5 Tips for Great Tasting Green Smoothies

Thanks again ladies for having me on the Global Regina Morning News show this morning! I had so much fun sharing my healthy tips for making great tasting green smoothies! We didn't get all the way through to tip 5 on the show but I have listed all of the steps below for you follow.
If you follow these steps you're sure to end up with a great tasting green smoothie!

(click here to watch the VIDEO CLIP--> http://globalnews.ca/video/611497/health-coach-ashley-clark

Don't be scared of the green color, green smoothies can actually taste great! Green smoothies are a super-nutrient-packed beverage made of raw leafy green vegetables blended with fresh and/or frozen fruit and water. Typical greens used in green smoothies include kale, spinach, swiss chard, cucumber, celery, collard greens, bok choy, parsley, cilantro and more. I drink a green smoothie for breakfast almost every day as a way to get more greens in my diet. 

Greens are important because they are the most nutrient dense foods, meaning that they contain a high amount of vitamins and minerals, fibre and antioxidants that help strengthen the blood and respiratory system. They are also high-alkaline foods. The alkaline minerals in our bodies are used to neutralize acidic conditions caused by the environment. Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K. They are loaded with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. 

Blending your greens helps your body with the absorption of all these great vitamins and minerals found in them by busting open the plant's cell walls exposing these nutrients. The amount of greens in a large salad takes me an hour to properly chew them to break open the cell walls. *It's still important to chew your green smoothies for proper digestion! 

I've played around with different combinations, finding that not all green smoothies are created equal in taste so I've created a list of 5 tips for beginners to achieve great tasting green smoothies!

5 Tips for Great Tasting Green Smoothies

1. Start small - a typical green smoothie is 60% fruit and 40% greens, but you don't have to start out using this much. Start with using one small handful of spinach or one big leaf of kale - de-stemmed - and gradually adding more in until you are using 40% greens. De-stemming the kale is important for great tasting green smoothies as the stem makes the smoothie bitter and unpleasant.

2. Stick to one green - When starting out, it's best to stick to one green at a time for a great tasting green smoothie. I recommend spinach and kale to beginners and you can use baby kale if you like. I find spinach especially blends well and kale has little taste when blended well with sweet fruit.

3. Use sweet fruits - sweet fruits like banana, mango, cherries, pineapple, grapes, peaches, blueberries and pitted medjool dates taste great in green smoothies. They will make your green smoothie naturally sweet and help mask the taste of the greens. Fruits like strawberries, raspberries, apples, lemons, and grapefruit are not as sweet and are best used in combination with sweeter fruits if you would like to add them. You can also use a combination of fresh and frozen fruits depending on the availability but I always stick to fruits that are in season as they are more nutrient-packed and cheaper to purchase.

4. Try coconut water - substituting coconut water for water adds so much sweetness and flavor to your green smoothies as well as electrolytes like potassium which are essential for proper hydration. I definitely recommend cracking up a young thai coconut or buying organic coconut water from your local health food store. (Taste Nirvana and Harmless Harvest are my favorite brands!) Coconut water taste especially great with tropical fruits like banana, mango, pineapple and oranges.

5. Keep it simple - You don't have to throw in ten different things to get a great tasting green smoothie. Some of the recipes on the internet might be intimidating using ingredients like maca powder, spirulina, raw cacao, chlorella and other fancy superfoods that you don't necessarily need. I actually find that the simpler the ingredients- the better my green smoothie tastes! Some examples of great tasting, simple sweet green smoothies are:

Simple Green Smoothies using kale or spinach:
-Bananas, coconut water and greens
-Mango, cherry, coconut water, greens
-Bananas, blueberries and greens
-Mango, banana, coconut water and greens
-Frozen banana, pineapple, dates, coconut water and greens
-Blueberry, banana, mango and greens
-Mango, peach, coconut water and greens
-Mango, blueberry, cherry, coconut water, greens

More adventurous green smoothies:
-Mango, coconut water, lime and cilantro
-Cucumber, mint, pear, spinach and dates
-Apples, dates, coconut water, spinach and cinnamon
-Strawberry, pineapple, orange, coconut water, kale
-Bananas, celery and coconut water
-Peaches, dates, coconut water, kale, cinnamon, ginger

* Bonus tip - adding blueberries turns your green smoothie into a purple smoothie - which is great if you have picky eaters in your family and are trying to get them to eat more greens. Also, if you like to add milk to your smoothies, try substituting regular milk for almond milk. Almonds are a natural source of calcium and almond milk tastes great when added to green smoothies.

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lots of love and fresh squeezed hugs!

Naturally Ashley, 

xo

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