Green Smoothies Vs Green Thickies
There has never been a more popular time for drinking green smoothies. Celebs are doing it, people with weight to lose, health to improve and the general public are all doing it. Is there anybody not doing it? Is there really a way to take this amazingly healthy drink and improve on it? Yes you bet! Enter the Green Thickie.
A Green Thickie is a type of Green Smoothie, but it’s much more filling. It contains filling ingredients and some healthy protein sources such as nuts and seeds to make it into a complete meal.
Although I adore Green Smoothies as I managed to lose 56 pounds drinking them and reclaim my health, there are a few issues that have been easily ironed out with the Green Thickie.
What makes Green Thickies so much better than classic green smoothies? Here are the 28 reasons why I choose a Green Thickie over a Green Smoothie for my breakfast:
Here are the 28 reasons why I choose a Green Thickie over a Green Smoothie for my breakfast:
1) More Filling: Green Thickies are actually a complete meal rather than a healthy snack. They will fill you up from one meal to the next. As they include fillers, it’s like having a hearty filling breakfast with your green smoothie.
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2) Gives you more energy: When I’ve had a green thickie for breakfast I literally feel light and energised. You may notice so much energy you want to continue on and have another green thickie for lunch.
3) Costs Less Money: If you have to drink 2 pints of green smoothie a morning to get 300 calories, that’s twice the number of fruit and greens you have to buy. If you compare that to a green thickie where you would get the same calories in half the amount of green thickie as the fillers provide the extra calories. If you have a family who all drinks green smoothies it can get extremely expensive. Some of the fillers such as oats are so cheap, especially if you buy large bags of oat groats which swell when you soak them. You can feed your family for half the price of a green smoothie if you switch to a green thickie.
4) Takes less time: Green thickies not only take less time to make but they take less time to drink for the same number of calories. When I was on the green smoothie diet, I was drinking green smoothies all morning long. I used to sit in church and just drink cup after cup of this green drink and never really feel full up or that I could go for a good long time without eating. Now when I drink my green thickies at home, they last me all morning and I don’t have to worry that I’m going to get hungry while I’m out and about in the morning.
5) Easier to lose weight: I know what you’re thinking: How can something that has twice the number of calories actually help me lose weight? Here’s why standard diets often fail us. We try and eat foods that are really low in calories and fat to ensure that we don’t take in as many calories and therefore lose weight. Sounds simple and this technique should be effective. But what actually ends up happening is because we haven’t taken in enough calories to sustain ourselves, our bodies tell us they are starving. We get hungry really fast and if we don’t have another healthy snack on hand immediately we end up binging on the nearest thing in sight. So either you’re really organised and you’ve made massive batches of green smoothies and you don’t mind spending all morning drinking it. Or you drink a lovely glass of green thickie and actually get the right number of calories your body needs for breakfast and don’t think about food again until lunch time. When I start my day with a green thickie I actually don’t think about food as much so don’t end up stuffing my face full of snacks in the evening. This is because I’ve not felt hungry and deprived all day.
6) You crave less junk: You do actually need some good fats in your diet and if you don’t take in any fats all day long you will end up craving really fatty unhealthy foods in the evening. If you start your day off with a healthy thick smoothie containing good fats and enough calories, your cravings will decrease dramatically. Give it a try and discover it for yourself.
7) Less food preparation: Green Thickies are the only food you need to prepare for one meal. You don’t need to make a green smoothie and then after a couple of hours, you’re having to make something else for your breakfast as you’re feeling hungry again.
8) Less Bathroom Trips: This was one of my major frustrations with being on the raw food diet and drinking so many green smoothies. I was constantly looking for a toilet everywhere I went. So much so it kind of took the fun out of the diet and I lost my focus on the great health benefits as I was literally always bursting to pee constantly. With a Green Thickie, you need to drink half the amount to consume the same number of calories so you can drink extra when you need to, not have to drink so much just to get enough energy.
9) Green Thickies are creamy. If you are the kind of person who loves a smoothie to actually be creamy then you will adore green thickies. It makes it easier to drink any concoction of green smoothie and enjoy it more if you add some fillers to it.
10) Green Thickies are thick. This one is obvious, but I personally don’t enjoy thin watery drinks when I am hungry, cold or not thirsty. Because they are thick and you have to chew them more, your tummy feels fuller and you actually remember having something to eat.
