How to Start a Green Smoothie Habit in 2023
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Green smoothies have been around for a while, but they are making a comeback with the help of celebrities and wellness bloggers. It’s not just about drinking green smoothies anymore – these days people are keen to start a green smoothie revolution by adopting the diet in whole or in part. Here’s how to start a green smoothie habit in 2023.
What green smoothies are and how they work
Green smoothies are an easy way to include green vegetables into your diet. They’re high in fiber, low in sugar, and packed with nutrients that green vegetables are known to be rich in. You can buy green smoothie kits that include green vegetable powders or juice them yourself.
The ingredients in green smoothies vary, but they often include leafy greens like kale, collard greens or fresh spinach, frozen or fresh fruit like mango, banana or frozen pineapple, and water or juice. You can also add supplements like protein powder, omega-3s, or probiotics to your green smoothie.
Some other popular healthy ingredients
- chia seed
- flax seed
- almond milk
- coconut milk
- greek yogurt
- green apple
- cayenne pepper (just a tiny bit!)
- nut butter such as peanut or almond butter
- natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, stevia or even fruit juice
Green smoothies are made by blending fruits and vegetables together in a blender. You can use any fruits or vegetables you like, but it’s a good idea to stick to green leafy vegetables and other low-calorie options. This will help you lose weight while drinking green smoothies.
Why green smoothies can help you lose weight
When you drink green smoothies, you’re taking in all the nutrients of the fruits and vegetables you put in there. This means that you’re getting fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients all at once.
Fiber is essential for weight loss because it helps to regulate appetite and digestion.
Antioxidants help protect the body from free radicals, which can damage cells and lead to weight gain.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for keeping the body functioning properly, and phytonutrients offer a range of health benefits.
If you swap out a high calorie meal for a green smoothie, you’ll find that it’s easier to lose weight. You also will feel great getting the nutrients your body needs.
How green smoothies can help with digestive issues
One of the main benefits of green smoothies is that they can help with digestive issues. The fiber in green smoothies helps to keep the digestive system moving, while the antioxidants and vitamins help to improve digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Drinking green smoothies can also help to reduce bloating, constipation, and gas, although it may feel like the opposite at first as your body adjusts to the new amount of fiber. Be sure to drink plenty of water when adding fiber of any kind to your diet.
Other health benefits of green smoothies
Green smoothies are green because they are made with green vegetables like spinach, kale, green apples and green pepper to name a few. The green vegetables provide antioxidants that fight against free radicals in the body. The added fruits provide ample vitamins like Vitamin C while the greens provide Vitamin K, both of which are essential to the body.
The green color of green vegetables comes from chlorophyll which helps detoxify the liver. You also get a ton of minerals in these amazing plant foods.
How to Start a Green Smoothie Habit
So now you know how good green smoothies can be for your health, so how do you start this healthy habit?
The best way to do this is by replacing one meal a day with a green smoothie. For me the easiest way to do this was breakfast. I would get as many of the ingredients as possible into my blender the night before and put the frozen items (frozen fruit, etc) in a zip top bag in the freezer so that all I had to do was dump and blend.
You can take a green smoothie challenge (there are many great ones out there and ours is coming soon!). Get the smoothie ingredients ready so that it reduces your time in the mornings and you can get out the door fast.
There are so many smoothie recipes out there that you are bound to find one you like. I like my smoothie creamy, so I love ones that use milk (can be nondairy or cow’s milk), but if I’m watching my carbs I’ll use water.
This is such a great way to start healthy eating and get more raw food in your diet!
Green Smoothie Recipes to try out!
Try our favorite smoothie recipes.
Watermelon Spinach Green Smoothie Recipe
Frozen Mango Green Smoothie Recipe
Tropical Weight Loss Smoothie Recipe
Where to buy a blender for green smoothies
There are a few different places you can buy blenders for leafy green smoothies. You can buy them at department stores, like Walmart or Target, or you can buy them at specialty stores that sell kitchen appliances. You can also buy them online from websites like Amazon or Ebay.
I use a personal blender for my own green smoothies. It’s perfect for making just one or two servings, and you can get them relatively inexpensively.
I started off with just a very inexpensive personal blender from Walmart, and while it doesn’t blend as smoothly as I like, it did the job for a long time! I also loved that all you had to do was change out the top and you had a to-go cup, too.
Here is the one I started with:
- BLEND AND GO: Blend fruit smoothies, shakes and your favorite icy drinks right in the 14 oz. BPA-free travel jar. The personal blender jar comes with a travel lid to double as a to-go cup. It’s lightweight and fits most car cup holders
- POWERFUL BLENDING PERFORMANCE: Durable stainless steel blades on the blender power through ice, frozen fruits and leafy greens for smooth results. Perfect for adding more vitamins and nutrients into your diet in smoothies and protein shakes.
- QUICK & EASY CLEANUP: The blending jar, blades and travel lid on this Hamilton Beach blender are all dishwasher safe so cleaning up is a breeze. Ice crushing power for smooth results efficient 175-watt motor provides all the power you need for fast, reliable performance
- COMPACT DESIGN FITS MOST CUP HOLDERS: The small size of the personal blender jar makes it perfect for the home, office, travel, small dorms and apartments. The compact base comes with a 24” cord.
- EASY ONE-TOUCH BLENDING. Quickly prepare a variety of icy drinks by just pressing the button. It’s so easy. This is sure to be your go-to blender for shakes and smoothies.
Eventually I wore mine out (it took a long time, so it was an excellent investment!) and I upgraded to a far more powerful NutriBullet. Here is the one I used for a long time:
- The original nutribullet has everything you need to take that first step toward a healthier lifestyle.
- NUTRITION IN NO TIME: Effortlessly blend fruits, vegetables, liquids and so much more into nutritious smoothies, simply and deliciously delivering key nutrients to your body.
- POWER: 600 watts of power in the original nutribullet blender turns anything from strawberries to spinach into smooth, sippable nutrition
- ESSENTIAL DESIGN: Simple, intuitive design makes this a device you’ll use every day. Just push, twist and blend. Yes, it’s that easy.
- CLEANS LIKE A DREAM: Simply twist off the blades, rinse with soap and water, and put the cups on the top rack of the dishwasher. That’s health without the hassle.
If I’m looking for larger servings to feed my whole family (we have four boys under 14!), then I have to either reuse the personal blender or use a large one. I finally opted for a larger blender for them. They really enjoy smoothie bowls, so this mixer handles the thicker mixture with ease, and I love that it has a large bowl, smaller cups and a food processor option!
- NINJA’S MOST POWERFUL SYSTEM: Ninja’s Most Powerful Blender system that crushes, food processes, and makes smoothie bowls and dough – all in one base.
- SMARTTORQUE TECHNOLOGY: Powerful 1400-peak-watt power-dense motor that powers through heavy loads without stalling or the need to stir or shake.
- 6 VERSATILE FUNCTIONS: 6 preset Auto-iQ programs for one-touch smoothies, extractions, bowls, spreads, chopping, and dough.
- AUTO-IQ TECHNOLOGY: take the guesswork out of drink making with intelligent programs that combine unique timed pulsing, blending, and pausing patterns that do the work for you.
- VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL: Start slow and ramp up as needed for precision chopping and mixing.
I hope this post inspires you to start a green smoothie habit today. They are totally life-changing! My green smoothie habit started when I was pregnant with son #3 and had gestational diabetes. I watched my blood sugar like a hawk and started drinking a green smoothie every day. It really helped keep my blood sugar down AND I only gained 15 lbs that pregancy (I was a bit overweight and this was a healthy gain, per my doctor).
Start your green smoothie habit today!
