15 Amazing Benefits of Green Smoothies

Being on a diet to lose weight is not fun. Most times, foods are bland and tasteless because they are meant to discourage me from eating.

Since I also regulate the portion I eat, I feel hungry and cranky. Isn’t there a better and more delicious way to diet?

The answer is YES…

Green smoothies are a great meal replacement that makes me feel full and fights off hunger pangs;
And from the name alone, it is smooth and delicious to the taste and the tummy.

Table of Contents

What Are Green Smoothies?
Why Do We Enjoy Green Smoothies?
15 Amazing Benefits Of Green Smoothies
Wrapped Up

What Are Green Smoothies?

Green smoothies are thick, creamy and green. They are made from pureed green vegetables and fruits:

In most cases, they don’t have any dairy in them, but a creamy fruit is used, like bananas or mangos to make it smooth and sweet.
For extra smoothness, we may opt to add a liquid base of yogurt or ice cream or juice.
Leafy greens may include kale, spinach, celery, parsley, collards, swiss chard, broccoli and dandelion greens…
More than being green, a green smoothie is also cold and refreshing. It is a great snack food, or it can even be a filling breakfast.
Green smoothies will sustain us until lunchtime, and we get all the nutrients and goodness from the vegetables.
If we add more dairy into our green smoothie and lessen the greens, then it becomes a milkshake. Twice as delicious, but not as healthy.
If we put in the greens, but without the creamy fruits or liquid base, then the drinks are merely green juice. They may even taste a bit bitter.

Put in the creamy fruits or liquid base, with a touch of sweetness from honey or sugar, then that is our green smoothie.

Why Do We Enjoy Green Smoothies?

If we want to lose weight, this is the healthier and more delicious alternative.
It can replace our meals, and yet, still give us the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the fruits and vegetables.
We get the benefits of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C and K, iron, potassium, calcium and anti-oxidants that are packed in green leafy vegetables.
These will improve our digestive health, eyesight, regulate cholesterol, improve skin, treat anemia, promote health for the heart, fight free radicals that may cause cancer, boost energy, give us long life.

In a nutshell, green smoothies are one of the healthiest drinks in the world. They are not only super healthy but also very convenient.

15 Amazing Benefits Of Green Smoothies

1- Eat more green vegetables and fruits

If you are not a big fan of vegetables and fruits, having a green smoothie is the most delicious and painless way to have them.

Research shows we should be consuming 3-5 cups of vegetables every day. We can only eat so much salad, and we may not even enjoy it.

However, a glass of green smoothie inevitably meets this daily requirement, and it is enjoyable and delicious. It contains 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables.

Even children can enjoy a green smoothie. They would love its creaminess and coolness.

Skip the part that it’s nutritious, and instead, make a gory story that a green smoothie is zombie blood.

I am sure they would be able to relate it to plants vs. zombies.

2- Get all nutrients

No doubt, vegetables are full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are good for our bodies. We get all these when we have a green smoothie.

Most often, aside from salads, our vegetables are cooked. Many vitamins and minerals are reduced or even lost during the cooking process.

Green smoothies use raw and fresh vegetables. The process of pureeing it breaks down the cell walls of the fruits and vegetables, and the nutrients are broken down as well, making it easier for our bodies to absorb them directly.

We get the benefits of maximum and better absorption of the vitamins and minerals.

3- Lose weight naturally

You know how it is to diet.

First, we choose to eat foods that are healthy and will not cause weight gain, so goodbye to delicious sweets;
Second, we limit the portion that we eat so end up feeling hunger pains the whole day;
Third, because of both limitations on the kind of food and the size of the food, often, we lose weight but in a very unhealthy.

Losing weight takes more than just diet; we also have to exercise.

But who are we kidding?

How difficult is it to exercise when you feel hungry. So after a good work-out, we end up more famished and more tired.

benefits-of-green-smoothies-for-weight loss

Consuming green smoothies, however, answer all these issues:

First, the kind of food we take in is very healthy plus it is delicious. We don’t have to pinch our nose and guzzle it down. We can enjoy the creamy smoothness of our green smoothies;
Second, because of its creaminess and the nutrients, we feel full, and not suffer through crazy hungry pangs through the day;
Also, since it is healthy, we can have more than our fair share of it. When we feel full, we don’t crave for all other unhealthy junk foods;
Lastly, green smoothies are a great companion when working out. We can take it in between to get refreshed and rejuvenated, or after work out to cool down. That can pretty much take away the negative vibes and leave us feeling upbeat.

