Green smoothies

[rk_sports]

Any of you into the green smoothies?...either made from fresh greens or powders like (Amazing Grass, Berry Green, etc)

Are there any benefits from them wrt post workout (/tennis) recovery?

[maggmaster]

Protein and carbohydrates should be consumed post workout. Check to see if your smoothie has protein in it, if so then yes.

[NE1for10is?]

Hemp protein, banana, organic orange juice and some Glutamine powder. Helps recover quicker and keeps me from getting sore.

[rk_sports]

hmm.. this Dr claims that the nutritional values goes down as much as 92% if you blend for a min to min & 1/2!!
mind you its posted in 2009.. is there any truth in this (with new research and all) ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwyPfZeVmlA

[LuckyR]

They are usually a very pretty shade of green...

[rk_sports]

Anyone tried Trader Joes Super Green powder?

[vin]

I juiced vegetables religiously for about 2 years. In conjunction with a good diet, I didn't really notice any benefits one way or the other, although I did get a few nasty migraines when I first started.

Vegetables are obviously excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, which we all need a bit more of as athletes. However, some of the health benefits of vegetables may come from their mildly toxic nutrients, which is similar in a general sense to how we benefit from exercise (physiological stress leading to beneficial adaptation).

Therefore, my concern with juicing (when done frequently) is that there might be a negative effect of an unnaturally high intake of vegetables, similar in concept (at a high level) to too much exercise leading to overtraining. I think this applies with the green powders as well, which tend to be highly concentrated just like juiced vegetables.

Unfortunately, there's not much, if any research on juicing, so it's hard to say with any confidence whether or not there is benefit. For someone already eating a good diet, I would say don't bother, or only do it periodically. But for someone who, for whatever reason, doesn't eat many vegetables, it might be a convenient way to improve the quality of their nutrient intake.

[NE1for10is?]

Originally Posted by vin

I juiced vegetables religiously for about 2 years. In conjunction with a good diet, I didn't really notice any benefits one way or the other, although I did get a few nasty migraines when I first started.

Vegetables are obviously excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, which we all need a bit more of as athletes. However, some of the health benefits of vegetables may come from their mildly toxic nutrients, which is similar in a general sense to how we benefit from exercise (physiological stress leading to beneficial adaptation).

Therefore, my concern with juicing (when done frequently) is that there might be a negative effect of an unnaturally high intake of vegetables, similar in concept (at a high level) to too much exercise leading to overtraining. I think this applies with the green powders as well, which tend to be highly concentrated just like juiced vegetables.

Unfortunately, there's not much, if any research on juicing, so it's hard to say with any confidence whether or not there is benefit. For someone already eating a good diet, I would say don't bother, or only do it periodically. But for someone who, for whatever reason, doesn't eat many vegetables, it might be a convenient way to improve the quality of their nutrient intake.

No such thing as eating too much fruits and vegetables. The problem with juicers as I see it as they tend to take out the pulp and just give you the juice, which leaves you with a lot of sugar and not a lot of the nutrients. If you're going to do a sports drink I wouldn't use a juicer, but rather just use a regular old blender and toss in the whole fruits and veggies.

[scotus]

Originally Posted by rk_sports

Any of you into the green smoothies?...either made from fresh greens or powders like (Amazing Grass, Berry Green, etc)

Are there any benefits from them wrt post workout (/tennis) recovery?

Green smoothies are great. I can only offer 2 pieces of caveats at the moment.

1. Watch out for consuming too much of a certain vitamin or mineral. For example, if you focus on super veggies like kale, you'll notice you're getting a lot of Vitamin K. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. For men, watch out for possibly overdosing on iron.

2. If you add berries or nuts to enhance the taste and nutrients, watch out for calories. Many people who drink these healthy smoothies report weight gains.

[rk_sports]

Originally Posted by vin

I juiced vegetables religiously for about 2 years. In conjunction with a good diet, I didn't really notice any benefits one way or the other, although I did get a few nasty migraines when I first started.

Vegetables are obviously excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, which we all need a bit more of as athletes. However, some of the health benefits of vegetables may come from their mildly toxic nutrients, which is similar in a general sense to how we benefit from exercise (physiological stress leading to beneficial adaptation).

Therefore, my concern with juicing (when done frequently) is that there might be a negative effect of an unnaturally high intake of vegetables, similar in concept (at a high level) to too much exercise leading to overtraining. I think this applies with the green powders as well, which tend to be highly concentrated just like juiced vegetables.

Unfortunately, there's not much, if any research on juicing, so it's hard to say with any confidence whether or not there is benefit. For someone already eating a good diet, I would say don't bother, or only do it periodically. But for someone who, for whatever reason, doesn't eat many vegetables, it might be a convenient way to improve the quality of their nutrient intake.

Ah! I'm surprised that you did not find a real significant benefit from using them for 2 years...
I'm assuming you're not a vegan/vegetarian as I understand that the green juicing/smoothies is more prominent among vegans/vegetarians

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by rk_sports

Anyone tried Trader Joes Super Green powder?

