Green Food & Green Smoothies

Green smoothies have become a daily part of my life. I start every morning off with a pint (or more) of green juice (kale, spinach, mangos, strawberries, bananas and water). I alter the greens and the fruit. My greens usually consist of kale, spinach and collards - that's my standard. I like to mix it up by sometimes substituting or combining arugula and dandelion greens.

I love the way I feel after consuming my green juice. I feel refreshed and energized. I also love the fact that I'm getting more than the recommended serving each day. What's not to like -- I'm consuming dark leafy greens and fruit! That's better than any box of cereal or breakfast bar.

Dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of many vitamins and minerals the body needs to stay healthy, like vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium. They are also great sources of fiber. The darker the leaves, the more nutrients the vegetable usually has.

I like to add three big handfuls of kale and then one handful of spinach. I'm not exactly sure how many cups of greens I'm consuming each day. That would be interesting to find out.

Nutrition Facts for Dark Leafy Greens: Serving size = 1/2 cup
Calcium // Fiber // Iron
Arugula 16 mg // 0.2 g // 0.2 mg
Chicory 90 mg // 3.6 g // 0.8 mg
Collard Greens // 26 mg // 0.6 g // 0.0 mg
Dandelion Greens // 51 mg // 1.0 g // 0.9 mg
Kale 45 mg //0.7 g // 0.6 mg
Mustard Greens 29 mg // 0.9 g // 0.4 mg
Spinach 15 mg //0.3 g // 0.4 mg
Swiss Chard 9.2 mg // 0.3 g // 0.3 mg

To give my green juice a a little kick- I've added a tablespoon of Vitamineral Green to each batch. I've been researching this product and other green powders for some time. I finally walked into my favorite market - Harry's Farmers Market (Whole Foods Market ) to look around. I couldn't find it on the shelf so I asked a nearby associate who told me that they didn't carry it but wish they did. He also told me how great the stuff is and that it is by far superior than anything they had on the shelf. He sent me across the street to Life Grocery - my other favorite health food market / co-op. I'm glad I was able to talk with him and hear first hand the benefits he received from Vitamineral Green.

When I got home I was eager to make a batch of juice. Vitamineral Green is wildcrafted and 100% pure - it's 100% superfood consisting of:

Land vegetables – whole leaf barley grass, whole leaf wheat grass, nettle leaf, shavegrass (horsetail), alfalfa leaf juice, dandelion leaf juice, kamut grass juice, barley grass juice, oat grass juice, burdock root, broccoli juice, kale juice, spinach juice, parsley juice, carob pod, ginger root, nopal cactus, amla berry

Algaes – spirulina, broken cell wall chlorella
Wildcrafted aquatic vegetables – Icelandic kelp, Nova Scotia dulse

Enzymes – protease, amylase + lipase, cellulase, bromelain, papain, alpha glalctosidase

My juice was yummy. I could taste it in my drink but it wasn't overpowering. My little girl was able to drink it (even though she did prefer the juice without the vitamineral greens). However, it didn't stop her from finishing her glass and then asking for some of mine.

I will write more after I've been able to feel the power of the green food in my juice. I'll never know the true effects of chemotherapy on my body. But right now, all I want to do is cleanse, nourish, and rebuild myself from the inside out.