I told you. Once we made our first Green Smoothie there would be others. This one was inspired by Mo in the comments.
We actually recorded this on Friday but I had a TON of technical difficulty with the video. You'll have to excuse the abrupt stop at the end. It was all I could salvage.
Recipe Below the video...
Here's what we did...
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 2 cups of raw spinach (57g)
- ½ tablespoon honey (10g)
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla
- ¼ cup of non-fat yogurt
- 10 ice cubes (57g)
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet except for the ice.
Blend until liquified. It may take some work as there is no liquid. If using the bullet just pick it up and shake it a few times. In the blender you may have to stop it now and then to stir. Once liquified add the ice and blend until smooth.
Convince child that green is GOOD! 😉
Weight Watcher point update. I had a chance to talk to a leader who said "do NOT add the free fruits and veggies when calculating PointsPlus. Sooo I only counted the honey and yogurt making this 2 PointsPlus. If you use the Nutritional Information it comes out to 5.
📖 Recipe
Our New Favorite Green Smoothie the Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet except for the ice.1 banana, 2 cups of raw spinach, ½ tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon of vanilla, ¼ cup of non-fat yogurt, 10 ice cubes
- Blend until liquified. It may take some work as there is no liquid. If using the bullet just pick it up and shake it a few times. In the blender you may have to stop it now and then to stir. Once liquified add the ice and blend until smooth.
Lauren
Just made MY first green smoothie! 🙂 Except I think I need to use the blender next time. I was trying to be quiet about it since DH was sleeping, so I used my old "baby food processor". Same idea as the bullet, but I guess not as strong, because it wouldn't chop the ice cubes. I also cut the ingredients in half, since the thing is smaller. It was still really good, but I think DS might like it better if the ice cubes were all mixed in and no spinach specks. 🙂 Going to try adding a 1/2 scoop of protein powder next time. Thanks!
Cassandra Bishop
This looks so yummy! You have so many green smoothies to choose from. I think this will be my first one though. I have 1/2 bag of spinach I need to use up before it goes bad. You have a ton of great recipes with Spinach!
Kali
I make a similar smoothie but I add about 1/4 cup of cottage cheese!
Rachel
This was fantastic! I had to make two batches because my family drank the first. Also, I've noticed that the older the banana, the better the smoothie. Thanks so much for the idea!
sixtyfive
I don't keep ice cubes on hand as a rule either (took ice maker out of freezer to make more space). But I sometimes will freeze some almond milk in cubes and keep in a freezer bag to use for thickening smoothies. Similarly, you can peel and cut up bananas that are starting to get too ripe and use the chunks in smoothies. Either way you get the thickening effect without diluting.
Laura
You just made me a green smoothie believer. It was delicious! I added a little milk to help with the blending process. Thanks!
Sherry
Thank you so much, Roni! I will give it a try and post afterwards. I will probably use Trader Joe's 0% plain Greek yogurt since I just bought a big container of it. I'm glad they're selling it in a larger size now.
Sherry
roni
totally! It would be more like this...
https://greenlitebites.com/2011/05/29/a-less-green-more-blue-simple-smoothie/
Sherry
Roni,
Would this recipe work if I used frozen blueberries instead of ice? We never keep ice in our freezer (no room for the trays!). Would about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of berries be the correct amount?
I'm trying to eat more greens, and I am so glad you have these smoothie recipes. I am getting sick of salads , even though I love them.
Thank you so much-
Sherry
roni
Yikes... I'm not sure. My gut says no. What I'd do is have all the ingredients prepped the night before and then just toss in the blender. I'm a fresh smoothie type of girl.
Juanita
Hi Roni!
I just found your wonderful blog!! I've been an off and on, got preggo and breastfeeding WW'er. LOL. Getting back on and wanted a "green" smoothie for the mornings. Sorry for rambling, back on track.
Question: Do you think I could prepare this the night before? Or at least the part without the ice cubes? I run short on time in the morning.
Thanks!!
roni
Carmen - You can use anything you like! I'm not a big fan of maple syrup so I wouldn't like it but it's worth a try!
Carmen
I so want to try this! Can I use 100% pure maple syrup instead of honey? I don't have any honey. Thanks!
