My perfect green smoothie recipe is a great way to get more veggies like kale in your diet. However, while kale contains many beneficial nutrients, it’s not a good idea to eat these hearty raw leafy greens on a continual basis. Kale is a goitrogenic vegetable and when eaten raw, this vegetable can inhibit the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland. If it’s eaten in excess, these chemicals can inhibit the incorporation of iodine into thyroid hormone.
The body relies on iodine (and tyrosine) to make thyroid hormones, so continually eating these raw greens can cause a thyroid hormone imbalance.
Raw kale is also contains oxalic acid, which binds with minerals such as calcium and magnesium in the body causing them to crystalize. These crystals can damage tissues, cause inflammation in the body and kidney stones. So, a daily dose of raw kale and other goitrogenic vegetables may not be such a great idea.
A simple way to decrease the goitrogenic properties in raw kale is to boil it for seven minutes, drain and squeeze the excess water out. This will reduce the goitrogens by about 90%. After boiling, the kale is ready for a soup, smoothie or to scramble in your morning eggs. That’s it!
Here is a list of other goitrogenic vegetables that should be eaten cooked (and preferably with animal fats to improve assimilation of their nutrients):
Brussels Sprouts
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collard Greens
Turnip
Bok Choy
Mustard Greens
Kohlrabi
I enjoy having kale in my smoothies, so I boil the kale, drain it and then freeze it in an ice cube tray. The pic below is one I shared over on Instagram, (the hearts are kinda fun, right?). It’s an extra step, but this way I always have some on hand!
Today I’m sharing a recipe for a green smoothie without as many goitrogens! I call it the “perfect” green smoothie, because not only does it have wonderful flavor and ultra-creamy texture, but it contains boiled kale (less goitrogens), vitamin A from the egg yolks to help the body detox (your body can’t detox without Vitamin A (aka retinol) from animal sources) and unflavored grass-fed gelatin for extra protein.
This is an incredibly nutrient-dense smoothie that will keep you going for several hours. My kids love this smoothie and it makes for extra-creamy green popsicles.
PrintThe Perfect Green Smoothie
Click here to read about the health benefits of raw, pastured egg yolks. You can add extra water if you’d like to thin out the smoothie.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can organic canned coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup frozen strawberies
- 1 bunch kale, boiled (see instructions below)
- 4 pastured raw egg yolks (if you’re not comfortable with egg yolks, or if you’re egg free, you can omit)
- 1 tablespoon unflavored grass-fed gelatin (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- To boil kale: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove tough stems from kale. Place kale in the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain and run cool water over. Squeeze excess water from kale. You can do this ahead of time and store in the freezer or the refrigerator until ready to use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 6
Keywords: the perfect green smoothie recipe
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