Why Kale Smoothies are good for your Skin!

You are what you eat 

You are what you eat this age old saying is around for good reason. Want beautiful skin, a radiant smile and a slender waist? Then you’ll have to start eating food that’s attractive on their insides not just out. So what am I really getting at.. Eat more seeds, nuts & vegetables!!! Fruit too for that matter, though they tend to have a higher sugar content than their less fashionable cousins the vegetables. Also in general we’re not bad at eating fruit. It’s vegetable that really suffer. If they suffer it means so are your insides and intern your skin. What once was rich and glowing will become dull and either




Below I’ve pulled out some highlights on the glamorous content of vegetables and why we should eat more.




Vegetables contain antioxidants that are incredible for protecting the skin cells. 




Free radicals damage the skin cells. Free radicals are triggered by smoking and pollution. Similarly too much exposure to sunlight can cause wrinkling and age spots.




We are attracted to colour for a reason. Colourful vegetables contain nutritious value that we may not be getting elsewhere. Try red cabbage (it’s actually more purple), beetroot and aubergines for a change.




Vitamin C is a super antioxidant (skin protector) kale and broccoli are high in antioxidants. The advantage of kale over fruits that are also high in antioxidants is that it contain less sugar. Though it’s better to choose fruit over bad fats in oily crisps or non fair-trade milk chocolate.




Forget collagen injections. Switch to longer lasting natural methods. kale, broccoli, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries all help to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that supply the skin.




Water, water everywhere so lets all have a drink. Skin is thirsty for moisture to stay flexible. Mild dehydration will cause your skin to look dry, tired and slightly grey. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Mix it up with herbal tea.




Say no to crash diets! Dramatic weight fluctuations can cause skin to sag, wrinkle and produce stretch marks. Eat a vitamin rich diet instead.




Selenium is a powerful antioxidant. It works alongside other antioxidants such as vitamins E and C and is essential for the immune system. - Think Brazil nuts, tomatoes and kale.




Vitamin E protects skin and supports healthy skin growth - Think almonds, avocado, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower and corn oils.







Thus concludes my brief but highly important note on why we are what we eat.

Top 5 - Super Skinny Smoothie Recipes

1. Your First Green Smoothie

Smoothies are quick and easy meals once you get the hang of them. This recipe is simple and should be easy for a novice. Remember an 8 oz smoothie a day keeps the doctor away. You’ll need a blender and the following:

Ingredients

6-8 ounces of water

2 packed cups (or small handfuls) of fresh kale

1 large banana, peeled and chopped

4-5 large strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup of ice

Directions

Chop the kale into small pieces. 

Add 6oz of water to the blender. Add the kale to the blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend on a high speed. Add more water and ice as necessary.

2. Kale is King Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups (handful) of kale

2 cups of spinach

1 cup blueberries

1 apple

1 pear

1/2 lime

1 small knob of ginger

6 oz water

8 Ice cubes

Serves 2-3

Replace water with almond milk to increase the protein in this kale smoothie. Add a banana for slow release energy and vital carbohydrate.

3. Kale Green Goddess Smoothie

Adding Kale to Celebrity Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder's Recipe For Optimal Weight Loss improves the effectiveness of this classic smoothie.

The easiest method to include Kale into this smoothie is to simply half the amount of lettuce and replace with Kale.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups of kale

1/2 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped

3 stalks organic celery

1/2 head of a large bunch or 3/4 of a small bunch of spinach

1 organic apple, cored and chopped

1 organic pear, cored and chopped

1 organic banana

Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

Optional: 1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems OK) and 1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems OK)

Directions

Made up of about 70 percent green vegetables and 30 percent fruit, this smoothie helps you eat far more greens than you ordinarily could. Because we blend the greens and fruit for easy digestion, your body is able to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals without working so hard. Thanks to all its nutrients and fiber, the smoothie is incredibly filling, so it keeps you from reaching for that midmorning second cup of coffee and that bagel you really didn't want to eat.

Add water, kale and chopped head of romaine to blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth.

Add spinach, celery, apple, and pear, and blend at high speed.

Add cilantro and parsley (which help chelate heavy metals from your body).

Finish with banana and lemon.

Serves 2-3

4. Kale Mojito Smoothie

Ingredients 

4 pears

2 cups Kale

1/2 bunch mint

1/2 lime

1 cup water

1 cup ice cubes

Serves 2

5. Spinach Smoothie (This one’s controversial, it contains no kale)

Be warned this one is especially delicious. 

Ingredients

6-8 ounces of water

2 packed cups (or small handfuls) of fresh spinach

1 large banana, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

2 pineapple round slices, chopped

knob of ginger

half a lemon (juice only)

3 tangerines

1 large apple

half a beetroot (cooked, peeled and chopped)

1 carrot (peeled and chopped)

1 cup of ice

Directions

Chop the spinach into small pieces. 

Add 6oz of water to the blender. Add the kale to the blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth.

Add the half of the remaining ingredients and blend on a high speed. Add more water as necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and blend. Finish by adding ice to cool the smoothie, bland and serve.

 

Your First Green Smoothie

Smoothies are quick and easy meals once you get the hang of them. This recipe is simple and should be easy for a novice. Remember an 8 oz smoothie a day keeps the doctor away. You’ll need a blender and the following:



Ingredients



6-8 ounces of water

2 packed cups (or small handfuls) of fresh kale

1 large banana, peeled

4-5 large strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup of ice



Directions



Chop the kale into smaller pieces

Add 6oz of water to the blender. Add the kale to the blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend on a high speed. Add more water and ice as necessary.



