The Green Smoothie SolutionThe green smoothie is a delicious alternative to eating salads that ensures you consume an abundance of healing, high alkaline foods. The beverage was popularized by Victoria Boutenko in her book Green For Life, which has helped many people in their quest for health. In mainstream diets and even raw food diets, greens are often neglected, but as Victoria soon discovered, this forgotten food is often the missing link in one's health. 
Greens - The Missing LinkGreens are the most alkaline foods on the planet and if you don't know how important eating a diet high in alkaline foods is, click HERE to learn why. However, in short, disease cannot exist in an alkaline body, while it thrives in an acidic one, and the body becomes either alkaline or acidic from the foods we eat.The problem is, greens are not very appetizing to many people unless they are drowned in dressing and limited to the size of a side salad. Often, when a person takes up a raw food diet they grow to love greens but initially, our taste buds are desensitized by eating stimulating foods full of salt, sugar, condiments, etc. So, although a salad may not make your mouth water, you still need to find a way to get those greens in and the perfect solution is to drink a green smoothie!! What Is a Green Smoothie?Green Smoothies are simply a blended drink made up of the greens of your choice and enough sweet fruit to make the smoothie delicious and filling.Personally, I'd much rather have a salad. I love the taste of all different greens and I don't mind the chewing as I have found it makes my meals last longer and brings a feeling of satisfaction. But, my mom, on the other hand, feels the opposite way. She likes to have a decent sized salad with dinner, but in order to get in the 1-2 pounds that we really need each day, she makes green smoothies . She says a green smoothie is the only thing that satisfies her appetite. She can eat all the fruit in the world for calories, but until she drinks her greens she still feel "hungry". Hunger for Calories Vs. Nutrients
There is a difference between feeling hungry because we need carbs and fuel from fruit, and feeling hungry because we are lacking nutrients. The body sends out a hunger signal when it needs something. It is trying to get a message across to you. If I eat enough fruit for calories and still feel hungry it can only mean I am nutritionally "hungry". Until I eat my pound of greens at the end of the day I don't feel completely satisfied. The reason is, while fruit and greens both contain minerals and vitamins, fruit is dominant in vitamins and greens are dominant in minerals. For instance, the recommended intake of calcium each day is 1000 mg and you can obatain 1,403 mg of calcium from eating a pound of lambsquarters and 615 mg from a pound of kale, but you would need to eat 18 oranges, 83 apples, 18 cantaloupes, 83 bananas, or 43 mangoes to obtain 1,000 mg of calcium. Also, if you eat too much fruit and not enough greens, you may acquire a wired and hyper feeling from not taking in enough minerals. Sometimes, if I eat too many greens I feel very mellow and almost sleepy because calcium has such a calming affect on the body. By consuming a good variety of greens you will take in every essential amino acid the body needs. These individual amino acids are the perfect source of protein for the body. The body must break down and rearrange complex protein provided by meat and dairy, not to mention the waste left over. FiberOf course we cannot forget the importance of fiber. For someone still eating a mainstream diet, the green smoothie is of even more importance for obtaining fiber.There is waste continually leaving the body not only from the remains of our food, but from the thousands upon thousands of dead cells that must be flushed out. Fiber serves as a broom in the body and if no one is doing the sweeping you can bet that the dirt is going to collect and reek havoc on your health. So, if you're not in the mood to chomp on some lettuce, then crank up your blender and drink to your health. No doubt, you will transform the way you look and feel. Tips for Making Tasty Green Smoothies- Investing in a Vita Mix blender is well worth it. Using any old blender will likely leave your green smoothie chunky and relatively unappealing. It is on the expensive side, but if you are making green smoothies every day you will be happy you have it. Plus, I put my own to good use for making sauces, dips, dressings, fruit smoothies, etc.- Add enough fruit to make your smoothie sweet and delicious. If you skimp on the sugar then the smoothie will likely taste bitter. - Change it up from time to time. Romaine and bananas gets boring fast. Use different greens and try different combos such as arugula and pineapple, butter lettuce and mangoes, or cilantro and avocado.
Alkaline Foods List
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