The Healthy Green Drink Diet (5 page)

Celery belongs to the same family as fennel and parsley and gives your smoothies a slightly salty taste. It

pairs beautifully with sweet fruits like apples. Careful how many stalks you fill your blender with when

making smoothies as all but the most powerful blenders have trouble breaking down its stringiness; great

for juicing, though. It’s rich in vitamins K and C and is a great immune system booster. Celery also has the

potential for reducing high blood pressure because of compounds called phthalides, which allow blood

vessels to dilate.

Chard

2 cups (72 g), raw

1.3 g protein

1.2 g fiber

37 mg calcium

1.3 mg iron

273 mg potassium

153 mg sodium

4404 IU vita A

.065 mg riboflavin

.071 mg vita B6

21.6 mg vita C

1.36 mg vita E

.6 mg vita K

Brimming with vitamins A, C, and K, this leafy green has been known to also regulate blood sugar levels

and provide anti-inflammatory benefits due to its high phytonutrient content. It is next to spinach for

denseness of nutrients, so don’t skimp. It’s a beautiful green leaf with many different varieties to try:

rainbow, Swiss, red, golden, and white. Along with mustard greens, kale, and collards, chard is one of

the four leafy green vegetables commonly referred to as “greens.”

Cilantro (Coriander)

1 cup leaves (16 g), raw

.34 g protein

.4 g fiber

11 mg calcium

.28 mg iron

83 mg potassium

7 mg sodium

1080 IU vita A

.026 mg riboflavin

.024 mg vita B6

4.3 mg vita C

.40 mg vita E

.05 mg vita K

This fragrant herb has somewhat of an acquired taste but has been used to treat a multitude of problems

like reliving intestinal gas and aiding digestion, calming inflammation due to arthritis, and lowering blood

sugar and LDL cholesterol. It’s also been used effectively to fight Salmonella. I use it sparingly and

mostly to add a little kick in flavor. It pairs well with citrus, spiciness, and fruits like mango.

Collards

2 cups chopped (72 g), raw

1.76 g protein

2.6 g fiber

104 mg calcium

.14 mg iron

122 mg potassium

14 mg sodium

4801 IU vita A

.094 mg riboflavin

.119 mg vita B6

25.4 mg vita C

1.63 mg vita E

.37 mg vita K

You thought we were done with the cruciferous family, didn’t you? Collards are one of the best

cholesterol-lowering foods known to man and is practically overflowing with vitamins A, C, and K,

manganese, folate, calcium, and dietary fiber. It’s got a bit of spiciness to it but otherwise pretty mild in

terms of flavor. It goes well with basil and strawberries. Next time you’re mixing up a big pot of

overcooked collards and bacon grease, save a few fresh leaves and try it in Strawberry Patch.

Dandelion Greens

2 cups chopped (110 g), raw

2.97 g protein

3.9 g fiber

206 mg calcium

3.41 mg iron

437 mg potassium

84 mg sodium

11177 IU vita A

.29 mg riboflavin

.28 mg vita B6

38.5 mg vita C

3.78 mg vita E

.86 mg vita K

They may take over your garden and cause you to go on a picking rampage but don’t throw them out,

they’re rich in vitamins A and K and are known to have purifying effects on the blood and liver.

Unfortunately, you can’t pack these greens in the blender like you would with something like spinach…

unless you have a taste for the extremely bitter. It’s better combined with other greens and a few sweet

fruits, or if you can find them or pick them young, they’re much less bitter. Note: if you’re picking these

from your yard, make sure they’re pesticide free.

Kale

2 cups chopped (134 g), raw

4.42 g protein

2.7 g fiber

181 mg calcium

2.28 mg iron

599 mg potassium

58 mg sodium

20604 IU vita A

.174 mg riboflavin

.363 mg vita B6

160.8 mg vita C

~ vita E

1.1 mg vita K

This cold,hardy, green leafy powerhouse of nutrients is, you guessed it, another member of the cruciferous

family. If broccoli is the king, kale is the king’s hand. Full of vitamins A, C, and K, kale is also a

powerful weapon against bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate cancer. It can be a tough one for

some blenders due to its waxy texture, so be sure to blend until the chunks go away. It’s a mild-flavored

green, slightly bitter, and can be found in many varieties; try black lacinato (dino), curly (Scotch), Napus,

blue leaf, red leaf, and white leaf.

Lettuce (Mixed Greens)

2 cups shredded (72 g), raw (green leaf)

.98 g protein

.9 g fiber

26 mg calcium

.62 mg iron

140 mg potassium

20 mg sodium

5332 IU vita A

.058 mg riboflavin

.065 mg vita B6

6.6 mg vita C

.16 mg vita E

.1 mg vita K

The nutrient table above is specifically for green leaf lettuce; however, throughout this book, I simply

refer to lettuce as any combination of mixed green you usually find prepackaged in bags at your local

market. Sometimes called mesclun (baby greens), it can consist of green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce,

endive, frisée, radicchio, oak leaf, iceberg, mache, mizuna, and romaine. Generally speaking, the darker

and more colorful the lettuce, the more nutritious. Fill your drinks with as much variety as possible.

Mint

1 cup chopped (26 g), raw

.96 g protein

2 g fiber

62 mg calcium

1.3 mg iron