The shining stars of green smoothies are the leafy greens— and today I’m taking a deep dive into my love for greens and why you should love them too. What are Leafy Greens?Leafy greens are super important for a healthy diet. They’re nutrient dense, green veggies that provide tons of vitamins and minerals. According to research by the US Department of Health and Human Services, a daily serving of leafy greens can lead to slower age-related cognitive decline. Greens can be found as the tops of other plants (here’s looking at you, carrot tops), or as plants in their own right. Leafy greens come in all shapes, sizes, textures, shades, and seasons. They aren’t even all in the same plant family. If your taste buds have ever bulked at something dark green and leafy, never fear! I’ve got some great new options for you to blend. The leafy greens list![]() I often talk about rotating your greens. This is because greens come from all different plant families, each offering different health benefits. Yet if spinach is your jam, no worries! Your body will tell you when its time for a leafy green change-up. Read on to learn about some different types of greens, as well as my fav options in each family. CrucifersKale Collard Cabbage Bok Choy Arugula ![]() Amaranth:Spinach
Beet Greens Chard Asteraceae:Romaine Lettuce Apiaceae:Carrot Tops ![]() How often should you rotate greens?Most of the smoothie/meal recipes I create use kale or spinach. That’s because these are the most easily found + affordable leafy greens available at the grocery store. Plus, they are in different leafy green families, so it makes rotating my greens easy peasy. Alkaloid Build UpWhy is it important to rotate through this leafy green list? All greens have small amounts of toxins. If you only consume greens from one family, your body may start to experience alkaloid build up. This is very rare, and easy to avoid. Just try a new/different leafy green every once in a while. I recommend rotating your greens once a week. This way, your body doesn’t get too much of a good thing in one leafy green family, and you get the chance to reward your body with new nutrients from a different green family. Basically, by rotating greens on a regular basis, you avoid building up the toxins from one leafy green. And, this gives you a reason to try that new fun green you’re always eyeing at the farmers market. While our green smoothies are super easy to swap out one green for another, I’ve also got a meal planner full of plant based recipes. Rawk the Year makes finding new recipes a breeze, and helps you incorporate the whole rainbow into your week. This meal planner also equips you with the kitchen skills to change up your veggies with ease! Freezing your leafy greensEver wonder how to use up all that beautiful produce you just bought, before it starts to wilt? Even though I make green smoothies daily, I still find that my greens never stay fresh as long as I need. To lengthen the shelf life of those leafy greens, and make rotating your greens as easy as opening your freezer, I came up with a way to freeze your greens. This way, you can have you greens and eat them too! Since I typically buy spinach and kale at Costco, I found that freezing them in ice cube trays then storing in freezer containers in the perfect solutions to maximizing the freshness. Plus, frozen greens can really help keep that smoothie cool. ![]() The Ultimate Green Smoothie AppOur amazing app, Daily Blends, has 100s of recipes ready for you to work your way through the leafy greens list! Click here to get it. What are your fav leafy greens? Drop and comment and let me know if this list has inspired you to try a new ingredient, or if you’ve got a new green for me to try! from https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-diet/leafy-greens from http://lucylonghealthcare1.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-ultimate-guide-to-leafy-greens.html
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