Green Smoothies Can Help You Look 10 Years Younger
Did you know that drinking green smoothies is one of the best ways to slow down aging? These beverages are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, beta-carotene, and antioxidants that protect your skin from oxidative damage and help reduce wrinkles. They also keep you hydrated and nourish your cells, leading to youthful skin and thicker, fuller hair.
Green Smoothies: The Beauty Secret Every Woman Should Know
Nowadays, turning back the clock is easier than ever. The store shelves are packed with antioxidant-rich foods that help reverse aging and promote optimum health. Whether you want to look younger, live longer, or have more energy, the answer is at your fingertips. Simple lifestyle habits, such as drinking one green smoothie a day, can change the way you look and feel.
Green smoothies have long been used for their natural detox properties. These concoctions contain powerful ingredients that fight to age and reduce the damage caused by free radicals. For instance, blackberries, one of the key ingredients in green smoothies, boast high antioxidant and vitamin levels. These nutrients delay the aging process and help flush out the toxins that affect skin appearance and overall health.
Flax seeds, almond butter, and coconut oil are rich in good fats with anti-inflammatory properties, such as omega-3s. Studies indicate that monounsaturated fats increase moisture in the skin and reverse the signs of aging. Green smoothies may also contain wheatgrass, chlorella, and spirulina, which are great sources of chlorophyll. This phytochemical helps activate anti-aging responses in your body and fights oxidative stress.
Prevent Wrinkles Naturally with Green Smoothies
Drinking green smoothies can take years off your face and boost your energy naturally. Mix and match ingredients to the full reap their benefits and get more nutrients in your diet. Use blueberries, lemon juice, chia seeds, spinach, coconut water, mango, avocado, green tea, pineapple, cocoa powder, and other foods with anti-aging properties.
For optimum results, eat clean and cut down on junk food. Sip on green smoothies between meals, or use them as a meal substitute. Consider fasting with smoothies once a week to give your digestive system a break and accelerate healing. Try different smoothie recipes to keep your diet varied and discover new flavors.
Boost Your Energy with Green Smoothies
Feeling tired and weak? Want to beat the afternoon slump? All you need is a green smoothie! Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, this beverage boosts your energy instantly. It’s much healthier than caffeine and has none of its side effects. In the long run, green smoothies can relieve chronic fatigue, improve health and longevity, and keep you fit.
Why You’re Tired All the Time
In today’s fast-paced world, millions of people are struggling with fatigue, tiredness, and low energy. Sleep deprivation isn’t always the culprit. Long work hours, dehydration, bad eating, nutrient deficiencies, and stress can drain your energy and affect overall health.
Studies have found that women with levels of iron, magnesium, or vitamin B12 are more likely to experience fatigue. Another possible cause is lack of exercise. Working out helps reduce cortisol production, which improves your mood and energy levels. However, this doesn’t mean you should spend hours in the gym. Too much exercise is just as bad as no exercise at all.
Are Green Smoothies the Key to All Day Energy?
Most people reach for coffee, energy drinks, or sugary snacks to ward off fatigue, which is a big mistake. Drinking three or more cups of coffee a day increases stress hormone levels and affects your sleep. Energy drinks and desserts are loaded with sugar, causing blood glucose spikes followed by crushes. Green smoothies, on the other hand, have natural energy-boosting properties and support optimal health.
The best smoothies to increase your energy should provide vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants. These nutrients are found in most fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, grapefruit, spinach, kale, berries, and bananas. You can also add ginger, ground red pepper, mint, green tea, and other energy boosters. Keep it simple, blend well, and enjoy the flavor!
How Green Smoothies Improve Digestion and Boost Gut Health
Feeling bloated and full? Struggling with indigestion, gas, or stomach pain? If so, green smoothies can help! These nutritious concoctions balance gut flora, improve digestion, and keeps things moving through your GI tract. The key is to combine the right ingredients in the right doses. For instance, if you’re lactose intolerant, refrain from adding yogurt or milk to your smoothies.
Fight Digestive Troubles with Green Smoothies
Most foods nowadays are packed with chemicals that affect digestive health. A hectic lifestyle, stress, and sleep deprivation only make things worse. Even seemingly healthy foods, such as yogurt and grains, can wreak havoc on your digestive system, causing bloating, constipation, and heartburn. Additionally, the toxins in food, air, and water build up in your system, putting you at risk for colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, nutrient deficiencies, and other life-threatening conditions.
