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
Kicked My Sugar Cravings! Down 14 lbs!
Total weight loss of 14 lbs. Highlights of the detox:
-Feeling lighter!
-Fitting into my fave dress (hadn’t been able to in 3 yrs) and my fave jeans (not since 2006!)
-Last, but not least, kicking my sugar cravings—that’s huge!
Going forward I’m committed to the following. After 20+ days, these seem attainable now:
-Staying away from refined sugar—goodbye cookies, cakes, candies. I joked to my fiancée that the next time I’ll have sweets is when we cut our wedding cake in May.
-Maintaining a low-sodium diet. Seriously, salty stuff doesn’t even taste good anymore. Now I prefer the more “complex” and zesty taste of lemon!
-Eating more veggies. I was a total carnivore, but somehow meat no longer holds its previous appeal.
*results may vary
— Tracy S., Salt Lake City, Utah
We are hooked!
My husband and I have been enjoying green smoothies 6-7 times a week for the past 9 months. We are hooked! In fact, we went on vacation for a week and missed our BlendTec blender and green smoothie so much, we could hardly wait to get back home to start again. My husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer three years ago, and the doctor consistently was removing new tumor sites every three months.
Once we found the Green Smoothie Girl.com site, got our blender, and started making the smoothies, he has consistently been clear of any new tumors. His latest colonoscopy this year was also clear, he has more energy, and feels healthy and strong. We will not go without our healthy green start each day! We can’t thank you enough!
*results may vary
— Nancy K.
Love the Practical Approach
I have been reading Robyn’s blog for a few months and then attended a class she taught about green smoothies. It has been just over a month but we are drinking green smoothies daily and I’ve already converted a few friends. I can’t help but smile as I watch my 5 kids drink their smoothies loaded with veggies and fruits every day.
I bought the 12 Step program shortly after I started my new green smoothie habit. I had already watched all of the YouTube videos and read everything on GreenSmoothieGirl.com. I just couldn’t get enough. I have read so many books and articles on healthy eating and this feels like a breath of fresh air. I find some of the same things I’ve learned elsewhere but the 12 Steps is much easier and enjoyable to read and follow.
I love the practical approach. I love that Robyn is sensitive to the time and money constraints that are part of real life. The 12 Step program is simple, affordable, and doable even for a busy mom with 5 kids. We are just getting started but I’ve made the Chocolate Beet Cake (Ch. 11) along with several different smoothies and some fabulous salads. I’m so excited to implement each of these steps throughout the coming year and record the benefits that we experience from each upgrade to our diet.
The 12 Steps program is loaded with information. I bought a freezer and am already planning for my garden next year with all of this new information in mind. It has really changed the way I look at food and food preparation.
I can’t thank you enough for the time and effort you’ve put into sorting through all of the information available and bringing the most relevant and useful information into one program that can be followed by anyone. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to take it one step at a time and not get overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
— Kelleen P
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
I feel so much better!
I have been drinking green smoothies daily for a month now. I have seen a huge improvement in my overall outlook on life. I handle stress SO much better and I feel happier. Another huge improvement for me was the decrease in my cravings for sugary foods. This was a big problem for me. Now even if I eat something sweet, I don’t want very much of it. It has been amazing how much better I feel since starting to drink green smoothies!
— Tammy M.
I feel great!
I’m always constipated, and I used to drink herbal laxatives to help me, but they give me terrible abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Drinking green smoothie four days a week has helped me a lot. I feel great!
— Anonymous
Thanks so much for helping to change the quality of my life!
I have endometriosis and ovarian cysts and have suffered with cramping, heavy menstruation, and low back pain for 20+ years. I have had numerous surgeries to help correct and alleviate the problem with no success. I finally reached the point that my doctors determined a hysterectomy would be my next surgery. I am in my early thirties and was not ready for that so I spent a lot of time researching nutritional options. I discovered green smoothies and they have helped tremendously (I have been drinking them for a year now).
My cycles have improved dramatically and the majority of the time I feel like a normal person. That has never been the case because of this constant pain that was always with me. Thanks for all of the info on your site. As I have changed my eating habits I have also discovered trigger foods that cause ovarian pain, spotting, and bleeding. I am grieving the loss of chocolate but the smoothies have almost taken any cravings for sweets away. Once again thanks so much for helping to change the quality of my life.
*results may vary
— Becky Flannery, Sandy, Utah
Doing the GSG Detox Next Time Around! Feel Great, Look Great, and Lost 7 lbs!
I am thrilled with my experience during the GSG detox. In the beginning I was worried I couldn’t give up coffee, sugar, my Lean Cuisine for lunch, bread, etc., etc. I told myself, just get through the first week and then decide if you want to continue. After the first week I felt like it was totally doable and I didn’t want to quit. I definitely felt like the full support was key to my success. I would have questions or be confused here and there, and having that forum made all the difference. I was able to post questions and get responses from both the GSG staff and also others who were going through the detox with me.
I have told all my friends about the detox—I am planning to do it again next time around! I feel great, I look great, I lost 7 pounds, and am so proud of myself and my buddy for seeing it through. I am also looking forward to transitioning from a Standard American Diet to a more plant-based whole foods (even maybe vegetarian) diet. Thank you, Robyn!
*results may vary
— Jeannine L., Sandy, Utah
We drink green smoothies daily as a family
We drink green smoothies daily as a family. Even my 8-year old likes them and he is a soccer player convinced it helps with his game skills. Thank you!
— Laura W.
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
I love green smoothies!
I love green smoothies! I drink them every morning, and I was so surprised how great they make me feel! I have lost weight, have lots of energy, feel healthier than ever and feel like my immune system is even stronger than it was.
Drinking green smoothies also influenced all of my eating and cooking decisions, and allowed me to lose weight safely. When we travel, I am always carrying my blender with me so I can have green smoothies anywhere I go!
My 20 month old daughter also loves them. I am sure that green smoothies are the best way to get babies/toddlers to get their greens. She gets so excited when I get out the blender and she always wants more! Thank you, green smoothies, and thank you to my friend, Tara, for introducing them to me!
*results may vary
— Kathryn Rose