Green smoothies help to change our unhealthy eating habits, helping to reduce the number of calories we get into our bodies. From there, it helps us lose weight.

4- Drink more natural water

We need water to keep our bodies healthy.

That sounds simple enough, but unfortunately, many of us are not able to consume the mandated 8 – 12 glasses or 2.7 liters a day.

Water is tasteless, and drinking it requires determination.

Drinking green smoothies can more than make up for our water intake.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in water, plus the other liquids that you add in like juice or yogurt or even ice.

When working out, it is even more critical to increase our water intake because we lose water when we sweat.

That gives us one more good reason to have a green smoothie when in the gym or doing some cardio exercises.

5- Improve digestion

Green smoothies are great for our tummies as well.

It improves digestion firstly because most fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, and secondly, because of the water component or the liquids in the green smoothies.

Because of the stress of modern day living, many of us have stomach disorders like ulcers. The most common cause of this is the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.

The nutrients found in raw vegetables and fruits prevent the growth of this bacteria and thus prevent stomach ulcers.
Also, the fiber in the vegetables regulates bowel movements and prevents accumulation of toxins in the digestive tract which may cause constipation.

6- Rejuvenate the body

To rejuvenate the body means to make it feel and look younger or livelier.

Green smoothies are made from vegetables and fruits that are rich in chlorophyll, which improves the immune system, and generally rejuvenates the body.

Because of the vitamins and minerals, as well as the water content, the green smoothie gives our hair a healthy shine and keeps our skin hydrated and looking younger.

Vegetables like spinach and beet greens are rich in magnesium, which is a natural muscle-relaxant. It soothes sore muscles and prevents muscle cramps.

If you are an athlete or if you exercise, a refreshing glass of green smoothie after practice or exercise is the best way to rejuvenate after sweating it out.

7- Helps against free radicals

Free radicals are unstable molecules in our bodies that cause diseases like cancer.

We need antioxidants to protect our bodies, and these antioxidants can be found in the green leafy vegetables that we put in our green smoothies.

Our bodies also need other vitamins and minerals so it can sufficiently and efficiently function.

From the green smoothie, we can get vitamins A, B, C, E and K. We also get folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus.

We can’t get these much nutrients from salads or by eating our common portion of vegetables and fruits.

A green smoothie, however, in one serving, with the right mix of ingredients, can easily meet our nutrient requirements.

8- Enhance metabolism

When our metabolism rate is faster, it means we burn energy faster. It also means we burn calories more quickly, and we lose weight.

Green smoothies already contain pureed vegetables and fruits, so our digestive system does not need to work to break down the green smoothie we drank.

With this function at rest, our bodies can focus instead on healing and repair.

The components of the green smoothies, too, aid in the faster metabolism of our bodies.

We get a high dose of fiber, a lot of liquid and iron.

If we want an extra kick to boost metabolism some more, we can use almond milk in our green smoothie.

9- Boost the immune system

I am most prone to allergies. It means my immune system is weak because one sneeze quickly becomes a case of the flu.

As we age, a weak immune system would not be able to fight more serious diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Consuming more fruits and vegetables is good for boosting the immune system.

The green smoothie has all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that fight off diseases.

The greens are rich in chlorophyll, which improves the immune system.

If you feel like you’re too tired or you’re coming down with something, give your immune system that extra boost by adding citrus fruits or ginger to your green smoothie.

Keep the greens, but add some touch of color to it.

10- Relieve symptoms of depression

Most of us have this happy food – our go to when we feel a bit down.

Instead of munching on sugars, let’s make green smoothies as our happy food.

Green smoothies are rich in folate found in the green leafy vegetables. Folate relieves depression and anxiety.

Research shows those who are prone to depression have a folic deficiency.

Instead of relying on drugs, eating vegetables and fruits is the healthiest way to consume folate and enjoy its benefits.

Mental health is anchored on one’s biochemistry. What we eat and the nutrients we get from it fuel our biochemistry.

So it is logical to regulate mental health by controlling food intake.

