Green Smoothie Revolution Part 6

CLEMENTINE CITRUS CIRCUS.

Valya BoutenkoYields 2 quarts 6 clementines, peeled2 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen1 cup curly kale1 cup spinach [image]

PURPLE TEETH MASQUERADE.

(ALSO KNOWN AS DENTIST'S NIGHTMARE SMOOTHIE) Valya BoutenkoYields 2 quarts 1 pint blackberries1 ripe banana1 mango7 leaves dinosaur kale2 cups water [image]

SWEET AND SOUR.

Marian FanokYields 2 quarts 1 banana1 cup frozen raspberries8 leaves romaine lettuce cup baby spinach2 Medjool dates, pitted cup water [image]

SPINACH FRESHNESS.

Stephen FrketicYields 2 quarts 1 orange, peeled and seeded1 banana4 frozen strawberries1 cup spinach, packed cup water [image]

GREEN MONKEY FACE.

Julia HoltYields 1 quart 1 young coconut, meat and water1 orange, peeled and seeded2 cups baby spinach [image]

GREEN SMOOTHIE POPSICLES!.

Pattie LacefieldYields 2 quarts 2 cups spinach2 cups frozen berries (any kind)2 bananas1 cup water Pour into popsicle holders and freeze.

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COCO-NASH SMOOTHIE.

Michele MoisanYields 1 quart 2 cups spinach1 avocado1 coconut, meat and water teaspoon vanilla [image]

GREEN STRAWBERRY DRINK.

Mary EllisYields 2 quarts 3 stalks celery2 bananas2 cups frozen strawberries1 pear2 cups water [image]

DELICIOUS SPRING GREEN SMOOTHIE.

Igor BoutenkoYields 1 quart 5 cups miner's lettuce6 Medjool dates, pitted2 cups water [image]

GREEN SMOOTHIES FOR PETS.

As discussed in "Green Smoothies for our Pets" (see Chapter 8 Chapter 8), your cats and dogs will love green smoothies. Some pets will take to smoothies right away, others after a gradual introduction. We serve our cat about 23 tablespoons twice a week. Servings for dogs will vary between 2 tablespoons and 1 cup two to three times a week, depending on the size of your dog. Any extra smoothie mixture you've made will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

POOCHIE'S GOURMET GREEN SMOOTHIE Yields 1 doggy bowl (1 cup) 1 cup kale1 banana1 cup water2 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon kelp (granules or powder) [image]

FIDO'S DREAM Yields 1 doggy bowl (1 cup) 1 cup spinach1 apple1 cup water2 tablespoons olive oil2 capsules fish oil (pour on the smoothie, in the bowl) Add some torn nori sheets; dogs love it!

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FLUFFY'S DELIGHT Yields approximately 10 servings 1 cup wheatgra.s.s clippings (or any other gra.s.s, not sprayed)1 cup water2 tablespoons olive oil2 capsules fish oil (pour on the smoothie, in the bowl)Pinch of catnip (optional) You can freeze it in an ice-cube tray and serve it by the cube.

GREEN SMOOTHIES FOR BODY CARE.

ALOE FACIAL CLEANSER.

Valya BoutenkoYields 1 cup cuc.u.mber avocado1 large leaf aloe vera, with skin Apply on skin as a sunscreen, or after sunburn, or to improve overall skin health. Keep on skin 1030 minutes, then rinse off.

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PLANTAIN SKIN SMOOTHIE.

Sergei BoutenkoYields 2 cups 34 cups freshly picked plantain (wild edible)1 cup water Apply on skin to alleviate pain from bug bites, plant stings, rashes, and to improve overall skin quality. Great for eczema and acne.

AFTERWORD.

THE WORLDWIDE GREEN SMOOTHIE REVOLUTION.

Every generation needs a new revolution.-THOMAS JEFFERSON At times I feel as if I let some old, good green genie out of the bottle. I now receive a growing number of e-mails from all parts of the world. Green Smoothie Challenges, in which partic.i.p.ants commit to consuming green smoothies daily for a certain number of days or weeks, have become popular worldwide. In this photo, you can see Alaskans have to keep the lids on their smoothies so the drinks don't freeze while they are posing. Tiffany Gibson (third from left) from North Pole, Alaska, has been an avid green smoothie drinker for over two years and loves to share them with her family and friends.