Research shows that green smoothies can restore gut flora and keep the digestive system running smoothly. These beverages are a blessing for people with irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other digestive disorders. They are much easier to digest and break down compared to solid food, which allows your body to quickly absorb the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Certain fruits and veggies that are commonly used in smoothies feed healthy gut bacteria and keep you regular.
How to Make Digestive Friendly Smoothies
Drinking green smoothies is a good way to give your digestive system a break. Many nutritionists recommend replacing one meal a day with smoothies to improve digestive health. When making smoothies, use probiotic-rich foods, such as yogurt and kefir, or add probiotic supplements to the mix. Avoid dairy if you’re lactose intolerant. Replace milk and its derivates with coconut or almond milk.
Start the day with a green smoothie to keep things moving and eliminate toxins. Mix ingredients that aid in digestion, such as ginger, cinnamon, berries, kale, spinach, flax seeds or flax oil, coconut oil, and aloe vera juice. Flax seeds prevent constipation and fight inflammation. Ginger relieves nausea and stabilizes your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon helps your body break down sugars, boosts metabolism, and reduces bloating.
Green Smoothies: Your Secret Weapon for a Strong Immune System
A strong immune system is crucial to your health. Even the smallest problem affecting immune function can leave you vulnerable to diseases. Your body has an amazing ability to fight infections, viruses, and bacteria. However, this natural defense mechanism can become weaker because of aging, bad eating, and certain medications. Crash diets are often the culprit behind poor immunity.
Factors That Weaken Your Immune System
From stress and sleep deprivation to nutrient deficiencies, there are several factors that may affect your immune system. For instance, pesticide residues in food, chlorine, and fluoride are notorious for their impact on immunity. Another common cause is vitamin C deficiency, which typically affects those who don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Certain drugs, such as cough mixtures and antibiotics, can weaken immune function too.
Your body’s defense mechanism may also suffer because of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, overwork, excessive exercise, and mental trauma. Negative emotions, such as anger and worry, leave your immune system vulnerable to illness.
It is also important to note that your digestive system is directly related to immune health. Most of your immune system is in your gut. So if you suffer from digestive problems, your immune system can be impacted. Fortunately, a diet rich in fresh produce is your best defense against these factors. Green smoothies are incredibly beneficial due to their high nutrient levels.
A Healthy and Tasty Way to Boost Immunity
Drinking green smoothies is one of the best ways to boost your immune system. These healthy beverages preserve all of the nutrients in fruits and veggies, fueling your body. Additionally, they are easy to digest, pack a lot of fiber, and taste amazing. Green smoothies can instantly quench your thirst and invigorate your senses.
The chlorophyll in these beverages has natural immune-boosting properties. Green smoothies also contain potent antioxidants that scavenge free radicals and reduce the damage they have caused. To fully reap their benefits, use organic fruits and greens. This will limit your exposure to pesticides and herbicides. Choose ingredients that support healthy immune function, such as kale, hemp seeds, turmeric, wheatgrass, chlorella, lime, blueberries, blackberries, carrots, and ginger.
Green Smoothies Recipes
Avocado Smoothie Recipe
Avocado adds luscious creaminess and loads of nutrients to this cool, refreshing Vietnamese specialty. It’s best served icy cold, straight from the blender.
Step 1
Cut avocado in half lengthwise; discard pit. Scoop pulp from avocado halves into blender. Add almond milk and next 3 ingredients (through lime juice); process until smooth. Top each serving with toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
Step 2
To your Health Avocados give you a dose of heart-healthy nutrients: Their monounsaturated fats and fiber help lower cholesterol.
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado 2 cups sweetened almond milk 1 cup crushed ice 1/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon chopped slivered almonds, toasted
Nutritional Information
Calories 142 Caloriesfromfat 0.0% Fat 7.6g Satfat 0.9g Monofat 4.4g Polyfat 0.9g Protein 2.7g Carbohydrate 17g Fiber 3.3g Cholesterol 2mg Iron 0.4mg Sodium 79mg Calcium 129mg
Yield
Serves 5 (serving size: about 3/4 cup smoothie and about 1/2 teaspoon almonds)
Anti-Aging Antioxidant Smoothie Recipe
Free radicals damage your skin, your organs, and beat down your immune system. The antioxidants in the vegetables in this smoothie are known for their ability to kill free radicals that cause cancer, wrinkles, age spots and other skin issues, mental problems associated with aging that we call “senior moments”, and other age-related health problems. You should get 3 to 4 cups out of this recipe.