Lindsey
I tried this and being a smoothie novice without a "great" blender, I had some issues getting it to liquefy. I foolishly was stirring with the handle of a wooden spoon and at first thought that my blades weren't moving b/c there was no progress so I ended up clipping the spoon with the blender as it was just about to stop spinning. So I also had some wood chunks in mine (picked out). 🙂
It was very good. I added some fresh raspberries, the pretty color gets muddied, but I've always loved the taste of raspberries over banana. When I tried it at first, it seemed too sweet, so I added some grapefruit sections as well. I may just do without the honey next time and keep using very ripe bananas.
Suzanne
I made the smoothie on Saturday. My husband and son doubted that I would drink it because I don't do veggies! We split it in thirds and I drank all of mine! I thought it left a slight after taste and it wasn't very flavorful so next time I will add another banana. Notice I said "next time!!". Yes, I didn't find it awful! Since I don't eat veggies I might have found a way to get them down! Thanks.
My blender (500 watts) had a difficult time getting the spinach liquified. It probably took more than 10 minutes. Sz
Amy Hathcock
Thanks for sharing Roni!! I was a little leery of trying it because my smoothies are usually only made with fruit but I LOVE it. Genius! Also, it was fun to see the Magic Bullet in action. I've wondered about it.
Angela
Just tried this and it was surprisingly good. Mine did have a spinachy after taste, but I'm wondering if it's the spinach I am using. I only had regular spinach which tends to have a much stronger flavor than baby spinach. I'm excited to try this again using baby spinach or less of the regular spinach.
Jessamyn
Those look delicious! I've been making green smoothies for a long time, but I absolutely LOVED watching this video- it definitely made my maternal clock start ticking. I can't wait to make smoothies with my kids 🙂
NYCPatty
Love this quote from you: "I just want to maximize the “good” while enjoying the “bad” without guilt"
Words to live by indeed! I may just have to quote you on this when I write my 2 year weight loss anniversary post on Friday. I have no idea where I'm going with the post but this will fit right in!
Great Smoothie!
Ryan cracks me up! I love him in the videos with you!
Brandy Jo
Oh my gosh Roni! This smoothie is soooo delicious!! Even my 3 year old loves it!! I had to tell him it was a "Scooby Snack" because of the color but after he took the 1st drink he kept coming back for more!! THANK YOU!!!!
Liz
I made a green smoothie this morning and it was delicious! I have trouble eating breakfast and I think this will be a great solution. If people are getting stuck on the color, I put frozen mixed berries in mine and it turned it a brownish color and it kind of looks like chocolate.
Thanks Roni!
chris
This is really a very exciting string for me. I love the energy and enthusiasm everyone brings.
I feel the need to clarify a couple of things. My main goal/interest is to be as knowledgeable as I can about diet/nutrition. I did mention in my first post response that there is a ton of conflicting and misinformation out there and navigating through it can be difficult.
I do not consider myself to be a shrew. I do not have a "perfect" diet. I have indulgences regularly. I ate a steak last week. I ate sweet potato fries with a salad for dinner one night...... My point was, I am aware of what I am eating. I call a spade a spade.
Because I think that a banana, milk, peanutbutter smoothie is not the "best" choice doesn't mean I won't drink it. It just means I tell myself it is an indulgence and I could do better.....
Green Lite Bites is not just some blog for foodies right? It is about "adventures in healthy eating". I know that current conventional wisdom around food and health is constanly evolving. I am looking for the best information I can find to help me to make choices. I don't always expect that I will make the best choices. I don't even think I need to, but I do want to know what they are.
I have learned a ton from a medical librarian's blog. She is all about the science/research behind food/nutrition. First I thought soy was good for you, then I read it wasn't.....I did not know what to think until I read her posting about it. This applies to so many things.
I highly encourage people to check out her site. http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/
Her posts are kinda long, but worth the time.
Whether or not you think I'm a shrew and should stfu, I am happy about each and every person who comes to your site Roni because they are trying to make their lives better. Every step, big or small is a step.
I wish everyone on the "food journey" peace and strength.
🙂
Leanne
Cow's milk isn't healthy. It's loaded with fat, for starters. Considering that most of us would like to be *leaner* it's not a food I'll be rushing to buy in a hurry!