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A Green Smoothie Challenge is usually organized and coordinated through the Internet, making it possible for people from distant regions to partic.i.p.ate in the same event. For example, during the recent challenge based in Australia, more than four thousand partic.i.p.ants from over thirty different countries drank green smoothies for two weeks. This extraordinary event was covered by a major newspaper in Australia in an article t.i.tled "Lettuce Drink to Health."32 Anand Wells, owner of the Raw Power educational company, was the organizer of this free online health initiative. He says, "I think the green smoothie is the greatest invention of the century. It's like we have found a magic bullet." One of the supporters of the challenge in Australia, Dr. Marc Cohen, professor of complementary medicine at Melbourne's RMIT University, says, "Getting greens into the body any way you can is the important thing. I think the green smoothie is awesome. In one gla.s.s you can get more than half of your daily allowance of fruit and vegetables in one hit. If people do that, they are probably doubling or tripling the fruit and vegetable intake they otherwise would have had." Anand Wells, owner of the Raw Power educational company, was the organizer of this free online health initiative. He says, "I think the green smoothie is the greatest invention of the century. It's like we have found a magic bullet." One of the supporters of the challenge in Australia, Dr. Marc Cohen, professor of complementary medicine at Melbourne's RMIT University, says, "Getting greens into the body any way you can is the important thing. I think the green smoothie is awesome. In one gla.s.s you can get more than half of your daily allowance of fruit and vegetables in one hit. If people do that, they are probably doubling or tripling the fruit and vegetable intake they otherwise would have had."33 [image]

Anand Wells and his family enjoying smoothes in their backyard in Australia.

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Across the world in Iceland, there are so many green smoothie drinkers that they don't even fit into the picture. Every time I travel to Iceland to teach about raw food, there are never fewer than seventy people in the audience. Sigurlina Davidsdottir (third from right, top photo) is one of the Icelandic raw food enthusiasts. She told me that long dark winters combined with the lack of locally grown produce make it difficult to stay on a raw food diet. Including green smoothies in their daily regimen has greatly helped Icelanders maintain their diet.

At Luna Blanca, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Mongolia, the owners now have a spinach-banana-apple smoothie on the menu.

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Kim Otteby (second from left) owns MyAfya, an alternative health center in Zambia, and finds green smoothies very helpful in promoting healthy living to the local population. After Kim demonstrated how to make a green smoothie on a local TV channel, many people were intrigued and started coming to the clinic. Most of her clients get to taste freshly made green smoothies at the center and want to continue drinking them. Kim found a wide variety of locally grown greens such as pumpkin leaves, rape (wild turnip), Swiss chard, sweet potato leaves, and bondwe bondwe (a species of amaranth). Kim says that everyone's favorite is (a species of amaranth). Kim says that everyone's favorite is bondwe bondwe for its pleasant taste. I think next I would like to travel to Zambia for some for its pleasant taste. I think next I would like to travel to Zambia for some bondwe bondwe smoothie. smoothie.

The good news about green smoothies is quickly spreading around the world. From North Pole to Africa, from Iceland to Australia, more and more people are trying this delicious drink. They quickly recognize the green smoothie miracle: a combination of simplicity, tastiness, and health benefits-and the green wave continues to spread.

32The Sydney Morning Herald November 20, 2008. November 20, 2008.33Ibid.

APPENDIX 1.

AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS: A CASE STUDY.

True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.-THICH NHAT HANH [image]

BY MIVEN DONATO, PT, DC, Health Minister, Health and Wellness Director of Dolphin Health and Education I am a Hallelujah Acrestrained health minister. The diet and nutrition taught at Dolphin Health and Education in Medford, Oregon, is a raw food lifestyle program. While Dolphin provides chiropractic and physical therapy services that address specific clinical musculoskeletal conditions that involve diagnosis and treatment, the raw food lifestyle program does not. It is therefore prudent to check with your physician before embarking on a raw food lifestyle program. The raw food lifestyle may not be for everyone.

