Green smoothies vs. Green juice

I've recently (and gleefully) fallen in love with green juice, and have been getting at least a pound of kale / parsely/ spinach / mustard greens / cilantro etc a day. And while I've heard that green smoothies are really where it's at, I haven't been able to palate them so well. Anyway, just read Green for Life, and I'm a little conflicted, actually. I get it, buy it, totally, but am just less into smoothies than juice. I'm also trying to keep my fruit intake proportional, and in order to even begin to choke down a green smoothie, I need to put in about 100 bananas. Anyone have opinions / insights as to the smoothie vs juice debate? Are smoothies really that much better? Should I force myself to replace my yummy juice with them?

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Permalink Reply by Jeff on August 2, 2008 at 11:12am: How many ounces is the right size for a green smoothy meal? Boutenko says a quart which is way too much for me because it stretches my stomach and makes me feel hungry later on. I'm leaning towards 20 ounces but would I get enough nutrients with that amount?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by WhoRaw on August 4, 2008 at 4:46pm: I drink 16 to 20oz. Doing the week I make a pitcher full, then fill a 16oz glass to take to work and put the rest in my 20oz. container for the next morning.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeff on August 2, 2008 at 11:14am: Is it okay to keep green smoothies in the fridge for a while if you're too full and can't finish it or you want to prepare breakfast and lunch at the same time? I think if you put it in a container without air so it doesn't oxidize, it would be kay but I'm not sure.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mary on August 2, 2008 at 11:24am: Hi Jeff, Boutenko states that you can keep a smoothie in the fridge for a while (I want to say up to three days, but I'm not sure about that). I loaned my book to my Mom so I can't reference it right now, but I know it would be good all day long. I've made smoothies that I drink the next day.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeff on August 2, 2008 at 11:28am: I thought it would be okay, especially if you drink it all the same day.

Do you know how many ounces is the right size for a green smoothy meal? Boutenko says a quart which is way too much for me because it stretches my stomach and makes me feel hungry later on. I'm leaning towards 20 ounces but would I get enough nutrients with that amount?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mary on August 2, 2008 at 11:34am: Well, it really depends on what else you eat throughout the day. Personally, I think any amount of green smoothie added to ones diet is a step in the right direction. Just drink as much as you can stand. When she says a quart, I believe it's just one quart for the entire day. So if you want to drink a quart, you don't have to do it all at once. Drink what you can and put the rest in the fridge for later. But if you just want to drink 20 ounces a day, that's OK too. You don't really have to follow any guidelines. Her experiment on the volunteers drank 1 quart, and most of them saw improvement, but it was just that, an experiment, everyone is different. Just drink what you feel comfortable with. I find that when I drink green smoothies every day, even just a little bit, my cravings for them increase within a few days, and I drink more. This might happen to you too.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by WhoRaw on August 4, 2008 at 4:48pm: overnite should be ok. I've left it in the fridge for 2 days before, but no longer than that.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ryan on August 2, 2008 at 12:08pm: I started adding greens to all my smithies now. It's easier to slip a little in. You want even notice after a week. I think the greens help slow down sugar absorbtion from fruit.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by RawZi on September 28, 2008 at 2:58am: How are you doing Marissa? I've made green smoothies. I actually don't like bananas and don't like much fruit in my green smoothy. My body does good with blended salad or energy soup, but green smoothies don't sit well in my stomach. I haven't tried juicing mustard greens yet, but I like juiced parsley, spinach and cilantro. I don't like juiced kale anymore, but celery is good or zucchini. Just because green smoothies work better for some people, doesn't necessarily mean it's right for everyone. If someones senses do better with green juices, I'd stick with it, as long as it's doing no harm.; ▶ Reply to This