Some people have asked how to start eating a plant-based/whole food lifestyle. The advice provided to me was to incorporate a green smoothie into your everyday eating routine. It is considered to be a full meal. Because your body recognizes the ingredients as real food, you stay full longer and don’t feel like falling asleep during all those meetings!

There are so many types of smoothies, many are not as nutritious or healthy as others.  This mix has been my everyday concoction every morning. It’s a great way to feel full and energetic all morning and into the afternoon. The idea is to mix and match the listed ingredients per your taste and to intake different types of nutrients.

You’ll need a blender that is made to completely liquefy fruits, vegetables, etc.  I have the Nutribullet Rx but started off with a smaller model of the Nutribullet. There are many on the market but for beginners not sure if they will continue with smoothies or not, the Nutribullet is your most cost effective best bet.

A really great book for creating healthy smoothies which was given to me at a Woman’s, plant based convention, is called Simple Green Smoothies by Jen Hansard & Jadah Sellner. It can be purchased off Amazon.  The book includes a list of other types of blender options and provides recipes for smoothies for those just starting the process to help acclimate you to the different flavors, to more advanced tasting mixes.  My only recommendation which differs from the book is to not use any kind of milk, dairy or plant based milks with your smoothies.  I use alkaline water or spring water.  Dr. Paul Haider recommends reverse osmosis water, which will be my next investment. Sure, on occasion, almond milk or coconut milk is yummy in a smoothie but I found for me, that it was packing on the weight.  You can even add half almond milk and half water as a start. 

Another book, which is more hard core is by Victoria Boutenko, called The Green Smoothie Prescription (A Complete Guide to Total Health).  What I like about this book is that is provides some Success Stories but also a list of nutritional foods with descriptions of how they benefit the body.  I’ve not yet used an exact recipe from this book but instead have learned what foods are good for what I want to accomplish with my body.  I used the book to create my own base recipe for this green smoothie concoction. However, I do plan to try many of the recipes.

I’ve only listed highlights for the ingredients below. Many have so much more to contribute to your health that is not listed.

Base ingredients:

Alkaline or spring water – no water that contains fluoride

Flax seed – Fiber, omega 3-fatty acids, heart health

Chia seed (let them soak a few minutes in water until they swell for best results)– Muscle and tissue builder, anti-inflammatory, omega 3, protein, appetite suppressant

White Pea Protein –

Sun Warrior posts the following as to why pea protein is the better option.

• “Meat and eggs come with saturated fats, extra calories, and cholesterol, not to mention, animal products can be pretty hard on the kidneys.
• Whey is also rough on the kidneys and causes bloating, gas, and other digestive problems. Some whey protein powder supplements even contain harmful ingredients which may result in more harm than good to the body in the long run.
• Soy is an allergen and contains estrogen-mimicking compounds that mess with hormones. Even a slight change in hormones can cause problems in the body.”

Green Radiance Powder

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Parsley – Used for tightening the skin, beneficial against kidney stones, inhibits tumor formation, contains large amounts of vitamins A, C, E as well as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium. 

Cilantro – Used to remove metals from your system.  Works well with aloe and chia seeds. 

Ginger ( I use root and powder – each form provides different nutrients) It reduces inflammation in the body, lowers high cholesterol, knocks out fevers, migraines, dizziness and nausea, eliminates gas, anti-inflammatory and aids in arthritis pain. 

Spinach – Helps arteries remain healthy, anti-aging, vitamin K, many other vitamins, stabilizes blood sugar 

Other ingredients that can vary depending on taste and purpose:

Kale (Red or green, I change them up) – (an anti-inflammatory, high in beta-carotene, vitamins K, C and lutein, zeaxanthin and calcium, also has indole-3-carbinol a chemical that boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.  Also contains sulforaphane, a chemical that has potent anticancer properties.  If the taste is too strong, you can remove the stem.

Swiss Chard (Red or green) -vitamins K, A, and C, magnesium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber

Banana (One or two depending on which greens I use.  When I use more bitter greens such as kale or dandelion, I use two bananas.  A lot of nutrients are found in the peel, so scrape the inside of the banana peels to get all the benefits)

Dandelion – Improves bone health, combat liver disorders, diabetes, acne, cancer, jaundice and anemia.  Full of vitamins and minerals.

Cucumber – Vitamin K which increases bone mass, helpful with weight loss and high blood pressure, helps in treating Alzheimer’s disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain, anti-aging, antioxidants

Holy Basil (I grow my own, it has a sweet, beautiful smell and taste.  You can also use powder form)

Moringa Powder (I have a small tree and plan to use the leaves when it’s large enough)

Wheat Grass – improves eye sight, strenthens immunity, relieve inflammation, improves blood formation, chlorophyll, helps with digestion, skin 

Green Banana Powder (Used to feed the organisms in the small intestines, it’s considered a prebiotic.  The waste from the organisms in the small intestines feeds the organisms in your large intestines.  Probiotics are used to maintain large intestine health.  All gut health is related to having a good immune system. 

Horsetail – (on and off use) anti-inflammatory, it preserves eyesight and stimulates blood flow.  Helps the bladder and prevents hair loss. 

Raw local honey – helpful against allergies and hay fever and can help with insomnia if taken at night.   Also contains all types of B vitamins, antioxidants, present in the form of polyphenols, which help fight off free radicals that contribute to many serious diseases. 

Aloe – (on and off use) helps with IBS, good for detoxing

Bee Pollen – anti-aging, counteracts the effects of radiation & chemical toxins, contains twenty-two amino acids and is approximantely 40% protein, tons of vitamins and minerals, immunity  

Stinging Nettles , combined with horsetail with coconut flakes (on and off use) – You want to be careful with specialty herbs and take a break from using them on a consistent bases. Many are used only when needed, while others may be used periodically.

Mullien – helps the respiratory system 
Amla Powder – Hair, skin, nails 

Collagen (plant based)  – I use Anima Mundi (suggest taking periodic breaks from using) that includes horsetail, stinging nettles, jiaogulan, calendula, mangoosteen peel & fruit

Okra – Cleans plaque out of arteries

Hemp Seed – Protein, fiber, boost energy, help you sleep, heart health