I have known Clent Manich since 2006. He was a patient referred to me with a diagnosis of lower back pain and sciatica. He was also a type-2 insulin-dependent diabetic and grossly obese. As a dual-licensed and practicing chiropractic physician and physical therapist, I was all too familiar with the treatment of lower back pain and sciatica. I have been a clinician since 1991 and have seen thousands of spinal cases similar to Clent's, so I expected this would be routine spinal care. But when Clent first stepped into the office, I immediately knew this was going to be a challenging case. He weighed 391 pounds at 5 feet, 11 inches tall. As a general rule, it is difficult to treat a very large person due to the limited options in spine positioning and treatment table s.p.a.ce. Spine rehabilitation exercise is a huge challenge for grossly obese people because they are unable to get down onto the floor and get up with ease.

At the time of Clent's first office visit in late 2006, I had been introducing a lifestyle approach as adjunct to clinical work over the course of a year for treatment of chronic degenerative diseases, and back pain was one of them. In most cases a lifestyle approach to improving health is either rejected or attempted with reservation. Most patients I have encountered in the clinical setting have difficulty accepting the notion that health comes from the inside out. Patients who come to me expect that their spinal pain will be treated by spinal alignment, specific exercises, ma.s.sages, or with mechanical or electrical devices.

Symptom-based treatments have been ingrained in us since childhood-when we are sick we go to the doctor for medicine. The traditional health-care mentality is deeply rooted, and Clent was no exception to this traditional thinking. What he did not know was that I wanted to try a different therapeutic approach that would not only improve his specific spine condition but also his overall health. I also wanted him to be an example, so the public would see that it is possible to overcome back pain and obesity mostly from lifestyle changes, not just chiropractic or physical therapy.

Over the years Clent had tried many popular dietary programs to help him lose weight, but he met only with disappointment. At the time of our meeting at the clinic he was well-versed enough with diet programs that he was skeptical of the raw food lifestyle. Our discussion of how health comes from the inside out, and how the body can only heal when provided with the proper building materials through wholesome raw food and lifestyle, made good sense to him. Clent was not sure he could eat mostly raw foods but was willing to give it a try. I made it clear to him that the program he was about to embark on was not just a raw diet but a lifestyle. I also made it clear to him that I would provide as much support as I could to help improve his health. In retrospect, I believe the support I provided him throughout was the key to his success in reversing diabetes and losing tremendous weight. I completely agree with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, and his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease regarding the importance of support to prevent poor compliance to lifestyle changes. regarding the importance of support to prevent poor compliance to lifestyle changes.

In January 2007, Clent and his wife, Misty, signed on for the Get Healthy Boot Camp along with twenty-eight other students. There was much excitement and antic.i.p.ation. The cla.s.s learned how to get on the raw food lifestyle by following the Hallelujah Diet and Lifestyle founded by Reverend George Malkmus.34 Every week I met with the cla.s.s. As with other students, Clent provided me details of his weekly progress. In 7.5 weeks he lost 49.5 pounds. Clent was off his insulin medication within three weeks. His high blood pressure normalized. He was ecstatic. By boot camp graduation day at the tenth week, he reported losing a few more pounds for a total weight loss of fifty-two pounds. Every week I met with the cla.s.s. As with other students, Clent provided me details of his weekly progress. In 7.5 weeks he lost 49.5 pounds. Clent was off his insulin medication within three weeks. His high blood pressure normalized. He was ecstatic. By boot camp graduation day at the tenth week, he reported losing a few more pounds for a total weight loss of fifty-two pounds.

Clent's confidence level was high. Following the boot camp he celebrated his overdue honeymoon with Misty by going on a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. He told me he was very confident that he would not be tempted by food. I did not hear from him again for several months. Later, in the fall of 2007, I saw him working at Costco, pus.h.i.+ng a grocery cart. He appeared timid when I approached him. I wanted to hear how Clent was doing. I had no intention of bringing up the subject of lifestyle, but I felt sorry for him because he did not appear well. He had gained weight since I had last seen him at boot camp graduation. He admitted he was having trouble keeping up with the lifestyle program. He was still following some of the meal schedule but also ate the wrong foods. But Clent a.s.sured me he was determined to get fully back into the program soon. I saw him again a few more times at Costco over the next several weeks. Whenever I saw him at a distance I wondered what he was going through in his personal life. I truly wanted to help this man. I saw the struggle in his face.