11- For glowing skin and hair

So true – what you see in the outside is just a reflection of what is inside.

In short, if we are healthy inside our bodies, it manifests itself in how shiny our hair is and how glowing our skin is. And this is important because the first impression does last.

Green smoothies contain vitamins C and E, as well as antioxidants and fiber which are natural enhancers of our beauty.
It helps clear up acne and gives the skin the soft, dewy look also because green smoothies keep you hydrated.
When we have started ourselves on eating healthy, it also helps that we don’t eat junk food and other unhealthy foods which are not suitable for us.

12- Balance female hormones

Women have such special needs. When we are on a diet, have our periods, are pregnant or during menopause, we are cranky, tired and generally feel ugly.

Instead of resorting to binge eating of cakes and desserts, we should instead binge on green smoothies to alleviate these symptoms brought about by the imbalance in our hormones.

What is the magic of green smoothies?

The fiber content from the vegetables and fruits flush out the toxins from the body. Out with the bad vibes!
Vegetables, like kale, contain chemicals that metabolize the female hormones, estrogen.
Spinach has iron and magnesium which regulate hormones naturally.
To build hormones, we also need to add more other hormone balancing foods. And fortunately, we can add them to our green smoothies easily.

13- Great supplement for the workout

Since the vegetables and fruits are already broken down during the preparation of green smoothies, our bodies can reserve the energy for other tasks during the day.
It will make us less tired, and more up and about. Vitamin B and magnesium that are found in the green smoothie also support energy metabolism.
Some leafy greens like spinach, swiss chard also help in relieving muscle cramps and soreness.
Add nuts, seeds and protein powder to your green smoothies to boost protein for the muscles build-up.

A great time to consume green shakes smoothies is after work out.

In addition to the significant benefits of health, green smoothies also have other interests that help you improve your life.

Those are…

14- Save time and money

Time is money

Getting green smoothies from the specialty shops can be rather expensive. That is why they say health is wealth.

But eating healthy does not need to be a financial burden. Preparing your green smoothies at home actually gives you more benefits:

One, you can choose what you want to put in there. It can depend on what is available or seasonal. It can also depend on what specific need you have, like for women, at certain times of the month;
Second, you can save by buying your fruits and vegetables in bulk and preserving them for later use.

To save preparation time, I use weekends to cut up ingredients and put them in single serve containers like glass jars, food-grade bags before freezing.

And to prolong the quality and freshness of green foods, I always use my best sous vide vacuum sealer to seal them carefully as I sealed foods to cook sous vide.

When I make the green smoothie in the morning, I just pour out the prepared container and add the liquid and ice.

15- Be ready with super-healthy breakfasts

When the ingredients are all cut up and ready, it’s fast and efficient to make the green smoothie by using good blenders like ninja blender or blender food processor combo.

I genuinely believe it’s essential to have a good filling breakfast and ready for a new day.

We need the nutrients to boost our mornings, and enough to last through until lunch.
It will give us mental clarity, focus, and energy. At the same time repel stress and anxiety.

Green smoothies are filling because of its water and fiber content. It is healthy, packed with the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the fruits and vegetables.

Also, it is low on calories so we can consume as many as we want without increasing weight.

Consumption of green smoothies every morning is the best. Do not forget this!

Wrapped Up

Now is the age of fast food.

Sadly, most fast foods thrive on serving us oily, fatty foods that are not good for our bodies.

But green smoothies are on the opposite side:

Green smoothies are another version of fast food because it is quick to make and consume, but it is very healthy and delicious.
Green smoothies are made from vegetables, fruits and are full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that benefit our bodies, from our nails to the heart, digestive system, immune system and to the roots of our hair.
It is also a great alternative to lose weight.

Let’s make our own green smoothie so we can suit it to our taste!

Here are some of my tips for making green smoothies:

If you are trying it out for the first time, try to add more sweet or creamy fruits, or use sweeteners like honey, or liquids like milk or yogurt.
That will prepare your taste buds for green smoothies. As you adapt to its acquired taste, you can add more greens and lessen the sweetness.
Remember, the greener it is, the healthier it is!
Use ingredients that are available, affordable and suit it to your nutritional needs.

Live a healthy lifestyle, work out and enjoy green smoothies!

Let us be slimmer, more energetic and physically fit.