Green Smoothie Revisited

I love green smoothie and drink it with gratitude, knowing that it brings nutrients to my body.  Whenever I have a chance to talk to someone about healthy diet, I recommend green smoothies.  It’s easy, convenient, and versatile.  You can get creative if you want, making the drink yellow, green, or pink with a variety of flavors.  Yet, if you are like me, care less about taste and look, you can make one without much thinking.


When I first started my green smoothie journey more than a year ago, a very good friend of mine warned me not to put too much fruit in there.  She reasoned, “You want a green smoothie, with vegetables, not a fruit smoothie.”  I’ve been following that principle since day one, always more veggies than fruit.  If you look back to my blog on green smoothie here, you will see that my veggie to fruit ratio is about 3:1.  I’d done that for a while, until last July, when I had a rude awakening on the effect of “sweet” green smoothie on my blood sugar. 


One day in July, after a cup of green smoothie (from the batch that I made for the girls so I added one big banana and one apple to make it sweeter) and leftover brown rice and vegetables for lunch, I had a preliminary blood test an hour later.  My non fasting glucose level was in the range of 140s, the diabetic level!  The normal range for non fasting, after 1-2 hour of eating should be below 120.  In addition, I’ve noticed that when my blood sugar goes up too fast and too high, I would have a left-sided headache.  That usually happens whenever I make a green smoothie that’s too sweet.  I should probably purchase a blood sugar test kit, as suggested by Dr. Ritamarie, to test my theory, but I don’t want to poke myself with needle all the time yet.  Anyway, nowadays, the morning smoothie for my husband and me only consists of one apple and 5-6 vegetables, including kales, dandelions leaves, and chards.  For the girls, I would replace the apple with a medium size banana.  If I want to make it a little bit sweeter, I would add goji berries or blueberries.


A lot of green smoothie recipes have been sweetened up with lots of fruit, fruit juice, or even maple/agave syrup, because they are meant for beginners or children.  They don’t want to scare people away from this healthy drink.  Yet, you need to be careful in following those recipes.  Do not trust the words “healthy” or “detox” in the name of the green smoothie.  Read the ingredient list.  Be mindful of how much sweetener and sweet fruit you put in the smoothies.  Your taste bud will change if you gradually decrease the “sugary” part and your body will thank you!