Friday, August 9, 2013

Alternating Your Greens?


You MUST Alternate Your Greens in Your Smoothies and Juices.

They say variety is the spice of life. Well variety is also important for your health as well. Green smoothies & juices are wonderful for your health. I drink one almost every morning these days, but little did I know I was doing it all wrong.


Smoothie, sounds simple, drop in some kale, splash of OJ, water, some berries and a banana. Blend and voila, instant fountain of youth right? Not really.

I had heard before you should mix it up a little, but I liked what I was making and I like to stick with what works, well apparently this does not work out so well for your body.

Greens all have alkaloids which can be poisonous in large quantities. Each family of greens has a different type of alkaloid. Think of alkaloids as natures self defense mechanism. It prevents a crop from being devoured completely by some ravenous animals. 

So mixing up which greens you juice or use in your smoothies not only provides a wider range of nutrients, it prevents alkaloid build up.

You should rotate your greens according to family:

  • Crucifers: kale, collards, arugula, cabbage, bok choy, radish greens, mustard greens, broccoli
  • Amaranth: spinach, chard, beets
  • Asteraceae: dandelions, leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce
  • Apiaceae: parsley, cilantro, anise, celery, chervil, cumin, dill, fennel, parsnip
  • Poaceae: wheatgrass 
Try using 2 or 3 different types of greens every couple of weeks to obtain optimal nutrient intake and prevent any alkaloid build up.