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The superstars of green smoothies are the leafy greens – since they are absolutely LOADED with phytonutrients, protein, vitamins, antioxidants… and the list goes on, and on, and on. But there’s also something we feel is very important for you to know about when drinking green smoothies, before you continue to throw your *favorite* greens into your high powered or regular blender… especially if you’re drinking them daily – it’s called…
“ALKALOID BUILDUP”
Yup, leafy green veggies contain small quantities of alkaloids as well as other phytotoxins like oxalates, goitrogens, arsenic, and opium as a way to “warn” the unwelcome grazers in the fields to move on to another plant family before eating it all up.
By eating the same type of green all the time, these alkaloids can build up in the body, leading to negative side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, depression, or anxiety. Sure sounds like a scare tactic to us, doesn’t it? The truth is, alkaloids ARE poisonous in large quantities, in small quantities they will not hurt us, and even strengthen our immune systems.
As humans, consuming these toxins for long periods of time can build up and harm our thyroid… but don’t go dumping your green smoothie down the sink! You should just be aware about this and that it isn’t anything to be too concerned about – as long as you ♥ ROTATE YOUR GREENS! ♥
Throughout the week, make sure to use a variety of leafy greens in your green smoothies– such as kale, spinach, romaine, herbs and carrot tops. Try not to sweat rotating your greens too much. Your body, or maybe your little one, is smart enough to tell you when it’s time to switch things up – or when things are getting booooring.
How often should you rotate your greens for smoothies?
There are a number of leafy greens families. The leafy greens in each family have similar “DNA,” each including their own minor level of toxins. By rotating family types of leafy greens you’re not only preventing a toxic build-up, you are also feeding your body a variety of nutrients that you’d otherwise be missing out on! You can rotate your greens however it’s convenient.
Some people use a different type of green each day, while others put a variety of greens in each green smoothie. We recommend a minimum of 2 types of greens from different families rotated throughout the week. The following week rotate to 2 other types of greens from a different family than the previous week.
To help keep you mixing things up in your green smoothies, we made a list of our favorite greens, separating them into family groups to help you easily rotate. 🙂
Amaranth
Spinach:
Spinach is a staple ingredient in green smoothies, and a great starter green as well, since it’s mild in taste and full of nutrients.
The list of health benefits is nearly equal to the amount of nutrients it provides, including fighting cancer, lowering blood pressure, strengthening bones, cardiovascular health, brain boosting, smoothing skin, improving vision, reducing inflammation, increasing energy…and more.
Beet Greens:
Beet greens contain a wide assortment of nutrients, most known for being a good source of tryptophan, the guilty party for needing a nap after Thanksgiving turkey! If you’re tired or having sleeping troubles, add some tryptophan to your diet and try our Bet You Never Thought You’d Eat Your Beet Greens Smoothie!
Chard:
Chard is a must to include in your diet if you battle diabetes or struggle with your blood sugar levels, since it helps regulate the body’s sugar system. Try adding it to your morning green smoothie to get your day started off right.
Crucifers
Kale:
Much like spinach, kale is mild in taste and a powerhouse of nutrients. Rich in vitamin C, kale can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol. It also provides potassium to the body, which can help lower blood pressure. Kale also contains bioflavanoids, which help fight cancer, and calcium and magnesium help promote bone health.
Also, a bonus from including kale in your green smoothies is that it aids in weight loss. It’s super filling and highly nutritious, the best of both worlds if you ask us!
Arugula:
Arugula is very similar to kale as far as nutritional content is concerned. It contains large amounts of vitamins A, C, and K. It also contains many other nutrients, and is a cancer fighting green.
So similar to kale, they’re pretty much interchangeable so it’s easy to switch between the two, or just include them both!
Collard Greens:
A perfect way to consume collard greens is by adding them raw to your green smoothies, since most of its nutrients are lost when cooked. Don’t miss these nutrients, they help fight cancer and also help with digestion since they contain good amounts of fiber.
Cabbage:
This leafy green is associated with numerous health benefits and are very low in calories. Among many of its benefits, cabbage helps prevent colon cancer, breast cancer, and cancers of the female reproductive system.
It also helps protect against and manage diabetes, and can help you lose weight. It has a slight sweetness which is perfect for your yummy green smoothies. But cabbage eaters beware, it can cause bloating and flatulence, so you might want to hold off on beach days or date nights!
Bok Choy:
Also known as “Chinese cabbage,” bok choy is similar in nutritional status with other members of its family. It’s low in calories, which can help keep you slim. The best time to buy is in the winter months. In winter it is dark in color and the stalks are firm.
Asteraceae
Dandelion Greens:
Include these greens if you want calcium from a dairy-free source. Dandelion greens offer nearly as much calcium as milk, along with additional nutrients for added benefits.
The taste could be a little bitter, but that’s nothing a banana can’t fix!
Romaine Lettuce:
If you want to keep your heart healthy, make sure you’re rotating romaine lettuce into your green smoothie routine. It contains vitamin C and beta-carotene, which help prevent build up on artery walls and help lower cholesterol.
It’s also low in calories which can help keep you feeling full, and therefore can help you lose weight!
Apiaceae
Celery:
Super low in calories, celery is about 95 percent water by weight, making it a favorite among dieters. They also provide some vitamin c and folate, and a good amount of fiber, making you feel full. The taste can be a bit overpowering, so add conservatively to your smoothies.
Cilantro:
A fast and easy ingredient to add to your green smoothies is cilantro. It’s good for both lowering cholesterol and blood sugar, may have anti-anxiety effects, and can help you sleep better!
