Green Smoothies Are the Perfect Hack

Yes, you can

Every health organization (including the WHO and Health Canada) and every brain nutrition expert, agrees that consuming more than 10 servings of vegetables per day is excellent for your overall health, your longevity and your cognitive and emotional health. But since this number is too ambitious for the general population, they often encourage people to eat at least 6 servings per day.

However, you are not “the general population”. If fact, I am 100% confident that you can make some minor adjustments to your habits in order to increase your intake of vegetables. If you need a shortcut, I’m here to remind you that green smoothies are the perfect hack. Here’s how to make green smoothies part of your weekly routine.

1. Leafy Greens

Make green leafy vegetables into an essential staple on your grocery list.

2. Variety is key

Avoid the habit of buying the same leafy greens week after week. Variety is key! In fact, it could even be detrimental to your health to consume the same greens every single day. This is especially relevant if you suffer from gut dysfunctions or have recently taken antibiotics that affected your gut health. More insight into the cons of too much spinach here.

3. Invest in a good blender

The better your blender the better the consistency of your smoothies.

4. Find a base

Your green smoothies should have a base: I recommend a handful of two different leafy greens as the base. You can also add celery sticks and cucumber.

5. Natural Sweeteners

If you are new to green smoothies, or you want your kids to grow accustomed to them, you may want to add some apples, pears or oranges as a way of sweetening the smoothie.

6. Wash your leafy greens

Always wash green leafy vegetables before you cut them – NOT AFTER you’ve cut them. This will help preserve the maximum amount of minerals and vitamins.

7. Try to keep them a little chunky

Try keeping your smoothies a little chunky so that you actually have to chew before swallowing – this will increase the absorption of nutrients and will provide extra fiber for your healthy gut bacteria.

8. No juicers

Make sure you are making your smoothies in a blender or food processor – not in a juicer!!! Juice is not food, juice is a sugar hit. That’s the reason why you should avoid buying the pre-made green smoothies or juices sold in most supermarkets – if you pay attention to the food label and the ingredients list you will notice that they contain more fructose than anything else. And those that preserve the fiber, have been bottled for so long that there no knowing how much of the nutritional elements are still active.

9. Freeze your greens

If you expect to be in a rush, you can blend your greens with water in advance and freeze them in ice cube trays – that way, when it’s time to make a smoothie you don’t have to do any prep.

10. Try something creamy

Try adding avocado or coconut oil if you want your smoothies to be creamy.

11. Mojito-style

Add mint leaves and lime juice if you want a mojito-style smoothie.

12. Try something warm

Try adding ginger and jalape?o pepper if you want your smoothie to warm you up.

13. Smoothie soup

Add some salt and pepper and have your smoothie as a soup. You can even heat it up slightly, but make sure you don’t bring it to a boil in order to preserve all the nutrients.

14. Store your extras

If you make extra, you can pour it into jars (leave as little room for air as possible) and store them in the fridge for up to three days.

TIP for parents:

When your kids are little, you have the opportunity of imposing any habits you want on them. Once they reach a certain age, you can only role model – be the best example possible, but never impose.

And what about protein??Companies that manufacture and sell protein supplements have been very effective at making us think that we need their products. The truth is that most of us already get more protein than needed. You don’t need a hack in order to increase your intake of protein. If you are vegan, you are a professional athlete, pregnant, or have other reasons for needing to pay close attention to your intake of protein, then you might consider adding some nuts or seeds to your smoothies. Remember that the whole food is always going to be superior to any human-made supplement.

Have a smarter day, a smarter week and a smarter life,

Ginny Santos, your holistic coach.

PS: If you like getting these reminders and you know someone who could also benefit from them, please invite them to?sign up.

A love note from your future self:

Have you noticed how many different tones of green exist in nature? There are more greens than we have words for.

Now spot at least three things that are indoors which are green. It’s interesting to notice that green is so abundant in nature and so lacking among human-made creations. Thank you for looking for ways to add more green to our life.

Love, from your future self

Disclaimer:?The content contained in this article is for educational and inspirational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice because of something you may have read on this article.