The first time I tried a green smoothie on my own, I threw a bunch of random green ingredients together and gave it a short blitz in my blender.
I was excited because it looked so delicious and healthy. I dunked in a straw and inhaled a large dose, which I promptly spit out.
It tasted beyond horrible. I made the assumption that just because it was green and healthy, the ingredients would work well together. So wrong!
I’ve upped my smoothie game since those early days and now have various awesome green smoothie recipes.
I’ll be discussing the benefits of green smoothies for weight loss, the best green foods for smoothies, and healthy smoothie recipes in this article.
Be sure to join us and download Reach Your Fitness Goals Faster With These 15 Tips HERE.
What’s a Green Smoothie?
A green smoothie is an upgrade from the basic smoothie. It consists primarily of green vegetables but fruits and other healthy ingredients can be added as well.
The inclusion of the green vegetables gives the smoothie a distinct and inviting green color.
9 Benefits of Green Smoothies
1. Lots of Nutrients in One Cup
Green smoothies are a quick way to get lots of healthy nutrients into your diet especially if you have a few vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin K.
2. Healthier Than Juicing
Green smoothies contain all edible parts of a plant – leaves, stem, etc making them even healthier than juicing them.
3. All the Nutrients Are Retained in Green Smoothies
Cooking food always removes some of the nutrients because of the heating process.
However, with green smoothies, all the nutrients are retained and absorbed since there’s no cooking involved.
4. Great for Detoxing
Green smoothies help cleanse the body and flush out toxins. There are a few detox recipes as well in the recommendations below.
5. Can Lower Bad Cholesterol
If you have a high cholesterol level, drinking green smoothies regularly in addition to healthy eating habits can help lower your cholesterol level.
6. Best for Fruit and Veggie Haters
Do you hate eating your fruits and veggies? Well, you can drink them and they taste good too if you combine them with the right ingredients.
7. Enhanced Energy Levels
Green smoothies boost energy levels and a great mix in the morning can keep you going for hours before you feel hungry again.
8. Counts Towards Daily Water Intake Goals
I stressed the importance of water in Drinking Water for Weight Loss. One of the great ways to get more water into your diet is by drinking your fruits and veggies.
9. Improves Hair, Nail, and Skin
Depending on the type of greens you include in your smoothies, it can help boost hair and nail health and growth. It can also promote radiant and glowing skin.
Can You Drink a Smoothie Every Day?
Yes, you can. I drink a smoothie every day after my workout. It’s one of the tips I shared in Reach Your Fitness Goals Faster With These 15 Tips.
Do Green Smoothies Help You Lose Weight?
Green smoothies play a great role when it comes to achieving your weight loss goals. They help you feel fuller for longer thus stretching the time between meals.
They also curb cravings for unhealthy foods such as soda, sweets, and snacks.
What Greens Are Good for a Smoothie?
Below are my top 20 greens to add to your green smoothies. Try to include as many as you can but if you can’t stand some of them, that’s perfectly fine.
There’s a star next to my favorites, which I always have in the rotation based on availability:-
- Arugula*
- Beet greens
- Basil*
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Cilantro
- Celery with leaves*
- Collard greens
- Chives
- Dandelion greens
- Endive
- Kale
- Lettuce*
- Mint leaves*
- Mustard greens
- Parsley*
- Spinach*
- Swiss Chard*
- Watercress
- Wheatgrass*
Other Ingredients You Should Add to a Green Smoothie
Spirulina
This is a sea vegetable that has been dried and powdered. It’s packed with nutrients and amino acids.
Not everyone can stand the taste but it usually disappears into the smoothie with other ingredients.
Some favorite brands of spirulina include KOS Organic Spirulina Powder and Terrasoul Superfoods Spirulina Powder.
KOS Organic Spirulina Powder
Nuts and Seeds
My second favorite ingredient in smoothies. I love adding flaxseeds, black or white chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds for even more fiber.
Berries
Berries will help mask whatever awful taste is waiting for you. A handful of any kind of berries works great for most smoothies.
You can also substitute berries with fruits like apples, pineapples, kiwi, peaches, etc.