Carrot Tops:
Don’t throw away those carrot tops! Instead, add them to your smoothies. They’re packed with chlorophyll, which as been shown to act as a cleansing agent and fight tumor growth. Carrot tops also contain many other vitamins and nutrients, including potassium. Cancel out their bitter taste with a banana or two and you won’t even know they’re in there.
Parsley:
Parsley, beyond garnish, provides folic acid, making it an excellent herb to incorporate into your smoothies. Its detoxing properties make it an ideal addition to Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie for an extra cleanse. It’s also an excellent source of Vitamin C, anti-oxidant beta-carotene and flavonoids.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON GREENS FOR SMOOTHIES
It’s easy, fun, and good for you to rotate your greens, and keeps things fresh and interesting! Rotate your leafy greens to access diverse nutrients from each type. This prevents the accumulation of alkaloids in your body. When you rotate, keep in mind to go from family to family.
Experiment with various greens from each family to find your favorites and determine which ones offer the most personal benefits. The rewards are valuable!
Very good info!
Very informative. Can you send a sheet that has this listed so that it can be taken to the grocery store? It would be very helpful.
Very imformative..love it..
Rotating your greens. Thank you for this important and very helpful information! I have bookmarked this page.
Awesome Janine! This is a very important article and I’m so glad you found it! 🙂
This is really helpful info and it’s inspiring me to broaden my choices of greens! I’m wondering about the romaine. Is the paler, white part of the leaf just as nutritious as the darker top, or is the nutrition pretty much located in the greenest parts? I’m wondering whether this might help me make the most use of a head of romaine (in other words, using the tougher, less colourful stuff towards the bottom stem end that doesn’t always go into my salad). Thanks!
Great question Carol! The dark leafy greens (as opposed to light greens such as iceberg) are able to absorb more light and therefore synthesize more vitamins. We think then, that the most nutrition is in the darker parts of the leafy green, however there is still nutrition in the lighter parts! Definitely use up what you have and toss that in your green smoothie! 🙂 HAPPY BLENDING!
im glad i came across this site, very good information. i eat leaf lettuce everday with my main meal so would that cause the alkaline to build up.
Florence it’s the same concept, however you might be eating less than you would blend so it might take longer. Just remember to rotate your greens and you’ll be fine. 🙂
Hey Kooky, thanks for contacting us. It sounds like you definitely have built up some toxicity. We recommend going off the greens completely and trying E3live blue green algae to detox your body. You can get 20% off using promo code BLENDERBABES. If you get six 16oz bottles it will last 3 to 6 months. The E3live should help your body detox the alkaloids. This can be the greens in your smoothie, but if you want to start adding leafy greens again I would definitely try other families like kale, bok choy, cilantro, etc. Also, since we are not doctors we recommend you talk to your physician about all this. Best ~ Blender Babes
Hello there, I found this info while searching for answers as to why I have been getting so nauseous after drinking my greenie. I typically buy a big bag of organic "power greens" at Costco which is spinach, chard from the amaranth family, and kale from the crucifer family, all clean and ready to go. The bag weighs 1.5 lbs and is used in 3-4 days. So that is aprox 6-8 oz daily in my greenie for about 3 months. Now I cannot tolerate it and become nauseated shortly after consuming a small amount. I went off the greens completely for 2 days, felt fantastic, then tried it again one day and, yuck, sick again. I went off the greenies for 3 more days, tried it again today and, ugh, sick. So, I am assuming the alkaloids from these families are still in my system..So as I continue to use my body as an experimental vessel..maybe you can tell me how long before I am free to go back on the "power greens" (in rotation as suggested). When am I going to be toxin free? In the mean time, I will shop for Apiaceae and Asteraceae to keep me on the greenie happy train.
I can not find any info anywhere that tells me how to detox. Is there a way to neutralize the toxin in my bod?
Thanks for your help!!!!
Love this article, so informative and keeps my juicing and smoothies interesting. I love greens, go organic as much as possible to keep toxic free.
Hi Grace – you just want to make sure you are eating greens from ALL the different families and not ONLY the same family all the time. No need to avoid families. 🙂 Same thing goes for salads. By adding a variety of different greens/families in your diet you will avoid an alkaloid buildup from caused by eating from the exact same family constantly. Hope that helps make sense! Keep up the great work! 🙂
I'm still a bit confused. I normally add spinach and romaine to my smoothies which I make in 3 day batches. Sometimes I will use red leaf and kale. How do you mix when you're using different families? Because right now it seems like I'm trying to avoid one family a day not picking different greens from the same family. Also how does this work with the salads I eat daily? I'm pretty sure the amount of greens I'm eating a day isn't going to make me sick seeing as one blender serves 3 days of smoothies and only contains 2 handfuls of spinach and one head of lettuce but I want to be sure. Thanks for any help!
Yes, they must know! I was a spinach/kale only lover before I learned this 🙂 YIKES!
fantastic article! Going to share this with my BDS sisters.. 😀
Are you rotating whole “Families” on a daily basis, today Crucifers tomorrow Amaranth, or are you consuming from within different “Families” on a daily basis, morning Crucifers, afternoon Amaranth?
Great question Anej – you are rotating whole families on a daily basis. It’s ok to have the same family every day or two even – just make sure you are consistently getting greens from other families in your green smoothies/diet. 🙂 HAPPY BLENDING!
Are you rotating whole "Families" on a daily basis, today Crucifers tomorrow Amaranth, or are you consuming from within different "Families" on a daily basis, morning Crucifers, afternoon Amaranth?