pumpkin leaves, grape leaves, chicory greens, young and tender borage leaves and flowers, tightly curled fists of young ferns, clover leaves and flowers, plantain, sorrel, and even lemon grass. Next year I plan to fill my garden a large variety of weeds. Continue Reading

Victoria recommends that we use a Vitamix for making our green smoothies. She says that a Vitamix is not just a simpleblender like the ones you can find at any department store. It is called a high speed blender, because its speed goes up to 240 mph! That means that its blades don’t even have to be sharp; even if they were just dull metal sticks they could still liquify something as hard as, for example, blocks of wood. In order to reach such performance, the Vitamix has a 2+ peak horsepower motor. Any simple blender will blend the tough cellulose of greens only so long as its blades are sharp. Unfortunately, when the blades become dull, they just move around pieces of banana and the blender very quickly overheats. To receive the full benefits of green smoothies, the cell walls of the greens need to be ruptured which means a high speed blender is a worthy long term investment.  I have used the same Vitamix for                                                over 12 years.

If you are interested in purchasing a Vitamx you may like to go to our web site and use the link to place an order so you will receive free shipping www.rawfamily.com

Tips for Using Blenders from Victoria Boutenko

• After washing your blender container, always let it sit upside down, to prevent water from getting into the bearings. In my family we simply keep our blender containers upside down at all times. I learned this important tip while visiting the Vita-Mix Corporation. The staff explained that this simple habit could extend the life of the blender at least 50%. Continue Reading

In this  cold weather, I wanted to introduce you to ginger root. Fresh ginger root tastes great in most green smoothies; namely kale, collards, spinach and dandelion, and is especially nice with apple. It adds warmth to your smoothie and strengthens the immune system. Feels good on a sore throat too. Cut off anywhere from half an inch to an inch of the fresh root, slice off the dry peel and chop into bits small enough for your blender to handle. Blend with the other ingredients of your smoothie.

Enjoy!

There are many theories around which is better, blending or juicing. I’ve read that quiet a few people think it’s up to personal choice or blending it better because it causes less mess. Rather than leaving it to convenience or theory, I invite you to read about the experiment Victoria conducted which shows that blending is superior because it contains a higher amount of antioxidants and fiber.

A CHAPTER FROM ‘GREEN SMOOTHIE REVOLUTION’, BY VICTORIA BOUTENKO

After I published my first book about green smoothies, I have received many inquiries from my readersasking whether blending was preferable to juicing. I also heard that some nutritionists were concerned that blending might accelerate the oxidation of the food. I was very curious to find the answer for myself and decided to seriously research this question.

I conducted a simple experiment. I chose potatoes for my experiment because it is easy to observe the process of oxidation in potatoes. You probably remember an instance when you left a slice of raw potato on your cutting board and observed it turning brown within several minutes. That is why my grandmother used to put peeled potatoes in water, to prevent browning or oxidation.

First, I peeled two potatoes so that the color of their peel wouldn’t interfere with the results of my experiment. I then juiced one potato in a twin-gear juicer and blended the other one in a Vita Mix blender with one cup of water. I placed both cups of fluid on the table and took a photograph of them. I was taking photographs frequently for two days. The potato juice started to turn brown within a matter of minutes and became dark brown by the end of the first hour. The blended potato stayed almost white for two days. The top of both liquids, which was exposed to the air, turned dark almost instantly. I repeated this experiment three times with different kinds of potatoes and various shapes of glasses. The results were the same.

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Today, green smoothie is becoming a common household term. If you’re reading this blog you probably know that green smoothies are not just another fad, they are an amazing discovery that makes finding personal health accessible to anyone, no matter what their income or lifestyle choice.

Have you ever wondered how the nutritional benefits of green smoothies were discovered, if there is truth in the talk that green smoothies improve health, who first started this new wave and who actually researched the benefits of green smoothies? The true pioneer and expert in green smoothies is Victoria Boutenko. While inspired by the research of Dr Anne Wigmore and trying to improve her own family’s health, Victoria discovered that the modern human diet needs more greens, and the easiest way to consume the correct amount was to simply blend them with fruit.

Her tireless effort to seek the truth and the most effective way to optimum natural health has influenced thousands. If you are a fan of Victoria Boutenko then you know that she has given her information freely to the world so that anyone from any walk of life can find and share health. If you have never heard of her I suggest you do a quick Google search to familiarize yourself with someone who personally researches everything they recommend and discover, a true pathfinder. She gives without seeing dollar signs because her discovery is truly a gift to us all.

In this blog post I would like to share an article written by Victoria in 1995, just before the groundbreaking book ‘Green for Life’ was published.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

An Easy Way to Love Greens

By Victoria Boutenko – 1995

My husband, our two younger children and I have been on the raw food diet for more than eleven years. We were able to heal all of our incurable, life-threatening diseases. However, after several years of being raw, each one of us began to feel like we had reached a plateau where our healing process stopped and even somewhat began to go backwards. Since then a burning question in my heart grew stronger every day. The question was, “Is there anything missing in our diet?” The answer would come right away: “Nope. Nothing could be better than a raw food diet.”

Yet, however tiny, the unwanted signs of less than perfect health kept surfacing, in minor but noticeable symptoms like a wart on a hand, a gray hair, etc. that instantly brought doubts and questions about the completeness of the raw food diet. Finally when my children complained about increased sensitivity in their teeth, I reached a state when I couldn’t think about anything else. I drove everybody around me crazy with my constant discussion of what could possibly be missing.

In my eager quest, I started looking at every single food that exists for humans. As my grandmother used to say, ‘Seek and ye shall find’. After many wrong guesses, I finally found the right one. Whew! I found one food group that particularly matches ALL human nutritional needs: greens. The truth is, we in my family were not eating enough greens. Moreover, we did not like them. We knew that greens are important, but we never heard anywhere exactly how much greens we need in our diet, just a vague recommendation to eat as much as possible.

In order to find out how much greens we need to eat, I decided to study the eating habits of chimpanzees, since they are the closest creatures to human beings. According to recent scientific research, they share 99.4 % of the same genes with humans.(1) I am not trying to say that humans developed from chimpanzees. I am simply grateful for the reality that there is another species in this world that closely resembles us. There are thousands of chimpanzees living in Gombe Valley, Africa. The most remarkable fact is that majority of those chimps of Gombe, as opposed to humans, have not been touched by civilization. I went online and purchased $300 worth of books and DVDs about chimpanzees and their diet and lifestyle. I wrote a letter with my questions to the Jane Goodall University. I traveled to three big zoos that have chimpanzees and spoke to many people who feed them and take care of them every day. I discovered so much fascinating information about chimpanzees that I totally changed my view of them. They became one of my favorite beings. My research gave me a solid idea that humans are supposed to eat a lot more greens than I would have guessed. Continue Reading