Today’s Q&A focus will be around the Glowing Green Smoothie, and I wanted to take a moment to answer them because it really is a cornerstone of the Beauty Detox way of eating and lifestyle
You can get a lot of greens into a single drink — one of the many benefits of the Glowing Green Smoothie!So without further ado, let’s get into the questions:
Question from Marina:
I need some advice a snack to go in am for breakfast not a fruit. My GGS is not enough recently. Advice, I tried adding a green powder and that did not help either. Thanks guys in advance.
First of all, it’s not necessary to add green powders to the Glowing Green Smoothie. You are already getting fresh greens, and many may be of questionable quality, and just plain ruin the taste — which will cause you to not enjoy the smoothie and probably stop drinking it. I don’t even recommend including spirulina, which I am a fan of, for those very same reasons (though there are other smoothies and recipes I love to include spirulina in).
In terms of the smoothie not being enough, you have several options: 1) You can make more of the Glowing Green Smoothie. Some readers and clients have up to 32 ounces before noon. That is a tremendous amount of fiber. Or you can have a second smoothie, perhaps something even more filling, such as the Power Protein Smoothie, which contains chia, acai and raw amino acids, which build protein in the body- later in the morning.
If you don’t want to do that, and you don’t want fruit, you could also have some oatmeal (made with water). Or, option 3) you could have something like the Chia Seed Delight, which is filling but not contain fruit.
Hope that helps and thanks for the question Marina!
Pineapple is one of the yummiest additions to the Glowing Green Smoothie!
Question from Alexandra:
I just wanted to ask a question regarding the Glowing Green Smoothie. What are some other green and fruit pairings for the same results?
Hi Alexandra! One of the reasons I love the Glowing Green Smoothie so much is that there are many, many different potential pairings. Just think about how many different types of greens you see in your local market. You have spinach, chard, kale (often 3-4 types!), cilantro, parsley, romaine… the list goes on and on.
You have “vegetables” which are really fruits, including cucumbers…
And then you have many different types of fruit that can be included. You have at least 5-8 types of apples, each with a different flavor profile, pears, lemon, and lime. Plus, you can make it “tropical” and include banana, pineapple, papaya or even mango, though I must admit I prefer to eat mangos plain (yum!) before or after I’ve had my Glowing Green Smoothie for the day.
I recommend you pick out the fruits and vegetables that taste best to you on their own, and play with combinations until you find some that you love. The only fruit type that is not great to include are melons, as they are believed to digest better on their own. Thanks for the question!
Raw buckwheat, makes the perfect granola!
Question from Greta:
I make the GGS every morning but I’m often light headed before lunch. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Greta, it’s impossible for me to know what’s happening in your body, and what other factors might be at play here with your constitution and environment. But if you think you’re feeling light-headed because the Glowing Green Smoothie is not enough food, then per my answer above, I encourage you try adding either steel cut oatmeal, or buckwheat granola or perhaps something like Chia Seed Delight and see if that helps.
Something else I want to address: Beauty Detox is NOT a diet. The goal here is never to minimize calories or eat very little and feel hungry or light-headed. Quite the opposite: I encourage you to eat as much as you want until you feel full and satisfied, and most people would be surprised at how much I eat in a sitting, or during the day. So please listen to your body and eat enough — and if necessary — include more dense, Beauty Detox-friendly foods until you feel properly satiated and balanced each day.
It is important to listen to your body. If you were used to a heavier breakfast, or wake up early and need more food throughout the morning, there are other great Beauty Detox options, such as the aforementioned ones, to help you feel balanced.
Question from Elizabeth:
Here’s something I don’t understand — is there a benefit to drinking the glowing green smoothie rather than eating the whole produce? I’d much rather eat a ton of vegetables/fruit than down it in a smoothie. Mentally, I’d feel far more satiated. Am I missing something? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! Great question — and my answer is simple: why not both? With the Glowing Green Smoothie, you are getting and abundance of living plant nutrition, sometimes more than you can easily consume in a sitting, in a single delicious beverage. Because it’s blended, you body expends less energy on digestion and at the same time is able to absorb even more nutrition from the ingredients inside. Most all of us do not chew enough (even if you were to eat a ton of greens all day), so the GGS helps to ensure your body is getting the full spectrum of nutrition from the produce. A blender is a very powerful aid in that regard. Those are just some of the many reasons for it.
