want long life and good health? drink your greens!

Do you want to have more energy without the crash? Do you want beautiful, glowing skin? Do you want strong nails, hair and a lean, mean fat-burning body? Do you want to say good-bye to mood swings, stress, headaches, sleepiness and depression? Do you want to live a long, healthy and happy life? DO YOU JUST WANT TO FEEL AMAZING? (If not... You're bananas.)

Well folks, you can have all those things and more. I'm not talking about some superfood David Wolfe just discovered in Bhutan, or some expensive powder at the health food store.

I'm talking about DINOSAURS.

Dinosaur KALE, that is. And spinach and lettuce and swiss chard rainbow chard, bok choy, arugula, cilantro, parsley, carrot greens, beet greens, dandelion greens, even broccoli; I mean the list goes on and on. DARK LEAFY GREENS HOLD THE THE SECRET TO LONGEVITY AND HEALTH.
But who wants to chew 6 cups of spinach? Not me. So what is there to do?  
Blend Green Smoothies. (What about juice? Check out my note at the end.)
Which blender is the best? There's no question: the Vita-Mix. It can literally liquefy a wooden block.
When we blend greens into a deliciously smooth drink, we are able to absorb them much faster because we're saving our bodies the digestive work.  

Did you know? Digestion takes the most energy out of any other biological function? Let's use that energy for other things!

We are able to assimilate those vital nutrients almost immediately. Now, we ALL know we should eat our greens (or drink them, in this case!) but most of us don't. Why is that? Because they don't taste that great to the majority of people. I personally find them delicious, but that's just me. Green Smoothies are not only one of the best things you can put in your body, they also taste FABULOUS! And if you get bored of one flavour, the other possibilities are endless. My smoothies usually have the same basics, but they taste different everyday because everyday I feel a bit different. Sometimes I want it sweeter, sometimes I want it more sour, some days I just wanna taste that fresh green kale.
In any case, the taste of your greens in smoothies is simply not an issue. You will learn to crave them, as I do.

I could ramble on about this FOREVER, so instead of typing down all the wonderful facts about greens, I'll let you find them for yourself. Seriously, just Google it. Basically, they are the most nutrient-dense, healthful foods on the planet. That's really all ya gotta know.
I will up this post with a simple green smoothie recipe.

Did you know?  Greens are full of chlorophyll (which is just like hemoglobin). And coconut water is almost identical to blood plasma.  Blood is made up of 55% plasma, and 45% hemoglobin - so when you blend a drink of 55% coconut water and 45% green smoothie - you get a blood transfusion!

NOTE - To Blend or Juice? That is the Question.

Personally I am a blender, not a juicer. (Nevermind! Check out all my juice recipes and read my posts about how I fell in love with fresh juice!) There are generally those two camps when it comes to greens and liquefying veggies. I agree that juicing allows the nutrients to enter your blood stream incredibly fast (about 15 minutes!) but the fiber - in the pulp - of those plants is thrown in the compost or added to crackers or other dishes later. I believe the fiber should be consumed with the food it came from, as nature intended. I don't like the idea of separating the elements of my food =/ It just doesn't make me feel totally comfortable. If I'm not 100% comfortable with the substances I'm about to make a part of me, I won't eat/drink them. But this is just MY OPINION.
When it comes down to it, there's no nutritional loss as long as you use that pulp eventually. It's more of a philosophical standpoint than anything else.
The best juicer, hands down, is the Green Star or any Omega Juicer. (unless you are crazy-rich and can afford a Norwalk, they're around $2,000 - Luuckky!)