Good morning, green thing

Some time ago, I started reading about green smoothies. Green smoothies are pretty popular among the raw food community, who blend smoothies several times a day. I did also entertain the idea of going raw,  butI felt it was too big a commitment for me. I wasn't (and, maybe, won't be) ready. My diet may be quite heavily plant-based, but I also love meat and seafood on those not-so-often occasions when I indulge!

Anyway, I've been making green smoothies for quite a while, so I thought I'd pen this down. If anything, I thought it'd be a great way get some of my necessary daily servings of plants. Basically, all you need to do is blend raw vegetables with fruit. Easy! What you see below is a shot of the things that go into my typical green smoothie. Some greens, a banana usually (make the smoothie, um, smoother than fruits like apples), two pieces of dates and water. If I go for apples, I usually add a bit of honey to the mix. Just a tiny amount, less than half a teaspoon.

I go for organic vegetables for my smoothies, and non-organic vegetables for cooking since they are still pretty expensive. No particular reason, just that I feel better about it. A $2.30 pack of organic vegetables is usually enough for 5 smoothies, so that's fine by me.

If you want a lift to your green smoothie, try adding in cacao powder sometimes! Recently, I bought a pack of organic raw cacao powder, and it makes my smoothies a lot more yummy. It feels almost decadent.

Something I learned along the way is that it's important to rotate your vegetables. Avoid using the same type of vegetables longer than a week to be on the safe side. That's because certain vegetables contain high amounts of oxalates, which can lead to calcium oxalate crystals in the body. Yup, kidney stones. I avoid spinach in particularly because it's got one of the highest oxalate content. Cooked or otherwise, spinach is not something you should eat too often. Hmm, did Popeye have kidney stones? I wonder.

Okay, I've also found out that kailan (aka Chinese broccoli) is high in oxalates too, so it's not recommended either. So go for bok choy and chye sim. Another thing that some people caution about is to avoid too much contact of your green smoothies with the teeth. I prefer to be on the side of caution, so I drink up with a straw.

Green smoothies are recommended on an empty stomach, so I take it first them in the morning. I love them! They are great wake-me-up food in the morning as I get started on my work. And, really, they taste better than you'd think. Try to get a 40:60 ratio for vegetables and fruit, and you won't go wrong.

Here's to good health!

Got your own green smoothie recipes? Share them here.