Though slightly bitter with a distinctive, strong ‘green’ taste, dandelion greens have become my
new healthy smoothie must-have!
Dandelion greens are said to help cleanse the liver and many detox recipes call for them.
So, if your objective is detoxification and cleansing, then dandelion greens should be the among
greens you include in your smoothies!
10 Reasons Why They Top My List
Dandelion greens:
• are loaded with calcium and antioxidants, plus, they have more protein per serving than spinach.
• provide four times as much calcium, 1.5 times as much vitamin A and 7.5 times as much
vitamin K as broccoli.
• contain twice as much iron and three times as much riboflavin as spinach.
• boast 17 percent of the daily adult dose of vitamin E and 13,610 international units, or IUs, of lutein
and zeaxanthin per 3.5-ounce serving.
• are good sources of vitamins B1 (9% RDA), B2 (11% RDA) and B6 (11% RDA).
• are an excellent diuretic. The diuretic properties of dandelion greens make them useful for promoting urine
production and reducing symptoms of some liver, gallbladder and kidney conditions.
• contain anti-inflammatory properties which may benefit to people with asthma and other
inflammatory diseases.
• inhibit interleukins and other immune molecules that trigger inflammation.
• may help reduce the risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and stroke.
• have a wide array of health benefits that make them the perfect all around nutritional boost.
I usually purchase organic dandelion leaves from my local health food store or farmer’s market.
Foraging for Dandelions
If you forage for wild dandelion greens, be careful where you pick them. Make sure to harvest them
from land that has not been treated with pesticides, herbicides or other contaminants.
It is best to avoid harvesting dandelion greens from urban or industrial waste lots because heavy
metals (such as lead and mercury) and other toxic pollutants in the soil might be absorbed into the plant.
And that would be counter to your detox objectives, wouldn’t it?
Now let’s get ready to make a dandelion smoothie that packs a powerful nutritional punch!
Mangos and strawberries are ripe and sweet this time of year.
Goji berries add an extra antioxidant boost!
Dandelion, Strawberry, Mango Detox Smoothie
Ingredients:
4 cups of organic Dandelion Greens. washed thoroughly
2 ripe Bananas
1 Mango
1 cup organic Strawberries
1/2 cup organic Goji Berries, soaked
1 cup filtered or Spring Water
Directions:
Now, add a cup of filtered or spring water and blend until smooth.
Pour your smoothie into a glass and drink immediately.
Feel that nutrient burst course through your body? I usually do!
You can refrigerate the leftover smoothie in a sealed mason jar to enjoy a bit later,
but make sure to drink it all on the same day for maximum nutritional benefits.
Are You Ready for More?
If you’re in the mood to try other dandelion smoothie combinations.
check out these three recipes from incrediblesmoothies.com:
Apple-Dandelion Detox Green Smoothie Recipe with Pear and Fresh Cranberries
Creamy Banana-Cranberry Detox Green Smoothie With Dandelion
Cherry-Citrus with Dandelion Greens Smoothie Recipe
Have you added dandelion greens to your smoothies yet? Share your experiences and
favorite recipes with us.
Sharing is caring! If this information is useful, feel free to share it with your friends and fans.
“This post is shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays”
“This post is shared on Weekend Wholefood Blender Party”
I’ve also been meditating on the identical issue recently. Grateful to see an individual on the same wavelength! Nice article.
There’s an old herbalist’s saying that if you find dandelion growing in your yard it means you’re in need of some digestive and hepatic cleansing. I wonder if the same can be said of coming across a delicious dandelion greens recipe?
Thanks for linking this up to the Weekend Wholefood Blender Party, I often use my homegrown dandelion leaves in salads and now I’m going to take this post as a challenge to blend them up too 🙂 You’re right about the dangers of wildcrafting the plant too, that gorgeous taproot sucks up everything from the ground it’s growing in!
Great post Deborah. Dandelions are truly one of Nature’s miracles that God has provided for us. I can remember as kid going out in the spring and picking dandelions for my Grandmother and Mother – us kids wouldn’t eat them. The smoothie recipe sounds great appetizing and your list of health benefits are right from every that I know about it. Have a healthy wonderful day. Sharing post!
My favourite reason for including dandelions in smoothies is because I can harvest them from my own yard for free! Very handy if I run out of store-bought greens 🙂 this smoothie looks great, I love that you’ve added goji berries too!