What people are saying
Neither of My School Kids Have Had a Sick Day!
I started 12 Steps during the busiest time of my life, when my fourth baby was 6 weeks old. My other little ones were 2, 5, and 6. It was three days before school started and everyone was sick with a cold but me. I was sick with an inflamed gallbladder and scheduled for surgery at age 33! We had been sick more than 50% of the last 365 days.
“Enough is enough!” I thought, “I know what I should be eating, I’ve been studying this since I was pregnant with my first, but I can’t figure out how to apply what I know. It overwhelms me. I want my family to be healthy, especially my son who is sick the most. Maybe Robyn’s program can teach me something I don’t already know. I trust Robyn’s nutritional philosophy more than any other author out there.” (Sorry I was skeptical at first, but the beauty of 12 Steps I now see, is putting the transition into a do-able order and adding one thing at a time.)
We started 12 Steps on the first day of school. An awesome time to start because fruit and veggies are abundant in the garden and cheap at the store, and the beginning of the school year is a time of transition anyway! I had paid for school lunch, but we started 12 Steps just in time. None of my kids will ever have school lunch (they serve corn dogs every single day; I hurt for the other kids).
The first week curriculum for first grade was “health and nutrition.” At dinner I remarked on the coincidence that I was taking a health and nutrition class too. My kids already know to expect fallacious nutritional information from school, so we compared notes on what we were learning each night at dinner. My kids loved that I was going “back to school” too.
I call “12 Steps” my online class and I always say “my teacher says . . .” Rather than being on a crazy diet, in my family’s eyes, I am taking a university-level, highly prestigious, nutrition course and I will “graduate” in a year (you never really graduate, though, do you?). In my eyes, it’s even better than that. Each month as my kids start new units of study, they are excited to hear about my new unit of study.
During the first month, my goal was to drink 8+ glasses of water a day instead of 3 or 4. I had been perpetually dehydrated since I got pregnant, and nursing was making it worse. That was a hard goal because I was so insanely busy I didn’t even have time to get a drink until 10 in the morning some days.
More than once, due to kid distractions, a green smoothie took three days to make. Water in the blender the first day, wash produce the next, chop stuff up and blend it the third. Getting hydrated was wonderful and I had green drinks on days when I couldn’t get a smoothie made. A ginormous burden of guilt (that I didn’t even know I had) lifted off my shoulders about my family’s nutrition. That gave me an emotional boost. The water made me feel physically so much better. I cancelled my gallbladder removal surgery and I don’t recall when it happened, but all of a sudden I had an extra 30 minutes to make green smoothie every day (it takes longer holding a baby or toddler or both while you do it).
Organic ready-to-eat salads just happened to be on sale for $.99 a box when we hit month two. That would convince anyone to love salad, no work and so tasty. When the sale ended two weeks later, I found again that I magically had the extra time to wash piles of romaine, spinach, and other lettuces. Another huge burden lifted off my shoulders, because I didn’t have to think of what to have for dinner anymore, it was always salad. We had main dishes too, but they were way simpler, just side dishes really. Salad was fun. My kids love picking out toppings for the salad and my picky eater has a passion for making her salad pretty. She also loves that dinner every night is a salad bar. Dinner battles at our house almost disappeared. As the quality of our meals went up, there was less to complain about.
The third month was my birthday. I got a beet cake, a salad spinner, and the “okay” to order almonds in the GreenSmoothieGirl.com annual group buy. I have been substituting almonds, apples, and raisins for chips and pretzels (just a few per snack) since we started 12 Steps. I reverse engineered our favorite store salad dressings using high quality ingredients. It was fun.
Where did I get the time to sit around reverse engineering salad dressing recipes? It is a mystery to me. I am getting salad making down to a science. I love buying it. I love being the lady who fills her cart up with lettuce and practically nothing else every few days at the grocery store.
Instead of fruit snacks, my toddler hugs the bags of romaine and skips the complimentary Laffy Taffy at the check-out. (Toddlers transition so much faster than the rest of us). I took salad to the family potluck, and impressed my relatives when 2 of my 3 kids took big servings of it before eating anything else.
My husband won’t touch green smoothies, but he has enjoyed the improvement in the family menu and the unanticipated weight loss from having salads for dinner every day.
Wow, now we are into November and neither of my school kids have had a sick day! My toddler has been sick every other week like usual (and my husband too). Even the daily green smoothie can’t save her at age 2, I guess. With one kid and one parent sick a lot though, it is miraculous that no one else is getting it, as they got everything last year. And my son went off asthma medicine without a hitch. In the past, running out of medicine meant he would be sick in the next day or two, but so far so good! Thanks!
*results may vary
— Regina Slaugh
No longer crave junk food!
My New Year’s Resolution was to GO GREEN. My husband and I (yes, I converted him) both love the green smoothies. They are very satisfying. We no longer crave junk food. We have begun to lose a few pounds. I am turning on my grandchildren and children to them. My husband is Hispanic, diabetic, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. We are seeing improvements. It has only been a month. We use our BlendTec for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We make smoothies, salad dressings, soups and using your 12 Steps to Whole Foods book each month to be totally green after one year. Thank you for all your research and recipes.
— Pat M.
