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Spinach, Kale smoothie good?

Anyonme with experience of these?

I'm thinking of trying to boost my chlorophyll uptake in order to help the BO issues I suffer from
 
Spinach and kale are both great but you usually need to start slow and build a taste for them. They are not the sweet taste a lot of people are used to.

I've read lots of advice on how to juice them without clogging your juicer or not getting any juice. What works best for me is to wrap some around another food, like a carrot, and juice it together.

If you like lemonade, one of my favorites is 2 apples, a cucumber, 4 leaves of kale, a lemon and a handful or two of spinach. Sometimes I do only kale or only spinach and just add more.
 
Javanov: i noticed you asked about "smoothies" with kale/spinach, I don't do smoothies, but I juice with them. But I have to add so fruits to make it palatable. As time goes on, I can tolerate more veggie, less fruit.

Saralr, great ideas to wrap kale around another veggie/carrot. I'll try that!
 
Juicing is really good ~ however the items you mention can be high in oxalates that can 'potentially' produce kidney stones. Juiced it can be higher concentrations. There is a lot of information on this all over the place when Crohn's and oxalates is searched.

If you have time check this out, it helps with a little understanding of oxalates.
http://www.greencravers.com/healthy-eating-resources-for-parents-kids/

This is a nice read:
http://www.empoweredherbals.com/ingredients.htm


Also I have read 'Wheat grass and barley grass juice do not contain oxalates.'


Just a heads up since stones can be really painful.
 
these should be cooked and not eaten raw for the following reasons: oxalates(bind to calcium and other minerals inhibiting their absorption) and goitrogens(interfere with thyroid). heat breaks these molecules down.

Otherwise I believe spinach could really benefit IBD and the lutein content of these veggies is really good.
 
these should be cooked and not eaten raw
I disagree.

If you are going to eat spinach then best to cook it, as whole raw food full of fibre can irritate IBD. But if are making a smoothie or juice, then the fibre is broken down or removed and raw is fine.

You are not going to "overdose" on oxalates if you are sensible.

Of course certain people with certain medications and health conditions need to avoid or limit their greens. But the average person with IBD will normally often get great results with juicing or making smoothies from raw greens.

http://healthyonraw.com/should-we-eat-greens-high-in-oxalic-acid/

If you are going to eat a ton of raw greens every day then yes there could be a problem. But this would be almost impossible to do unless you are a cow!

A small handful of raw greens mixed up several times a week will be fine.

If you are that paranoid about the subject, then just make one small smoothie with minimal greens per week. Shame to miss out on a powerhouse of nutrients by being scared of something unlikely to happen.

http://www.ohmyraw.com/are-green-smoothies-bad-for-you/

In answer to the OP - I think spinach and lettuce smoothies are nice. But I don't like kale smoothies, as I find them too overpoweringly strong in taste. Of course this is a matter of personal taste and best to just experiment to find what you like. And if you find the smoothies are too fibrous for your bowels, then I would highly recommend trying green juices instead. I have often gone into remission from a flare using green juice.
 
I have added cooked spinach to fruit smoothies and it is great! Changes the color/texture more than the taste. Never tried kale.
 
Any good?! Try it and see for yourself.

Baby spinach is sweeter and milder than other types of spinach. Baby spinach is a good variety to use for taste.

I juice and make smoothies with baby spinach and it is delicious.

This morning I had a fruitless smoothie, made with : baby leaf spinach, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, lime and coconut water.

But kale in a juice or smoothie is pretty mind-blowing. Only for the brave.
 
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