Green for Life,   ISBN:9780970481962

Customer Rating: 

I bought this book based on the large number of positive reviews and read it with an open mind, but also some skepticism. I wanted to boost my energy level as well as cut down on meat consumption, but was wary of fad diets and radical lifestyle changes. I was already exercising regularly (3-4x a week), so weight loss wasn't a concern. I was just tired of feeling lethargic all the time and wanted to try a new way to stop being so lifeless.

Thankfully, Boutenko promotes healthy living, not gimmicky diets or fad lifestyles. I gave the book an earnest effort, and within 2 weeks of regular and frequent blending (4 or more smoothies a day), I began to notice a big change in the way my body reacted. I was surprised to see myself growing very sleepy around 11pm and was wide awake by 7, all without a need for an alarm clock. My body became more in tune with the circadian rhythm and day/night cycles whereas previously, I stayed up half the night and didn't wake until past noon. As many others have reported, my craving for meat and junk food sharply declined. After drinking 2 or 3 glasses of smoothies/veggie juice blends in the evening, I didn't have much interest (or room) for much else.

My initial 5 or 6 pitchers were sometimes downright disgusting, but after I got used to the juice blends and varying the ingredients (adding some fruits or store-bought orange juice), I came to like them a lot and looked forward to a tall cold glass of green goo whenever I felt hungry. Particularly effective energy-boosters are dark leafy greens like kale and Chinese mustard greens (Brassica rapa).

Prior to reading "Green for Life", I was juicing. I always felt guilty throwing away all that vegetable and fruit pulp and just drinking the juice, and Boutenko made me realize why. I was discarding all the good stuff, like valuable nutrients, enzymes, and fiber. I had tried to use the pulp in soup, but it didn't taste very good. Juicing also left a big mess to clean up (mesh screen, pulp bucket, juicer walls), and I hadn't even thought to blend. So, now I blend, and keep 100% of the benefits and all the cleaning that's required is rinsing out the pitcher of my blender. Another bonus is that vegetables and fruit are a lot cheaper than meat, so the savings add up. $5 can buy a week's worth of juicing ingredients. In the supermarket, I began to walk right by the meat section without second thoughts, even when there were some great sales. Lower meat consumption is also better for the planet because of how wasteful meat production is.

"Green for Life" is a good starting point to a greener, healthier lifestyle, and I highly recommend it. I do have to take some of what Boutenko says with a grain of salt though. She seems to claim blending as a panacea which solves almost any ailment or condition. Otherwise, I have no doubts as to the health benefits of regular blending. I fell off the wagon for the last 3 months because of work and definitely feel the difference. I'm very tired again during the day, so I've restarted my blending routine. Getting more vegetables into your diet and eating less meat is never a bad thing.

Customer Rating: 

This book is a lifesaver. I recommend this book more than any other for changing and improving health.

Customer Rating: 

I'm giving this 4 stars for the author's independent spirit in researching greens and in seeking ways to heal her family's illnesses when the doctors failed them. The book is inspirational in that way (and the recipes seem good, haven't tried them yet). I've been about 50% raw for a while now. I sometimes think 100% raw is the way to go but some things I've read hold me back, and this is why I'm "conflicted." For example, if you look at the nutritional content of raw and cooked collard greens, you have to wonder if maybe it's better to lightly cook the greens before making a smoothie out of them:

The protein in one cup of cooked collards is 4 grams while the raw provides 1 gram.
Fiber in cooked collards lists 5 grams and only 1 gram for raw.
Vitamin C is higher in cooked collards with 34.6 mg over the raw with 12.7 mg.
The vitamin A content of cooked collards is 5945 I.U. and raw contains 1377 I.U.
Cooked collards are higher in the B vitamins than the raw.
Folic acid content for that same one cup of cooked collards provides 177 mcg, while the raw offers 59.8.
Calcium jumps well ahead in cooked collards with 226 mg over the raw that contains only 52.2 mg.
While the cooked greens have .87 mg of iron in one cup, the raw provides only 0.07 mg.
Cooked collards burst ahead of raw with 494 mg of potassium over the raw that contains 81 mg.
Even the trace mineral zinc comes out ahead in the cooked with 0.8 mg over the raw with less than 0.1 mg.

The above was taken from:
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So, while I'm not saying that green smoothies aren't a good idea (I'm going to start drinking one a day), I do believe that maybe we should also be eating cooked greens with oil and lemon. Maybe 50-50 is the way to go, after all. Also, I read somewhere that the fat in olive oil makes some of the nutrients in greens more bio-available to us. The vinegar that we use in fresh green salads neutralizes the toxicity in some greens, too. So these more traditional ways of eating greens can be good for us.

Customer Rating: 

This book changed my life for the better and was part of the inspiration for writing the book "How Green Smoohties Saved My Life". I give Victoria credit in my book for bringing me to green smoothies. They are one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I am forever grateful that Victoria wrote this ground breaking book.

Customer Rating: 

The books came fast and are wonderful. I am giving them as gifts I already had one for myself. I am doing the smoothie every morning and feeling better all the time. I have lost 23 pounds also...Yea Green For Life. The seller was fast and I got my product in great shape. Thank You!