If you are making regular green smoothies, it’s very important to use a variety of greens in your smoothie.
It’s much better for your health if you get a variety of nutrients from different types of foods so this advice would apply to your whole diet, not just your green smoothies.
For some people eating the same greens every day for a long period of time may lead to a toxicity build up. For example some people report not feeling too well after a sensitivity to oxalic acid in spinach.
Some people are fine eating a lot of greens and others have to limit their intake of greens so just listen to your own body and vary your diet as much as possible.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and just keep adding spinach to your smoothie. I am as guilty of this as the next person and I blame the lack of variety of greens that I can access in this country, but I am going to try growing more of a variety myself.
It’s great to grow your own as you know it’s not sprayed with pesticides and is much better for you. Another great way to ensure a variety is to buy a bulk load of different types of greens and freeze them in portion sizes. Make sure you label them and vary the greens you use every time you make a smoothie.
Here are the top 10 best greens for green smoothies to ensure you get a variety in your green smoothies.
10 Best Greens for Green Smoothies
1: Spinach
Good old spinach. There is a reason we always seem to default to spinach for use in our green smoothies. It is readily available, fairly cheap, tastes very mild so your smoothie stays sweet and it’s often available organic. All my smoothies can be made with spinach. For a simple smoothie, try this Fresh Summer Strawberry and Spinach Salad Smoothie.
2: Kale
Kale is extremely nutritious, is fairly easy to access and is very easy to grow. I started some growing last year and it actually improves after a frost which is brilliant for the climate where I live in cold North Scotland. Kale isn’t as mild tasting as spinach so you may be inclined to use less of this in a smoothie. This Hawaiian Smoothie is perfect for hiding the taste of Kale.
3: Chard
Chard is another nutritious green which is mild so perfect for green smoothies. In the UK you can’t buy this in a supermarket, but can sometimes get this in a farmers market. I started growing this myself last year too and it did very well.
4: Lettuce
There are so many different types of lettuce. Romaine is very nutritious but can be slightly bitter in a smoothie. Lambs lettuce is a great smoothie ingredient and more mild in flavour. The taste of romaine lettuce is well hidden in this Sweet Punch Romaine Lettuce Smoothie.
5: Parsley
Herbs are delicious in smoothies. Parsley really freshens up a smoothie. I love to pair this with pineapple. You may also want to try mint and coriander which are delicious in smoothies. I’m sure you’ll adore this Prize Pineapple and Parsley Smoothie, or this Cool Breeze Mint and Pineapple Smoothie.
6: Bok Choy/ Pak Choi
This Chinese cabbage is a great alternative to the more leafy greens for giving you variety in your smoothies.
7: Broccoli
So good for you but broccoli has such a strong flavour so I’d recommend only using a very small amount of it in your smoothies until you get used to the taste. Try this Blueberry Broccoli Smoothie.
8: Collards
I can’t get hold of these here and have unfortunately never tried them but they are reported to be a bit stronger in taste, yet the taste can still be hidden quite easily by sweeter fruit.
9: Dandelion Greens
Also unavailable in the shops but luckily I have these growing right in my back garden. Free food has got to be the best. I also know they haven’t been sprayed with anything. A very strong taste but this Strawberry, Orange and Dandelion Smoothie really grows on you with every sip.
10: Green Powder
My motto is fresh is best, but if you run out of greens or want to add even more of a nutritious boost to your smoothie, you could add some of this amazing green powder. Other popular green powders are Spirulina, Chlorella, Wheat Grass and Barley Grass. Lots of people swear by these for a energising vitamin packed smoothie.
I know you may not have time to digest all this right now, so I wanted to give you a handy print out of this blog post so you can stick it on your fridge to help you on your journey to optimal health.
Click here to download your FREE PDF of this blog post now.
Vegan Delish App Review and Giveaway
I recently reviewed the amazing Vegan Delish healthy eating app and had 3 downloads to giveaway. Thank you for all your great comments letting me know how you stay healthy or intend to get healthy. It’s great to find so many like minded people who are also concerned about their health. So congratulations to the following people. I used a random number generator to select the 3 people. Here are the comments they left:
Debbie (Accidently Delish): ‘I try very hard to eat as much unprocessed foods as possible and stay away from any pre-packaged. however, that is almost impossible, but i always make sure to have my servings of fruits and veggies. a balanced diet i think is the most important part.’
Jessica: ‘This will help keep me on track for health and wellness! I also love the Green Thickies and have turned many friends onto them. I am grateful for finding your blog!’
Crystal: ‘I put on a few pounds for winter so I just started a Spring Cleanse naturally through the use of healthy spring foods.’
I’ll be in touch about your free app.
Which greens do you prefer in your smoothies? Do you rotate your greens much?
Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies
Read Katherine's inspiring comeback story, From Fat and Fatigued To Lean and Loving Life In 4 Months.
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Hi, I'm Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies - my original green smoothie concept.
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Hi, I’m Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies – my original smoothie concept.
Hi Katherine,
I posted a comment on your site and now I don’t see it up there. Also read the reviews and very well pleased with the results. What are the main ingredients for the green thickie smoothies. Did a sample the smoothies for two days, not hungry for a couple of days. I’m willing to do the 7 day challenge.
What about green or white cabbages? I have been reading and loving your website for a few days now, and just as I was eating a raw cabbage salad, it clicked me that it might be masked well in a smoothie (taste as well as colour) as it tastes very mild.
And what about carrots in green smoothies? I was just hoping that it might taste mildly sweet in spite of being a vegetable? This way, I could increase my veggies a little in comparison to fruit, without compromising much on the taste I hope?
And what do you think of the USDA’s recommendation of 2.5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit daily? Does the inclusion of 2 cups of fruit and 2 cups of raw leaves (which is actually counted as a single serving) go against this balance? (Of course, assuming that one would not eat a single veggie or fruit outside of the smoothie, which is similar to what I end up doing.)
Hi Kathrine,
I am just about to start making green smoothies / green thickies, just waiting for my blender to arrive, as I donot want to lose weight I need to put on some weight on, due to a kidney removal because of cancer, the only thing I have to be careful of is not to much potassium in my diet, but I need to get my energy back and be less tired later in the day, hope you can point me in the right direction.
Many Thanks
Mike Puckey
Hi Katherine, I managed to buy rainbow kale in Asda the other week, froze it myself and alternated it with spinach, it was lovely. I was wondering about spring greens and cabbage too. I have also frozen cavalier Nero to try, this does smell stronger so maybe just a little until I find out how it tastes. These smoothies have helped me start to lose weight and I have now moved onto the leaf system. We look after our two grandchildren 31/2 and 1 year old, my energy increase has made such a difference to these very energetic days. Thanks.
That is fabulous that you’re feeling more energetic. Yes definitely experiment with different greens, please let us know how you get on with the stronger ones.
Hi Katherine,
I can give you my opinion of collard greens. lol I know a lot of people in the Southern USA love them, but to me, when cooked, the taste like a barnyard smells. I can’t bring myself to try them raw. I’m sure the taste will be different, but I sure don’t like them when they’re cooked.
I’m afraid I can’t comment as I can’t get hold of them where I live. Give it a try and let me know?