• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

In praise of green smoothies

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,884
Location
Lincolnshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi,

Some of us have been chuntering about green smoothies quite a lot, lately.
So I thought I would start a thread about them, to avoid derailing others.

Green smoothies are endlessly variable, but they are basically a fruit smoothie combined with mild tasting green leaves and veg. Normally the fruit would spike a type 2s blood glucose, but Many ppl have found that by combining with the veg, it keeps BG nicely low (your mileage may of course vary).
Test your own BG reaction to any green smoothie before deciding it is appropriate for you!
It may be necessary to avoid the sweeter tropical fruit (I usually use berries).

Please post any green smoothie related recipes, idea, experiences and BG levels...



http://delishknowledge.com/mix-match-green-smoothie/

http://www.greenthickies.com/how-to-freeze-spinach-for-your-green-smoothie/

http://tabletonic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/how-to-make-perfect-green-juicesmoothie.html

http://www.oatmealinmybowl.com/the-kitchen/30-delicious-green-smoothie-recipes/

 
This is one of @Rose28's:

Here's one of many variations of my delicious green smoothie.

Anti inflammatory Pineapple, Almond, Green Smoothie

1 cup of almond milk or coconut water
1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
Handful of spinach
Handful of kale, stalks removed as they can be bitter
1/2 courgette
1/2 dessert spoon each of chia seeds, flaxseeds and coconut oil
1 inch piece of ginger
Pinch of cinnamon

Add liquid to blender, top up with rest of ingredients and blend for about 45 seconds or until smooth. Timing will depend on your type of blender.
I love cold smoothies so I usually add a few ice cubes into the glass

Enjoy
 
And another from @Rose28

Here's some ideas to make green smoothies, I thought I'd start off by posting a few ingredient ideas that I've tried. I'm no expert and I'm learning all the time  So please feel free to add whatever takes your fancy and agrees with your blood sugars. I try and stick to 80% vegetables & 20% fruit ratio, and find this does keep blood sugars within range. However, I have experimented with 60:40 ratio and it all depends on choice of ingredients as to whether this causes a spike or not... So please test test test.
Eg 1 orange in a green smoothie spikes me but might not effect someone else's blood sugars! Yet I'm ok with banana, pineapple and coconut!
I know it's weird!!! 

Green Smoothie Ideas

Liquid
1 cup or 250ml of unsweetened almond milk or water or coconut water
Adjust liquid amount to your desired consistency.

Choose a minimum of 3 from this list
Handful spinach
Handful kale... remove stalk they can be bitter
1/2 courgette
1/2 cucumber
Few romaine lettuce leaves
1 peeled carrot, chopped up
1/2 pepper
1 celery stalk
1/2 avocado
Tomato

Choose maximum of 2
1 pear
1 Apple
1 peach
1 nectarine
1 cup of any berries, fresh or frozen eg, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries
1 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen
1/2 banana fresh or frozen
1 cup any melon

Next some Optional extras.

1 teaspoon Chia seeds
1 teaspoon Flaxseeds
1 teaspoon Coconut oil
1 teaspoon Fresh ginger
Small piece of lemon
Small piece of fresh aloe vera gel
Few Mint leaves
Few parsley leaves
Few coriander leaves
Few ice cubes

Then Sprinkle on some optional spices

Turmeric
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Mixed spice

Add liquid to blender, top up with your chosen ingredients and blend till smooth.
Times will depend on your blender but about 45 - 60 seconds, should be suffice.

I'd love to hear about your green smoothie combinations, what ingredients work in our favour and which don't.

Enjoy

Thanks Rose!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What a fantastic idea! I'd better get typing up some recipes then!
 
@pavlovsdog Thank you for searching for the recipes and posting them here... You're a star! xx
 
Last edited by a moderator:
pavlovsdog said:
No probs, I kept them so I could try them out. Hope you don't mind me reposting your posts
Click to expand...

