Amy Hirsch

The idea of using whole, healthy foods for their healing properties isn’t necessarily new, but with increasing awareness about the negative long-term health effects of our over-processed Western diet, it has been getting more attention lately.  We’ve recently had good reason to improve our diet at home; my husband was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, a genetic disease that causes the body to absorb too much iron from the foods you eat.  Learning about this condition has inspired us to focus on adding more fresh vegetables and fruits to our diet, which isn’t as easy as it might sound for a busy family that doesn’t have time for cooking.  We bought a Nutribullet and accompanying book called The Healthy Green Diet.

 

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical.  How could drinks made from a combination of greens, vegetables, and fruit be tasty enough to keep us on track?  However, I was happily surprised at how good and easy to drink these recipes are!

The benefit to the Nutribullet, as opposed to a juicer, is that you are using the whole fruit or vegetable.  Instead of only the juice, you get all of the fiber as well as nutrients in parts of the food that are discarded with a juicer.  The difference between the Nutribullet and a regular blender is that you can easily obtain a smooth texture from foods you wouldn’t normally be able to blend.  This means you can create drinks from raw, whole foods in very little time, giving your body a big dose of nutrients all at once.

I will admit, my husband and I have a slightly different focus on the recipes we like to try from the The Healthy Green Drink Diet book.  Because he is concerned with improving his diet for health, he uses more of the detoxifying and anti-inflammatory recipes.  Before each section of recipes, the book describes the benefits of certain greens, vegetables, and fruits, as well as other ingredients like spices and green tea.  You can then focus on recipes using the foods that offer the benefits you want.  Here’s an example of a detoxifying recipe:

Toxin Tamer

50% beet greens (i.e. half-full container)

2 stalks celery

1 lemon, peeled

1 pinch cayenne pepper

water:  fill to MAX line.

Extract, and enjoy!

I really was surprised at how good the drinks are that we’ve tried, including some designed for other benefits like beauty or a good night’s sleep.  My favorite drink, which tastes like a dessert, helps you sleep.  It’s so good!

Sleepy Pie

1/4 cup cooked oatmeal

2 dates

12 cashews

1 tsp cinnamon

almond milk to MAX line

The beauty recipes are designed to give you nutrients that contribute to healthy skin, hair, and nails.  This example contains goji berries, which are good for your skin, and almonds, which have been shown to clear the skin and heal blemishes.

Sipping Pretty

1/4 cup goji berries

1/4 cup almonds

2 tbsp raw cocoa

1 1/2 cups almond milk

These recipes aren’t meant to replace meals, but to supplement a healthy diet.  They are also a great way to get greens and other veggies into kids.  If the color isn’t appealing, you can hide it in a colorful cup with a lid and straw.  As you try recipes and adjust for your taste, you learn what food combinations you enjoy and can customize the recipes.  You can also add your own ingredients, such as protein powder.

The Nutribullet is a worthy investment for other reasons as well.  In addition to making drinks, you can use the included flat (or milling) blade to grind fresh herbs, chop nuts, and mill grains.  You can even make your own nut butters as well as custom spice blends.  In other words, the Nutribullet isn’t one of those kitchen gadgets that has one specific use.  It is versatile, easy to clean, and definitely more capable than a basic blender.  The Nutribullet Blog is an incredible resource for additional recipes, including soups and salad dressings, so you can get the most out of this handy appliance.

Do you have any green smoothie or Nutribullet recipes you love?