Monday, March 17, 2008

SuperGreens Morning Smoothie

Here is a morning greens beverage that I enjoy:

1 heaping teaspoon Spirulina Powder
1 heaping teaspoon Wheatgrass/Barleygrass Powder
3-4 small apples, juiced in Jack La Lanne Juicer, the Juicer I recommend in my 14 Day Cleansing Programs.
Small piece of ginger, juiced.

I juice the ginger and apples, then mix everything in my Vitamix with a couple of ice cubes. Great way to start the day.

Why don't I start my day with a traditional Victoria Boutenko Green Smoothie? The beginning of the day is a time to be very gentle on digestion. The time for assimilation and detoxification is from 4am - 12pm. So, the morning time is a good time to rest the digestive system. The pure juice and greens powder are easier to digest than all the pulp and fiber in a traditional Green Smoothie. I have also found that sometimes the kale or spinach with a mango or other fruit personally spikes my blood sugar too high in the morning. I actually do better with a Green Smoothie in the 3-4pm time, when I need a snack and energy lift.

I also want to mention that that calcium value of wheatgrass, barleygrass and spirulina may do more for building bones than kale, collards or chard. That is only because these also contain oxalic acid. This decreases the absorption of calcium. Additionally, David Wolfe recently visited Portland and reminded us of something very important about greens powders. The simple is beautiful: SURFACE AREA. Yes, think about the surface area of spirulina that can be exposed to our digestive system. This means that we are more likely to absorb and use the nutrients than in kale or collards. It is true, though, that making kale or similar greens in a Vitamix does break them down signficantly, bu the powders will prevail here.

The ginger balances nicely against the coolness of the greens. It also helps to increase the digestion of the greens. Stomach acid needs to be strong to properly digest greens. Interestingly, the chlorophyll in the greens promotes strong stomach acid.

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