11) Complete balanced meal: Green Thickies contain everything you need for one meal, your nutrients, carbs, good fats, omegas, protein, and last but not least the correct number of calories that you would expect from a complete meal to see you through to the next meal. You don’t have to go searching for other snacks or foods to fulfil your nutritional requirements. Look no further than a green thickie.
12) Sweet and Delicious: Green Thickies are lovely and sweet so you will always enjoy them if you have a sweet tooth. If you don’t enjoy your smoothies so sweet, just cut the number of dried fruit or sweeteners from the recipes.
13) Better on Colder Days: Green Thickies are more satisfying on a cold day as you feel like heavier, more stodgy and satisfying food when the weather is cold. As I live in a cold climate, green thickies naturally will appeal to me. But even when it is hot however I prefer my meals to be thick and filling and my drinks to be thin and thirst quenching.
14) Keep for Longer: Green Thickies stay fresher for longer as there is more bulk, more fibre and therefore less oxidisation. They would keep in the fridge for about 3 days and the freezer for 3 months. I usually make my batch of green thickies the day before as I have a baby to feed the moment I get up so I don’t really have time to make it in the morning. However I would recommend making them right before you drink them as there will be more nutrients in them. The longer you leave them in the fridge, the less nutrients are available.
15) Better for workouts: If you are working out, especially if you do an intensive workout, you really need to consume a greater number of calories than if you led a sedentary lifestyle. Unless I worked out first thing in the morning, a green smoothie didn’t stand a chance of getting me through a workout. Green Thickies will be great before your workout as they are easily digested and also great after your workout to refuel.
16) Less washing up: If you are making less number of green thickies than green smoothie, it’s not only less preparation time to make but less to clean up afterwards.
17) Easier to travel with: Green Thickies tend to last a bit better than green smoothies when they are out of the fridge. My green smoothies just didn’t seem appealing after a couple of hours in my bag when they’d started to go warm and didn’t seem so fresh anymore. Green Thickies do travel very well, great for work or if you are away from home.
18) Better for pregnancy: I actually came off my green smoothie diet when I was pregnant as I really couldn’t stomach them anymore in the first 4 months. I started juicing and made thicker savoury green smoothies later on. I didn’t invent green thickies until after my baby was born but if I had have known about them, they would have been the perfect food for me. They are lovely and sweet which I craved more of when I was pregnant. And I always ate at least 2 breakfasts, sometimes 3 to give me enough energy to get through the morning. I had the luxury of time with my first pregnancy to eat all morning long, but next time I’ll really need something fast, filling, healthy and sweet to get me through the morning as I’ll have my little girl to look after at the same time.
19) Great for blood sugar levels: My blood sugar levels stay even all morning long after drinking a green thickies. And if I have eaten healthily the previous day before I don’t get weak and shaky with hunger anymore. When I was just drinking green smoothies all day, I used to worry all the time that I’d run out of food and I never stopped eating.
20) Don’t drink too much water: Some people believe that the more water you drink the better for your body. Yes water is very good for us and it’s important to get enough, but I believe it’s possible to drink too much water. I believe the right amount is perfect for us. I think if you force yourself to drink pint after pint of water all day long your natural salts will be watered down too much and you will get dizzy or worse. I think common sense has to be used, drink more when it’s hot, if you’ve eaten dry or salty foods, when doing exercise or ill. But don’t force yourself to drink more than feels natural. If all you are doing is drinking green smoothies with low calories, you’ll need to drink a lot of them to get enough calories per day. If you are also drinking loads of water on top of that, it might get too much.
21) Detox slower: I know what you might be thinking, who wants to detox slower? If you’re going to detox you want to get it over with as quick as possible! Well I jumped in to a 100% raw food diet overnight and my detox lasted me 3 months. I was quite ill with it and wouldn’t have been able to do normal things during this time like look after children or even go to work a lot of the time. So if you have responsibilities, then it’s much more sensible to detox slower. Whenever you make a major change to your diet or cut out foods you will probably go through a detox. It’s better to take this more slowly and give your body time to adjust. As Green Thickies include fillers, this will slow down your detox and help you to get used to this new way of eating.