In early January 2008, I received a newsletter via e-mail from Victoria Boutenko that contained a link to a blog about a woman who lost 127 pounds in less than 6 months by drinking green smoothies. As I read the blog, I was thinking about Clent. I knew then that this information was something he needed to know. I first came across Victoria's book Green for Life Green for Life in the latter part of 2006. My wife, Amy, came home from shopping at the Ashland Food Co-op and brought with her several of Victoria's books, including in the latter part of 2006. My wife, Amy, came home from shopping at the Ashland Food Co-op and brought with her several of Victoria's books, including Green for Life Green for Life. I remembered thinking that green smoothies were an excellent addition to the Hallelujah Diet meal plan and schedule I was teaching in the boot camp. I was impressed with the taste of green smoothies and their ability to satiate the appet.i.te. As Victoria mentioned in her book, green smoothies also help curb cravings.35 Adding the green smoothie increased the amount of raw food I could consume during the day, which gave me the boost to go higher than 85 percent raw. It could also provide the bridge necessary to go 100 percent raw. Adding the green smoothie increased the amount of raw food I could consume during the day, which gave me the boost to go higher than 85 percent raw. It could also provide the bridge necessary to go 100 percent raw.

The Hallelujah Diet and Lifestyle uses a vegan diet that is 85 percent raw foods and 15 percent cooked foods daily.36 Unfortunately I did not fully endorse the green smoothie addition to the Hallelujah Diet during Clent's training in the 2007 boot camp until the summer. Because it was not a routine part of the meal plan, I was hesitant, but it became apparent to me that the addition of the green smoothie was a necessity to stay successful on the Hallelujah Diet. When a mutual friend, Josephine Lee, arranged a meeting between Victoria and me at the Dolphin clinic in the spring of 2007, I was overjoyed. I had questions; when I met Victoria she answered my questions and more. I realized then that Victoria's green smoothie contribution to the raw food world was enormous. Unfortunately I did not fully endorse the green smoothie addition to the Hallelujah Diet during Clent's training in the 2007 boot camp until the summer. Because it was not a routine part of the meal plan, I was hesitant, but it became apparent to me that the addition of the green smoothie was a necessity to stay successful on the Hallelujah Diet. When a mutual friend, Josephine Lee, arranged a meeting between Victoria and me at the Dolphin clinic in the spring of 2007, I was overjoyed. I had questions; when I met Victoria she answered my questions and more. I realized then that Victoria's green smoothie contribution to the raw food world was enormous.

Clent responded to my e-mail saying he was very impressed with the information about the woman who lost so much weight in a short time by following Victoria's green smoothie plan. He thought if she could do it, he could do better, since he was already armed with information from the boot camp. He started drinking green smoothies in addition to the carrot juices, barley gra.s.s, and wheatgra.s.s juices as taught in the boot camp. We discussed the fact that because of his addictions to cooked food37 he would be better off going 100 percent raw indefinitely. I wanted Clent to beat his food problem once and for all. The first week, he lost twenty-two pounds. He was ecstatic, and I was amazed. He sent me a weekly report via e-mail and phone conversation. he would be better off going 100 percent raw indefinitely. I wanted Clent to beat his food problem once and for all. The first week, he lost twenty-two pounds. He was ecstatic, and I was amazed. He sent me a weekly report via e-mail and phone conversation.

Over the next several weeks he consistently averaged seven pounds of weight loss per week, or a pound a day. He was literally shrinking before my eyes. The green smoothie was the missing link to Clent's success on the Hallelujah Diet, and at 100 percent raw. I decided then that I would personally coach him through the entire weight loss ordeal until he met his goal weight of 170 pounds. Based on his consistent average weight loss per week, we calculated he would meet the target weight by Christmas 2008, in eleven months. That would be the best Christmas gift he could ever receive.

