A Beginner's Guide to Green Smoothies

Looking for a way to squeeze some extra raw vegetables into your diet? Green smoothies are the perfect solution!

If you’ve never had one before, it can take a little while to get acclimated to the green smoothie. Here are some tips to get you going.

The Basics

To get started, you’ll need something for the base of your smoothie. Bananas or avocados work really well for this. On top of that, you’ll toss your choice of fresh or frozen fruit, a few ice cubes, and your greens. Fill out the smoothie with your favorite milk (dairy or non-dairy), and you’re ready to whirl! Blend everything up really well, and enjoy!

When you’re just getting started, don’t push it with the greens. I’ll explain why in the next section.

Green Content

The key is to increase the amount of greens over time. If you try to make your very first smoothie half greens and half fruit, you’re probably not going to enjoy it. Take things slowly, and you’re more likely to stick with it!

To start, you’ll probably just want to use one leaf of kale or Swiss chard with the rib removed or a small handful of baby spinach. As your palette gets used to the greens, though, you’ll be able to reduce the fruit and up the amount of healthy greens in each serving. Before you know it, you’ll be grabbing handfuls of greens and using only a few small pieces of fruit to flesh things out.

Variations

Part of the fun of a green smoothie is experimenting. Try adding different types of fruit or different leafy greens. Here are some smoothie combinations I’ve really dug:

banana + kale + frozen mango + almond milk
banana + spinach + pineapple + coconut milk
avocado + romaine lettuce + frozen blackberries + almond milk
banana + Swiss chard + frozen strawberries + coconut milk
banana + parsley + pineapple + almond milk

I don’t know about you, but a smoothie on its own leaves me hungry way before lunch time. For a heartier beverage, try adding a tablespoon or two of flax meal. Nut butters like peanut, almond, or cashew also help add some calories and fat to keep you full longer.

Some of you are probably green smoothie fans already! Do you have a favorite combination? I’d love to hear your smoothie recipes in the comments!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Natural Mom

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kenneth D.

11:55AM PDT on Apr 30, 2012

noted

send a green star

Danuta W.

12:22AM PST on Feb 13, 2012

Thanks for the article.

Lost A.

8:50PM PST on Feb 12, 2012

Thanks.

Melinda offline K.

4:35PM PST on Feb 12, 2012

Just a note to some of the comments, you shouldn't add apple seeds because they contain arsenic! Thanks for the great ideas for the green smoothie, yet to try it but want to. Do you have to have a vitamix to successfully make it?

Heather M.

9:00AM PDT on Oct 14, 2011

The healthiest green smoothies are those that use only fresh fruits and veggies (no need for dairy products or even ice).

Green smoothies changed my life - they improved my health so much, I can't even express. I wouldn't give them up for anything!

I explain in more detail on my website how to prepare green smoothies that are delicious and that are fruit and veggie only:

http://www.my-healthy-eating-secrets.com/green-smoothie.html

Jo A.

9:13PM PDT on Sep 21, 2011

Even though I'm not a beginner anymore, this article is still helpful! Thanks!

Jennifer C.

12:38AM PDT on Aug 4, 2011

Great article. Thanks.

Jamie J.

3:36PM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

I've never tried either almond milk or coconut milk, but from the sounds of it I really should. Does regular 2% milk make the smoothie taste different?

Loo S.

10:33PM PDT on Jul 20, 2011

thanks for sharing.

Val G.

11:47AM PDT on Jul 17, 2011

Thank you Becky!!
:) added to my favorites.