And again, it’s not “either/or” but rather — both! I recommend having your Glowing Green Smoothie each day AND also having at least one large salad filled with leafy greens, colored vegetables and flavors.
Kale, nutritional yeast and avocado is a heavenly combination, so filling and rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy fat.
Question from Emma:
Hello lovelies – it’s starting to turn chilly here and I just can’t face GGS and salads anymore plus I’m having trouble shifting weight – my acupuncturist said I need to eat less carbs and more protein but find this tough as a vegetarian. I find if I cut out carbs (like brown rice and quinoa and beans) I’m very limited and hungry and then eat all the wrongs things?! Just don’t know what to eat anymore – anyone else ever feel like this? Any suggestions? TIA xx
Hi Emma, thanks for the question. First of all, I understand that as the weather gets colder, raw fruits and vegetables — or cool beverages like the Glowing Green Smoothie — may become less appealing. That’s one reason why I introduced the GGSo (Glowing Green Soup) — because it can be consumed warm or even hot, and has a totally different energy and experience. But I also find that as I wake up to my hot water with lemon, I feel grounded from that hot beverage, and I take my GGS out of the fridge earlier (If I made it the day before), or use more room temperature water, so it’s not freezing cold (which I don’t really like to drink, even in the summer).
Second, I won’t tell you what to do or not to do, especially if you are under the care of a physician or acupuncturist. What I will say is that it’s very difficult to go “low carb” on Beauty Detox and get enough calories. The reason for that is that without any carbohydrate foods (sweet potatoes, squash, rice, quinoa) — the tendency is to load up on fat (nuts, avocados, oils). I find that problematic and have seen a lot of health issues, not to mention weight gain, and slowed digestion.
You can get more protein via plant-based protein powders and things of that nature, and can include more nutritional yeast, spirulina and other more protein dense foods. If grains/beans don’t work well for you, you may also want to consider sweet potato and squash for your carbohydrate foods, keep your fat moderate, and include more kale salads with nutritional yeast, mushrooms and other “dense” Beauty Foods that many people find more filling.
Until Next Time!
Thanks for your questions this week, I hope my answers were helpful.
The Glowing Green Smoothie is something that I very much believe in and have used to thrive on this plant-based approach to eating, and I’ve seen it work for my clients as well as thousands of readers.
Sure, you need to fine tune it to work for you — in terms of fruit/veggies, quantity, timing, and other factors. But it DOES work, just play around and have fun until you find the right balance of everything.
I’ll talk to you again tomorrow!
Love,
Kimberly
Thank you for writing this article!! I love my GGS!!! I drink it every morning and recently have been drinking it all morning and feel full until about 1pm and I am full of energy!! (which I thought I could never give up eating my bagel and cream cheese with coffee) for breakfast. Thank goodness I did. :-) I recently started playing around with the recipe by adding some mango and it tasted delish too! I appreciate the new tips!!! I’m so excited to make it with pineapple which I usually eat in the morning if I feel like eating something I could actually chew. Your amazing Kimberly!!! I look forward to reading your articles everyday. ;-)
Hi kimberly,
First of all, thank you so much, you are the only one who makes me feel better with my acne issues (i have seen a lot of different doctors) !!
You say That we can add hemp protein powder with green smoothie, but in the GGS in the morning, its not good to have seeds or protein, right ? (Seeds only at dinner ??)
I also have big acne issues (and dry hair) since one year, and no menses since 2 years. Since april, I have began to follow exactly all your guidelines and principles, really ! (i have read BDS, BTF) including colonics, SBO probiotic (the same as yours), digestives enzymes, magnesium, a lot of probiotic and enzymes salads (lunch and dinner), garlic, onions, lemon every morning, raw Apple cider vinegar etc… Its really better of course But i still have acne and constipation, with really hard and soft periods i don’t understand !
I eat avocado every day, sea veggies, greens, seeds (chia, flax pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
I also have lost a lot of pounds, i thiink that i am maybe too skinny around the arms/chest. But when i lost pounds, my skin is better (normal, digestion and elimination are better), i am a little bit afraid to be skinnier that now.
