Green puddings can enrich and diversify the textures and flavors of your daily green smoothies. Puddings are thicker than smoothies, and you can eat them with a spoon. One advantage of green puddings is that they often have a smoother and fluffier texture, and for this reason may be more palatable to children and other people who have not yet developed a taste for greens. Green puddings also generally contain little or no water, and therefore have a more concentrated flavor and sweetness, making them taste very yummy.

These puddings are thickened with mangoes, peaches, blueberries, persimmons, avocados, chia seeds, dates, dried fruit, or coconut. I recommend using a tamper, which is a tool that commonly accompanies a vitamix blender. Using a tamper can help mix these thicker smoothies as you blend. If you do not have a vitamix, you may still make a green pudding. You will simply have to add a tiny amount of water, and your puddings will not be quite as thick but they will still taste great.

A successful green pudding can compete with a gourmet dessert. I have compiled several of my all-time favorite green pudding recipes below. Don’t be surprised if a few of these recipes become a favorite go-to breakfast, or an evening after-dinner staple. As a final note, don’t forget to decorate your puddings before you serve them, because an effective decoration can strongly encourage everyone in your household to indulge in this healthy dessert.

 

Wild Green Pudding

1 large mango
1 ripe peach
1 handful strawberries
3 cups lambsquarters (a wild edible plant most likely growing in your back yard right now)
No water needed

Place the fruit on the bottom of the blender and place the greens on top. Blend thoroughly using the tamper.

Yields 1 quart

 

Coconut Dream Pudding

2 young coconuts
1 cup coconut water
7 dates
2 cups spinach
1 banana
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Scoop out the meat of the two young coconuts and place it in the blender. Make sure the dates don’t have any pits, and place them in the blender as well. Add in the cup of coconut water and the remaining ingredients. Blend thoroughly using the tamper.

Yields 1/2 quart

 

Singing Nettles Pudding

2 mangos
2 peaches
2 cups stinging nettles
½ cup dried apricots
No water needed

Place the fruit on the bottom of the blender and place the greens on top. Blend thoroughly using the tamper.

Yields 1 quart

 

Blueberry Nights Pudding

2 cups blueberries
1 mango
5 dates
2 cups chard (with stems removed)
2 tablespoons chia seeds (not soaked)
¼ avocado
½ cup fresh lemon balm greens or a few sprigs of mint

No water needed

Place the fruit on the bottom of the blender and place the greens on top. Make sure none of the dates have pits in them before you add them into the blender. Blend thoroughly using the tamper.

Yields 1 quart

 

 

The other day I asked Sergei to make some applesauce for a potluck we were going to together, and he added a surprising and nutritious twist to this common dish. Inspired by the contents of his refrigerator, Sergei added a considerable amount to spinach to his applesauce, in essence cleverly transforming this ordinary recipe into a decedent green smoothie sauce! Moreover, upon tasting this the dish Valya and I realized that we could barely detect the presence of the greens at all, and that applesauce was yet another excellent place to add greens into our diets. “But what shall we call this new recipe?” Valya asked Sergei, and after thinking about it for a few seconds he replied that Emerald Greenplesauce had a good ring to it.

Sergei’s Emerald Greenplesauce

3 large apples (with seeds and stems removed)

3 cups of spinach

½ cup apple juice

¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest (please use an organic lemon for this)

Chop apples into pieces and place the fruit on the bottom of the blender. Place the greens on top of the apples. Add in remaining ingredients. Blend thoroughly using the tamper.

Yields 1 quart of greenplesauce

To navigate for safety in the modern diversity of foodstuffs, one absolutely must become an expert in critical thinking. Otherwise, how can you tell “organic” from “original,” “sugar” from “sweetener,” “real” from “natural,” and solve countless other tricky puzzles for the sake of your safety? You have to constantly remember that the food industry has stopped being your friend since the time of the industrial revolution; instead it turned into a business with ever-growing arsenal of creative means to deceive its customers with a sweetest smile and at consumer’s own expense. As a result, the majority of us face enormous problems connected to every day eating.

The overwhelming majority of people today experience serious health problems. For example, 133 million Americans – almost 1 out of every 2 adults – has at least one chronic illness ¹. 70 percent of Americans take prescription drugs ² and over 35% of the people are obese ³. Based on available statistics, the number of totally healthy people in America seems to be rather insignificant. Yet, similar to all creatures on planet Earth, all humans have a birthright to be healthy. Could it be that we don’t spend enough money on our health? On the contrary, according to the World Health Organization, the United States spends almost $3 trillion a year. So, what is missing? Do we need to create more medicine? Maybe we are too busy? Or do we have to be more knowledgeable? How to solve this mysterious paradox?

While I am not a medical doctor and I cannot give medical advice, I have a right to share with other people my thoughts, observations, and concerns. I have been continuously and consciously researching natural health for over 20 years, and I have noticed a lot of controversies between the real facts about human health and misleading claims maid by food, drug, and medical industries. Based on my observation and research, I consider that most people can significantly improve their health by applying the principles of natural healing. Yet, it is only possible if you develop the ability for critical thinking and start to think for yourself. Otherwise, you become dependent on others to decide for you. In a sense you choose to stay blind. You follow someone else’s instructions, and perform actions that do not make much sense to you. You submit to the authority of others. You give your power away to the food, drug, and medical industries, as well as to all of those who have a temptation to capitalize on your ignorance.