Unlike many weight loss programs that emphasize exercise along with dietary modifications, with Clent's I deferred any exercise program until he lost the first hundred pounds to prevent aggravating his lower back, which was vulnerable. After he lost 102 pounds in 14 weeks, he was ready to go to the gym. I implemented a specific exercise program that included high-intensity weight training, Dave Hubbard's Fit10 (www.fit10.com), and high-speed interval training at a high-school track. In addition, Clent also started exercising on the stair climber to train for a Mount Whitney hike. The results were amazing; Clent did not show any slowdown in his weight-loss average per week.

Clent is now nearing his antic.i.p.ated goal weight of 170 pounds by December 25, 2008. His weekly average weight loss has slowed to approximately three pounds per week. At the time of this writing, October 19, 2008, Clent is at 197 pounds and has 27 pounds left to lose within nine weeks. Is this possible? We will see.

During the last nine months, Clent has gone through so many physical changes. He told me his blood work improved so much that his primary care physician told him he no longer needed to see an endocrinologist. Clent is still free of diabetes symptoms. He is not on any prescription or over-the-counter medications and still maintains a completely raw diet. He has climbed to the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,497 feet) with Dolphin's annual Mt. Whitney hiking group. He has not only accomplished a weight loss of 204 pounds within 9 months but has also gained more than his health. As seen from his pictures posted on Dolphin's Web site, Clent has demonstrated that living a raw food lifestyle has anti-aging effects. His next plan is to write a book detailing his personal experience and to run or walk the 26.2-mile 2009 Portland marathon. His dream is to share with the world his valuable weight-loss and health-improvement experience through following the raw food lifestyle.

Clent's meal schedule is unique to his body. During the several months following a 100 percent raw diet of barley or wheatgra.s.s juices, carrot juices, green smoothies, and raw vegetables, he encountered potentially dangerous situations with regard to his health. At his initial weight of 401 pounds on January 26, 2008, there were a lot of toxins stored in his body. At around six weeks into his diet, he experienced a major detoxification that resembled severe flu symptoms, similar to what a person fasting would experience, which Dr. Joel Fuhrman refers to as "detoxification symptoms" or "withdrawal symptoms."38 I had to modify and delete items in Clent's daily meal plan several times and used some nutritional supplements in addition to natural methods to deal with the severe cleansing that his body went through. I had to modify and delete items in Clent's daily meal plan several times and used some nutritional supplements in addition to natural methods to deal with the severe cleansing that his body went through.

While eating raw food in itself is very safe, it can bring about such a severe cleansing or detoxifying effect during the transition from cooked food that a person who does not understand these withdrawal symptoms could end up at a medical doctor's office for symptom relief or unnecessary medical intervention. Some of the unpleasant symptoms that can complicate weight loss and health improvement due to going on a high-raw (85 percent or more) or an all-raw diet are caused by prescription and over-the-counter medications, preexisting health challenges, and severe allergies. While not everyone will experience severe symptoms, it is important for the inexperienced raw foodist to educate himself or herself about the detoxification process and be part of a support group in the first few weeks and months of the raw food lifestyle. There are abundant resources available in bookstores and on the Internet to carefully a.s.sess whether this path is right for you. The amount of information can be overwhelming and confusing at times, so you may find it most helpful to seek out those already on a raw food diet in your community.

Clinical observation has shown me that failure to keep with the raw diet is usually due to misinterpreting the detoxification symptoms as a harmful rather than a cleansing process, and to the lack of a support system among partners, family, and friends. In my opinion, it is akin to "hitting the wall," which 26.2-mile marathon runners like me experience around the nineteenth mile. Even though Clent has gone through most of the detoxification period, it is not completely done. His weight-loss success was not easy and is not without risks. We will discuss his weight loss regime in detail in our upcoming book, hopefully to be published sometime in 2009. Educating yourself first and slowly adding raw food to your existing meal plans is the safest way to start transitioning from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to a high-raw or all-raw food lifestyle.