Green Smoothie Cleanses
Some people believe in using green smoothies as a primary weight-loss method.
However, this is not advisable and you will eventually start feeling like you’re starving.
You cannot have green smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve tried it before when liquid diets were all the rage some years ago.
I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I set a goal for 5 – 7 days of green smoothie eating.
While it did not have any adverse effect, I knew I had to stop immediately after 3 days.
Why? Everyone I talked to started looking like giant juicy drumsticks. I began to fear I would bite into a human being in my hunger delirium.
A healthier method would be having a green smoothie for breakfast, solid food for lunch and snacks, and a green smoothie for dinner, for instance.
Basic Green Smoothie Recipe
A basic green smoothie recipe would include 1 – 2 greens, spirulina, nuts or seeds, berries, or other fruits, and a healthy liquid base.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of water or almond milk
- 1 cup packed spinach
- 1 cup packed arugula
- 2 tablespoons of nuts or seeds. You can use both.
- 1/2 cup of frozen berries
- 1 scoop of spirulina
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
- Pour the water or almond milk to your blender.
- Add the spinach and arugula. Blend for a few minutes then add the nuts or seeds, frozen berries, spirulina, and cinnamon.
- Blender until smooth and creamy. Add more water or almond milk if desired. Enjoy.
- You don’t have to use a sweetener but if you want to, you can add 1 tablespoon of Agave syrup or include a few chunks of frozen pineapple.
12 Healthy Green Smoothie Recipes
Below are some more creative and healthy green smoothie recipes for you to draw inspiration from. They all use at least one of the greens recommended above and all are less than 300 calories.
Green Pina Colada Smoothie Recipe
This green smoothie recipe features spinach and kale and uses a banana to sweeten the smoothie. Less than 150 calories too. Get the recipe from Jersey Girl Cooks...
Green Lactation Smoothie (Kiwi Banana Spinach)
This green smoothie uses spinach and kiwi. It's also very good for lactating mothers. Get the recipe from My Purple Plants...
Arugula Apple Smoothie
This green smoothie recipe uses arugula as the main dark leafy green as well as apples and mangoes to sweeten it. Get the recipe from Snacking in Sneakers...
Minty Shamrock Vegan Smoothie
This green smoothie recipe contains beet leaves and mint leaves. Get the recipe from Just Beet It (love the name)!...
Dairy Free Green Smoothie (Vegan)
This recipe is vegan friendly and uses kale. It's less than 200 calories. Get the recipe from Make it Dairy Free...
Broccoli Detox Smoothie
Broccoli is prominently featured in this green smoothie detox recipe. Get the recipe from Berry Maple...
Dandelion Detox Green Smoothie (Paleo, Vegan)
Featuring dandelion greens, celery and cilantro, this green smoothie recipe is unusual and vegan friendly. Get the recipe from Tasting Page...
Delicious Kale Smoothie
Kale is the hero ingredient in this green smoothie recipe. It also uses maple syrup as the sweetener. Get the recipe from Happy Kitchen Rocks...
Wake Me Up Green Smoothie Recipe
This recipe features parsley and spinach plus ginger for a little bit of bite. Get the recipe from Happy Healthy Mama...
Green Keto Smoothie Recipe with Avocado and Mint
This great detox green smoothie recipe features avocado, cilantro and mint leaves. Get the recipe from Low Card Yum...
Green Tea and Vegetable Smoothie
This recipe contains broccoli, cauliflower and green tea. Get the recipe at All Nutri Bullet Recipes...
Orange Wheatgrass Smoothie
This recipe features wheatgrass and coconut water. Get the recipe from Blender Babes...
Blender Recommendations
Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender
The Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender is a good all-round blender but a bit expensive.
However, if you’re going to have smoothies every day or more than once a day, it’s worth the investment.
Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender
NutriBullet Pro
NutriBullet Pro is a more budget-friendly blender with fewer functions but just as effective. This model also includes a hardcover recipe book.
NutriBullet Pro
Portable Travel Blenders
Finally, if you’re on the go a lot then a portable travel blender like Ninja Personal Blender or PopBabies Portable Blender is perfect.
Ninja Personal Blender
PopBabies Portable Blender
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