Green smoothies with kombucha

Kombucha promotes your well-being. We've already reported in several articles how the ingredients of this fermented tea beverage can support your gut health, your beauty , and your acid-base balance . Blended with other valuable ingredients, I'd like to share with you a few green smoothie recipes for even more vitality.

Smoothies, now on everyone's lips, can be the perfect breakfast, the optimal snack or a quick lunch - a delicious treat for any time of day or simply a plus in micronutrients to your normal meals.

What makes the green smoothie so special?

The essential and most important ingredient in a green smoothie is the green leaves. Green plants contain all the essential minerals, vitamins, and amino acids we need for health. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that green plants have always been a staple food for humans.

Our diets have changed dramatically over time. Refined sugar, white flour, hydrogenated fats, and many other highly processed foods are displacing nutrient-rich and natural products. A smoothie at least offers you a simple way to get all the nutrients you need and support your immune system in everyday life.

This is what's in the Green Smoothie

Essential vitamins

Vitamins only develop their full potential when combined with other nutrients. A smoothie can bring these together and make them bioavailable to your body.

More minerals than you might think

Green leaves are the plant's mineral treasure trove. Daily green smoothies provide you with your daily dose of calcium and magnesium for healthy bones and teeth.

Precious trace elements

For example, iron for blood formation, zinc for a good mood, phosphorus for the bones and selenium for a stable nervous system.

High-quality amino acids

Not only vegans, but all of us, and especially athletes, benefit from high-quality plant proteins.

Antioxidants that keep you young and healthy

Leaves, fruits and fruit seeds contain plenty of these substances, which neutralize free oxygen radicals and thus keep you young and fit.

The mysterious superstar chlorophyll

The green gold in all leaves, especially in wild herbs such as nettle, ground elder, dandelion and daisies, effectively protects the body and even detoxifies it.

Healthy fiber

Especially when combined with the chlorophyll in a smoothie, they cleanse the intestines, support digestion, and effectively contribute to detoxification. They provide the best foundation for the healthy live cultures from kombucha to establish themselves in your gut.

Green roots

Keep it simple

Experiment and slowly work your way up to your favorite ingredients. Make sure you enjoy the smoothie, digest it well, and feel good afterward. If you're craving other ingredients and you're tired of something, swap them out. This is also important so you don't consume too many of the protective substances found in a plant (healthy for humans in small amounts).

The basic smoothie should ideally always contain the following ingredients – preferably all organic:

• Fruit, e.g. apple, banana, pear, mango, berries
• 1 slice of lemon or lime
• Ginger
• Leafy greens or green vegetables, e.g. leaf spinach, leaf lettuce, kale, celery, nettle
• Liquid, e.g. filtered tap water, mineral water, kombucha, freshly squeezed juice

Possible extras: Algae, such as chlorella, nuts and spices, such as hemp seeds or nut butter, turmeric, cinnamon, wildflowers, or needles/leaves from trees and shrubs. Here 's a list of ingredients that work well in smoothies.

Tip: Feel free to use frozen fruit or leafy greens, such as frozen young spinach. These can be stored for a long time and retain most of their micronutrients when flash-frozen.

Green Kombucha Smoothies – 3 Recipes

Green Basic Book

Ingredients for approx. 1 liter

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 to 2 apples, depending on size
• 2 handfuls of leaf spinach
• 1 slice of lemon, about 2 cm thick, leave the seeds in
• Ginger as desired
• Mint as desired
• 1/2 L Kombucha, homemade or Kombucha Original

How it's done

1. Peel the banana and roughly break it into pieces.
2. Remove the stem from the apple. You can keep the core and seeds. Cut the apple into pieces.
3. Peel the lemon slices. You can add a little of it to your smoothie for flavor. Tip: Leave the white pith around the lemon. It contains health-promoting phytochemicals.
4. Put all ingredients in the blender
5. Mix all ingredients until the ingredients are as finely pureed as possible.
6. Pour into a nice glass, decorate as desired and enjoy your smoothie.

Tip: Please make sure that the smoothie does not heat up too much due to long mixing.

Berry Booch

Berry smoothie recipe with flowers

Ingredients for approx. 0.5 liters

• 1 to 2 handfuls of edible flowers, e.g. daisies, dandelions, pansies, dead nettle, forget-me-nots, meadowfoam, wild roses
• 2 bananas
• 200 to 300 g fresh berries raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
• 1 pinch of ground vanilla
• 200 to 300 ml Kombucha Currant , depending on how creamy you like your smoothie

How it's done

1. Clean ingredients, peel if necessary or remove pulp
2. Cut to blender size.
3. Put everything in the blender and mix until smooth.
4. Enjoy from the heart.

Honeybreeze Book

Honeydew melon smoothie with lemon balm

Ingredients for approx. 650 ml

• 5 stalks of chard
• 2 sprigs of lemon balm
• ½ honeydew melon
• ½ avocado
• 1 banana
• 200 to 300 ml Kombucha Passion Fruit

How it's done

1. Clean ingredients and cut to blender size.
2. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and scoop out the flesh.
3. Put everything in the blender and puree until finely ground.
4. Enjoy your honeydew melon smoothie.

Tip: Depending on the blender model, I recommend pouring the kombucha into a glass beforehand and stirring out the carbon dioxide to avoid unnecessary pressure building up in the device while blending.

FAQ

Which blender do I need for a green smoothie?

It's best to seek advice from a retailer. Recommended brands include: Vitamix, Nutribullet, Bianco di Puro, and Wartmann Mixer.

Should you buy a smoothie or make it yourself?

Ready-made smoothies are:

• highly heated and therefore have fewer nutrients than fresh smoothies
• no (alkaline) raw food
• consist of processed ingredients and not whole fruits
• are quite expensive, making them yourself is worth it
• are not fresh
• may contain additives such as sugar, flavorings or colorings
• often consist mainly of inexpensive ingredients
• are often packaged in plastic bottles that are harmful to health and are left on supermarket shelves for a long time
• do not allow control over the quality and origin of the ingredients
• cannot compete with freshly prepared smoothies in terms of taste

Conclusion: Making your own smoothie is better than buying one! It tastes better and is definitely healthier.

What DOES NOT belong in a green smoothie?

To ensure that the green smoothie remains an alkaline and easily digestible meal, I advise against adding the following ingredients:

• Unripe fruits – these are not only bad for the body, but can also ruin the taste of the smoothie.
• Added sugar or sugar substitutes in any form, including honey, thick juices, and maple syrup. If your green smoothie isn't sweet enough for you, simply use really ripe fruit, such as brown bananas, sweet mangoes, or Medjool dates.
• Dairy products, such as yogurt, quark, or milk. These impair the alkalizing effect of the smoothie and make it difficult to digest. The same applies to juices and plant-based milks:
• Juices – Commercially available fruit and vegetable juices are heated to high temperatures to allow for long storage times. Juices such as apple juice, tomato juice, orange juice, vegetable juice, and multivitamin juice are also available.
• Plant milk / vegan milk , such as rice milk, soy milk, oat milk and almond milk etc.
• Oils, nuts, or seeds could make it difficult to digest and impair its alkalizing effect. Exception: If you're looking for a change in smoothies, prepare your smoothie in a bowl and top it with chopped fruit, granola, berries, herbs, and superfoods like chia or hemp seeds.

Sources:

• your-ernaehrung.de Ulrike Eder
• Book: Green Smoothies – The healthy mini-meal from the blender ,
  Dr. Med. Christian Guth / Burkhard Hickisch, GU
• gruenesmoothies.de

Good luck with the preparation and good health!