Lol... No of course I don't mind ... You did me a favour ... Saved me searching for them!

I made two different smoothies today and blood sugars behaved very well.... 6.7 this evening
 
Mine every morning is a variation of:
Kale
Spinach
Cucumber
Celery
Half an avocado
Blueberries
Chia seeds
Hemp seed
Cacoa powder
Goji berries
Walnuts
Whizz in my Nutribullet, and slug back.
 
Excellent idea! Today:

Kale, from my garden so tender, stalks perfect...
Romain, from my garden...
4 large strawberries...
Small handful blueberries
1/2 stick celery...
Small baby marrow, peeled...
Chia seed...
Flax seed milled...
Cinnamon..
Super Greens...
Turmeric (for the immune system)...
Coconut milk and water...
...and it might need sweetener for some people...
Whiz in the Bullet...
 
Thank you so much for this thread. My daughter-in-law has a juicer ((Cookworks) which she bought and has only used a couple of times, for the last three years it has just sat in the cupboard, so she is giving it to me; I just have to find the time to go and get it when they are at home. She doesn't usually keep the instructions so won't have any recipes with it but now I can rely on you lot!
 
Please can you let us know which smoothie machines you
all use and prefer ?
I am looking at acquiring one .
Want an easy to clean one and not a bulky one .
As limited kitchen surface space .

Would appreciate all your tips/advice on this .
 
anna29 said:
Please can you let us know which smoothie machines you
all use and prefer ?
I am looking at acquiring one .
Want an easy to clean one and not a bulky one .
As limited kitchen surface space .

Would appreciate all your tips/advice on this .
Click to expand...
Nutri Bullet - brilliant - you get a milling blade too, for your chia and flax seed, or almond flour production... Happy smoothie making...
 
anna29 said:
Please can you let us know which smoothie machines you
all use and prefer ?
I am looking at acquiring one .
Want an easy to clean one and not a bulky one .
As limited kitchen surface space .

Would appreciate all your tips/advice on this .
Click to expand...
I have the Nutribullet, got it off ebay for £59, its just a quick sluice under the tap to clean it.
 
dawnmc said:
I have the Nutribullet, got it off ebay for £59, its just a quick sluice under the tap to clean it.
Click to expand...
Cool idea using ebay to find one cheaper
Never thought of this .
Thanks for both of your replies @dawnmc and @Susikav

I will look at the Nutribullet - it can blend as well as make the smoothies ?
 
I bought a Blendtec, gets used daily for smoothies, making almond milk, butters, dips, sauces ... List goes on...
Washes out easily but the only disadvantage I've found is that ... It is very loud
 
I use a Vitamix.
Not cheap understatement of the year!
But it is fantastic - see this thread

But I've heard that the Nutribullet is an excellent option, and takes up less counter top...

Basically you are looking for a blender powerful enough that it pulverises the fruit and veg.
Vitamix make a big thing about their uber horsepower motor and blunt blades, which smash the cell wall to release every last bit of nutrition. No idea if that is a valid claim, but a proper green smoothie should be velvety smooth and have a bit of froth on top. Floaty bits, whole seeds and lumps mean your blender just doesn't cut it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
anna29 said:
Cool idea using ebay to find one cheaper
Never thought of this .
Thanks for both of your replies @dawnmc and @Susikav

I will look at the Nutribullet - it can blend as well as make the smoothies ?
Click to expand...
It is very powerful and can do most things... crush ice etc...
 
Rose28 said:
I bought a Blendtec, gets used daily for smoothies, making almond milk, butters, dips, sauces ... List goes on...
Washes out easily but the only disadvantage I've found is that ... It is very loud
Click to expand...
You make almond milk? Wow, how? They're all loud...
 
Susikav said:
It is very powerful and can do most things... crush ice etc...
Click to expand...
Really crush ice too ?
Ooh I must get one for sure now .
Love drinks with crushed ice in them plus lemon slices in .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…