Feeding your skin with Smoothies!!!!
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Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:47 pm

I warn anyone who wants to try this...go easy on the greens. I first tried this a few years ago, I would gag them down, I nearly threw up at one point, after that I couldn't do them anymore. Stay away from nasty combinations like banana and swiss chard...gross . I've been wanting to try them again for a long time, but my stomach won't allow me to. I've only tried a little lettuce. Focus on taste first, and ease up if you feel queasy. Also, don't mix hard vegetables with them.

free skin care · Fri Jun 14, 2013 2:58 am

^I can second the 'no hard veggies' sentiment. I once put in too many baby carrots because they were nearing their expiration date. What I got wasn't much of a smoothie. More a mass of graininess and grit. Horrible! The same thing happens when I try to add kale.

If you have a hard time with the taste of greens, I'd suggest spinach. It has a smooth texture and it's flavor is crazy easy to cover up with fruit. For some reason, romaine is very easy to disguise with cherries. (Then again cherries are so strong and sweet they can probably cover up a lot of things.)

Parsley & pineapple is a good combo, too. I saw a recipe for parsley pineapple smoothies and now I actually make a parsley pineapple 'pesto' for salmon instead of drinking it as a smoothie. That really isn't on topic, though. I guess I'm just silly and random. Razz

Do you think it could be the color? I actually use quite a bit of strongly colored ingredients and sometimes the brown smoothies that result look..terrible. I started adding a dash or four of cocoa powder to trick myself into thinking they are more chocolate-y than they really are. I bet cocoa nibs would be better, but they would probably leave grit.

Fri Jun 14, 2013 1:46 pm

It was probably a combination of factors. I started using greens that were too bitter and strong like swiss chard...I'm not even sure if that's something that's good to eat raw, I like it steamed or in soups, but I would always feel nauseous after using it in a smoothie or juicing it. I also did not own a very good blender at the time, so I think the clumpy texture of it was making me gag...just feels kinda gross and harder to drink when having to chew it a bit. For me, I don't think I like mixing bananas with greens...which is what I was mostly using because they're cheap.

Pineapple sounds like a good idea, though I'm not sure about using a large amount of herbs either...I didn't feel very good doing that, and since you only need a small amount when cooking, I would think using a small amount in a smoothie makes more sense.

Maybe some people can better handle it, or something you have to work your way up to.

EDIT: I was thinking, I don't think bananas mix with other food very well...for me at least. Another combination I tried once was a cantelope and banana smoothie. I love cantelope, but I could not eat it for months after I drank that. I felt so sick afterwards, and the flavor combination was just weird tasting.

I eat bananas all the time and mix them into smoothies using berries, and I have no problems...but with anything else it makes me feel kinda sick.

free skin care · Sat Nov 30, 2013 4:36 pm

Recently, I've been using Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook and I tried her green juice recipe- for a kale based smoothie it tastes incredibly refreshing!

5 large leaves of kale, ribs discarded, leaves roughly chopped
1 lemon, zest and pith removed
1 large apple, roughly chopped
A 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger
1 sprig of fresh mint

free skin care · Sat Nov 30, 2013 7:49 pm

wishful skin wrote:

It was probably a combination of factors. I started using greens that were too bitter and strong like swiss chard...I'm not even sure if that's something that's good to eat raw, I like it steamed or in soups, but I would always feel nauseous after using it in a smoothie or juicing it. I also did not own a very good blender at the time, so I think the clumpy texture of it was making me gag...just feels kinda gross and harder to drink when having to chew it a bit. For me, I don't think I like mixing bananas with greens...which is what I was mostly using because they're cheap.

Pineapple sounds like a good idea, though I'm not sure about using a large amount of herbs either...I didn't feel very good doing that, and since you only need a small amount when cooking, I would think using a small amount in a smoothie makes more sense.

Maybe some people can better handle it, or something you have to work your way up to.