We only buy it when my parents come over to stay, for their coffee. They're in their 60s, and can't change their ways. So I'm not going to be pushing them to quit it, despite Mum having pre-diabetes and Dad being obese. It's their choice, and I don't pass comment on what they choose to eat or drink. But I wish they wouldn't consume it, because they'd be healthier as a result and their ill-health concerns me.
Personally, I quit drinking milk back in the mid 90s, and within weeks my eczema and asthma, which had plagued me all my life, disappeared. Apparently this is common to people who quit dairy.
These days I avoid dairy when I can, and continue to feel better for it, and haven't had an asthma attack for over 20 years - since the month I quit drinking milk.
In the end, people can consume it or not if they choose. They can smoke or do drugs if they choose too. But they're kidding themselves if they think it is healthy, and I don't think it is ethical to feed the stuff to kids.
Julie
Although we are new followers of The Engine 2 Diet and are plant strong and loving it, I agree with Laura. You have to be ready for such an extreme change. I suffer from chronic pain and weigh more than I would like. My Husband is very supportive and we were ready to cross over into clean food and Veganism. We are very HAPPY we did.
Laura
Let's face it...what works for one person doesn't always work for the next. To be successful with losing and maintaining you have to be in the right frame of mind for it and find the system that works best for you.
The diets themselves don't fail - the people do. I learned a long time ago to stop blaming it on the diet!
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
Paige--you would absolutely love http://www.peertrainer.com
Totally got me over the feeling that I had to be "perfect" about food . . . people in the comments section seem to assume alot of things about me, make up thing that I said and assume things about how I eat based on my questions that I asked . . . I'm not perfect, and you don't need to be in order to be healthy. That said, I do strive to better myself all of the time. But letting go of perfection was essential to my being able to keep the weight off.
I was just asking questions for _____'s sake! Geez!
Paige
Wow, worlds collide. (Thanks for linking over here from your week's wrap-up post, Roni!)
I used to be a follower of Eat to Live (an ETL-er, as they call themselves). I learned a lot of good things there, like that meat is not at all necessary to make a meal, that you can never have too many veggies, and my love of green smoothies transferred from the raw food diet to ETL and beyond.
But I did not find help with my binge eating preferences.
They were made so much worse with the idea of being "on plan" and "off plan". On plan was fine, but then something stressful would happen or I wouldn't have planned perfectly or it'd be Thursday and I'd eaten salt (salt and oil are both no-nos on ETL, though to a lesser degree than most other things) and I'd give up and binge and decide to start over on Monday. There was not room or leniency. (I understand that many have found the opposite to be true, and that they have found peace from binge eating and other disorders. This was not my experience.)
Weight Watchers (specifically Points Plus, as I think the free fruit is a huge help for me) IS teaching me moderation. Now, I know to those ETL-ers/others who are commenting, you're not interested in moderation, you're interested in Nutritional Excellence or something along those lines. That's a reasonable pursuit. But at this point, after struggling with binge eating for 8 years, my top goals are a lowER weight (not my IDEAL weight, whatever the heck that means), increased health and intake of healthy things (over the long term, not 3 pounds of produce per day for 6 days, then a binge on fast food), and most of all, improved mental health. ETL did not support MY mental health.
Weight Watchers is giving me these things. Take the food I ate yesterday. It was a weird day. My fiance and I were in a strange mood, kind of just wanted to watch movies and eat junk. Looking back at my food journal from yesterday, these are the foods I ate: fried fish, plantain chips, ice cream sandwich, chocolate, yogurt dip. I think Wendy and Chris just fainted. However those are just the things I had to track. To bulk these things out, I also ate 2 apples, a giant cabbage, cucumber and cilantro salad, and lots of carrots and celery. Now, this was a particularly junky day for me. But based on my previous experience with my own brain, I know it would have been a junky day no matter what. If I was invested in PERFECTION, it would have included multiple fast food meals including milkshakes, fries, fried chicken, etc. Instead it was exactly 31 PP (the number I'm assigned each day) of junk, plus some fresh things on the side. I went to bed feeling not-terrible, and when I work up this morning, I was ready to tackle the day. Moderation helped me get over those weird, layabout feelings and now I'm ready to tackle my Saturday and Sunday and keep eating well.
