The health benefits of green smoothies are seemingly endless, to the point where there seems to be a green smoothie recipe for just about any health goal you can imagine.
And this isn’t just my opinion either.
All you have to do is hop onto Instagram and you’ll come across testimonials from people who:
- lost weight
- cleared acne
- got pregnant
- balanced their hormones
…and much more, with the help of green smoothies!
Now, if you think that this all sounds too good to be true, then this post should convince you otherwise 🙂
We’re going to look at the top 25 reasons why you should drink green smoothies, as well as some precautions to keep in mind once you add them to your diet.
Let’s go!
25 REASONS WHY GREEN SMOOTHIES ARE GOOD FOR YOU
1. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Green smoothies contain soluble fiber (from fruits) and insoluble fiber (from the green veggies).
Both types of fiber are very beneficial for stabilizing blood sugar and preventing type II diabetes.
And for people who already have diabetes, the soluble fiber in green smoothies is particularly helpful for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
2. Promotes Healthy Gut Bacteria
The raw fruits and veggies in green smoothies contain a type of fiber known as prebiotics.
These prebiotics are basically “food” for your friendly gut bacteria.
Therefore, the more prebiotics your gut bacteria can feed on, the more gut bacteria you will have.
And once your gut bacteria is in balance, it becomes much easier to lose weight, balance your hormones, fight inflammation or get rid of candida.
3. Fights Constipation and Bloating
Ideally, we should have at least 2 bowel movements per day.
However, if you’re only having 1 a day (or 1 every few days) then a green smoothie will help you get rid of constipation.
This is because smoothies are loaded with the healthy fiber that the body needs to get things moving!
4. Gets Rid of Cravings
There’s one thing that really influences cravings and that is gut bacteria.
You see, the more processed/unhealthy food you eat, the more your gut starts to be inhabited by bacteria that love processed food.
And the reverse is also true: the more healthy food you eat, the more your gut is populated with spinach-lovin’ bacteria 🙂
So, by including green smoothies in your diet, you naturally change the type of cravings you have.
And that means you won’t have to rely on willpower anymore 🙂
5. Increases Oxygen and Boosts Energy
The green color of leafy greens like spinach and kale comes from a compound known as chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll happens to be great for oxygenating the body.
And the more oxygen you have, the more energized and focused you feel.
6. Boosts The Immune System
Vitamin C, magnesium, folate, zinc, selenium, iron, vitamin E, vitamin A, indole-3-carbinol, curcumin.
These are just a few of the nutrients and natural compounds that your immune system needs for optimal function.
As it turns out, with the right blend of ingredients, your green smoothie ca very easily give you all of these immune-boosting nutrients.
7. Lowers Chronic Inflammation
Thanks to busy schedules and regular consumption of processed/convenience foods, our bodies are constantly under stress.
And regular stress leads to chronic inflammation, which is linked to:
- insulin resistance
- arthritis
- stroke
- cancer
- obesity
So, what’s the secret to reversing inflammation and it’s side effects?
Eat more anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, fruits or plant-based milks…all of which are green smoothie staples.
8. Corrects Nutrient Deficiencies
The typical Western diet is low in iron, iodine, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin A and magnesium.
When we’re low on these nutrients, we can experience issues related to the thyroid, weight gain, sleep disruption, fatigue, dull skin, fertility and more.
With the basic ingredients in a green smoothie, you can start to fill in these nutritional gaps.
And when you add a whole food powder to your smoothie, you can really take things to the next level!
9. Supports Healthy Metabolism and Weight Loss
Green smoothies are a simple way of increasing your water and fiber intake.
This matters a lot for weight loss because:
- water alone can boost your metabolism by up to 30%.
- fiber takes longer to digest, which means we stay full for a longer period of time, and snack less.
So, having a green smoothie for breakfast allows you to enjoy these weight loss benefits first thing in the morning.
10. Supports The Adrenals and Thyroid
Whenever you experience emotional, chemical or physical stress, your adrenals fight it off by releasing anti-inflammatory hormones (mainly cortisol).
At the same time, as adrenal function goes up, thyroid function starts to go down (they always have an inverse relationship).
So, all of this means that the more stress you experience:
- your adrenals work harder…
- …and thyroid function becomes chronically suppressed.
Green smoothies are a great way to restore balance to both glands because they are:
- nutrient-dense.
- free of artificial/processed ingredients (less stress for the body).
11. Boosts Magnesium Levels
Magnesium has a ton of health benefits that include slowing down aging, reducing menstrual cramps, boosting energy and improving sleep.
Ironically, magnesium deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in the U.S.
Thankfully, with magnesium-rich foods like avocados, spinach and even, cacao powder in a smoothie, you can start seeing improvements.
12. Boosts Liver Health
All the toxins we’re exposed to each day have to be filtered out of the body by the liver.
This means we have to constantly nourish the liver with whole foods and healthy fats…which is easy to do with smoothies.
Plus, you can also sneak in liver-friendly spices like turmeric into your smoothie!
13. Easy Way To “Eat” More Veggies
Let’s face it: we don’t always have time to eat all the veggies we need each day.
That’s why green smoothies are so helpful: they’re a practical way to get more veggies into your diet without spending a lot of time cooking.
14. Gateway To Healthy Habits
As a health coach, I’ve found green smoothies to be the easiest, stress-free way for my clients to develop healthy habits.
You see, green smoothies allow you to practice one healthy habit, without having to overhaul your entire kitchen or life.
Plus, if you don’t like the taste of leafy greens, you can easily mask it with fruits and other ingredients.