22) Easier for Men to Gain Healthy Muscle: A raw food diet makes it hard for men to put on the weight they want to. They often end up very slim. However a lot of guys would prefer to bulk out and gain healthy muscle. With Green Thickies you can literally put any ingredients you want in them to help you gain weight. You can add more fillers, more healthy fats such as coconut oil (buy your coconut oil here) or coconut or a vegan/plant based protein powder. Another way you can use Green Thickies to put on weight is to continue eating your regular diet and drink a green thickie in between each meal. You may find it hard to eat more food at first but if you persevere your stomach will get used to more food eventually. You should ensure you are working out too or you will end up just gaining fat.
23) Less likely to regain weight: If you only use Green Thickies as a way to lose weight and then go back to eating what you were before you started, you are less likely to pile the weight back on again. This is because if you drink green smoothies, you have cut out a lot of different food out, but with Green Thickies your body will still be used to them, so won’t be a shock when you go back to eating that food again.
24) Easier to make a habit: Of course I don’t recommend going back to your standard diet after losing any weight you needed to lose. However with green thickies you are much more likely to continue drinking them because they are tastier, more filling, quicker to make and drink, more energising and satisfying than a green smoothie.
25) It’s not as difficult a leap: To go from a Standard American Diet (SAD) or a Standard UK Diet (SUKD) to a green smoothie diet is quite hard as it’s a much lighter food and you will be left craving something a bit more bulky which is why the green thickie is a great transition food to raw food or a completely healthy addition to your regular diet.
Green Thickies are great for kids
26) Your Kids get enough calories: If you just gave your kids a green smoothie and sent them off to school, would you worry they weren’t eating enough in the morning? Now ensure they get the equivalent of a green smoothie and a filling breakfast every morning. They will be able to drink it quickly, even on the way to school, they will find it easy to drink as it’s lovely, sweet and creamy. My baby loves it. Green Thickies are a winner when it comes to kids.
27) Think about food less: When I just drank green smoothies I found myself literally thinking about food all the time and dreaming up tasty raw treats that I could make myself and drooling over recipes. Drink a Green Thickie and get on with your life! Yes food is to be enjoyed but it’s also fuel to get us through our days and do our work.
28) Enjoy Life More: Do you find yourself getting hung up on details of your diet, what nutrients are you eating, how many calories are you consuming, how pure is your food, how fresh is it, how green is it, how eco is it, how tasty is it, how much does it cost, when will I get more of it, how will I make it, what will I make, where will I make it, where will I store it, who will tell me more about it, who has lost weight eating it, who will motivate me, who will judge me etc. etc. Sometimes we get too hung up on the details of our every bite. Just have a Green Thickie and Go! Don’t stop, don’t look back, don’t think about food again until your next meal. Life is too short.
Do you want to try a Green Thickie? This basic Green Thickie Recipeis the perfect starting point.
Why I still love Green Smoothies
And of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some positive points about green smoothies. I still drink both but only have green smoothies as a snack if I have more time in my day or at the end of the day. My main staple is always a green thickie but the reasons why I STILL love green smoothies are:
1) You can eat regular food AND still snack on healthy green smoothies, if you have the time to do this. I used to have time for this and used to have a green smoothie followed by porridge for breakfast which I used to really enjoy slowly while I was pregnant. There’s no way I’d have that luxury to enjoy 2 or 3 breakfasts now that I have my baby to look after.
2) If you are trying to heal from a health problem and are on a raw food diet, a cleaner and faster way to detox is to cut out grains and just eat fruit, salad veg and nuts and seeds. (Green thickies can still be raw if you replace the oats with another filler)
3) They are easier to digest as they don’t contain as many ingredients.
4) They are more thirst quenching.
5) They are lower in calories if you prefer to get your calories elsewhere.
6) They are very slightly faster to make if you are just making one as a snack.
If you want to try a classic Green Smoothie recipe, this Crazy Coconut Green Smoothie is a great place to start.
So there you go, some great reasons to continue with green smoothies too. I think all green drinks are great for your health, so however you like your greens and you are happy with your routine, I encourage you to keep going, but first try a green thickie today and let me know whether you’ll be making them part of your diet.
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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.
Lou says
So glad to have found your blog…. what kind of blender do you use? I LOVE the idea of a “thickie” – makes way more sense to me :)
Katherine Natalia says
Thank you so much for visiting Lou. I use a vitamix. Do you have a high speed blender? It makes all the difference but I have made and enjoyed green thickies with a normal blender. Thank you, it makes more sense to me too when you’re busy to just have the one breakfast not have to make different dishes.
