For about six months or so I have been consuming a homemade green smoothie every morning for breakfast. Some people are on the fence about them which is understandable, from the outset they look like cups of fruit and vegetables.
The reason I decided to start having them was due to the fact I did some contracting for a startup in the US and I ate a lot of bad food. The startup lunch culture is intriguing, nobody brings their own lunch, you all go out and eat out as a team. I am guilty of having Mexican food a few too many times for lunch, not the healthiest option either.
Maybe it is just a coincidence but I have noticed a few things that I would attribute to having a green smoothie everyday. It could just be in my head, I don’t want to go all crazy on you and proclaim that green smoothies are the cure for cancer like some would have you believe.
About 1 month ago, everyone at work had the flu. I literally mean over the course of about two weeks, the flu spread throughout the office. It wasn’t just any flu, it seemingly had enough impact to knock people out for an entire week, the other developer I share a cubicle with was out almost two weeks.
Weirdly enough, I was the only person who didn’t get sick. I felt like perhaps I exhibited a few flu signs (mostly sneezing), but I didn’t miss a day of work and I never felt like I actually got sick at all.
Then my fiance got sick, she had the flu for about a week. Being pregnant, she only occasionally has a green smoothie with me. I didn’t go out of my way to stay away, we still slept together and stayed close: I didn’t get sick. I did wake up with a minor sore throat, but I think that was due to sleeping with my mouth open and the fan on the high setting.
Besides the potential boost to my immune system, I feel like I have more energy and I am definitely more regular thanks to the fibre in the skin of the fruit and other various additions.
Green Smoothie Recipe
If you’re interested, here is what I put into my smoothie. Some people put coconut milk in and other needless things, this is what I put in.
Also keep in mind I only wash the fruit and vegetables, I don’t take the skin off anything.
- 2 cups of spinach (minimum)
- A few pieces of kale (it is expensive, so it usually isn’t available and can be optional)
- 1 carrot
- 1 banana
- Half a lemon squeezed (including the seeds)
- 1 apple (red or green)
- 1/2 orange (if we have them)
- 1/2 cup pineapple (if we have it, fresh only)
- 1/2 cup watermelon (if we have it, include some of the green/white part)
- 1/2 cucumber (optional, waters it down a little more)
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- A handful of grapes (if any available)
- Some ice
- Half a cup of water (add more of less depending on desired thickness)
Blend it all up and enjoy. Keep in mind the first few days your body will get a shock, so you might experience a few constant trips to the bathroom (not diarhea, but just a few sudden urges like you have had too much coffee).
As always, make informed choices about what you consume. This is my opinion and I only ever have one per day for breakfast, usually with a coffee and a slice of toast with butter and Vegemite.
I’m not a health nut or condone diets like Paleo, but I also acknowledge I don’t consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables everyday, the green smoothie helps substitute that.
