Dear Friends,

In my family we have been enjoying adding one persimmon per blender while preparing our daily green smoothies. For example today I made my green smoothie out of one pint of strawberries and one bunch of spinach, plus one fuyu persimmon along with 2 cups of water.

This orange fruit improves the texture and improves the overall bouquet of flavors in our smoothies. It is now the season for persimmons so I invite you to take advantage of their many nutritional benefits.  

One amazing nutritional fact about persimmons is provided by USDA trhough their adjacent web site Nutrition Data. According to the scientific research persimmons have an amino acid score of 110 which indicates a complete or high-quality protein.

Persimmons are also high in minerals Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, and vitamins C and A. Persimmons have been used by traditional Chinese medicine to remedy hiccups. They have been noted to be beneficial for diarrhea, hemorrhiods, lung infections, and asthma.

There are two major types of persimmons:

• Hachiya is the larger variety of persimmon (up to 3 inches in diameter). They are generally heart-shaped, hard and bitter when unripe, but soft, sweet, juicy, and extremely delicious when ripe!
• Fuyu is a smaller variety of persimmon that looks like a tomato. Fuyu appear flatter than Hachiya’s. They maintain their sweetness whether they are soft or hard. Fuyu’s never taste bitter.

 Happy persimmon season to you!

Love, Victoria

In this video, Sergei Boutenko takes you shopping to understand the variety of greens available in a super market. These common greens can and should be used for making green smoothies. Sergei intends to give you some new green smoothie ideas to help add variety to your greens selection.

Here are the greens discussed in this video (in order):

1.) Lettuce
a. green leaf
b. red leaf
c. romaine
d. butter head

2.) Swiss Chard
3.) Dino Kale
4.) Bok Choy
5.) Celery
6.) Carrot Greens
7.) Cilantro

8.) Parsley (common & Italian)
9.) Beat Greens
10.) Green Onions
11.) Arugula
12.) Baby Greens
13.) Spinach
14.) Wheat Grass

15.) Herbs
a. basil
b. mint
c. dill
d. chives
e. sage
f. rosemary
g. thyme

16.) Watercress
17.) Baby Bok Choy

Sergei Boutenko used a raw diet and exercise to overcome his juvenile diabetes. At 25, he continues to make exercise and endurance running a part of his lifestyle. In this video, Sergei demonstrates a green smoothie suited for those needing physical energy and stamina. Many people say that athletes need to add protein powders, super foods and supplements to a green smoothie to be sustained, however the Boutenko family believe that unprocessed, raw foods and greens are capable of prolonging energy, even for professional athletes.

Athletes will need a higher amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats in their green smoothies so they can maintain physical strength. Sergei's green smoothie recipe has four careful chosen dark greens, which contain all of the vitamins, minerals and proteins needed for endurance. These greens strengthen bones,  prevent dehydration, mussels from tearing and cell damage when exercising.  The fruits chosen are loaded with natural carbohydrates and fats to give energy, which the body is able to process and absorb easily. You won't need a Gatorade if you drink this green smoothie:) Enjoy!

Our Joy for Life Retreat combines a week of green smoothies with The Work of Byron Katie. Originally, we planned to have one retreat per year. However, our participants liked it so much that soon demand started to grow. Several people returned to our retreats for the second and third times. Now, two years later, we have just finished our eighth retreat, which took place in Canada. It was a healing and life-changing experience. Valya has made a short documentary about this retreat with some interesting testimonials; we invite you to watch it:

We now receive invitations from different countries to conduct more Joy for Life retreats. In April we are holding a retreat in Australia. We are also invited to organize retreats in Holland and Sweden in the spring of 2011. Locally, we plan on holding a retreat at the tranquil Stewart Mineral Springs near Mt Shasta on September the 27th and in Southern California in February 2011. For more information please visit www.joyforliferetreat.com

Green smoothies are served four times a day along with fresh fruit and vegetables. We would like to share with you a menu from 2 days at our recent retreat in Canada. As we make the recipes in large quantities we are unable to tell you the exact amount of each ingredient. Please use these recipes as inspiration and combination suggestions. Enjoy!

Day 2:
Chickweed Morning Glory Green Smoothie
Chickweed (loaded with nutrients)
Chard
Pineapple
Mango
Peaches
Bananas (a little)

The Mighty Green Soup
Celery with leaves
Dill weed
Beet leaves
Cucumber (pickling)
Avocado
Lemon juice - lots
Garlic cloves
Green chives
Love

Goodness of all Kinds Green Smoothie
Apple
Banana
Mango
Escaroll
Water
Love

Berry-Lettuce Pudding
Blueberries
Strawberries
Lemons w/ peel
Lettuce
Dates (a little)
Mangoes
Water (a little)
Flowers are edible and good for heavy metals cleansing (cilantro flowers)

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Whooo Hooo it's peach season!!! Our farmers market has stalls selling boxes of discounted peaches  because they don't look beautiful. I buy a box, then pit and freeze most of the fruit for my green smoothies. My favorite peach green smoothie is simply peaches and spinach; its an amazing combination with a nutty flavor and also works as a base for experimenting.

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Peach

Peaches are a  good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, and Potassium. They are very high in Vitamin C.  The following fascinating information was taken from Lifestyle Lounge site http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com

* Peaches help make the skin healthy and also add color to the complexion.
* It has been seen that consumption of peaches helps in the removal of worms from the intestinal tract.
* Being rich in Vitamin A, peaches might help prevent cancer in organs and glands with epithelial tissue.
* Peaches comprise of more than 80 percent water and are a good source of dietary fiber, making them good for those trying to lose weight.
* Consumption of peaches, on a regular basis, can keep your bowel movements regular and even prevent straining.
* Researches have suggested that peaches have good to excellent antioxidant activity, some antimicrobial activity and good to excellent tumor growth inhibition activity.
* Peaches have a small laxative effect and a powerful diuretic effect and thus, are recommended to people suffering from rheumatism and gout.
* Peach flowers have sedative proprieties and are good for children who are restless, especially when boiled in water with sugar and honey.

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