Of all of the things that I would recommend to start eating better, it would be to add a green smoothie into your diet every morning. I'll briefly outline the what's, why's and how's, and show you some great recipes to get you started.

Don't be afraid to experiment and come up with your own smoothies. You really can't go wrong if you follow the simple guidelines below.

WHAT is a Green Smoothie?

A simple drink that you make in the blender with fruit and greens to power start your day with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes!

HOW do I make a Green Smoothie?

There are lots of ways to make one, but I prefer to pattern mine after Victoria Boutenko's original Green Smoothie philosophy of 60% ripe fruit and 40% green leaves. You may want to start out with 80% fruit and 20% greens until you get used to the flavor of green!

Here's a list of fruits that combine well for smoothies, but you can use whichever ones you like:

bananas, apples, mangos, pineapple, berries of any kind, pears, peaches

Experiment with different green leaves such as:

kale, spinach, romaine, dandylions (yes, the weed...just make sure they haven't been sprayed or peed on by your dog), mint, beet greens, parsley, celery

It's important to note that for optimal digestion, you only want to combine fruits with leafy green vegetables and avoid the starchy ones. Starchy vegetables include carrots, beets, broccoli, and basically anything else that's not leafy, except for celery, which usually does okay because it is mostly water, like leaves.

These leafy greens digest quickly due to their high water content. Fruit is the same. Fruit moves through your digestive system within 30-45 minutes. Other foods like meat, seeds, nuts, starches, and dairy all digest much slower because they take more work to break down. You may find that if you eat fruit with any other type of food, you will experience gas and bloating. This is because the fruit gets all mixed up with the other food in your stomach and instead of passing through your system, it sits in your stomach and ferments and putrifies, and that is what causes the gas and bloating.

So, a simple rule of thumb is to only eat fruits alone or with leafy greens. There are a few other do's and dont's also that will help you get the most out of your smoothie. Take a minute to read up on them, and you'll find making a smoothie is easy and rewarding.

WHY drink Green Smoothies?

1. The nutrients in blended fruits and greens are quickly and easily absorbed into your body...much faster than food that still needs to be chewed.

2. They are an easy way to get your greens. You can get 50% or more of your daily recommended amounts of fruits and veggies in one smoothie! What a way to get you started on your day!

3. Smoothies are easy to make and easy to clean up. Just use a blender. You don't even need an expensive, fancy one. It takes literally less than 5 minutes from start to finish.

4. They are delicious! Even kids enjoy them. There are many delicious recipes for green smoothies to help you get started. Begin with mostly fruit, and sneak a few greens in there, building up until even your kids are getting 40% greens. The more you drink green smoothies, the more your palate will enjoy the green flavor and you'll even start to crave it!