Monday, August 29, 2011

Stalking Good Health


Well, my friends, I have officially joined the green smoothie club. Yep, for a full week now I have been indulging both morning and night in a concoction so filled with healthy veggies that the entire kitchen smells (as my husband is fond of informing me) like weeds! What's more, I am loving it!!

In the past few months, several of my friends have introduced the so-called green smoothie into their lives. All have reported good results, varying from increased energy to decreased blood sugar/blood pressure and weight loss. Reducing blood sugar and pressure is the main goal for me, but hey...I'll be more than happy to deal with any other benefits that come my way.

I did have to make a fairly substantial investment in a Vita Mix from Costco, but I LOVE that thing. It's liquifying (vaporizing?!) action is so powerful you can go from nuts to butter in seconds. So far, the nut-grinding fancy hasn't hit me, but who knows what the future might hold? For now, I am happy to make my (actually kinda brownish) green smoothies, and here is what I do:

The Vita Mix has a much larger blending container than most, so you can make a quart of liquid in one shot.

pour in 2 cups of water or coconut water
mix in enough greens to create 3 additional cups of liquid (this is a LOT of greens)
add a banana, an apple, and two cups of berries

So far, I have used baby spinach, kale, herbal salad mix, celery, chard, and parsley...but there are many more to choose from. There's even an iPhone app telling you which particular green, leafy vegetable is good for which ailment! (By the way, you are supposed to alternate the leafy greens so that alkaloids don't build up in your system.)

Anyway, I'm enjoying the experience and am quite hopeful that I will receive at least a few health benefits. Some of the flavors are stronger and stranger than others, but all of them are drinkable and refreshing. What's more, I feel like I'm doing something good for my body. Already I've noticed that I am not retaining as much water. My rings are looser, and my eyes are considerably less puffy in the morning. Also, my digestive system is working like a charm!

;)

PS. I'll keep you posted on the blood pressure, blood sugar, and other benefits as time goes on.
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29 comments:

  1. Bethe77August 29, 2011 at 9:52 AM

    WEll this sounds just yoummy and healthy both. How can that be. I love smoothie drinks. My mom use to use greens and had lots of postive to say about them. Unfortunely she is illergic to greens. But... I am not. I think I will have to check this out. I need to some good healthy alternatives. Thank you for sharing this.
    Blessings

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  2. karenAugust 29, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    I am interested in this. You'll have to email me and tell me more. I used to have a VitaMix - and I did make my own nut butter once. So easy and really good! But I'm interested in the losing weight part and the health benefits of this. Does it taste good? Please tell me more.

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  3. moanaAugust 29, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    I love my VitaMix. Love it! I have decided to pick up greens while shopping today and giving this a try. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. CarolineAugust 29, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    Sounds great, Sue! I have tried something similar to the VitaMix and really liked it! I think the fact that these shakes are tasting better and better each year is encouraging. And you've just motivated me to look for something similar at the store today!

    p.s. Your music today made me smile! The perfect "soundtrack" for your post today! :)

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  5. LeAnnAugust 29, 2011 at 12:29 PM

    I have a daughter that is into the green drink thing. I had refused to drink the green drink. One day I was with the children alone and so the older granddaughter made a green drink and offered me some. It wasn't bad at all. I asked her why it was so good and she said she added more pineapple that her mother; I had to smile at that one. I am going to look into the links and perhaps I will give it a try. I know that I need to work on my own problems at hand.
    Thanks for sharing your thought and hugs to you!

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  6. yayaAugust 29, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    We have a vitamix..I think we might have 2. But, I've never tried this and I think I'll look into it some more. Good luck with this and keep us posted!

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  7. StefAugust 29, 2011 at 12:57 PM

    Hubs would be so proud of you. He drinks some pretty nasty stuff and calls it good. I should hop on the wagon, but I am not quite there yet.

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  8. jenAugust 29, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    Wow. I can eat most things, but the texture of that sounds a little too daunting for me. Here's hoping it cleans you out and cleans you up!