EDIT: I was thinking, I don't think bananas mix with other food very well...for me at least. Another combination I tried once was a cantelope and banana smoothie. I love cantelope, but I could not eat it for months after I drank that. I felt so sick afterwards, and the flavor combination was just weird tasting.

I eat bananas all the time and mix them into smoothies using berries, and I have no problems...but with anything else it makes me feel kinda sick.

Melons are not a good smoothie choice in general. I don't know why but that's been a discussion.
Pineapple is great in a smoothie. I blend with blueberries usually or strawberry. My greens are either spinach, kale or mixed baby greens.

Banana and apple are a good fruit pairing with any green as are banana and blueberries and banana and strawberries. I've done all of them. Banana's are easy and accessible and relatively inexpensive so try out ways to use them. Really they add a sweetness.

As for herbs: parsley is alkalynizing and so good for you. I don't tend to use other herbs as yet but will throw in cucumber and celery at times.

Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:18 pm

Here's another refreshing smoothie from Prevention:

Raw Green Machine
Low energy-density foods like pears, cucumbers, and apples contain few calories per volume. Hemp seeds add vegetarian-friendly protein.

1 med pear
1 sm green apple
1 sm cucumber
3 Tbsp raw hemp seeds
Juice from ½ lemon
20 sprigs fresh parsley
1 c water

There are another 25 here, some of which look great: http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/diets/25-delectable-detox-smoothies?s=2

free skin care · Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:20 pm

Thanks a lot. Great link!

Copied at list 10 or more.

I just bought Vitamix for my birthday. Discovering a new world Smile

free skin care · Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:24 pm

YB wrote:

Thanks a lot. Great link!

Copied at list 10 or more.

I just bought Vitamix for my birthday. Discovering a new world Smile

Good for you!

free skin care · Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:22 pm

I've been doing some research on green juices and came across some startling information re: the thyroid and oxalic acid/mineral absorption. This is my personal summary I posted on my MUA notepad.

To be on the safe side I have cut down on juicing kale everyday to every other day- not only because of the oxalates (which can interfere with mineral absorption) but because cruciferous vegetables in excess are said to negatively affect the thyroid and the release of its’ hormones. I seriously recommend that those who are juicing their greens everyday read these articles and pause for thought- Gwyneth Paltrow may recommend starting the day with green juices, but she has also publicly declared that she has Ostopenia- a prelude to osteoporosis. So something isn’t right-again, moderation.

The Dark Side Of Broccoli And Kale: Could Cruciferous Vegetables Be Bad For You?

[url]http://www.medicaldaily.com/dark-side-broccoli-and-kale-could-cruciferous-vegetables-be-bad-you-267892 [/url]

An article in the NYTimes by a journalist who has compromised her thyroid health by juicing too much kale:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/kale-juicing-trouble-ahead/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1

free skin care · Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:56 am

The key is to rotate your greens: eat greens every day, just don't eat kale every day.

I've not had a problem, and I eat 3/4 lb of greens every day.

But I've also heard that people who don't have great iodine levels in the first place are the most at risk.

HTH Smile

free skin care · Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:26 am

I don't eat enough of them to get sick - and sometimes I eat a pound of greens a day. I'm sure that some people might be sensitive to the chemical components in greens - I'm glad I'm not one of them!

free skin care · Sun Mar 16, 2014 12:04 am

I guess 'doing all things in moderation' really is super important!

free skin care · Mon Mar 17, 2014 4:56 am

I hate smoothies unless they are really tasty...and taste like a dessert!! Very Happy

this one ticks all the boxes

spinach, kale, almond milk, vanilla yoghurt, and banana.

its tastes like a naughty milkshake! a wonderful way to get two nutritious greens.

free skin care · Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:37 pm

Well, I've just spent 3 days visiting this great thread. I'm very inspired by those of you who have big health and skin improvements from smoothies.

