Green smoothies make your skin glow!
Everyone’s into green smoothies these days, and there’s a very good reason for that: they’re a fast, convenient and delicious way to pump your body full of nutrients to make your body zing and your skin glow. They can also help you treat acne from the inside out.
Most of us don’t eat enough green leafy vegetables as part of our daily diet, so blending them up into a yummy smoothie is definitely the way to go.
Most people find that before long they’re craving green smoothies more than they do sugar. Seriously!
But here’s the thing: if you want to really see a difference in your skin, you need to drink them just about every day, especially if you suffer from acne and your skin is crying out for nutrients. Consistency is the key.
If you happen to own a 1000-watt blender (or a special green smoothie blender like the Vitamix), then you’ll have no probs blending all those fresh, green leaves into a smoothie that’s, well, really smooth! If you don’t, then chop the greens up first and voila! It won’t be as smooth, but it will do the job well enough.
Try not to blend your smoothie for longer than a minute, as the longer you blend, the more oxidation will occur, resulting in a loss of nutrients.
The simple formula for making green smoothies
If you Google ‘green smoothie’ you’ll get about 3.5 million search results, so you can go wading through those for a multitude of recipes, of you can just try this:
Put 1 cup of greens and 2 cups of fruit (fresh or frozen), plus a little water or coconut water for a smoother consistency into a blender and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute. (You can gradually increase the greens and decrease the fruit as you get used to the taste).
Not everyone likes the taste of mushed up green veggies (surprise, surprise), so the fruit is there for taste, but the higher the ration of greens to fruit, the better. Fruits that go well in green smoothies are berries (great antioxidant value), bananas, pineapple and apple.
You can use just about any green leafy veg, including spinach, kale, swiss chard, lettuce and bok choy. These are all easy vegetables to grow in the garden, so plant a few seedlings and before long, you’ll be picking the ingredients for your green smoothie straight from your garden.
How green smoothies can improve your skin
There are tonnes of health-giving nutrients in green smoothies, but here are just a few that are directly beneficial to your skin:
- Chlorophyll – a blood purifier and detoxifier that brings radiance to dull, tired skin.
- Vitamin A – essential for rebuilding connective tissue, a lack of vitamin A can result in dry, rough skin.
- Vitamin C – an antioxidant necessary for the growth and repair of all tissues in the body, it also helps the body make collagen, which keeps skin looking youthful.
- Sulfur – found in green vegetables, sulfur detoxifies the body, helps reduce inflammation, improves skin elasticity and is essential for the biosynthesis of collagen.
- Vitamin K – improves skin tone and may decrease the appearance of acne scars, spider veins and other skin imperfections.
*HOT TIP FOR ACNE SUFFERERS: If you’re looking for gentle, soothing skincare products that will heal acne organically and naturally, click here for Mukti’s Everyday Acne Solution. It’s a highly effective organic skincare kit we put together containing a gentle foaming cleanser that contains calendula and chamomile, an excellent exfoliant that contains jojoba beads, aloe vera moisturiser and Sebogel acne spot treatment.
I love Kimberly Snyders Glowing Green Smoothie:Ingredients (64 ounces / 2-4 servings)1 ½- 2 cups very cold, filtered water
6 cups spinach, chopped
5 cups organic romaine lettuce, chopped
2 stalks of organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
1–2 Tbs. fresh organic lemon juiceOptional IngredientsIce cubes (the extra coldness can help newbies with the taste)
1/2 cup of organic cilantro
1/2 cup of organic parsleyDirectionsAdd water, spinach and chopped romaine to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed; mix until smooth.Gradually move to higher speeds and add the herbs, celery, pear, and apple. Add the banana and lemon juice last.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe Bethany, it sounds yummy! – Leigh
Great tips on green smoothies. I have found that green tea actually helps heal the skin when applied directly to the face. I will try this recipe out soon.
Thanks Eleanor, we’ll have to try the green tea idea! — Leigh
Thank you for this great information. Since I started drinking green smoothies a few years ago, my acne has completely gone, I don’t have any wrinkles at 33 years old and most people think I’m 10 years younger. My skin was so soft when I ate a mainly raw diet. It’s still soft as a vegan but not quite as much. I totally recommend them for great skin.
Thanks for your feedback Katherine, that is so inspiring! Leigh