I know health is important, but the truth is, I don’t exercise enough, I don’t always make the best dietary choices, I often stay up too late, and I don’t always have time for slow, natural remedies for headaches. Is there anyone out there remotely like me? I am notorious for drinking my mother’s fresh green kale smoothies with my nose pinched shut, a scrunched up face, and loud dramatic wails and sighs. I hate greens and I love easy time-saving solutions when it comes to health.

But something has finally gotten through to me and I have finally acquired one beneficial health practice. In fact, I am so excited about it that I’ve decided to share it here with you. In the past, whenever I felt rundown, I used to head to the local supermarket to buy a health drink—Happy Planet’s “Extreme Green” or “Abundant C” are the ones I usually chose.

But recently I found out that a colleague of mine makes her own green smoothie every morning. Turns out my friend is smarter than me when it comes to taking care of her health. So, in the spirit of the Reformation, I’m starting a reformation of my own. Green drinks, here I come. No more running to the supermarket either.  It’s as easy as can be to make it yourself, is a lot cheaper, and, because it’s fresh, has many more nutrients than the plastic packaged drinks that have sat on the grocery store shelves for a week—not to mention a lot tastier too.

Packed with delicious greens, the drink will give you an extended burst of energy, lots of nutrition, and make you feel good inside (unbelievable as it may sound, it actually really tastes GOOD). Here’s how:

In a blender, start with a base of liquid (about 2 cups). Water isn’t the tastiest, especially for whiners like me, so try a 100% unsweetened fruit juice—mango, guava, pineapple, and apple are ones I’ve tried and all of them taste great. Tomato juice is also an option if you don’t want the sweet taste. I fill the blender up halfway with juice because I personally like to drink my drinks, rather than eating them with a spoon. However, you may enjoy them thicker and chewier, so experiment and make it your way.

Next put in romaine lettuce, and lots of it. At least 8-10 leaves. Romaine lettuce is loaded with vitamin K, A, and C, folate, manganese, chromium, and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of minerals, fiber, vitamin B, iron, fatty acids, protein, and calcium, and all for just fifteen calories!

Then, put in equal amounts of 2 or 3 other greens: spinach and kale are both excellent option, but when using kale you’ll want to separate the leaves from the stems or you will be eating stems with your drink. Try collard greens, mustard greens, nettle, dandelion greens, boc choy, parsley, or alfalfa sprouts. To ensure that you have variety and all the nutrients available, alternate three different greens each week.

If you don’t like the taste, add a banana or apple to sweeten the drink and enhance the flavor.

Add a spoonful of Udo’s Oil 3.6.9 with DHA to the drink to enhance its nutrients.

Blend thoroughly and drink to your health!

If you think the drink is too thick, add less greens. It should be the consistency of a medium thick shake. Have one at breakfast and one at lunch. Drink this before eating your other food. This is a great meal replacement, and you may find as I do, that this shake nicely curbs your hunger for the day.

Your smoothie can be stored in the fridge for a day or two, but note that the longer it sits in your fridge, the faster it loses nutrients. If you wait too long, you might as well have gone to the supermarket anyways.

I think you’ll find this drink an awesome way to begin the day. Soon you may even begin craving it as this reforming greens drinker is starting to do. I don’t agree with the politics of the new “green” push towards climate change, but this way of becoming “green” suits me just fine!

—Drinking Greens in Vancouver