I’m about to put Green Smoothie Revolution in the library book drop, but thought I’d write a little something about it first.

Written by Victoria Boutenko and published in 2009, Green Smoothie Revolution is a fairly quick read.

(it’s only about a half inch thick.)

The first 1/4 inch is ten short chapters filled with facts and information explaining why green leafy vegetables are the miracle food that they are.  The the other 1/4 inch is the 200 green smoothie recipes and a couple of case studies and personal anecdotes – from weight loss to simply feeling better after an increase in consumption of leafy greens.

Really, I could sum it up in just two sentences for you:

Greens are good for you.  Eat them.

If you’re intrigued but need a bit more motivation than that – coming to understand the why’s and how’s can be very helpful.  This is where checking Green Smoothie Revolution out of your own local library would come into play.  Knowing why it’s worth it can make any change a lot easier to put into place.

I picked up Green Smoothie Revolution to better understand why we need to rotate our greens, but while reading I came to see that it’s a great place for healthy eating newbies to start.  It not only helps you understand why greens are so miraculous, but then gives you 200 examples how to give it a shot.

She does touch on something though that I think is important.  Something that I would like to shout from the roof tops:

Green vegetables are an acquired taste!

(ok, maybe not shout from the roof tops.  to put up on a billboard would be totally fine.)

Much like dark chocolate, coffee or alcohol – the first couple of times you try these food items, they are often too bitter to be found pleasurable.  Eventually though, your body starts to catch on that these foods come with an often times desirable effect.  Greens included.

Victoria explains that the sweetness from fruit can mask the bitter flavor found in some greens, therefore green smoothies can be a great way to ease yourself into consuming more greens so you too can reap all the rewards that come with this wondrous stuff.  With a bit of time and exposure, our taste buds do adapt and change.  You will eventually come to enjoy and even look forward to the company of your green friends if you give them a chance.

She’s preaching to the converted over here.  My experience with green smoothies started a couple years ago when I began throwing spinach into my fruit smoothies.  I watched a bunch of food bloggers do it, so I tried it without expecting much.  I figured adding spinach to a smoothie would at the very least be filling, and just might do a body good too.

It was a few weeks later when I noticed that all of my runs were suddenly starting to feel really great.  It didn’t immediately click that my daily dose of spinach had anything to do with it.  It was when I fell off the green smoothie band wagon and my runs started to feel less than super that I made the connection.

Daily Greens = Easier Running

Well then sign me up! Green juice, green smoothies, salads or sauteed shrubbery, leaves stuffed into sandwiches – I now find ways to get some greens in nearly every day.

You don’t have to be a runner to reap the benefits of this dietary change – more greens can make even every day activities feel easier and a lot better. I don’t juice every day and rarely drink green smoothies now – but I do eat a big salad most days of the week and have made a habit of squeezing greens into any meal that I can.  It’s all about figuring out what works for you.

Green Smoothie Revolution is great for veteran health freaks too.  It’s always nice to be reminded why you care about good nutrition, healthy habits and the great things you for your body every day.

OK – that’s it, Book!  Off to the library we go.