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Health & Fitness

A Gym Rat's Green Smoothie Review! Going Green in 2013

Helpful information on Green Smoothies and how to start your Green Smoothie diet in 2013.

Last week my 11 year old son looked up at me and with the honesty and sincerity that only young children have asked “Dad why don’t you ever get sick? You don’t even get colds?” Am I some sort of freak, do I take special precautions that no else takes, is there a secret sauce? Well, no, no, and maybe, unless, of course you consider a Green Smoothie a secret sauce. So, what’s a Green Smoothie and why should you have one everyday? A Green Smoothie is basically fresh greens (spinach, swiss chard etc...) and your favorite fruits (bananas, pears etc...) and blending.

Here are my top three reasons why I think going green is the way to go!

 

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1. Volume:

One of the biggest challenges to eating the proper amounts of greens and fruits is volume. Have you ever really looked at the recommended dietary servings we should eat daily? Well, try this little experiment. Make your favorite salad, as you would normally do for lunch or dinner. Add all your favorite items, lettuce, fruits, nuts etc., go wild pretend you are staving. Than take your salad and stick it in a blender, hit liquefy and wait for about 2 minutes. What you will discover is that your healthy salad liquefied barely adds up to a cup. You will need to eat multiple servings of your favorite salad to even make a dent in what is recommended for a balanced diet. Now grab the biggest bowl you own, fill it to the brim with green leafy spinach, a couple of bananas, a mango, a quart of berries, add a little water and ice, then blend. You should easily get 24-32 ounces of pure energy! The best part is that you can stick it all in a normal water bottle and drink it as start your morning.

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 2. Ancient Man vs. Modern Man:

I think it’s without argument that men (and women) of today are clearly different than our ancestors. I will go further and say that today’s man is also different than even our relatives that lived 100 years ago. One of the biggest differences between us and our ancestors is diet. We eat way more proceeded foods and animal based byproducts than even our grandfathers. Reports and studies have pointed to a digestive system that simply has not kept up with the foods we eat. We compensate through the consumptions of Pharisaical and vitamin supplements. The rate of obesity in many of our communities is undeniable! I’ve even heard of a famous actress swear on a talk show that a weekly colon flush is her secret to a healthy life style. I don’t know about you but I think a Green Smoothie a day sounds so much better than a mmmm....flush? Call me crazy….

 

3. Absorption:

In my first point in this blog I spoke about the volume of food you need to eat to meet today’s meager fruit and veggie standards. My number three reason to drink a green smoothie a day has to do more with how your body processes what you eat. Our digestive systems truly are a miracle in every sense of the word. Having said this, your gut has to work overtime every time you eat. Your stomach and intestines go through an amazing amount of processes to breakdown food into nutrition. You know that sleepy feeling you get after a big meal? That’s your body working overtime. As amazing as our bodies are in digestion there is still a ton of room to improve. With a green smoothie you are giving your body a giant head start in the digestive process. It’s like getting a 50 meter head start in a 100 meter race.

 

These are only of the few reasons why I believe drinking a green smoothie a day is so important to your overall health. I personally credit much of my healthily lifestyle to exercise and a green smoothie a day. Oh, yeah you will never need a colon flush to feel good!

 

 

Here is one of my favorite recipes.

 

* 2 large hand full’s of Swiss Chard

* 1 banana

* 1 pear

* 1 large mango

* 2 cups of water

* 1 cup of ice

 

Blend for 3 minutes and enjoy!

Here are more great Green Smoothie articles:

Greensmoothiegirl

5 Day Green Smoothie Challenge

Forbes Green Smoothie review

 

Here's to good health in 2013!

Chuck

Follow me on my Journey.

 

 

 

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