Tweaks: If you want a sweeter flavor, add a half of an orange or an entire green apple. Just remember to add water as well, to get the desired texture. Using vegetables that are as fresh as possible will lead to a higher water yield from your produce, and more nutrients.
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup asparagus
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 cups chamomile tea
Instructions
• Place 1 cup of chamomile tea in your blender along with your arugula, garlic and spinach. Blend well.
• Add your second cup of tea. Blend, slowly adding your broccoli and asparagus.
• Blend until the desired consistency is achieved. Depending on the quality of your vegetables, you may have to add a little purified, filtered water.
Nutrition per 1 cup – 13 cal, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 14 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 4 g carbohydrates
Vegan Green Citrus Smoothie Recipe
Vegans and vegetarians usually know what they’re doing when it comes to making smoothies or juices. If you are new to either the vegan lifestyle or making smoothies, this recipe combines vitamin C from oranges and grapefruit, and blends them with healthy fiber, antioxidants and other wonderful nutrients and minerals from watercress and kale.
Tweaks: For a heavier vegetable base, swap out one of your oranges with a cup or two of your favorite leafy green vegetable. Depending on the size of your produce, you may need to add more water than this recipe calls for.
Ingredients
• 1 cup kale leaves
• 1 cup watercress
• 1 grapefruit, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 2 oranges, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 cup purified, filtered water
Instructions
• Add half of your water to your blender, mixing in your watercress, kale and grapefruit. Blend well.
• Add the rest of your water, slowly adding in your banana and oranges. Blend well.
• You may want to add a little more water, coconut water or coconut milk to get the texture you are looking for.
Nutrition per 1 cup – 95 cal, 0 g fat, 3 g protein, 6 mg sodium, 6 g fiber, 24 g carbohydrates
Green Tea Weight Loss Smoothie Recipe
A common reason for drinking smoothies is to lose weight. Green tea is full of fat-burning antioxidants that can ramp up your weight loss, especially if you combine it with other healthy foods like in this metabolism boosting smoothie. Instead of water or milk, you are going to be using green tea as the liquid. You should get 3 or 4 cups out of this recipe.
Tweaks: Always try to use purified, filtered water whenever you can. Make sure you purchase organic, high quality green tea bags. If you’re a purist, you can buy ground green tea leaves and skip the tea bags. Tea bags are super convenient, however, and make the process easier and quicker. You will get more healthy nutrients and minerals from your green tea if you let it steep for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
Ingredients
• 1 cup watercress
• 1 lemon, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 2 cups cantaloupe, seeds and rind removed
• 1 cup of raspberries
• 2 cups of freshly brewed green tea
Instructions
• Add 1 cup of tea to your blender, followed by your watercress, lemon and raspberries. Blend well.
• Add the remaining cup of tea, continuing to blend. Add cantaloupe and blend well.
Nutrition per 1 cup – 50 cal, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 18 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 12 g carbohydrates
Good Morning Greenie Recipe
This is an excellent breakfast smoothie that you can use any time throughout the day as well. Spinach and green apples are your green go-to ingredients here, and this basic recipe is going to yield anywhere between 3 and 4 cups. Packed with minerals, vitamins and essential amino acids, this particular smoothie is just as nutritious as it is delicious.
Tweaks: If you are new to making green smoothies, it might be difficult to get used to the taste. This particular smoothie tastes amazing to most people, but you can always add flaxseed, Chia seeds, walnuts or almonds, kale, romaine lettuce and any other vegetables or fruits to experiment for just the right flavor. You also may want to add a little more water or another healthy liquid if you don’t like your smoothies thick.
Ingredients
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, preferably organic
• 2 green apples, peeled, cored and diced or sliced
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup purified or filtered water (replace with your favorite almond milk, coconut milk or coconut water for a healthy flavor boost)
Instructions
• Add 1/2 cup of your water to your blender, along with your spinach leaves. Blend well.
• Add banana and remaining water, blending well.
• Slowly add green apples, blending until the desired texture is achieved.
Nutrition per 1 cup – 90 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 10 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 22 g carbohydrates