My husband works in the corporate world, so he does not have a blog. But, he does share the same Real Food lifestyle with me and he is very into fitness as well. During the 60 Day Challenge I needed some help getting a blog post out every day. He decided to help me out and add in his fitness expertise for Fitness Fridays. The post below is all about the Green Drink that he makes every day before he works out and how much it benefits his health.
(P.S. I totally got him started drinking this Green Drink, even if he says otherwise.)
And now…..
The Power of the “Green Drink”
I’m 32 years old and have been extremely active my whole life with sports and weightlifting. It wasn’t until about four years ago when I discovered just how much of a positive effect starting my day off with a Green Drink can be.
A few reasons why I start my day off with the Green Drink:
It certainly beats coffee: I use to drink lots of coffee in the morning. Besides the obvious caffeine blast, the “Meat Head” “Bro- Science” I heard and read about told me that caffeine will help you burn more calories and be leaner. But it looks like the negatives may out-weight the positives. Some of coffee and caffeine’s main disadvantages are: dehydration, decreased appetite, inhibited absorption of nutrients, exhausted adrenals, and accelerated aging.
Green Drinks are alkaline: When you wake up in the morning your body is on the acidic side (Normal pH is around 7.40) due mainly to anabolic process (muscle repair). Vegetables are naturally alkaline and they help return your body to normal pH which in turn allows your body to focus on repairing itself.
I’ve never once said “Hmmm, I’m hungry. I could sure go for a salad”: By drinking a Green Drink I can get a good portion of my vegetable servings in. Plus, Green Drinks are more bio-available (thank you Vitamix!) and you absorb more vitamins and minerals.
Dude, you need more than just protein: Vegetables contain tons of vitamins and minerals that are critical for proper and efficient muscle contractions, inflammation control, blood cell production and much more.
Ton O’ Fiber: Your abs will look amazing! It wasn’t until I started with the Green Drinks, more specifically the fiber of whole foods, that I saw full benefits. Plus, of course, all the other things fiber is essential for like regulating sugar absorption, satiety, gastrointestinal health, and cancer prevention.
Green Drink
There are so many health benefits of the "green drink." It's a tasty beverage to start your day with or enjoy as a snack.
Ingredients
- 10 oz of your favorite fresh organic leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine, arugula, chard)
- 1 lemon or lime
- 2 bananas
- 2 cups water
- 3 carrots
- 1 apple
Instructions
1. Blend on high until liquefied.
2. Drink immediately.
3. It's best within 30 minutes of being made, but you can keep it up to two days in the fridge.
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14 Replies to “The Power of the “Green Drink””
I usually make my green smoothie with: hand full of kale, handful of blueberries, banana hemp or pea protein powder, half a glass of water and some ice. Its easier to blend if you have a cheaper blender and has less prep time. Just curious, doesnt the guy lemon, lime and apple make it more acidic?
Good question: Interestingly enough lemons/limes are alkaline forming, so no they actually make it more alkaline.
I do 3 cups of spinach, 1 banana (frozen to make it cold) 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of mango. It is so yummy! I can’t start my day with out a green drink! I alternate the greens and the fruit.
Judy, my husband can’t go to the gym without his green drink first. He is not a huge leafy greens eater and the other day he forgot to make his drink, so he shoved about 2 cups of spinach down the hatch on his way out the door. Quite the sight to see, but he needed that green before the gym!
It just makes you feel so good that you are putting good stuff in your body! My husband started me on this kick!
That’s wonderful!
Great post! My husband and I have been juicing the Mean Green juice (just as a supplement only) recipe from “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” on and off over the last year. I just recently heard about the Vitamix, but I already invested in my juicer, which was not cheap! I get fiber into my diet from other sources. Is this green drink similar to what we’re already doing?
Sounds like the same thing we are doing. Except, we use a Vitamix so its not technically juicing, the fiber remains in the drink
Thanks for the recipe!! I just finished making it and am sitting down to nurse the baby while I enjoy it. Mm-mm! My bananas are all frozen so it is nice and chilly, which is perfect for this hot day …
Great food for makin’ milk! I made a green drink today with beets, celery, carrots and kombucha. Should turn into some good milk for my little guy 🙂
I have a Blendtec which is very comparable to the Vitamix.Do you just throw the whole lemon in, rind and all? 🙂 thank you.
It has to be an organic lemon, but yes I throw it all in 🙂
I have never made a green drink, but my husband and I want to start making them. We have a ninja blender.. Would this work? Not sure if the Vitamix is very different.. I love your blog! Thank you for your advice!