Better Health
By following Robyn’s recommendation, which I could not believe at first but made a decision to give it a try, I lost weight without trying, and my knees and shoulders stopped aching. My blood lipid profile has improved. My cholesterol level has gone from 201 down to 157. Yes, I said 157. My doctor had me go to a different lab to have the test confirmed.
My complexion and skin tone have improved as well. I also had a problem with dry skin. I used coconut oil as recommended by Robyn, and my rash that I had on my ankles and chin cleared up completely. I had gone to the doctor and had obtained two different medications and the only thing that did any good, and in fact cleared it up, was the coconut oil. Thank you,
*results may vary
— Sandra T., California
I love the recipes!
I love them, I love green smoothies anyway, and I love your recipes the best. It is so good to have mainly greens and a few fruits instead of the other way around as I was previously doing. I love them and my kids do also. They crave them as I do.
— Anonymous
Green smoothies are easy and quick
Green smoothies are easy and quick to do and keep me full and alert way past lunch time. This past growing season I had access to lots and lots of lettuce. I would use between 2 and 3 cups in my smoothie along with other greens, but long after the other greens were gone there was still plenty of leaf lettuce in many colors and kinds. All of my greens came from my local farmers’ market.
— Anonymous
Love my green smoothies!
Love my green smoothies. When I drink them I am not as hungry and feel when I do eat I need to eat nutritionally dense foods, not fake foods. I have nice skin, hair, nails and a good deal of energy.
— Wendy K.
My pain is disappearing!
I had pain in both knees for about 20 years and after drinking the green smoothie for 30 days, I can now walk down a hill or downstairs without as much pain. Also the pain that I had from fibromyalgia is disappearing.*
— Jackie H.
Better Sleep, Clearer Skin, Fewer Sweets Cravings—Plus Lost 9 lbs!
I learned so many new ways to take care of myself and my family through this full-support detox! I’m so grateful I got guidance on essential oils, skin brushing, and coffee enemas. I now feel confident implementing these new tools for health into my everyday life. The best parts of this detox was sleeping better at night, clearer skin, and losing my cravings for sweets! I lost 9.5 pounds (and always had options of healthy things to eat when hungry!) while on the detox. This was well worth my time and effort, as it is such a well researched program, and access to the forum and my buddy gave me the support and encouragement needed to get through each phase of the detox journey. I would definitely recommend this to others and do it again on a yearly basis!
*results may vary
— Kara T., Oak Harbor, Washington
Surprising results!
I had a complete CBC analysis done in April 2008 – just 2 months before I started the Green Smoothies and then I had it done again in Oct 2008, 4 months after starting. Here are some interesting results:
Apr 08 – These were all in the high range
Cholesterol – 267
Cholesterol HDL Ratio – 7.9
LDL Cholesterol – 201
Glucose – 117
Triglycerides – 161
October 2008 – These were all in the normal range
Cholesterol – 181
Cholesterol HDL ratio – 4.8
LDL Cholesterol – 116
Glucose – 91
Triglycerides – 136
Thank you!
*results may vary
— Bonnie E.
I am much healthier!
I purchased my Blendtec Total Blender at Costco during a demo at the store. The demo guy recommended I go online to GreenSmoothieGirl .com for great recipes and support. Since I have been drinking the green smoothie, my bowels are more regular than they have ever been. I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and now I do not have constipation. It is the most wonderful feeling to be regular! Also, since adding the dark leafy green vegetables, I have been able to avoid colds from grandkids and friends. I can honestly say I am much healthier. I never miss a day and it has been about 4 months.
Thank You, Robyn.
*results may vary
— Barbara A.
Enough Energy for an 8-Mile Race—and 9 lb. Weight Loss!
I chose the detox program because I felt like I needed to “reset” my body. I’ve been at a set weight for years, felt sluggish, and knew my body wasn’t running at its highest potential. Because I have not done a cleanse before, and 26 days seemed like a long time to me, I chose the Full Support option. I’m so glad I did!
The first three days of the detox were a little rough as I went through caffeine and sugar withdrawals. Having the ability to chat with other detox participants on the forum was priceless. Participants, as well as coaches, offered inspiration and tips that kept me going! I jumped onto the forum several times a day to compare notes with other participants.
The live calls and expert calls were also very motivating. It was reassuring to have my questions answered by doctors who have experience with detoxing. Listening to the expert calls kept me motivated, as I was reminded that my hard work was all for a very good reason.
At the end of the detox, I’d lost 9 pounds. I feel lighter, cleaner, and more alive. Real, whole foods taste amazing. During the detox, I was also training for an 8-mile race. Each day I felt that I had enough energy to go through my day and train for my race. Going through the detox process taught me that my body runs more efficiently without meat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, and salt. I feel alive!
*results may vary
— Christi L., Tucson, Arizona
Green smoothies are here to stay!
Green smoothies have saved my life! I had been in a state of depression for the past 4 years. I was put on depression medicine but it never helped. I discovered green smoothies in December of 2008 and decided to give it a try in January 2009. It has been two months since I started making a green smoothie everyday and I feel AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and FULL OF LIFE. I have not felt this good in a long time. I have had tons of energy, I can fall asleep faster at night and feel rested when I wake up, I don’t feel the need to take daily naps, I have had less cravings for sweets and processed foods, my motivation is back, and I have lost 8 pounds in 2 months. Green smoothies are here to stay!
*results may vary
— AB, IL