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  9. UnknownAugust 29, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    Is that to make one shake? Wow! Lots of fruits AND veggies going on there.
    Have you noticed whether or not you are getting bored with the shakes? I have a shake every morning and sometimes I just get tired of it.
    Keep up the good work! I know it's so good for you!

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  10. UnknownAugust 29, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    I have heard wonderful things about green smoothies. I would need to add ice cream to mine.

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  11. CBAugust 29, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    Good for you Sue.
    I know I need to do this but I still can't get myself to "go green".
    I have a Vitamix and I never use it so I really should just hop on the bandwagon.
    I'll be anxious to see if this helps your blood pressure.
    Good luck.

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  12. People Who Know Me Would Say:August 29, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    My brother has been doing this for 2 weeks now, but he made his green shakes sound gross tasting. Do yours taste good? If I could find a way to have them pleasant tasting, I would try it.

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  13. Grandma HoneyAugust 29, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Hurray Hurray for you!!!!
    Thank you also for the tip about alternating greens. I want to forget that part, but know I shouldn't.

    We so love our daily Green Smoothie! I'm amazed at how many others drink these now.

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  14. Jocelyn ChristensenAugust 29, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    Good girl! hey did you get my email? I have emailed you and had it bounce back like a zillion times,and now I think I emailed the wrong person about the FP celebration...bring me back to sanity please>

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  15. CherylAugust 29, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    Awesome! My husband had a specific green recipe. It looked ugly but smelled delicious. Too soon, he stopped making it. It helped with his overall health. Good luck on your green journey.

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  16. ConnieAugust 29, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    That's good to know. When do you put the ice cream in it? :)

    I've seen the demonstration at Costco, I really should invest in the mixer. I'm sure I would make lots of green smoothies to get my money's worth. Heaven knows I could use more energy!

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  17. GailAugust 29, 2011 at 5:04 PM

    I'm sure it's delicious but something about drinking green just doesn't make my mouth water.

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  18. StacyAugust 29, 2011 at 5:25 PM

    interesting...I'm up for the lower blood sugar too...not sure I can tolerate liquid green, but don't knock it until you try it, right?!

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  19. 4 Lettre WordsAugust 29, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    Sue, you are a better woman than me! Never even knew something healthy could be yummy. :)

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  20. PondsideAugust 29, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    I'll have to look at our Costco and see if there are any demonstrations - sounds intriguing.

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  21. Myrna FosterAugust 29, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    I've been seriously thinking about jumping on the bandwagon. Thanks for the extra nudge. I hope it makes you feel lots better.

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  22. anitamombanitaAugust 29, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    Love those green smoothies. They're definitely worth the few extra minutes it takes to prepare one... and yes, love my Vitamix too!

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  23. Tina´s PicStoryAugust 30, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    Looks very healthy :)

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  24. DarleneAugust 30, 2011 at 4:02 PM

    I'll be interested to try it. Do you have to have it every day or what? Does it replace a meal?

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  25. Rachel JAugust 30, 2011 at 8:53 PM

    Hey Sue! Just found your blog via Facebook, and you should know that as I'm reading this, I'm also eating this huge dove bar...when I probably should have eaten dinner instead. Any who, My old roommate used to make something like this smoothie every morning--but sans the coconut and she swore by it, too.

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  26. SueAugust 31, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    good idea. Keep us posted on results.

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  27. alpinekleinsAugust 31, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    My goodness - you almost have be talked into it . . . almost . . .

    Kristin

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  28. TonyaSeptember 1, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    I've heard of so many people doing these lately, and I KNOW they've got to be powerhouses of nutrition! Someday, I'll join you all...and I hope I can keep healthy til I do. :) I'm sure you'll get GREAT results...does it taste good?

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  29. EmSeptember 12, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    i just read an article today from an herbalist website that said fructose is the main culprit of high blood pressure and not salt as most people thought before. sounds like something interesting to look into!

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