One time, my daughter Valya needed a wisdom tooth to be extracted. I offered to accompany her to the dental clinic. Valya asked my opinion on what type of anesthesia she should select.

When I was in my twenties, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted with local anesthesia. I clearly remembered that it was a quick and easy procedure, after which I went straight to work. Other members of my family also had completely painless experience having their teeth extracted under the local anesthesia. Naturally, I recommended Valya to go for a local anesthesia. I assured her that it would be a quick, easy, and safe process, especially considering that the dentists at this clinic were specialized in tooth extractions. I advised my daughter not to worry at all.

On the day of her appointment we arrived at dental clinic. Valya was relaxed and fearless; she joyfully told me about her art projects. After we filled all the paperwork, the nurse invited us to a separate room, which was very white and cold. The nurse and Valya had the following conversation:

- So, you are going to do a general anesthesia now?
- No, -Valya firmly replied, I want local.
- You are so brave! -The nurse looked surprised.
- Why? -Valya asked.
- Because it could be very uncomfortable and painful!
My daughter looked worried. Nurse continued, – you could possibly suffer from pain for several days, you will need to take strong painkillers.
- Please don’t talk her into a general anesthesia; she has already made her decision, -I said.
- I just wanted the girl to know that it would be very painful. Nurse said firmly. It is a complex procedure. Trust me, you don’t want to be awake for this.

Then she left us alone in that cold room for about 30 minutes, and I noticed that my daughter was becoming nervous. I hugged her, – Valya, you won’t feel anything. I had my teeth extracted and it was not painful at all, – I reminded her.

Suddenly, the door opened and we saw the hospital corridor where the nurse was pushing a wheelchair with a teenage girl sleeping in it. The girl’s face was very pale and there was blood on her lips and chin. My daughter asked the nurse with trembling voice: Is that how I will look after my tooth extraction?
- No, -nurse replied, – she had a general anesthesia.
That was a bad thing for Valya to view right before her own surgery, but at this particular moment our nurse told my daughter to follow her. I saw my daughter’s wide-opened scared eyes and I didn’t have any time to give her my support. I went back to the waiting area. As I was waiting, more young people were constantly arriving for their wisdom teeth extractions. All of them chose “put under”, as it was recommended.

Valya returned from the surgery with a smile. She told me that the doctors were excellent, and the operation was quick and easy, and that during the entire surgery she felt no pain at all. Not even a pinch. We drove home from that clinic, glad that it was all over.

Valya didn’t have to take any medication when the numbness was gone on that day as well as on the next days. In about a week her gums healed without any complications. The only pain she felt came from the memories of fear and pressure she felt from the nurse. Valya was saddened at how many young people were manipulated with the use of fear into a more expensive, uncomfortable, and possibly, more dangerous surgery.

In this story, young people didn’t have any way of knowing, which anesthesia would be less uncomfortable, and therefore they chose what was recommended by professionals. However, I often receive emails of approximately the following content: “I have been consuming the green smoothies for six months and I feel great. But yesterday I read on the Internet that green smoothie could be harmful in such and such way. Now I don’t know what to do. Please help!” I almost feel helpless and have hard time responding to these letters, because I realize that no matter how objective and logical my answers are, they might be overridden in a matter of days by the next well-written counter claim.

When you trust your own judgment, you can learn a lot about your health. For example, it is safer to fast for a week and to see for yourself how you feel than to follow someone’s recommendations without having any idea why. Through your careful observations you have the ability to clearly see the results of your actions.

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In keeping ourselves physically fit, we seldom think of exercising our cranio-facial musculature. In the gym, people exercise all their muscles except the cranio-facial complex. Modern food is often heavily processed and, as a result, too soft. Mashed potatoes, pancakes, pasta, bread, or grated vegetables, don’t pressure on our teeth, resulting in the development of low bone density in our jaw bones and teeth.

In addition to the weakening of our teeth and jawbone, the on-going lack of chewing leads to the shrinking of our salivary glands. According to scientific research, saliva possesses enzymes that attack the cell walls of many bacteria, thereby rupturing and killing bacteria. Lack of normal saliva flow may contribute to caries, periodontists, and yellowing of the teeth.

The jawcerciser™ enables anyone to compensate for missing adequate chewing. This simple device is a resistance exerciser for your jaw. Regular use of the Jawcerciser naturally increases the saliva flow and provides proper resistance for your teeth. Use of jawcerciser™ for 1–3 minutes (or more) once or twice a day can greatly improve your oral and overall health. To learn more about the Jawcerciser™, please visit: www.jawcerciser.com

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¹ http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm
² CBS News. Study shows 70 percent of Americans take prescription drugs, June 20, 2013
³ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/17/obesity-rate-levels-off/2895759/

Sincerely,
RawFamily