Bee says
One negative about green thickies is that I would think they would cause digestive distress. Mixing fruit with fats and grains is a well-known food-combining disaster, and I fear it would cause fermentation in the gut, leading to gas, bloating, and indigestion. Have u found this to be a problem? Any thoughts on food combining?
Also, the 1c of oats—is this raw oats or cooked oats? Have u tried a different grain before?
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Yes you would think so wouldn’t you but I find as green thickies are are blended food that it’s pre-digested and the body can process this really easily. I’ve just completed a Green Thickie challenge where I drank nothing but Green Thickies for 7 days https://www.greenthickies.com/green-thickie-challenge-no-1 and my digestion was perfect while drinking green thickies. It’s the cooked vegan food that causes me digestion problems such as beans and chickpeas. I’d be interested to hear other’s experiences of any digestive problems while drinking green thickies. Yes I do practice some degree of food combining with known trigger foods but other times I just like to enjoy my food and will put up with any symptoms. I’m always reassessing this though.
Yes it’s 1 c of cooked oats that I use. When I use oat groats (still heat treated) I soak them and use a cup of soaked oat groats. They swell when soaked so I measure them afterwards. Yes I have tried other filling carbs and just published my first quinoa smoothie. https://www.greenthickies.com/how-to-make-a-quinoa-smoothie. You can use raw soaked quinoa more easily and cheaply than raw oats too. I find quinoa smoothies very easy to digest too.
Lilly says
Just discovered your website and green thickies. I realized I’ve been doing a similar thing with my smoothies -adding oatmeal, cooked sweet potato, rice or even beans (cooked salt-free), I like to start my smoothies with “nut milk” which is basically raw nuts and some chia, hemp or ground flax and water – no straining. Usually walnuts or almonds, but sometimes cashews, pecans, etc. Then lots of greens, fruit and some starches.
Looking foward to reading through your blog more and enjoying your recipies. Congratulations on your vibrant health! What a lucky daughter you have ~ to begin her life of eating so deliciously and wisely.
Best wishes.
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Wow that’s great you had a similar idea about adding filling healthy foods to you green smoothies. I love that idea. I’ve added sweet potato which worked well but I’ve not tried beans yet but I’ll have to give that a go! Did rice work well for you? I tried both rice grains and cooked brown rice and both ended up so grainy and tasted so bad that I had to just throw them away. What type of rice did you use?
Thank you for your compliments. I am so glad I started my baby off to a healthy start in life. No doubt she’ll turn away from it at some point though but at least she’ll have started off with healthy ways. Thanks so much for visiting green thickies.
Tan says
Hi, I have started drinking green smoothies and came across your website this morning and have been hooked reading new recipes. I really like the sound of green thickies and will be trying them for breakfast. I’m hoping to lose some pregnancy weight and get rid of fatigue symptoms so reading your journey has inspired me.
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you! I really hope you like them and they help you lose some weight. I’m so glad you were inspired. I’m working on a 7 day diet plan that will be more specific to help people lose weight.
morgan says
So what exactly is the recipe?
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Hi Morgan. I have loads of green thickie recipes, but needed a basic green thickie recipe to give you, so I’ve created one for you. Here it is: https://www.greenthickies.com/basic-green-thickie-recipe/ Many thanks
Ceciel says
Hi Katherine. I’m so happy I came across your site. I’ve been struggeling to lose 4 kilo’s for a while now. And I stopped smoking 2 months ago and dispite doing running and weights almost every day and eating low carb my scale was going up. It was driving me crazy and worried there was something wrong with me. But I’m on day 3 now of my green smoothie diet and loving it (so did my scale this morning and 1 1/2 kilo’s down :) . I’ve been feeling full, satisfied and love the taste of my smoothies. I made up my own and I put all the veg I could find in my fridge in it, roasted beetroots and made iced green tea I used for the liquid. I’m very happy and relieved I (finally) found something that works for me and is healthy at the same time. Haven’t tried oats in my smoothie but will buy some today and let you know how I go.
And great website you got too and just liked you page on Facebook.
Ceciel
courtney says
Do u have a book I could buy? I’m looking 2 start the green smoothie diet but ur green thickes sound like something I could do and actually stick 2 it…I’m looking for something 2 help me feel better about myself and my health
Susan says
I have a question. Do you ever warm up your green smoothie? Just curious if it would taste like a nice smooth soup or would it be icky warming up with the fruits in it?