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extra ingredients for green smoothies [part 9 of 9]


Robyn Openshaw - Mar 02, 2009 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


Bee pollen

Bee pollen has been a fascination of European researchers for a long time.   The dust from the stamen of blossoming plants collected from bees is fairly well documented to improve a lot of things most of us care about.   First of all, it increases your energy throughout the day and stamina for physical activity–it’s a powerhouse nutritionally, with 35 percent protein.

It has natural weight loss properties that have been mimicked chemically in various weight-loss drug remedies.   Bee pollen not only stimulates metabolism, but also suppresses appetite naturally.   It slows aging and prevents cancerous tumors from developing.

It also contains a gonadotropic sex hormone and contributes to improved sexual performance and reduction of PMS symptoms.   Perhaps most interestingly, it may prevent seasonal allergies, like eating raw honey allegedly does, but in a more direct way and without the blood sugar impact.   If you can buy it collected from multiple sources instead of one source, that’s a better product.   Bee pollen is a fantastic ingredient to add to a green smoothie.   I like to get it from All Star Health on Amazon, because (a) the price is good, (b) it’s very fresh and not dry like other sources, and (c) they collect from around the U.S. so it’s not just one geographic area’s bees, which I feel is best for allergy prevention.

Wheat grass juice (fresh or powdered)

Wheat grass was first famously studied and used extensively by Ann Wigmore, founder of Optimum Health Institute and a pioneer of many therapies still used now, 50 years later, in natural healing.   She wrote The Wheatgrass Book, documenting its megapowerful healing properties.

If I had cancer, the first thing I would do is begin growing, juicing, and drinking wheat grass daily.   Nothing compares to it nutritionally, for oxygenating and healing.   I have juiced wheat grass in a few periods of my life (including an early pregnancy, which may have been part of my current problem with it), and I would continue the habit if it weren’t simply the most awful-tasting thing on this planet.   Not everyone agrees with my assessment, fortunately, so give it a try.

In the event you can’t stomach the fresh juice, more and more companies are dehydrating the juice under 118 degrees and selling it as a powder.   While I find this to be too much in a green smoothie, some people like it.   I prefer to see people add this ingredient to water to alkalize their cells and energize throughout the day, since your green smoothie already provides many of the ingredients concentrated in wheat grass, in other green ingredients.

Generally speaking, wheat grass is juiced and the remaining grass discarded because its fiber is not digestible by the human stomach.   The juicers we used ten years ago are less than efficient at getting the juice from the grass, which is digestible only by a four-chambered stomach such as in a cow.   However, completely liquefied wheat grass such as occurs in a BlendTec Total Blender may render unnecessary the expensive, labor-intensive, and messy process we used to go through with specialized wheat grass juicers.

Posted in: Green Smoothies, Recipes, Whole Food

12 thoughts on “extra ingredients for green smoothies [part 9 of 9]”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I have very much enjoyed the 9 part nutritional series! Regarding bee pollen, in what form should it be used? Granules, capsules? Do you have any suggestions for its use? Thanks Robyn!

  2. http:// says:

    Robyn,

    I’ve loved all the great green smoothie ingredient options. Thank you for taking the time to list them. I just looked for bee pollen at Amazon.com and couldn’t find the All Star Health brand. Are there any other brands that you recommend? I have struggled with allergies for years! I hate taking medication for it but do so in order to breath. How long does bee pollen last? Do you have any other advice, besides fresh honey, for a girl with serious allergies?

  3. http:// says:

    I use granules, but choose whatever you like best. Hm, Monica, I just got some on Amazon last week from All Star Health . . . ?

    It will keep many months in the fridge, tightly sealed in its packaging.

    You can get some very effective homeopathics at the health food store for allergies, either guided at the store by someone knowledgeable, or if you have serious issues, by a naturopath.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Robyn, I was a little confused with the last part of the post. Can you put wheat grass directly into the blendtec when making a smoothie versus adding wheat grass juice? Does it break it down enough for our bodies to digest. If this is the case I am going to start growing some wheat grass for my smoothies.

    Jeff

  5. http:// says:

    Unjuiced wheat grass might have some indigestible bulk in it, but that’s what insoluble fiber is anyway, so I would go for it, Jeff.

    The juice is ideal but I’d use the grass in a Total Blender. If it didn’t gag me, that is. 😉

  6. Anonymous says:

    Keep in mind that persons with severe hay fever allergies may have a reaction to bee polen. It is a concentrate of what causes your allergies. Some people may have severe reactions to bee pollen. If you are unsure start with one grain of bee pollen and work up gradually. My son took some bee pollen and his throat started swelling shut. BEE careful!! 🙂

  7. Anonymous says:

    For Bee Pollen be sure to check with your local beekeepers/honey producers. This is where I find mine.

    Wheatgrass: I have been experimenting the last few weeks with wheatgrass. As it was growing I couldn’t keep from picking some everyday and chewing on it. It is a very sweet grass. I then juiced it and tried it that way. Not bad. I also put it with water in my VitaMix, strained it and then put it in a smoothie. But the last few days I just put it whole into the smoothie. 1/2 oz of grass per quart is about right for us. 1 cup water, slice of ginger, 1/2 juiced lemon, 1 apple, 1 banana and 2 frozen peaches. This was from Gene Younger. He has a You Tube video but he does strain his grass.

    Someone said that wheatgrass in a smoothie should always have an apple in it as it counteracts the taste. Just a thought

  8. Another great post Robyn … I have been scared about Bee Pollen in the past but now I’ve read enough that I need to start using it. Of course back then I wasn’t doing green smoothies so I wasn’t sure what to do with it!

    And the wheat grass — I think I would need to grow my own to be comfortable with it (being celiac) but if I can put it in my blendtec that would solve the time-consuming juicing problem! I often use my blendtec lately to make my own green juices just by using the whole juice button and then (sometimes depending on the juice) straining the mixture through a net bag (a paint straining bag LOL). My 3 year old asked me the other day what we would user the juicer for then, and I was tempted to say “ice cream” (frozen bananas), but I explained how some things were just faster/easier in the blender (in this case grapes). 🙂

  9. Anonymous says:

    Tami—do you have any recipes to share on a blog or something for celiacs? also I was under tha assumption that if my son comes up positive for celiac–that he could nOT have wheat grass–why could you make your own?

  10. Anonymous says:

    I forgot to mention another place to order bee pollen.

    Springtime, Inc. They carry natural horse and dog supplements along with a few people things. I have been very happy with their pet products.

    http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/12/3

    It is $10.00 a pound and it reduces to $8.00 a pound if you order 10lbs.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I see this is an older post, so not sure if you will get this, but I wanted to know your thoughts on Royal Jelly vs the Bee Pollen. Have you used Royal Jelly?

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