As most of you know, Judith is a Graves' patient currently in remission with the help of dietary and lifestyle changes. Here's her recipe, in her own words, for her dark green smoothie.
Instructions for Daily Intense Dark Green Smoothie Recipe
It's tart, sweet and spicy, a mouth-watering zinger (IT'S MY ROCKET FUEL! :D) I've fine-tuned it to my liking since I first started making them in 2008. I wish to stress to any readers there are NO RULES to making these smoothies or juices! Part of the fun is experimentation and my hope is people out there get excited, there are no mistakes, it's trial and error, that people feel free to create their own recipes and find what works for them. Beginners might prefer to start out using more fruit and less greens, then over time pack in more greens. I just encourage people to start where they are (because that's the only place to start!) Incidentally the actual color of my smoothie is more like a purplish-green due to the berries.
I can't always afford to buy everything organic unfortunately, but there are a few things I believe MUST be organic in recipe below -
all green leaves, the orange (since I'm eating the peel), and berries since it's a known fact that pesticides used in berry patches are particularly toxic and difficult to wash off.
MY DAILY INTENSE DARK GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE:
I divided my ingredient list into groups -
DARK GREENS, FRUIT, SUCCULENT, ROOTS, HEALTHY FATS, GROUND SPICES, SEA VEGETATION, UNSWEETENED DARK RED JUICE, KEFIR.
Below each group I include some notes to explain stuff.
I place all ingredients below from all the groups into my blender in no particular order, and blend up until smooth!
01. DARK GREENS (ALL ORGANIC):
- SPINACH, ONE CUP PACKED
- KALE, ONE LARGE LEAF (OR SEVERAL SMALL) CENTER SPINE REMOVED
- COLLARD GREENS, ONE LARGE LEAF (OR SEVERAL SMALL) CENTER SPINE REMOVED
Note:
Organic greens only! I'm on a budget like everyone else but pesticides cannot be washed from greens so I insist on organic.
I sometimes remove the tough center spine in the larger leaves but leave 'em in in the younger more tender leaves.
02. FRUIT:
- JUICE ORANGE, ONE WHOLE, INCLUDE THE PEEL! (ORGANIC)
- LEMON, ONE WHOLE, PEEL REMOVED
- LIME, ONE WHOLE, PEEL REMOVED
- BLUEBERRIES FROZEN, 1/2 CUP (ORGANIC)
- RASPBERRIES FROZEN, 1/2 CUP (ORGANIC)
Note:
I buy the berries fresh and store 'em in the freezer, makes my smoothie nice 'n cold (and there's no rush in using 'em up!)
Orange peel and the white pith have a different nutrient profile than the meat of the fruit, including orange essential oil.
Citrus fruit (including peel) is VERY good for the organs.
03. SUCCULENT:
- ALOE VERA, REMOVE PEEL TO GET TO THE INNER GEL FILET, ABOUT A 2 BY 2 INCH CHUNK
Note:
Hippocrates has been quoted as saying “death sits in the bowels” and “bad digestion is the root of all evil”.
This explains why Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses so much on digestion.
Aloe Vera does amazing things to heal the GI tract, is soothing to the intestines and reduces inflammation.
Aloe is impossible to eat by itself because it tastes very bitter, but when added to the smoothie it imparts wonderful tartness
and balances well with all the citrus and berries.
04. ROOTS:
- GINGER ROOT, CHUNK ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB (that way it's easy to remember)
- BURDOCK ROOT, CHUNK ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB
- TURMERIC ROOT, CHUNK ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB
Note:
Both ginger and turmeric root have extremely potent anti-inflammatory properties.
Burdock root is well-known as a blood cleanser.
05. HEALTHY FATS:
- FLAX SEEDS, ONE TABLESPOON
- CHIA SEEDS, ONE TABLESPOON
- COCONUT OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN FIRST COLD PRESSED, ONE TABLESPOON
Note:
Adding healthy fats to my smoothie helps keep me full for 5 hours instead of 2.
I NEVER purchase my seeds pre-ground, (I promise pulverized seeds will be rancid, I don't care what fancy brand it is.)
Runner's World magazine touts Chia seeds as having the neat property when ingested of keeping athletes hydrated
for much longer, it will for you too!
Coconut oil (unheated, extra-virgin first cold pressed) moves straight to liver, doesn't require pancreatic enzymes to digest.
Your liver will LOVE coconut oil (provided it's extra-virgin first cold pressed.)
06. GROUND SPICES:
- CINNAMON 1/4 TO 1/2 TEASPOON
- CLOVES 1/4 TO 1/2 TEASPOON
- NUTMEG 1/4 TO 1/2 TEASPOON
- CAYENNE PEPPER 1/4 TEASPOON
- GINGER 1/4 TO 1/2 TEASPOON (ONLY IF I CAN'T FIND FRESH GINGER ROOT)
- TUMERIC 1/4 TO 1/2 TEASPOON (ONLY IF I CAN'T FIND FRESH TURMERIC ROOT)
Note:
Adding these spices to my smoothie really kicks the flavor complexity up, plus they have some medicinal properties:
Cinnamon regulates blood sugar.
Per Dr. Oz, nutmeg is an angiogenesis inhibitor which studies show cuts off blood supply to cancer cells.
Cayenne pepper has so many benefits they can't all be listed here, mainly cardiovascular.
As noted above, I only used dried turmeric and dried ginger if I can't find the fresh stuff in the stores.
Finally, I store ALL my spices, ground or whole, tightly packed and in my freezer. They will last years this way,
so may as well invest in buying your spices bulk!
07. SEA VEGETATION:
- DULSE, A PINCH
- SPURILINA GROUND, A PINCH
Note:
This sea vegetation is a natural source if iodine, so during my throws with GD I used a TINY pinch, now I use a large pinch :D
08. UNSWEETENED DARK RED JUICE:
- CRANBERRY JUICE OR TART CHERRY JUICE, UNSWEETENED, 1/2 CUP
- BLACK CURRANT JUICE 1/2 CUP
Note:
I had to add SOME liquid to get all my ingredients to blend up well, but instead of adding water I discovered
Whole Foods carries a variety of unsweetened juices - wonderful. Even more wonderful, these dark red juices contain
anthocyanins. (See Dr. Oz show on 'The Power of Purple Foods'.)
09. KEFIR:
- KEFIR, ONE CUP (ORGANIC)
Note:
I chose Kefir as my other liquid to add, it's fermented and so it contains probiotics.
With the red juices and the kefir combined, this makes TWO CUPS of liquid,
which I find is just enough to make my smoothie blend up nicely.
One more note - Please CHEW your smoothie, you don't gulp this! Sip it, enjoy it, swish it around in your mouth allowing your mouth to water. This is first-stage digestion as saliva contains digestive enzymes. The Smoothie makes digesting tough raw greens much easier and is a sure fire way to pack dynamite nutrition in daily, it is a liquid living vitamin pill far superior to any store-bought vitamins. It will clean your blood, lymph, clear out mucus from your intestinal lining, sinuses, and clean your organs. Your skin, hair and eyes will improve, your brain fog will clear up, and your spirits will be lifted. It's not just me saying it, EVERYone who's started this path says it.
I hope this helps, there are NO RULES with regards to making smoothies and juices, it's all about fun and learning and healing, I hope this recipe inspires people to try their own thing, and that it demonstrates recipes may be as unique as the people who make them.
We can lose our jobs, our houses, but when we have our health, we have just about everything!
From Elaine:
The antioxidant benefits of juicing are unparalleled. Thanks to JES for sharing her recipe. I think she should write a book that includes all of her healing tips. To your good health, Elaine