My experience so far (one week) is:

Day 1-4: felt a little more energized that from my usual eggs and butter breakfast (I eat low carb). Gave up my single morning coffee, so first day was a bit headachy. I haven't yet found a low-carb way to make my smoothies taste really great, but I'm managing to get them down (cycling leaves: kale, spinach, lettuce, adding things like carrot and broccoli (cooked) and trying to use orange and frozen berries to make it palatable).

Day 5-7: got sick with 'flu (I'm in NZ, so 'tis the season to be sickly). I usually get one cold per year, so maybe it's a coincidence. It doesn't seem to be taking the usual 'sore nasopharynx then sore throat then very mucous nose' route. Instead, the 'flu aspects seem to have ended but I'm suffering weakness and headache.

For the last few days I've had about 4 servings of fruit/veges in a smoothie, then also very high veg lunch and dinners (endless chewing....). Maybe it was too much, after years of moderate veg and fruit eating.

I've been very bloated and have an ugly, expanded lower tummy, instead of my usual flatter one. I have a pretty bad constipation problem which I thought this would cure, but it's just as bad as ever, plus now I'm filled up with all this roughage, like a cow!

Having read various medical opinions on the topic of 'detox', I couldn't find much scientific evidence of it really existing. I'd be glad if someone has some studies that prove otherwise.

Because I'd love to think that this is just a short phase, and big rewards will come soon.

I've cut down the veges in lunch and dinner, now aiming at 11 servings total, based on this from Harvard http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/: 5 is the absolute minimum, they recommend 5-13, about 9 for someone eating 2000 calories a day. It's interesting that for years I just had '5' in my mind, but that is barely adequate, let alone ideal.

It would be great to hear from Toby and cm and Claudia and others who started this thread and got so much out of smoothies. Do you still take smoothies? Are they still giving you great results?

Sigh... I could do with a bit of motivation Smile

.

free skin care · Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:34 pm

Yes! I still have one every day, and once in a while I'll consume nothing but smoothies for an entire day at a time. It's a great way to get nutrients into you fast.

I still do plenty of spinach, kale juice, carrot juice, etc. Usually bananas and cucumbers. Berries and other things less often. I'm glad you're on the bandwagon. Smile

free skin care · Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:22 am

Thanks Chlorophyll, that's very encouraging. I'm pretty much over the flu and not feeling nauseous and overfull, because I'm being more realistic about how many veges to consume at a time: smoothies of 500ml absolute max. Despite just having been sick, today I was full of beans - quite unusual for me. So I'll definitely keep it up Smile

.

Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:19 pm

I've just started making my own supergreen powder. My is to pay less for something equivalent to Amazing Grass. For about £30 I can make 1000g of the stuff. My starting point is a cheaper brand of Green powder and I bulk it up

My ingredient list:

Organic GreeNourish SuperFoods
Sencha Green Tea
Maca Root Powder
Chorella Powder
Baobab Powder
Lepicol - Healthy Bowels Formula

I take a scoop with a pint of water and a squeeze of lemon in the morning. Just started so will let you know how I get on.

free skin care · Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:50 am

Retinolthins - interested in learning any updates re this.

retinolthins wrote:

I've just started making my own supergreen powder. My is to pay less for something equivalent to Amazing Grass. For about £30 I can make 1000g of the stuff. My starting point is a cheaper brand of Green powder and I bulk it up

My ingredient list:

Organic GreeNourish SuperFoods
Sencha Green Tea
Maca Root Powder
Chorella Powder
Baobab Powder
Lepicol - Healthy Bowels Formula

I take a scoop with a pint of water and a squeeze of lemon in the morning. Just started so will let you know how I get on.

free skin care · Thu Feb 04, 2016 11:25 am

Hi everyone
Wow what a long interesting thread. It has taken me forever to read. I also feel an increase in my weekly food bill is going to be inevitable.

How is everyone getting on with their smoothies?

I am also probably going to have to re-read most pages to find the recipes that I thought I might actually like.

This is the very reason I have avoided EDS for ages.
It costs me too much money and I can spend hours reading and it also turns me into miss I want,I want.

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