Have you an idea to help me ?
Thank you very much for all,
Regards,
Laëtitia
So I am following the Beauty Detox Program and have found this new juice that I really love.
It has carrots, ginger, turmeric, young coconut and something else I can’t remember :). They put everything in a cold press juicer. My question is, is this something I can have after my GGS before lunch? Will this still keep me in “detox” mode?
I find it very filling, so I am able to eat a later lunch when I have this drink after my GGS :)
I’m confused because, you have said previously that mixing high sugar fruits with greens is not a good combination. Like “strawberries on a salad” on your members website, but you say you can add pineapple to a GGS? Please clarify. Thanks.
hi Kimberly!
I enjoy the GGS every single morning for breakfast, but I always add chia seeds so I was wondering if it is okay to add chia seeds to the GGS or if it would be a bad food combination?
also, I am obsessed with getting my “8 glasses of water a day” rule so I usually drink a glass or two of water before drinking my GGS. I noticed that it makes me feel ill though…is it bad to drink water before consuming the GGS?
I just bought your book and am excited about trying all your recipes. However, I would like to know if it is safe to consume raw spinach which is highly acidic and that long term consumption could cause kidney stones. Spinach and kale are two of my favorites. Please advise. Thank you. Can’t wait to recommend your book to family and friends.
Love the GGS and all variations of it! I always keep the seeds with my pears and apples for blending!
I enjoyed having 16+ ounces of green smoothie almost daily for over a year. Then I noticed that I was starting to have lower leg/foot cramps at night. When I don’t have the smoothie, I don’t have the cramps. Any ideas on what could be going on? I have, for now, stopped drinking the smoothie and would love to start again without the cramping of course.
Hello Kimberly! In order to make my GGS more seasonal I tried a variety with white cabbage and kale instead of spinach and one swedish apple (we really do have amazing apples over here) and a pear instead of the banana today. It was delicious! The cabbage made everything creamy :-)
I also usually ad a bit of ginger to my GGS in order to make the kale and cabbage easier to digest, is that fine?
Kind regards, Mia
Hi Mia, If your body can handle the cabbage and the kale that is fine to add some ginger.
How many produce servings is in each blender of GGS?
I usually make it at night and split it up into 2 portions into 2 separate travel mugs, to drink for the next 2 days.
The only thing I changed from your recipe is the celery, I felt it was too strong tasting and didn’t swallow well with me, I’ve replaced the celery with extra spinach or even avocado.
Hi Catherine, and thanks for your great question. Typically, if you make the recipe it is about 64oz, so the amount of servings would vary due to the amount you are drinking. Sending lots of love! :)
hi Kimberly,
I am following your Beauty Detox plan for the radiant beauty for the last 3 weeks. It was quite a smooth transition since I already ate vegetarian and gluten free for the last 2 years. I am enjoying my new type of breakfast with GGS, I actually drink around 32oz through the whole morning till the lunch time.
I am struggling with a lot of break outs on my skin and despite taking probiotics, digestive enzymes and oxygen magnezium, I feel bloated and constipated. Do you think I am getting maybe too much fiber in my diet?
Thank you!
Hi Monika and congrats on transitioning into the Beauty Detox Lifestyle…keep up the great work and your body will get use to all the added fiber in no time. If you are too uncomfortable, you can always limit how much you drink and slowly increase the amount – always listening to your body first and foremost. The acne is a good sign that your body is trying to remove unwanted waste, so don’t get discouraged. The toxins need a way out and our skin is the largest organ, so you will tend to see acne flare up before it goes away. So proud of you – lots of love and support to you! ;)
Hi Kim –
I have been a longtime lover of the GGS – I recently came across 10 mushroom blend power I wanted to try by and it notes on the package you could put a teaspoon in a smoothie. I was hoping you could weigh in on whether that would be a good addition to the GGS or should it be something to include in another smoothie later on after I have had my GGS for the day. Thanks!
Hi Marielle – I would keep the GGS as is and save any powders for your afternoon smoothies. Lots of love to you! ;)