Seeing Green

The Holidays are done, and "Happy New Year!" has been said all around. It has come time to make our claims, and state those dreaded resolutions for the next 12 months. For me, and probably for 99.999 per cent of people, those promises to ourselves are forgotten by the time the first Mimosa is sipped at breakfast on January 1st.


So, what is the expected resolution for a low-metabolizing food-lover?


“I am going to go on a diet, and only eat lean chicken, no carbs or sugar, and exercise everyday!”


Ha, get real!


A strict diet to kick off a new year is just a recipe for failure (mind the bad pun). However, as a girl who perpetually has food on the brain, any resolution I would dare to make is going to surround eating. I am going to try and make this New Year’s promise stick by doing two important things: instead of waiting until the bubbly haze of New Year’s Eve erases my grand plans, I made my resolution while it was still 2010 and, rather than making ambitious restrictions for 2011, I am going to add something to my weekly menu.


Problem - I have taken home a truckload of chocolate and candy this Christmas and, let’s be honest, I am not going to refrain from eating it. In fact, I am enjoying a chocolate mint treat right now. So, what I need to do is include something in my day that tastes great, is easy and quick to make, and will cut down the cravings for sweets without making me change my everything about my regular diet.


Insert: The Green Smoothie


I do incorporate leafy greens into my diet already, but the idea of a veggie-like drink, with the sweetness of fruit and without all of the tomato acidity of a V8 cocktail, sounds like it is the right way to go to boost things up a bit. A green smoothie is typically 60 per cent fresh fruit and 40 per cent leafy green veggies, and can be made in a variety of combinations to suit a many different tastes. Supposedly, the fruit masks strong flavours from the greens - I will wait to pass my judgement on that after I try a few combinations.


Here are a few recipes that I found online and have selected to try over the next few weeks - taken from http://www.smoothie-handbook.com/green-smoothie.html

Peachy Arugula Smoothie

1 banana, peeled

1 orange, peeled and seeded

1 loose handful of arugula

2-5 ounces spinach

1 cup peaches, frozen

1/2 cup mango, frozen

1/2 tsp stevia (optional)

2 cups water

Arugula: I LOVE ARUGULA! There is a fair warning that this smoothie might be slightly bitter, but I already enjoy arugula so I’m not worried!

Beginner Blueberry Kale Smoothie

1 large ripe banana, peeled

2-4 kale leaves

1 cup blueberries, frozen

1 packet of stevia (optional)

1 cup pure water

Pour the water and toss the banana and kale into the blender. Blend. Then add the blueberries and stevia. Blend again until smooth. Enjoy! 1-2 servings

Kale: a SUPER green that helps with anything from digestion to weight loss to skin clarity.

Creamy Tropical Green Smoothie

1 large banana, ripe and peeled

1/4 avocado flesh

6 oz spinach, fresh (I’m just going to add until it looks right)

3/4 pineapple, frozen

3/4 mango, frozen

4 ice cubes

1 tablespoon coconut milk powder

1 packet of stevia (optional)

1 cup pure water

Pour water in first. Then place the banana and avocado closest to the blade with the rest of the ingredients on top. Blend until smooth.

Serves 1-3

Spinach: I don’t think you can try a green smoothie without heading into spinach territory.



My reading and research on these drinks has made me hopeful for two attractive outcomes: with all of the antibiotics and vitamins, they actually lessen the cravings for fatty and sweet foods, and the high-fibre greens are supposed to release the sugars from the fruits into your system at a slower rate. You feel full longer, and you get a longer lasting energy kick rather than a quick high and hard crash.

These drinks are a staple in the popular raw-food movement, and in many vegetarian and vegan diets. I think testing them in my meat-filled, sometimes fast-food indulging, diet will be the true test of the drink's ability to increase energy and decrease hunger.

I am going to give this test one month. I will be returning to my non-Holiday eating habits, save for a few chocolate mint sticks here and there, but will not consciously change much else about my eating. I will see how much of a miracle this bright, earthy drink is and I will report back.

A few other nifty benefits that I have been read about…

• Reduction in body Odor: I hope I am okay in that department already, but one can never be too careful
• Reversing grey hair: really...
• Amino acids: they are the “building blocks” of protein – amino acids combine to form a variety of proteins in the body. I‘m a bit fuzzy on the science behind this, but I guess this is why green smoothies are so popular amongst the veggie crowd (and of course, why Popeye's spinach habits made him so strong)
• An overall increase in vitamin C, K, E, B and iron

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