Fruits That I Use in Green Smoothies (Part III)

Why Fruits are used in Green Smoothies?

• Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories


• None have cholesterol


• Important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, fiber and folate


• Fruits also make Green Smoothies become palatable and delicious

Fruits can be categorized under different categories based on their taste (do not based on whether they are acidic or alkaline forming):

• Acid Fruits (sour), e.g.

cherry, blackberry, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, lime, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, pomelo, strawberry, tamarind, tangerine, tomato, etc

• Sub Acid Fruits (not too sour), e.g. apple, apricot, grape, guava, longan, mango, nectarine, papaya, peach, pear, plum, etc

• Melons, e.g. cantaloupe, honeydew, rock melon, watermelon, etc

• Sweet Fruits, e.g. date, durian, fig, jackfruit, lychee, persimmon, etc.

These are some of the fruits that I use in my green smoothies. I love local fruits because they are fresher and also high in nutrients.

Others:

Greens That I Use in Green Smoothies (Part II)

Sprouts

I also use some sprouts in my green smoothies. Here are some of the sprouts that can be added to your green smoothies (refer to pic. below). I use alfalfa most of the time because I sprout my own alfalfa. It is hard to find broccoli, clover, radish and unhulled sunflower seeds in Malaysia. However, you can purchase broccoli, clover, radish and sunflower sprouts from supermarket, e.g. Jaya Jusco, Tesco, etc.

























Herbs

I also use some herbs in my green smoothies.

Greens that I used in Green Smoothies (Part I)

What are some examples of green vegetables that can be used to make green smoothies?

I prefer to use locally grown greens to make green smoothies. This is because it is fresher and less nutrients lost due to shorter shipping time (from farms to end customers)

Here are some of the greens that I normally used. I categorized them under "Asian Vegetables"

I also use lettuce in my green smoothies. The lettuce that I normally used are those with darker color, e.g. romain lettuce, green and red leaf lettuce because the darker the color, the more nutritious they are. I seldom use iceberg lettuce or light colored lettuce. However, there is no harm in using those light colored lettuce if you like to do so. Just that, it is strongly recommended to use the dark colored lettuce and dark green vegetables for your green smoothies so that you can nourish your body with the nutrients from the dark green vegetables.

I also use these greens.

Why Add Greens in Green Smoothies

Why dark leafy green vegetables?

• Good sources of many vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy, such as vitamins A, C, and K (needed for normal blood clotting and healthy bones), folate, iron and calcium.

• Great sources of fiber, which help to reduce cholesterol, lessens the risk of diabetes and improves already diagnosed diabetes, steadies blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar, relieves constipation, promotes healthy intestinal bacteria, etc

• Great sources of chlorophyll which has a similar molecule structure as heme cell where the center atom is magnesium and iron respectively. Hence, chlorophyll is blood builder. It is also a natural disinfectant (kill bacteria in the blood, lymph, various tissues), detoxifies and rebuilds the blood streams, balance blood sugar, help purify the liver and wash drug deposits and other metabolic toxins from the body, beneficial to many skin problems.

• Rich in Beta-Carotene, which can be converted to Vitamin A and strengthens the immune system.

• Rich in antioxidants and phutochemicals, e.g. flavanoids and carotenoids which are powerful antioxidants with cancer-fighting properties.

• Also a good source for Lutein and zeaxanthine which promote eye health, including protection from cataracts and macular degeneration

Green Smoothies - A Nutrient Packed Drink

The outbreak of H1N1 has become everyone concern. One of the way to protect ourselves and our family members from H1N1 is to increase our immune system. All of us are well aware that to increase immunce system is to eat a balance diet, exercise, sleep well, destress, drink purified or clean water,etc. A balance diet shall include 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in daily meal. However, many of us fail to do so due to many reasons.

My family and I are grateful that we learned a simple way to achieve 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in our daily meal. That simple formula is to blend fruits + greens = Green Smoothies. The fruits make the Green Smoothies become palatable and yet you get to enjoy the nutrients from both the fruits and greens. There are many benefits in Green Smoothies, rich in phytonutrients which are also antioxidants, enzymes, Vitamin A, B, C, minerals, etc. It is also rich in chlorophyll which is blood builder and disinfectant (kill bacteria in blood, cell, tissue, etc), rich in fiber that help to flush out toxins from our body, bind with cholesterol and hence reduce overall cholesterol level, balance our body PH level, etc. Green Smoothies are really a nutrient packed drinks.

Pls refer to following article written by me about Green Smoothies. There are some recipes and some principles in making Green Smoothies in this article for your reference. You just need a blender to make Green Smoothies. You can use any blender that you have at home. If you have a high-powered blender, it helps to make green smoothies with a better texture and the children will enjoy the green smoothies much more with the fine texture.

Please start making green smoothies now .. because it is so simple yet delicious and palatable and nutrient rich!! You will find that you and your family will benefit a lot from green smoothies.

Just for your info, since my family and I start taking Green Smoothies, my children seldom fall sick. Even they fall sick, they just have very mild fever and do not required any medication and they recover on the following day.

May you and your family be well and happy always!!

Green Smoothies

Written by Sivan Choo – Certified “Raw Food Nutrition” Educator by Living Light Culinary Instituted, California

Green smoothies are basically blended green leafy vegetable mixed with fruits.

Since Fung and I learned how to make green smoothies, we make this part of our meals everyday. I make smoothies for myself and my kids 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Since then I don’t have to nag my kids to eat fried vegetables anymore because they get enough raw organic green vege from the green smoothies that packed with enzymes, antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. In fact, my father-in-law who stays with me for 2-3 weeks every month also enjoys green smoothies a lot. If he is back to his hometown, he will bring some vege and fruits to the coffee shop and asks the coffee shop owner to blend them for him. My mother-in-law too shared the green smoothie recipes with her nieces because her water retention (Edema) problem improved.

