Vegetables, green smoothies, and their affects on your immune system
I haven’t been ill in a very long time.
A couple of weeks ago my boss was sick. Then Mr. Science came home from field work with a cold. Then I got caught in the rain twice in the same week and both circumstances meant that I had to sit in wet clothes for a few hours.
This all was incredibly confusing at first. When four incidences take place within about 10 days that normally increase your chances of at least catching a cold, you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best that you won’t come down with something. I was thinking the other day that I have been lucky in not getting ill, but then when my coworker mentioned that she felt as though she was starting to get snuffly and we began talking about how there’s been a cold going around, she pointed out that my usual raw veggie fix is probably doing a lot for my immune system. And I thought, maybe she’s right, and maybe it’s not just luck. Maybe it’s that the copious amounts of vegetables and green smoothies are doing some good.
Boost your immunity!
Green smoothies for wellness
Between three and five days a week I have a shot of wheatgrass and a fish oil capsule in the morning, a green smoothie for lunch and a big container of raw veggies for an afternoon snack. I’ve also recently received quite a few supplements from various companies, and since I’m pleased with the ingredients on the bottle, I’ve been incorporating them in my smoothies. Without knowing it, I’ve been creating awesome green smoothies for wellness!
These days my typical green smoothie for wellness includes:
- 3 cups cold water (left uncovered on the table first for at least a few hours to let the chlorine evaporate)
- About 1/3 bunch organic lettuce
- 1.5 frozen organic bananas
- Handful organic raspberries
- 1/4 cup raw vanilla hemp protein powder
- 1 – 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp local bee pollen
- Supplements (any of the following: CoQ10, digestive enzyme, probiotic, or multivitamin. Like I said, I’ve received a lot of supplements lately!)
It’s funny. You read a lot about how eating whole, organic, mostly plant-based foods do all these crazy awesome things to your body, but I think it’s difficult for us to really grasp it until we’ve experienced first-hand what it can all do. I’m finally “getting” what Victoria Boutenko means when she’s praising green smoothies in her book. I’ve always been a big advocate of them, but more on the basis of what research has taught us rather than my own experience that these foods have radically changed my body etc. I’m excited to finally really see it!
It takes a long time for us to see the effects that our diet is having on our bodies. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole bunch of under-the-surface things going on, too. We just need to stick with it and eventually, we’ll see some real tangible change taking place. Green smoothies for wellness all the way!
Another thing that I think is important when you are looking to get healthier is to begin by adding rather than removing. If there’s one thing you do this week, it’s to eat an extra couple servings of leafy greens, rather than cutting out your favorite junk food. Gradual changes are very important, and by depriving yourself of favorite treats, you can do some damage to your emotional health. Work first on adding the good stuff (like green smoothies for wellness and an energy boost), and then focus more on decreasing (and perhaps eliminating!) the junky stuff.
Hi,
I have been drinking about a litre (a US quart) of green smoothie a day for nearly a year. In that time I have been bypassed by every cold, flu, bug and virus that has done the round of my office. My partner has had one snuffle, a sore throat thing and a three week cough in the same time. I am both amazed and delighted to have escaped, especially since we spend 8 hours a day sleeping side by side, with all those wee plague vibes filling the room. It would appear that I am no longer the person who makes a 24 hour virus last 72 hours!
Of course, one day something will get through my green smoothie induced immune force field, but I bet when it does, it will be a mild version of the illness!
J
That’s awesome! “green smoothie induced immune force field” – heehee.
I rarely get sick as well. I think it has to do with the amount of fruits and veggies I get in my diet and exercising regularly. However, I came down with a bad cold (it lasted 4 days) earlier this year right after my daughter started day care. My colds typically only last about 2 days.
I believe the bad cold came from a combination of sleep deprivation and lack of exercise during that time (I took almost 2 months off from exercising trying to adjust my daughter to day care). Now that we have a set routine, everyone is finally sleeping better and I do not have a Velcro toddler when I get home (so I can finally exercise again!).
You right – there is nothing tangible about eating healthy and exercising when you are young. But you will notice the effect when you see how quickly you recover and how rarely you get sick.
Jo – My husband also got sick around the same time earlier this year. His cold symptoms (the sniffles and cough) lasted ….4 weeks! I had to put up with his middle of the night coughing for 4 weeks. It almost got to the point where I wanted to force feed veggies and fruits down his throat and give him a tranquilizer to make him sleep.
Must be nice to have a routine and be able to exercise again! It’s really neat how quickly the immune system can strengthen or weaken depending on our circumstances.
I need to get my hands on some local bee pollen. I barely know where to start to try and find it. They don’t sell it at the farmer’s market. ((sigh))
None at the farmers’ market?! Aw 🙁
Do you have any health food stores near you? That’s where I get mine. Or maybe you can get yours shipped from Manitoba 😉 The brand I get is http://www.margsorganicsplus.ca
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