Anyway, obviously this is a charged topic. I certainly believe ETL and like programs have a lot to offer. It's the first place I'd turn if I developed a chronic illness that impaired my ability to function normally, because I know it can work "miracles". But for now, my mental health is more important to me.
mel
I have to say that I agree with Chris above, and didn't think she was being rude, with her delivery. I think everyone has their own definition on what they think healthy is. I see people comment about things they are making or eating, and I don't consider them as healthy as they do, but I also realize that the way I eat is definately not the norm, and would seem more extreme to others... I can totally appreciate that we are all different...and we need to find what works for each of us. On the topic of the green smoothie... I drink them all the time...I don't make this combination, but I find I can use up to a half a big carton of spinach and it seems to be the one "green", I can never taste..
roni
I think Agave would be fine! Actually I would probably like the flavor even more, there's something about honey in smoothies that bugs me but this is such a small amount it's ok. I may even try a date next time.
AS for the yogurt I actually wanted to use greek but they didn't have any. 🙁 I think you'll be fine using the same amount you may just want to ad a splash of water to help the blending process.
BigTickles
wow...uh...I just have two little questions (as I raise my hand)...do you think if I substitute agave nectar for honey it would be OK? I am allergic to honey but it is definitely thicker than the nectar. Think I should double it up? Also, all I have is Greek yogurt. Did you add the yogurt for thickener or taste? If for thickener, I might add half of what you did since Greek is so much thicker anyway. Whatcha think?
Thanks!
Kelly
And Wendy and Chris? Please stop and stfu, no one cares. This site is for fun people not shrews. Its really weird that your "commenting" and "debates" are really about yourselves trying to force your opinion on others.
Kelly
All I want right now is to make this and we dont do our grocery shopping until next week. I have absolutly none of these ingredients in my fridge LOL except ice cubes and vanilla but you never run out of them
roni
Thanks for chiming in Chris. You work with Wendy, no?
One thing...
"...should not be seen as the "best" choice."
In my world a spinach/banana smoothie made with a dash on honey and yogurt paired with a hard boiled egg is a GREAT choice. That's what we had that morning.
NO ONE KNOWS what the "best" is and I'd wager we never will.
I'm not here to tell anyone what is "best" or what they "should" eat. I'm hear to inspire them by sharing my attempts to eat more whole foods.
That is all. End of story.
Christine
Ok, back to the smoothie... Delicious! I modified it slightly using 1% milk instead of yogurt, dates instead of honey, and I added ground flaxseed and protein powder. I could drink this every day! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
chris
Wow......you ladies are on fire! I love the passion and the debate on both sides.
Roni and Wendy, you are both clearly inspired and living life with eyes wide open.
First off, if food is an "addiction", moderation seems to usually be a losing battle in the long run.....I too take statistics with a grain of salt, but I can just look around me every day to get the picture. A nibble here and there turns in to more over time for most people(who consider themselves to be addicted to food), thus the yoyo dieting and obesity epidemic in this country.
I think this boils down to good, better, best. Moving through the process of gaining a nutritional education and making dietary modifications is a process. We all know bacon double cheeseburgers are not healthy and kale is. All the stuff in between can get confusing. It takes a lot of time and commitment to really learn about all this.
Wendy sound like you are the Iron Man of health food. You seem to eat the BEST food you can and have taken the time to learn all about food. It works for you and you want to share this with everyone.
Roni, you seem to be in the good to better area. This works for you.
There is so much misinformation out in the world that sometimes it is hard to even know what is or isn't good for us. In my world, a milk, banana, peanut butter, honey, spinach smoothy is a treat, not a healthy breakfast. If you are used to eating the "grand slam", it is a healthy step, but should not be seen as the "best" choice.
I saw "Forks Over Knives" too and can't recommend it more. It paints a very clear picture of the food industry and health implications of our dietary choices.
We are all on a journey. It is important to see where we have been, where we are and where we are going...........
wendy (healthy girls kitchen)
Here's where the statistic about Weight Watchers came from:
http://fatfu.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/weight-watchers/
Kylee
LOL So true Roni! I was wondering why she said that because she said Fact is fact...didn't know if there was research to support it.
roni
As my husband likes to say.... "80% of statistics are made up on the spot."
LMAO
Kylee
Can I just ask how you know that 95% of weight watcher people feel that way? I really am curious. Thanks!
roni
Never heard of that one! Thanks Lynne!