We included green smoothies in our cooking lesson and 1 of the participant put in it into practice immediately after the class because she knows that she can get enough enzymes out from green smoothies. To her surprise, her husband leg’s aching problem that persisted for 3 years disappeared unknowingly after taking green smoothies for his breakfast for a month. How do we know it is the power of green smoothie? Because this is the only change that she has made in particular month. She also noticed that her daughter acnes issue also resolved. She was so excited that she introduced green smoothies to her sister and mother who suffered from foot aching and constipation issue respectively. Both her sister and her mother’s health issues also resolved after taking green smoothies.

To Fung, mouth ulcer is a history to her since she takes green smoothies. For myself, my yellowish palms (due to too much of beta-carotenes that is not harmful) turn more reddish overtime with the dark green leafy vege in green smoothies.

My brother-in-law, Hooi dropped 18kg over 3 months time after he changed his diet to plant based whole food diet which includes green smoothies for his breakfast and dinner. He looks younger now and has a better complexion. He also feels more energetic and his hairs start to grow too (FYI, his is slightly bald! I hope he doesn’t know that I quote this…a little bit sensitive). Most of his friends are so curious about his improvement and ask him for the secrete recipe!!

Some rules that I follow:
1. Use different green leaves and fruits everyday

2. Use green vegetables that are low in oxalic acid (oxalic acid will bind with calcium and form calcium oxalate, an insoluble salt).
a. Vegetables that are low in oxalic acid: kale, lettuce, celery, mustard green, broccoli, cabbage, and most other greens.
b. Vegetables that are high in oxalic acid: spinach, swiss chard, parsley, beet leaves.

3. Add high oxalic vegetables to green smoothies for variety, but do NOT make an entire smoothie out of them.

4. Use organic vegetables if possible because they contain higher nutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, etc) compared to commercially grown vegetables.

5. Peel fruit if it’s not organic

6. Banana and avocado gives the smoothies the creamy and smooth texture

7. Keep the combination simple, use 1-2 different types of green vegetables and 1-2 different types of fruits.

8. Combine about 60% of fruits with 40% of green vegetables to start with. For children to accept green smoothies more willingly in the beginning, use slightly higher percentage of fruits than vegetables.

7. Use high-powered blender with at least 35,000 to 37,000rpm. It helps to break down the plant cell wall and hence release the enzymes and other nutrients from the fruits and vegetables. This make the absorption and assimilation of the nutrients become easier for our body. High powered blender also produces green smoothies with a very good texture.

Here are some of our favorite secrete green smoothies recipes!!

Bon appetite!

The following recipe is for 3-4 cups of (250ml per cup) green smoothies

Sivan loves all the following green smoothies. Each one of them is so unique and taste good! In fact, Sivan will make her own mix and match based on what are available in the fridge. Hence, it is always a surprise to her husband and kids on the taste of the green smoothies. Of course it always tastes nice. The trick Sivan follows is mix and match sweet and sour (of course not too sour) fruits together. To attract the kids to take the green smoothies, Sivan will use the kids’ favorite fruits. The proportion of fruits and vege is fruits : Vege = 60% : 40% or 70% : 30%.
Tips, if your kids don’t like vege, may be you can just put 1 or 2 leaves of vege as a start or use vege that tastes milder such as lettuce. Once they experience the goodness of the green smoothies, you can start to add more dark green vege. Remember to share with your kids the benefits of green smoothies, e.g. grow healthier, beautiful complexion, etc.

Sivan’s favorite #1
1 orange
½ soursop
2 bananas
150g of green mustard
3 tbsp of soaked flaxseed (you may replace with soaked sesame)
500cc of water

Sivan’s favorite #2
2 kiwis
2 bananas
75g of cos-lettuce
75g of simpochoy or kale
500cc of water

Sivan’s favorite #3
½ papayas
2 oranges
150g sweet cabbage
500cc of water

Sivan’s family favorite #4
1 cup of pineapple
1 large mango
75g of kale (or sweet potatoes leaves)
75g of mini-cos lettuce
3 tbsp of flaxseed
500cc of water

Sivan’s daughter favorite
1 large dragon fruit
2 bananas
1 orange
150g of bok choy
3 tbsp of soaked flaxseeds
500cc of water

Sivan’s husband favorite
1 apple
1 orange
1 cup of pineapple
½ avocado
150g of cos lettuce
500cc of water (if you like a thicker smoothie, reduce the amount of water)

Sivan’s family favorite
1 kiwi
1 dragon fruit
1 banana
150g of mini cos-lettuce
150g of long head lettuce
½ cup of coconut meat
500cc of coconut water

Yeh Fung’s favorite
2 apples
2 kiwis
½ avocado
5 cherry tomatoes
150g of cos lettuce
400ml of water
1.5 tbsp of soaked flaxseed

Yeh Fung’s daughter favorite
1 dragon fruits
2 bananas
150g choy-sam
5 cherry tomotoes
400ml of water
1.5 tbsp of flaxseed
Yeh Fung’s family favorite
¼ pineapples
2 bananas
1 apple
5 cherry tomatoes
150g of mini cos-lettuce
1.5 tbsp of flaxseed
500cc of water

Sivan’s Brother-in-law Favorite #1
3 bananas
100g of cos-lettuce
200g of misome
2 limes (if you like sour taste)
500cc of water

Sivan’s Brother-in-law Favorite #2
3 bananas
150g cos-lettuce
150g spinach
2 limes (if you like sour taste)
500cc of water

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