Clent's latest project with Victoria Boutenko is the six-week Green Smoothie Challenge (www.greensmoothierevolution.com). In response to the many questions from his Costco coworkers about his weight-loss program, Clent decided to share his dietary information with them by starting a Green Smoothie Challenge similar to the one in Australia (www.greensmoothiechallenge.com), but on a smaller scale. Due to Clent's popularity and public interest, the challenge was extended to the wider community. The kickoff was held at Lava Lanes in Medford on September 29, 2008, by Victoria Boutenko, Clent Manich, and Dr. Donato. Approximately 170 people joined in the challenge. All partic.i.p.ants drank green smoothies daily in addition to their existing diets. The biggest "loser" received a valuable prize-a Vita-Mix blender-graciously donated by the Vita-Mix Corporation. Several other big "losers" received gifts from Costco. This green smoothie challenge brought a lot of public awareness to the possibilities of natural healing.

Dr. Donato can be reached at (541) 857-2678 at Dolphin Health and Education, 2956 E. Barnett Rd., Suite B, Medford, Oregon 97504, or www.DolphinDoctor.org.

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Room for two: Clent Manich and Dr. Donato in a pair of Clent's old jeans.

34www.hacres.com35Victoria Boutenko, Green for Life Green for Life. (Ashland, OR: Raw Family Publis.h.i.+ng, 2005).36George Malkmus, The Hallelujah Diet The Hallelujah Diet (s.h.i.+ppensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2006): 141146. (s.h.i.+ppensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2006): 141146.37Victoria Boutenko, 1 12 Steps to Raw Foods (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2007): 87. (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2007): 87.38Joel Fuhrman, Fasting and Eating for Health Fasting and Eating for Health (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1995): 18. (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1995): 18.

APPENDIX 2.

CLENT MANICH: LIVING ON GREEN SMOOTHIES.

Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.-KENNY ROGERS BY CLENT MANICH.

My life was difficult when I was overweight. For example, even as simple a ch.o.r.e as tying my own shoes seemed impossible. My wife had to tie them for me. I constantly worried about what I would do if they got untied. Getting in and out of my car was challenging because I constantly b.u.mped into the steering wheel. Going up and down stairs was yet another demanding task. I remember that any minimal physical activity such as moving my arms left me out of breath and sweating profusely. I was weak and tired all the time.

My sleep was disturbed. I would wake up many times throughout the night. I suffered from sleep apnea, and when I woke up in the morning after eight or nine hours of sleep, I usually felt fatigued and groggy. I woke up with headaches almost every day. Consequently, I would fall asleep after meals at the dinner table. One time, my wife came into the bathroom and was surprised to find me sleeping on the toilet. I never had any energy. I attribute my fatigue partly to my restless sleep.

I wasn't accepted by many people. Some stared at me openly; others said rude things about my weight or gave me "advice" on how to lose weight. That really hurt. I brushed them all off and continued living in denial. I always desperately wanted to lose weight, but whatever I tried simply didn't work. I went on various diets countless times, only to feel weak and hungry, and eventually give up.

I was not aware of it, but I had all of the symptoms of diabetes: frequent urination, constant thirst (I would drink anything I could get my hands on), major fatigue, ears ringing all the time, a metallic taste in my mouth, and frequent dizziness.

I was scared by all these symptoms, but the worst were the heart palpitations and chest pain. I worried that my heart could stop. I kept checking the pulse on my neck to see if my heart was still beating. Eventually the chest pain became unbearable, and I checked into a hospital. I was diagnosed with acute pancreat.i.tis. I felt as if I was having a heart attack because I had very intense pain in my chest. My blood sugar was over 600, beyond the measurement range of the glucose meter. My triglycerides were over 6,000, which meant that my bloodstream was almost entirely fat. The doctor told my wife to get the family together; he thought I might not survive. In the hospital I was given an IV and was placed on a three-day fast to get my blood-test results under control. After fasting, when I felt a little better, my doctor told me that if I didn't lose weight, I could die within three or four years. Doctors gave me an FDA-approved diet and exercise plan, which was extremely difficult to follow. I became more depressed over my condition. As a result I ate more and gained even more weight.