No, but I use the TJs Super Red Drink powder and their Green Plant Juice for some of my green intake. Often use or eat kale and broccoli as well. I also add dill weed, parsley and sometimes oregano to a lot of my food.

http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fea...lant-juice.jpg

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by scotus

Green smoothies are great. I can only offer 2 pieces of caveats at the moment.

1. Watch out for consuming too much of a certain vitamin or mineral. For example, if you focus on super veggies like kale, you'll notice you're getting a lot of Vitamin K. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. For men, watch out for possibly overdosing on iron...

Does not appear to be any known toxicity for K1 or K2. Hence no tolerable upper intake level has been set. Synthetic K3 OTOH can be toxic in large amounts. A serving of kale has about 7-8% of an average RDA. As an older male, the amount of iron in kale might represent a higher % but I'm not sweating it.

[rk_sports]

Originally Posted by SystemicAnomaly

No, but I use the TJs Super Red Drink powder and their Green Plant Juice for some of my green intake. Often use or eat kale and broccoli as well. I also add dill weed, parsley and sometimes oregano to a lot of my food.

http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fea...lant-juice.jpg

Reg. that Green Plant Juice, I heard that Pasteurized Juice is not advised as part of healthy diet... what is your opinion on that matter?

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by rk_sports

Reg. that Green Plant Juice, I heard that Pasteurized Juice is not advised as part of healthy diet... what is your opinion on that matter?

To be honest, I hadn't really done much research on pasteurized juices. I had assumed that a moderate-temperature flash pasteurization is employed for many of these pasteurized juices. My thinking is that the flash process is enough to neutralize the bacteria (both bad & good) in the juice but not enough to completely compromise all of its nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fibre, flavanoids, enzymes, etc.). Perhaps I am a bit naive or overly optimistic about the effect on the nutritional content of these juices.

I do recall in the early or mid-90s, Odwalla had some serious issues with their unpasteurized juices. An fatal E. coli outbreak with some Odwalla juices resulted in a process change. They subsequently adopted a flash pasteurization process in order to deal with the E. coli issue while minimizing effects on the taste and nutritional content of their juices.

I've been buying TJs Green Plant Juice because of its convenience & superior taste as well as its perceived nutritional value. But perhaps TJs Super Green powder could be a better choice -- it is likely to have a superior nutritional profile. Note that I almost never drink the Green Plant Juice as is. I usually mix it with high-pulp OJ (Ca & vit D fortified) -- also pasteurized. I also add pre-soaked chia seeds, some Super Red Drink powder, a dash of black pepper and a splash of a low-Na V8-type juice. Sometimes I will also add some whey powder and high-ORAC (Amazing Grass) Green Superfood powder (or similar) to further boost the nutritional content of the mixture.

[SystemicAnomaly]

The Green Plant juice is a blend of 5 juices -- apple, peach, pineapple, banana and mango. It also contains spirulina (620mg/8oz), chlorella (420mg), broccoli powder, barley grass powder, and spinach powder. It is possible that some or all of these other ingredients are added after the 5 juices are pasteurized. If so, that might be optimal (to ensure a decent nutrient profile while eliminating the bacterial threat).

[rk_sports]

fresh juice > pasteurized juice > no juice at all

Internet is a useful and complex thing all-in-one... you search for something and there are so many opposite theories that will just confuse the heck out of ya

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by rk_sports

fresh juice > pasteurized juice > no juice at all

Internet is a useful and complex thing all-in-one... you search for something and there are so many opposite theories that will just confuse the heck out of ya

Hard for say for sure what is true & what is not. Some advocates of juicing or raw juices claim that pasteurized juices are nothing more than coloured sugar water or fortified sugar water. Perhaps this is true or perhaps it is a gross exaggeration. Who to believe? Here is some conflicting info to further confuse:

http://diaryofanutritionist.com/2010...asteurization/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/54...ave-nutrients/
http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/juice_spotlight.htm

[rk_sports]

So basically pasteurization is a fail safe for those fruits/vegetables/greens that could've been infected...
now this is not the fault of the juice but the root product being infected....
if you happen to eat that infected fruits/vegetables/greens say in a salad, you would get sick regardless!

Regarding the nutrients being lost in the pasteurization process...
looks like we still do not have a clear and precise way to measure that loss.

[purple-n-gold]

Wheat grass and chlorella/spirulina for my green food intake for a few weeks now, can already tell a difference in recovery after workouts. I'm looking into getting a vitamix blender; what are type of mixer are you guys using?

[rk_sports]

Originally Posted by purple-n-gold

Wheat grass and chlorella/spirulina for my green food intake for a few weeks now, can already tell a difference in recovery after workouts. I'm looking into getting a vitamix blender; what are type of mixer are you guys using?

Interesting.. so far nobody here found them as beneficial as you in regards to recovery after workout!

I just got interested after watching 'Hungry For Change' (which mentioned Parsley/Cilantro smoothie for detox) and started researching about green smoothies in general.

So, how much of these do you take? any specific brands?