International Green Smoothie Day & B.I.G.

International Green Smoothie Day
August 15th, 2010

 

WHAT?!  Green Smoothies are known internationally?!  ;) Yes.  You see, the book that led me onto my raw lifestyle was written by Victoria Boutenko, also known as the Green Smoothie Queen.  She was the first one to do all the research and discover that green leafy vegetables are the miracle food that is missing from our diets.  They contain more protein, calcium and iron than animal products and have loads and loads of incredible vitamins and minerals in one place.  The problem is? They are often bitter and not very palatable.  So what do we do?  We add lots of sweet yummy fruit, blend it all up and drink it! Genius! Well, Victoria Boutenko not only wrote three books that covered the topic, but she also teaches classes internationally. Her and her family (the Raw Family) just finished touring around the globe, bringing raw food and Green Smoothies to the world.  She has an awesome Green Smoothie blog that I follow and I recommend everyone else to as well. 

So on August 15, you will be joining the rest of the world when you drink a Green Smoothie.  Now, if you need even MORE motivation to try a green smoothie, besides the obvious health benefits…how about helping the planet and children in need?  What on earth am I talking about, you ask?  I’m glad you asked!

There is a wonderful event taking place right now.  It’s called Believe In Green (BIG).  Now the easiest thing right now is to simply go to the website and see for yourself.  But I’ll break it down for you.  Here are six INCREDIBLE reasons to Believe In Green.

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1. For Personal Health
It’s a ten day challenge to drink Green Smoothies.  Not exclusively, just add them to your current diet.  The incredible health benefits are more numerous for me to mention…just go here. Everyone I know that has tried them and stuck with them, has been startled by how fast the health benefits develop. 

2. For Setting an Example
I've noticed that it takes people who benefit from green smoothies to make an impact on other people. For most, the idea of putting bananas and spinach together in a blender seems outrageous. Trust me, I’ve heard the many ‘yuck!’s as people stare at me with my green jug of glory. BUT, they also always ask because they're curious! So I keep going out in the world, and I take my green smoothies with me, knowing they'll attract someone who needs them!

You can open the door for someone by taking part and introducing them to the idea. Maybe they try a green smoothie, maybe they don't. But the more of us who start the process and share the concept, the more some people will try... It may be the answer someone needed to fight Diabetes, or obesity, or cancer, or emotional eating, or, or, or... You just never know.

3. For the Girls
If you haven't been to the BIG site and watched the video about The Girls Club , then take a few minutes to do so. You'll see that this is an organization making amazing changes in peoples' lives. These girls are learning about CSA's, running their own farmers' markets, running a "blender on a bike" program, and becoming leaders! And 100% of your $10 registration and any extra donations will go to support the girls!

What inspires us most is how the girls take the positive messages they learn about nutrition and the environment and then spread those messages to other children in their local neighborhoods and schools. It's a positive message and experience that expands to touch others, and that's what we believe in too!

AND... you should hear from the girls themselves about their experience, their hopes, and the things that they believe in and are working towards. Getting to Know the Girls of the Lower East Side

4. For the Planet
"The best foods for us are the best foods for the planet."

It can be pretty overwhelming to listen to the news and hear about the environmental impact of human actions on the planet. You may feel like curling up in a ball and pulling the shade on the windows down. The trick is not to be paralyzed; but rather, turn fear into your own personal flame of hope. But we do all have impact with our individual choices each day.

And you can make change gradually. You can start with just your food choices. Including more vegetarian, vegan, and raw food meals has a HUGE impact in terms of water consumption, energy consumption, and green house gas emissions. Click here to see the difference in eating a pound of lettuce versus a pound of beef! Skipping your usual eggs and toast for breakfast and coming along with us for 10 Days of green smoothies would already be a hug for the planet, and that's just one small change!

5. For a Blendtec Blender
Noble and philanthropic causes are great, but hey! As a member of the human race, I too am motivated by things I'd love to have... and while I absolutely am in love with my Vitamix, I’ve always wanted to try a Blendtec. They will be offering a Green Ripple Maker contest to those who donate, so we ALL have a chance to win a free Blendtec Blender!

6. For Local and Organic Farmers Who doesn’t love rooting for the underdog?! It can be difficult to compete with factory farms whose produce looks as perfect as plastic fruit bowl products (with similar nutritional value). Maybe it's not in your budget or particularly easy where you live to get your hands on organic or local produce, so maybe you seldom try or you stopped looking. Maybe it's not something you can do every day, but maybe it IS something you can do for 10 days!

Maybe you'll make your first trip to a local farmers market and talk to somebody who actually grew the food you'll eat. If you've never had this experience, you'll find that you may look at the carrots, apples, or greens you bring home in a new and positive way! 

And, it’s the best time to get involved in my CSA through Horny Toad Farms.  We get LOTS of fresh, organic, local greens through my farmer, and even some wild edibles (that have even more nutrition).  See me for more details!

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