Lynne
I hope you will all see the very upbeat movie/documentary "Forks over Knives" by Drs Cambell and Esselstyn. It covers all the research in a fun, informative way.
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
I totally respect you for that Roni. I guess you can't be as a blogger, right? If I paid for the books and had them sent to you, would you ever consider reading Eat to Live, The China Study and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease?
roni
Feel free to inform just know I will always defend my opinion and "moderate" approach. I'm not easily insulted.
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
LOL. I hope we can keep a healthy, not hurtful, dialogue going. You see, it isn't my intent to hurt--only my intent to sound the alarm. This country is in a very bad way--both our health and financially--something major has got to change.
roni
You are totally cracking me up. No need to apologies and no nerve. I'm actually LOL. You may WANT to touch it but you aren't. I really do believe to each their own. Keep doing your thing and I'll keep doing mine. I am very confident in my position on food and my approach to inspire change.
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
You see . . . I have touched a nerve! I'm sorry!
Amanda
I just tried a green smoothie for the first time on Wednesday (I think...3 snow days here and all the days are running together). I LOVED it! I have a smoothie every day for breakfast and I truly love it. Look forward to it every day. But I had some spinach and I thought what the heck so I threw it in. I use the WW Smoothies...I did 1 cup of milk and 1 chocolate packet WW Smoothie, a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter and spinach. Could not taste the spinach at all!!!! I loved knowing all the extra good for me stuff I was putting in my body. Made me feel good! I loved it so much...I dreamed about it last night!!! Seriously?? So I had to go out today and buy more spinach--I think that will be an every morning addition to my already pretty healthy smoothies. 🙂
roni
I've had this conversation with many other "radicals"... that's just not how I work. We probably have a lot of similar opinions on things but I'd rather stimulate change through finding a middle ground. In my opinion, positively inspiring people to be conscious and make healthier decisions on their own gets you further than making them feel bad/wrong/stupid/fearful/etc. We have a similar goal but we a have different approach and completely different philosophies. To each their own.
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
Not to drag this out forever, but I do want to add that I have plenty of treats in my diet! Who could live without that??? I just make baked goods full of bananas and dates and whole wheat flour and other wonderful ingredients--and because I'm not usually eating the refined types of baked goods, the healthy ones taste divine! And Roni--you know all about the frozen banana soft serve--so you know I'm not missing out on anything!
wendy (healthygirlskitchen)
Sorry if I sounded condescending! Include me in the group of people that has done the Weight Watchers program over . . . and over . . . and over . . . until I became insane!!! I felt HORRIBLE about myself every time I lost all that weight and then gained it back plus a few. And the facts are the facts, this is the story for over 95% of people who have tried WW.
My goal is not to turn people off, clearly that would be a waste of my time:) I am just extremely passionate about what happened to me and I can see so clearly the pain that so many people are in who are overweight and unhappy about it. I was there too and I know it so well. Roni, we have the same goals and the same passion. To empower people to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF! But it always takes SOME radicals in society to get the majority of society to open up their eyes and ears and think about something differently--in my case, processed food.
Jaz @ Odd Mom
I have heard of green smoothies, but I've been afraid to try. I saw this video last night and tried it today - YUM! My super-picky boys (ages 11 and 13) loved it, too. My 16 year-old daughter is allergic to bananas, so we're going to try it with strawberries next so she can try.
Sheriese
I wanted to thank you for always answering the tough questions so eloquently! I agree completely with your feelings on moderation, and not feeling guilty about enjoying a treat every so often. Healthy is the goal, but not at the expense of enjoying a brownie once in a while! I luvs me a gooey brownie.
I have been enjoying the green smoothies since you mentioned them a couple of weeks ago. Thanks again for inspiring me!
Susan
What Pat said! 🙂
Pat
I love green smoothies.
There is nothing wrong with Cow's Milk- it helps kids grow and stay strong.
Keeping 70 pounds off for five years by living a life of moderation is more impressive than being a semi-vegan for eighteen months.
roni
Honestly... not in the least bit!
Susan
This looks good. I, too, would have to get past the green color. 😉 Is this "spinach-y" tasting?
