Green smoothies have become a popular way to get more fresh fruit and veggies and all their wonderful parts into our diets. If you aren't sold, you should try one! As if more produce wasn't reason enough in itself, when we do this we are sneaking in all the fiber, extra water and phytonutrients that come with them for very minimal effort. My kids have grown up associating a glass like this with sweet deliciousness instead of "yuck,green!".
TIP: If you have a hard time with the color, try putting it in a colored cup and drink with a straw, or just add blueberries for a lovely shade of purple every time.
Unless your veggies are fried or coated in a not-so-good-fat dressing, we want LOTS of them in your diet. Making smoothies is one easy and creative way to quickly put the raw, fresh version straight into your body.
My recipe: I use a full size blender filled with about 2 cups of water, a big handful or two of greens, some ice or frozen fruit to chill and then top off with fresh fruit. The secret ingredient I like to add to make the most of the iron in my greens is coconut milk.
I buy it in a liter box from Costco (I like the So Delicious brand). Doesn't that just add extra fat calories you ask? It does, but coconut fat is special - medium chain fatty acids like what is in breast milk - good for the human body; joint, skin, hair, brain, etc. That in itself is a topic for another day.
So yes, I want to add coconut oil to my diet as a supplement, but specifically with my greens? Absolutely! Part of what makes them green is the iron. Quick story - during my pregnancies I suffered from a mild case of anemia, which means lack of iron in the blood. In real life that means there weren't enough little molecules roaming around my bloodstream to carry the oxygen fast enough for me. For example, if I stood up too quickly my brain would take a quick brake (the little oxygen was going to my muscles instead), and my vision would go black, hearing would temporarily disappear, and if I was lucky I could steady myself on a chair or a wall until it returned in a few seconds, or feel my way down to the floor without fainting. That's a fun side note, and hopefully one you have never experienced, but the point is that ABSORBING the iron from my diet was very important for my body. It is for most women in general.
Greens are a great source of iron - more on that is coming. And according to a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry research article "iron utilization and iron absorbtion was greater in diets in which the fat was supplied as coconut oil". A stimulating read to be sure, but the point is that you'll actually use the iron from your diet better when combined with coconut oil. So why not pack one more punch in that smoothie? Yay for good fats!
So take a risk and try it out. My bet is you'll enjoy the creamy texture it adds and you'll feel good about your food choice all day!
ps-
If you love medical data and studies here is the link of the article - enjoy!
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60198a036
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