Kale is King Smoothie



Ingredients



2 cups (handful) of kale

2 cups of spinach

1 cup blueberries

1 apple

1 pear

1/2 lime

1 small knob of ginger

6 oz water

8 Ice cubes



Serves 2-3



Replace water with almond milk to increase the protein in this kale smoothie. Add a banana for slow release energy and vital carbohydrate.





Kale Mojito Smoothie



Ingredients



4 pears

2 cups Kale

1/2 bunch mint

1/2 lime

1 cup water

1 cup ice cubes




Serves 2-3



Add white rum and sugar for an evening treat.

Kale Green Goddess Smoothie

Adding Kale to Celebrity Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder's Recipe For Optimal Weight Loss improves the effectiveness of this classic smoothie.



The easiest method to include Kale into this smoothie is to simply half the amount of lettuce and replace with Kale.



Ingredients



1 1/2 cups water

2 cups of kale

1/2 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped

3 stalks organic celery

1/2 head of a large bunch or 3/4 of a small bunch of spinach

1 organic apple, cored and chopped

1 organic pear, cored and chopped

1 organic banana

Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

Optional: 1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems OK) and 1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems OK)



Directions



Made up of about 70 percent green vegetables and 30 percent fruit, this smoothie helps you eat far more greens than you ordinarily could. Because we blend the greens and fruit for easy digestion, your body is able to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals without working so hard. Thanks to all its nutrients and fiber, the smoothie is incredibly filling, so it keeps you from reaching for that midmorning second cup of coffee and that bagel you really didn't want to eat.



Add water and chopped head of romaine to blender. Blend at a low speed until smooth.

Add spinach, celery, apple, and pear, and blend at high speed.

Add cilantro and parsley (which help chelate heavy metals from your body).

Finish with banana and lemon.





Serves 2-3

Confessions of a Kale Lover

These are my confessions. I’m not a hipster. I’m not even middle class, but I love kale. I’m not sure when it started, possibly with a trip to the states.  Yes, of course it was... Kale is in abundance in the US. They have more of everything. More fast food joints, more swanky restaurants, more all-day breakfast cafes. Most importantly, and rather surprisingly, more healthy eating options. Kale is plentiful in the US a staple in most cafe and restaurant menus. This could also be because of endorsement of the trendy vegetable by the stars and fitness gurus. Beyoncé champions kale and even goes so far as to sport a KALE sweater Beyoncé consumes Kale un-ironically, but enjoys the irony of food fads like “super foods” and “gluten free”, so pokes fun at herself by posting this photo. Similarly, for his role in Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenahaal reportedly lost 30lbs eating mainly Kale salad and drinking almond tea.



However, across the pond here in the UK, I have found kale to be available in slim pickings. On my return from the states I decided to endeavour to consciously consume more veg, as opposed to it being just something I say mildly obnoxiously at dinner parties: “Yeah we should all be eating more veg… I’m not a vegan but I admire their cause…”  I’d make these statements, seemingly satisfied that my comments were just as good as eating the vegetables themselves.



Eating fruit is pretty easy; I usually consume a banana, apple and orange in any given day.  I didn’t realise just how evasive vegetables were.  I’d become a salad dodger. I considered a kebab from my local as 1 of my 5 a day.  Admit it, where else do you get your serving of red cabbage? I promise I get a lot more helpful, and a lot less cliched, but not just yet…



Where was I?  Yes, the epiphany came on a recent trip to New York. I sat across the table from my lovely friend from Colorado (We actually met in Austin, Texas and what brought us to New York is a whole other story. I digress). We were sharing a slice of carrot cake. I rationalised that this counted towards my 5 a day fruit and vegetable intake. I enjoyed this with a large hot chocolate. My learned friend from Colorado drank a strange purply orange concoction. He saw me stare at it with a look of confusion that was far from subtle. He offered the cup in my direction. "Try this." he said. I handled the straw and took a sip. “It’s not bad," I said “but it's not good either.” He smiled ever so charmingly at my child-like response. “I suppose I’d drink it if I had to.” I mused. “ But you do have to.” he responded.



It was at this moment I realised I was all talk and no substance. I liked to preach but couldn’t walk the walk.  I sat there silently mulling over what a fraud I’d become. Looking at my face full of despair, he commented “It’s ok, I’m not going to force-feed you.”  We smiled, as I thought about what I’d eaten that day: pancakes, chips and a burger, with a token amount of fruit and veg (more like garnishes than portions).  My metabolism is only going to get slower so I need to address this. Possibly more important than my physical appearance is my health. I was leaving my body defenceless and expecting it to fight off colds and break down toxins with little help from me. I was mainly feeding it potatoes and cake.



So that fateful day I decided to increase my vegetable intake. A compromise I made with my taste buds was to make the veg taste good. I turned into a smoothie-making psychopath. I became fixated on great-tasting smoothies that contained veg. Not just a sprinkle either, but lots of it.  Enough to write home about. As I worked in the kitchen I was met with the usual aversion from my family. “What’s that you're making? Kale? Yuck!” said my younger brother.  “Try some.” I responded.  He declined. The curiosity got the better of him. He grabbed the glass and took a gulp. “Hmmm, I’ll finish this. ” he said as he walked toward the door, kale smoothie in hand.





Kale is a “Super Food” (I apologise for using this term. I’d like to reassert that I’m not pertaining to be a triangle-loving hipster, it’s just a good term), and a staple in many of the smoothies I make. It's packed with phytochemicals that help us stave off colds. It activates enzymes that help the body eliminate free-radicals. It can be consumed raw, though it's advisable to have the cooked variety from time to time. Read 'Killer Kale' as a reminder that all foods should be eaten in moderation. Lastly, not to be outdone by its cousin the cabbage, there is also a purple version of kale.