Sarah
I'm with you Roni- I want to maximize the "good" while enjoying the "bad". Although I truly believe there is no such thing as a good or bad food. In my Nurtition Ed and Counseling Class semester the Proff was constantly on us to define good and bad or her other favorite "healthy eating". It's what good for me, it's what MY body needs.
I had a pretty powerful ah-ha moment he other day. I get more enjoyment out of food now than I did when I was 345 pounds. That's because I have taught myself moderation. If it's Oreos I get satisfaction from those 3 Oreos. If it's a sweet potato with butter I get satisfaction from that because I know that besides being yummy it is giving me vitamins and minerals. Eating as I did at 345 was never satisfying- I always felt I had to eat more and more because I had no concept of what was normal.
Moderation is hard to learn, but I believe it can be done but it takes practice. I was never a yo-yoer. I went up- all the way to 345 and came back down. I was an obese child and 240 by my freshman year of highschool. I've been at my happy weight for 6 years and have kept off 185 pounds with no regain-- I'll add the last couple of years without any real exercise. It's because I choose to enjoy food in moderation. I also find that I don't think about food the same way as I did. Moderation allows me to not obsess, to eat and move on. There is no guilt there is no shame there is only enjoyment. That head space all that food took up. Now filled with other more important things. Life.
roni
You didn't touch a nerve at all! I appreciate the conversation and I agree with some of what you are saying. I think the difference between you and I is that I don't think there is a one size fit all "answer" and I refuse to tell people what they should or shouldn't eat. I truly do not think there is anything wrong with having some oreos with milk. (just using that as an example) I admire people who eat 100% clean/vegan/organic/etc but in todays world it is pretty unrealistic to think everyone will eat that way and frankly I don't want to eat that way. Instead, I try to influence small changes that can lead to big changes over time that can effect weight and health.
We can argue about moderation all you want but what it really comes down to is we have different goals. You may want to eat 100% vegan but I do not. I just want to maximize the "good" while enjoying the "bad" without guilt and note: people/studies/culture define what good and bad is differently.
I have never felt better about my diet and eating habits as I have over these past 5 years and like you, I feel FANTASTIC! so I know I'm doing what's right for me.
By the way, I'm also a fan of Volumetrics.
I get what you are saying with the Einstein quote too but you don't have to be so condescending. I did Weight Watchers once and never looked back. I realize I'm not the norm but insulting an entire group of people won't change their behavior. Inspiring and sharing your story them may help the ones that have similar goals as you. Which is why we both blog. No?
wendy (healthy girls kitchen)
I can see I have definitely touched a nerve here! Moderation is an idea that people seem very attached to . . . I can only express my personal experience, but I think that what happened to me is so powerful . . .
I only found freedom from food addiction and yo-yo dieting when I gave up on the (old Weight Watchers style) idea of trying to eat anything in moderation. I was lucky enough to be exposed to the idea of "Volumetrics" on my last go-around with Weight Watchers and that led to my reading of Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
I personally was unable to moderate my eating traditional baked goods, for example, but have no problem moderating truly healthy vegan baked goods (not the ones made of earth balance and white flour).
There is a reason why Weight Watchers has such a low long term success rate and most overweight people find themselves on the treadmill of dieting and never getting off of it. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I think Einstein said that!
Amanda
Roni,
I just happened to stumble across your site and I am in love! I spent the last 2 days wandering around in your archives and I have over 30 recipes that are on my list to try.
With the new year, I have made several goals to attempt to eat healthier and lose a few pounds before I graduate from college this spring.
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas. I'll be checking in frequently =D
roni
To me moderation is.... I don't WORRY about every little study that says something going to kill me or cause cancer. Moderation is enjoying food from the healthiest organic produce to the over processed candies I love so much. It's variety with a focus on healthy and a dash of indulgence.
I don't believe in scare tactics or telling people that something is going to kill them. However, I do believe in inspiring them to go out of their comfort zone and try new things, especially whole unprocessed things that we take for granted because as a culture we are so influence by businesses peddling products.
