Adventures in Gardening: Vegetable smoothie

I prefer savory foods to sweets and so this morning I gathered some tomatoes, romaine lettuce and garlic from our garden and made them into a vegetable smoothie. The taste was similar to a V8 juice.

I could have added cucumbers and dark leafy greens like kale, collard or dandelion, but I didn’t feel like going outside to pick them. It had started raining. I combined everything (16 ounces of water, 3 tomatoes, 2 large cloves of garlic, ground raw pumpkin seeds, two handfuls of romaine lettuce and some added spices/seasonings)  into my Vita-Mix.

Within a few seconds I had my own vegetable smoothie. Similar to V8 juice, but without the high sodium content that (usually) runs rampant in that beverage.

And although the vegetable smoothie was simple, I must say it was packed with a variety of nutrients.

Health Benefits: Garlic

• Garlic can help reduce your cholesterol
• Garlic boosts your immune system
• Raw garlic eliminates some intestinal parasites
• Garlic boosts your immune system
• Garlic lowers your blood pressure

Health Benefits: Romaine Lettuce

• Romaine lettuce is a rich source of Iron, protein, Calcium, Omega 3’s, rich in B vitamins, A and K
• Romaine lettuce contains a lot of water

Health Benefits: Pumpkin Seeds

• Pumpkin seeds can reduce your risk of cancer
• Pumpkin seeds are antimicrobial and anti fungal
• Raw pumpkin seeds is used to expel internal parasites
• Great source of vitamins and minerals

Health Benefits: Tomato

1. Tomatoes are high in potassium, vitamin A, C and E
2. Tomatoes reduce the risk of heart disease
3. Tomatoes protects against thrombosis (blood clots in the blood vessels)
4. Tomatoes are high in fiber

References:

1. The Worlds Healthiest Foods:  What’s New and Beneficial about Garlic?
2. Mercola: Chemists Shed Light on Health Benefits of Garlic
3. SFGate: Benefits of Eating Raw Pumpkin Seeds
4. Science Daily: Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes Emerge
5. World’s Healthiest Foods: Romaine Lettuce