15. Nourishes The Skin From the Inside Out
Green smoothies offer amazing benefits for the skin.
For example, the vitamin C in leafy greens is a great way to boost collagen production (which maintains firm, glowing skin).
In addition, since green smoothies lower inflammation, this means they can help with inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema and rosacea.
16. Encourages Healthy Detoxification
Whether it’s detoxing heavy metals or hormone-disruptors from the body, green smoothies get the job done right.
This is mainly due to the mighty detox powers of chlorophyll (the green pigment in leafy greens).
In addition, you can easily boost your smoothie’s detox potential by adding other greens like cilantro and parsley.
17. Balances Hormones Naturally
Want to reset your hormones really quickly?
Then you’ve got to hop on the green smoothie train!
As I discuss in this post on hormone balancing diets, resetting our hormones is mainly about reducing inflammation, detoxing the body and filling nutritional gaps.
Thankfully, green smoothies do all three of those things really well!
18. Improves Menopause Symptoms
Because of its ability to reduce inflammation, support weight loss and balance hormones, green smoothies can support the body through peri/menopause.
For example, one leafy green that is great for symptoms like hot flashes is mint (which tastes great in smoothies).
In addition, you can add adaptogenic herbs like maca and turmeric, which are known to provide menopause relief.
By the way, for more on this topic, check out this post on smoothies for menopause.
19. Supports Healthy Fertility and Pregnancy
Iron, folate, omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium are just a few of the nutrients that are necessary for fertility and a healthy pregnancy.
By default, green smoothies are already loaded with many of these pregnancy-friendly nutrients.
It’s also easy to boost the nutrient density of your green smoothie with nuts and seeds.
20. Flexible Meal Replacement Option
When you’re in a rush, you can add nut butters, protein powders and seeds to your smoothie to make them more filling.
In addition, you can also transform any drinkable smoothie into a smoothie bowl.
And once you have a smoothie bowl in hand, you can top it off with nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, granola and other filling ingredients!
21. Good Source of Minerals for Bone Health
Magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and zinc are just a few of the minerals that keep your bones strong.
Not only are green smoothies rich in minerals, but you can add in whole food green powders to boost the mineral content of your smoothie.
22. Excellent Home Remedy for PMS
A lot of the physical and emotional symptoms associated with PMS come from inflammation, toxicity and/or nutrient deficiencies.
Given that green smoothies are anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and nutrient dense, they’re great for easing PMS.
By the way, if you’d like some recipes for this particular purpose, check out these PMS smoothie recipes.
23. Encourages Hair Growth
Our hair grows from the inside out.
So, why not give your body the very best ingredients to stimulate hair growth?
The nutrients in smoothies are ideal for increasing blood flow to the scalp and for nourishing your strands at the source.
24. Maintains Healthy Brain and Cognitive Function
When it comes to brain health (and fighting degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s), vitamins B6 and B12 from leafy greens are very helpful.
In addition, other smoothie ingredients like nuts, seeds and fruits contain healthy fats and antioxidants to slow down the aging process.
25. Boosts Libido
Having a difficult time getting in the mood or staying lubricated?
It could be a combination of overworked adrenals, hormonal imbalances and poor nutrition.
Healthy green smoothies can easily combat those underlying factors.
And at the same time you can add libido-boosting herbs into you smoothie to speed up your results.
ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS OF GREEN SMOOTHIES?
Okay, okay so green smoothies are fabulous.
But as with all healthy foods, there can be some side effects when you consume green smoothies incorrectly.
Let’s have a look at 3 important things to be aware of.
Prolongs Unhealthy Eating Habits
The popularity of green smoothies has led many to believe that they’re a magic wand.
And sometimes people drink these smoothies, without making any other dietary or lifestyle changes.
In the end they don’t see lasting results and they declare green smoothies as “ineffective” or just a fad.
But it’s important to remember, that green smoothies are one aspect of healthy eating.
They can’t “cancel out” other unhealthy habits and shouldn’t be used as an excuse to continue unhealthy eating.
Could Inhibit Iodine Intake
Cruciferous veggies, such as kale, are often used in green smoothies.
These veggies contain goitrogens that may interfere with the thyroid’s ability to absorb iodine.
So, what does this mean for you?
First, it’s all about balance.
That means, you’re should avoid consuming green smoothies as if they’re oxygen.
If you’re drinking green smoothies and also eating lots of raw cruciferous veggies during other meals, cut back.
Drink green smoothies a few times a week (along with other types of smoothies).
Also, make sure that you are getting enough iodine and selenium in your diet.
Iodine deficiency is usually the reason why goitrogens create problems in the first place.
As for selenium, it plays a role in iodine absorption.
Simply using unrefined salts (sea salts or pink salt) can help with this, along with iodine-containing foods.
Can Promote Kidney Stones
Foods like spinach and berries contain oxalates, which can create health problems when consumed in excess.
Some of the issues associated with high oxalates are kidney stones and different types of chronic pain.
So once again, this is a reminder that green smoothies should not be the only thing you rely on.
A balanced diet, where green smoothies feature from time to time, is the way to go.
All things in moderation, right? 🙂
CONCLUSION
You now have 25 good reasons to fall in love with green smoothies.
So, why not go ahead and make your first recipe?
To get started check out my quick guides for how to make a green smoothie and how to make a green smoothie bowl.
And remember that aside from all the benefits we covered, green smoothies are also great for your heart, cholesterol and digestion!
Now, I’d love to hear from you…do you have any health needs that I didn’t cover?
Have other questions related to green smoothies?
Go right ahead and drop a comment below 🙂
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