The turning point occurred when my weight reached four hundred pounds. At that time I tried my best to stick to the diet and exercise plan provided by my doctor. One day while exercising, I fell off a treadmill and injured myself. To treat my severe lower back pain, I was referred to Dr. Miven Donato for physical therapy. Dr. Donato told me about his Get Healthy Boot Camp, and I immediately signed up. After meeting many other people who reversed their degenerative conditions at the boot camp, I became eager to start my exercise plan. However, Dr. Donato suggested I wait until I lost a hundred pounds before starting an exercise program to avoid further injuries. I went through the boot camp and lost fifty-two pounds. Shortly after, I went on a Hawaiian cruise for my honeymoon. I thought I could handle the food, but eventually I gave in and ate what was in front of me. I gained a lot of weight back, and felt embarra.s.sed about my failure. I avoided contact with Dr. Donato because I was ashamed of myself.

As fate would have it, I ran into Dr. Donato at Costco, where I work, and he encouraged me to get back on the program. He e-mailed me an article about a woman, Valerie, who lost 125 pounds in 25 weeks drinking green smoothies during her "Green Smoothie Experiment." I was so inspired. I decided that if she could do it, so could I. With the help and direction of Dr. Donato, I started my Green Smoothie Experiment II.

At the boot camp, we were told to drink one green smoothie a day to benefit from the great nutrition they provide. In the beginning I believed that the fruit in the smoothies was bad for my blood sugar. However, after I read the blog about Valerie's success with green smoothies, I began to understand that smoothies would nourish and heal my body. On the Internet I read many testimonials written by people who had improved their health by drinking green smoothies. I became convinced and went full-bore into drinking these nutritious mixtures every day. I also cut out animal products, fat, and dairy, and the weight started flying right off. The rapid weight loss encouraged me to stay on the diet.

Every day I drank at least four tall gla.s.ses of green smoothies. Often I started my day with a gla.s.s of carrot juice and a shot of wheat- or barley gra.s.s juice. Half an hour later I would consume sixteen ounces of green smoothie. At the beginning of each day I would blend approximately one gallon of smoothie and drink some every two to three hours. I never went longer than four hours between meals. Sometimes after drinking a green smoothie I ate a few veggies, such as pieces of carrots, celery, or cherry tomatoes. Having green smoothies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a later snack kept me from getting hungry. Once in a while, when I felt hungry in the evening, I would have a piece of apple, some blueberries, or other fruit. I found that smoothies helped me to eliminate food cravings better than anything I had ever tried before. By drinking smoothies every two to three hours, I stopped feeling hungry most of the time. The only thing that brought on some hunger was exercise. I believe that the high volume of fiber in green smoothies helped me to lose more weight in less time. I am still astonished that I was able to become lean and healthy, and how relatively easy it was to achieve my goals. To date I have lost 240 pounds and have attained my dream weight of 170 pounds.

I am very pleased with how my transformation has affected my relations.h.i.+ps with other people. At work, my customers seem to be more attracted to me. My coworkers compliment me about how good I look. Of course, almost everyone asks how I did it. My friends want to make sure I'm not taking any dangerous drugs and damaging my health. Often people ask me if I had surgery. I am always delighted to spread the word about green smoothies and the Get Healthy Boot Camp.

Before my green smoothie experiment, I used to be a lot angrier. My feelings were intense, and I would often clench my jaw in anger. I was always nervous and on edge, as if expecting trouble. That feeling in my stomach, like b.u.t.terflies, was a common sensation for me. I was always depressed. I cannot tell you how bad it was and how much pain my body was in. Now my att.i.tude is more positive. I'm calmer, and I feel relaxed on a regular basis. I no longer clench my jaw. I relate to people more easily. I didn't realize the gravity of my emotional state until I started eating raw food and feeling better. I now feel confident, sane, and open in how I communicate with others.

