Liquid greens are Hollywood’s latest trend
The adage to eat your greens goes back to a ubiquitous childhood we all had (except I’ve always liked broccoli?), but thanks to a recent trend of green smoothie recipes, pressed juices, and at-home juicers, we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that we can now drink our greens. Celebs may love the prepared juices, but you can easily make a green drink at home too.
Green juices and green smoothies offer all sorts of benefits for the body. Honeybee Organic Juice Bar owner Kate Linehan let us in on the differences between green juices and smoothies. Linehan, whose Aspen, Colorado juice bar serves cold-pressed juice, juice made to order, and smoothies, says, “Comparing a juice to a smoothie, the main thing is the fiber. In a smoothie, the fiber remains in the drink so you get all that when you digest it, which is great—fiber is essential for digestion. It’s good for blood sugar too, fiber helps lessen the spike in the blood sugar.”
Celebs love green smoothies, especially the special recipe from celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, whose signature Glowing Green blend has been adopted by the likes of Fergie and Josh Duhamel, Drew Barrymore, Olivia Wilde, Jenna Dewan, and Owen Wilson. Snyder told Shape magazine, ”Every time I work on a movie set, the whole cast starts to drink it [the green smoothie]. It’s a ton of nutrients, condensed and blended into a juice so your body doesn’t waste energy breaking it down. The vitamins, minerals, and amino acids will flow right into your system to rejuvenate you. And it’s full of fiber, so you’re not reaching for that bagel or that second cup of coffee between meals.”
With juice, however, you skip the fiber. Linehan says, “the intention of juicing is essentially the opposite, in that you’re removing the fiber so that you absorb the nutrients almost as quickly as alcohol. It’s a very fast absorption, which is great for people with compromised immune systems or if you’re cleansing.”
Liv Tyler, Alicia Silverstone, Woody Harrelson, Megan Fox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie, and Ryan Seacrest are all green juice fans, according to Ecorazzi.com. Linehan says, “There’s a spectrum. I use bananas in most of the smoothies because it balances out the flavors, to get in bitter greens or more nourishing stuff. As a person’s taste progresses, they work into the juice, then the juice without fruit. It’s educating people about why, so you really think about what everything does to your body, even if it’s a healthy food.”
Ready to get green? Linehan gives us her best tips for making green drinks at home.
Honeybee Green Drink Tips:
- The morning is the best time to have a green juice or smoothie, because your body is coming out of its nightly fast and it’s an easy way to go into digesting.
- A really consistent mix providing hydration and detoxification with maximum nutrient assimilation is celery, cucumber, romaine, kale, leafy greens, with something that has the hydration and diuretic factor. Celery is important for stomach lining if you’re juicing regularly so you don’t over-acidify the gut.
- For smoothies, keeping it simple is important, not over-complicating what your body can break down. A favorite of Kate’s is pear, parsely, and water. It’s got good fiber from the pears.
- Minimizing fruit in the drink is key, how to make it taste good but keep it from being too sugary.
Check out our Pinterest board for green smoothie and juice inspiration!