I can't define dairy moderation for everyone. For me and my family we keep almond and cows milk side by side in the fridge. Almond is go to for me and my son. My husband only drinks cows. If we run out of almond we use the cows. I put cheese on my sandwiches when I eat them and enjoy cheese and crackers now and then. Yogurt is used in recipes and probably consumed 2-3 a week by me and and my son. Bottom line is I don't WORRY or FREAK out. I threw out perfection a long time ago. If I want a damn cookie and a glass of milk I'm going to eat one and make no apologies about it. When people adopt that mentality then YES I do think they can moderate their eating behavior. People do it every day. Myself included.
Feel free to comment. These discussions are WHY I blog.
wendy (healthy girls kitchen)
Thanks for your response Roni! Moderation is a very, very interesting idea. What is moderation? Can people actually moderate their eating bahavior? What does moderate intake of dairy look like to you? Once a week? Once a month? Once a day? A little at every meal? This is a VERY VERY important concept when it comes to health and weight loss and I think one that could be addressed here on your blogs.
I leave you with this: Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease says, "Moderation kills." Thoughts?
You are probably wondering why I comment so actively on your blog. I think that you are an amazing voice in the fight for our health and I hope to engage you and your readers in questioning everything about food and the way that we think about it. If this ever becomes too much for you, just let me know!
roni
We used unsweetened every morning is our cereal. It's my fav! 🙂 Do a search "almond milk" here on the site. We also make our own. As for Cows Milk... I don't consume much but I'm not giving up yogurt or cheese. Everything in moderation is my motto.
Wendy (Healthy Girl's Kitchen)
Roni-Have you tried unsweetened almond milk in your smoothies and/or other dishes? It is quickly becoming the rage amongst health foodies. Whole Foods makes the best one--it's sold in their refridgerated section. I say this because the main protein in milk and yogurt is casein, and casein is known to turn on cancer growth in humans (The China Study by T. Colin Campbell). I hope you give almond milk a try in your green smoothies so that you and your family get the full health benefits of them!
Melissa
DELICIOUS!
I just made one for me and my (almost) 5 year old. He is a picky eater because he has some pretty major texture issues. He isn't afraid to try new things, he just usually can't handle weird textures. He loves smoothies, and it's been a great way to help him get in extra fruits. I've been thinking about trying one with spinach but I've been nervous. I decided to just go for it today, so I fixed one for us to share. We both loved it. I told him what was in it and he said "oh well, all I taste is the banana!" He's already requesting another one, and this time he said he doesn't want to share it. 🙂
Rebecca
Roni, I am definitely with you on the idea of moderation. If we try to incorporate EVERY new study and latest diet trend, we would constantly be confused just trying to keep up. One study to me does not make me stop my habits completely. We give my daughter organic and soy milk in hopes that it cuts some of the hormones from her diet, but that is one of the only steps we take.
I think moderation is a great way for people to make small changes to their diet to help them lose weight and get healthy. It is actually one of the keys to my diet plan, because I do NOT want to give up the delicious baked goods that I love to make, or the amazing meals that my chef boyfriend creates.
There are lots of ways for people to get sick besides what they eat. Do people still think that cell phones and microwaves can give you cancer? I honestly don't remember. And there are plenty of people who don't smoke who end up with lung cancer, or healthy eater and exercisers who have heart attacks. I think if we cut out all of the "fun" foods from our diet, it doesn't necessarily take all of the risk out of our lives. Might as well have some fun and enjoy our food!
Eileen
I like--I'll have to make it when we have some spinach. I've made some green smoothies that turned out brown instead...woops! But they were good and my husband loved them, so no complains.
Marsha @ Green Mountain at Fox Run
I vote for your definition of moderation, Roni. What it means to individuals can evolve over time, too. Meaning that if we start out feeling like we can't give up something -- whether it be cow's milk or anything else -- without it causing us to negatively react, over time, we may find our attitudes change. I'm not saying that we have to give up anything, though. I think that's a personal decision just as definitions of moderation are.
ashley@quasichick
yummy! I have to get my kids drinking green smoothies..I love them, but they are so turned off by the color!
Krista S.
This was so much fun to watch! Ryan is hilarious with his facial expressions and hand movements!
I can't wait to hit the store on Friday....bananas, spinach, and yogurt are going on the list.
Casey
Love the glass 😉
Brooks J. Young
Looks YUMMY! I will have to try this. Cute kid. 'I can see you spilling this." Only a Mom can predict the future 🙂
Have a very happy and healthy pregnancy. CONGRATS!