Fit Fare

Dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, red-leaf lettuce) are the powerhouse foods of a raw vegan diet. They provide all the amino acids (where raw vegans get their protein), calcium, iron, folic acid, fiber and more to do a body great.

So, what is a quick and easy way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need with minimal effort, yet in a satisfying way?

A green smoothie, of course.

The green smoothie is the brain-child of raw foodist Victoria Boutenko. In her book, Green For Life, Boutenko discusses the healing potential of the simple mixture of fresh leafy greens, fruit and banana. “I was consuming plenty of greens every day. I began to feel lighter and my energy increased. My tastes started to change. I discovered that my body was so starved for greens that for several weeks, I lived almost entirely on green smoothies,” Boutenko writes.
It’s easy to add more greens in your diet, just follow this basic formula: Greens + fresh (or frozen) fruit + very ripe banana + ice = yummy and nutritious drink. If you use a really ripe banana there’s no need for any sweetener but feel free to add a tablespoon or two of raw agave nectar.

Green smoothie resources
On Dec. 17 The Raw Divas are having a 3-day Green Smoothie challenge.
The Green Smoothie Experiment – Valerie Winters lost 125 pounds drinking only green smoothies for 25 weeks.
eMaxHealth - Offers a variety of green smoothie recipes.

My favorite green smoothie
(makes 2 quarts)

2 cup spinach
2 cup water
2 peach
2 ripe bananas
1-2 tablespoon raw agave nectar (optional)
1 cup ice

Place spinach and water in blender and combine until spinach is thoroughly blended.

Add the peach, banana, agave nectar and ice one ingredient at a time, giving each its time in blender spotlight.