With green smoothies, I haven't been hungry all the time like I was on other diets. Surprisingly, I consumed a lot less food on the green smoothie diet and was seldom hungry. Most other diets I've tried made me hungry and weak. That was very stressful. I never had the energy to work out, so I didn't. I always felt deprived. I had to stick to a restricted number of calories. I had to be concerned with fat and carbohydrates. I would eventually give up and go back to my old eating habits, and of course put all the weight back on. Diets never helped me in the long run. On the green smoothie experiment, I didn't have to count calories. It was very simple and easy to follow. n.o.body can argue with the results: my health is the best it has ever been in my life.

After changing my diet and losing weight, my self-image also transformed. Before, I never wanted to look in the mirror; I was ashamed to even see myself. I hated the way I looked. Now I love the reflection of my body in the mirror. I say to myself, "I'm impressed! Wow. I look great!" I smile at myself. I've dreamed of this day for the last twenty years. I weigh less now than I did as a teenager. I really love my body.

The benefits I got from drinking green smoothies are numerous. For example, my gray hair changed back to my natural color; I can't find even one silver hair. The bald spot on the back of my head is gone, entirely filled in with new hair. I've grown hair on my chest and belly where I never had any before. Surprisingly, a wart disappeared from my face. One day I just noticed it was gone. My teeth have gotten whiter, and my breath sweeter. Before starting with the green smoothies, I had a sonogram on my liver. It was very enlarged then; now it is half that size. My skin is so much clearer and healthier looking. To my surprise, and to the amazement of others, unlike many other people who lose large amounts of weight, I don't have any hanging skin. My skin has tightened without any need for surgery, which I attribute entirely to the green smoothies. As you know, most people who lose this amount of weight have to spend many thousands of dollars on surgery to remove excess skin. I am grateful that my skin is so healthy. My physical strength has also increased. I am pleased with my newfound endurance, strength, and flexibility. I feel good in my body, and my thinking has gotten much clearer. Before this experiment, I was nearly blind. Recently my eye doctor asked what I'd been doing to improve my eyesight, which has become ten years younger than my age. I don't need gla.s.ses any more! I told him it was because I was drinking green smoothies every day. He said to keep it up. Now I sleep soundly through the night and only need six or seven hours to feel refreshed upon waking. I get up at 5 a.m. to exercise at the gym before going to work. I have been drinking smoothies for a year, since January 26, 2008, and I haven't missed a day yet!

In addition to my regular job, I have become a teacher and nutritional speaker. I teach a couple of cla.s.ses at the community college, helping others learn how to lose weight the way I did. I give monthly talks in my community, sharing the story of how green smoothies and the raw diet have changed my health and my life. I have so much compa.s.sion for others who are still suffering and try to encourage them to get better.

I am creating a Web site, www.clentmanich.com, to tell my story and keep people up-to-date on my progress. The site will have a blog where I answer the thousands of questions I receive about how I regained my health. I will also post answers to the most frequently asked questions. I enjoy teaching people about what I've done. One day, I may even be able to do it full-time. Getting healthy has opened a lot of new doors for me.

I am dedicated to drinking green smoothies for the rest of my life. For the past year, they have been the main course in my diet. Since I have reached my goal weight of 170 pounds, I have gradually added some more raw dishes. But I continue drinking at least one green smoothie a day. By now my smoothies have become supergreen. Sometimes I combine two bunches of greens into one smoothie. My next goal is to prove that I can keep this weight off for five years.

The following is a detailed description of my daily diet: In the morning I usually drink a twelve-ounce fresh carrot juice mixed with wheatgra.s.s juice. Next I prepare about a gallon of green smoothie, enough to supply four meals throughout the day. I usually add half an avocado and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed to my daily smoothie. I consume my green smoothies throughout the day, a large cup every two to three hours, until I finish it. Along with the smoothie meals, during the day I snack on a wide variety of raw veggies such as celery sticks, baby carrots, asparagus, sweet peppers, zucchini, or broccoli. Every day my snacks are different, but I always drink a smoothie. Once in a while, when I crave something sweet, I grab a banana, or a peach, or a handful of grape tomatoes, but in general I consume fruit in moderation. I do not add any nuts, seeds, salt, or oils. I drink lots of water all day long. This way I have enough to eat in a day to control my hunger.

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