Green for Life
by Victoria Boutenko
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Book Reviews of Green for Life
Book Review: Very good book, could have been great.
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought the message here is certainly good information, and I've started following it. What I didn't care to see was the filler material like the responses to the study she conducted. I just skimmed over it, most everyone had more or less the same response, so she could have saved a tree or two omiting it.
Further, the book had a bit of a late night infomercial feel to it. The author suggested the green smoothie would cure everything from moles to depression, and even suggested it might cure cancer. The moles and warts falling off her body is one thing. I don't know if I necessarily believe that. I'll write again to inform you if my mole falls off.
But, suggesting to go down a path of nutrition for curing cancer? Now you're playing with lives here. Get some oncologists to back this theory and maybe I'll take it a little more serious.
That said, however, the information is very good once you get past these points I've mentioned. I truly beleive the idea of adding greens by means of blending is a great idea. I tried some of the recipes, and they're OK. My first attempt was like drinking minced rope. And this is coming from someone who actually *likes* drinking psyllium husk (powder form, not capsules).
It did not take me long to improve upon some of the recipes. They definitely provide a good flavor base. None of these smoothies taste green or "icky" at all. It was the fiber content that nearly choked me.
With lettuce greens and such, they can go right into the blender. The harder stuff like Kale or chard I run through the wheat grass juicer and add the green juice to the whole fruit base. I get plenty of fiber anyway.
Over all, I think this is a very good book. I just question some of the "miracle cure" claims. I may be wrong about it, and I apologize to the author if I am. But, some of those claims were just a little too much to swallow.
Don't not buy it because of what I say here. Do buy it, and follow the advice of the author. But, just weed through the hype. No pun intended.
Book Review: This book may give you back your good health and your life
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most important books I've ever read and has helped me to realize how important raw foods, especially greens, are to our health and well being. It made me re-think what I thought I knew about "nutrition".
In my opinion, based on my own relatively minor health issues, eating a raw diet (with greens) could clear up much of the illnesses we see today in hospitals and the dr's office. I am now motivated to eat RAW - and not just "just smoothies" - and to have both my medical and non-medical healthcare providers develop a food plan for me that I can stick to without having to worry about getting enough nutrients. Since I have many food sensitivities, I do need a food plan written out for me so that I'm less likely to stray.
If more of us ate a well-balanced raw diet, with plenty of raw fat like whole food avocado and nuts, I think eczema - or even colitis - could become "extinct"...unless your eczema is of the contact variety, caused by coming in contact with chemicals, etc. But who knows, perhaps we wouldn't react to chemicals at all if we were eating this highly nutritious way. Books like this are a wake-up call to our McDonald's - and pasteurized milk/pasteurized juice way of life. Yes, did you know that ALL juice in those grocery cases are treated with heat that destroy the enzymes!? Be sure to read the part where she explains how greens have as much protein ounce for ounce as steak, etc. This is what clinched it for me!
Although I wish that Vicktoria had included more recipes in this book, her newest book will have 150 recipes. After experimenting, what I found is that there is an art to mixing greens, fruit, and fresh herbs in order to make a tasty smoothie drink. The recipes in this book are delicious and tasty for that reason. I haven't gotten very good at making my own recipes yet. Never did I think I would find myself loving a smoothie with kale in it. It may take some of you a little while to cleanse your palette of processed sweets, and cooked/fried foods. Before long you'll find that Smoothies Rock!
Book Review: conflicted
Summary: 4 Stars
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:
[...]
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.
Book Review: BEWARE Wild "Edibles" -- My friend died from a "wild greens" green smoothie
Summary: 1 Stars
The following review is both a criticism of what the author preaches, and what she leaves out, in her book, GREEN FOR LIFE.
First, a little personal background: My friend Sedef was a raw food enthusiast. She even preached it on radio shows and often referenced this book. One morning of a yoga conference, she grabbed a handful of "wild edibles," a.k.a. "wild greens" growing in an arboretum -- no pesticides! and made a green smoothie. That smoothie would be her last. One of those greens was foxglove. Digitalis. Looks like a well-known edible, but certainly is not. My friend was one of the healthiest people around, a yoga enthusiast, a business owner with multiple employees, a lovely 40-something woman. She died in less than 48 hours after ingesting the greens. Alone in a hospital.
GREEN FOR LIFE was my friend Sedef's "Bible." The author of this book, Victoria Boutenko, advocates taking risks eating wild vegetation. Here are two quotes from Ms. Boutenka's book: page 103 -- "...gather your wild produce on your own. Also there are lots of articles and photos of edible weeds on the Internet." And page 122 -- " ...I started making the smoothies the next morning, out of wild greens from my yard."
Eating wild greens, whether they are located in an arboretum or your back yard, is very risky. The plants identified in this book are edible. One problem is that many plants look alike. The plant my friend ate looks like comfrey, which is popular as a tea. Some parts of plants are poisonous, whereas other parts of the same plant are edible. Some plants are edible in small quantities, but carcinogenic in substantial quantities. Last, there are actually plants that are fine to eat one season, e.g., spring, and yet poisonous in another season, e.g., the fall. You should really consult a botanist if you plan to eat wild greens.
If you pass this word of caution about eating wild greens, perhaps my friend will not have died in vain.
Book Review: Excellent Book - 10 Stars!
Summary: 5 Stars
I found "Green for Life" an excellent source of information. The cost of the book is under priced in my opinion. Victoria did a lot of research talking to Jane Goodall, did a research study on her own w/ a doctor, she gives other websites for helpful information on how to live better lifestyle. (That was refreshing by the way, most other books I have read they gave links but only so they can make extra money. Victoria is not about that in my opinion, she is about helping people)
Her recipes, and studies about green smoothies are excellent. She only gives a 10-12 recipes, but still you can find so many more out there on the net. Plus of course you can try it on your own and experiment. She gives all the information you will need to branch out on your own.
I work as a vitamin consultant and every customer I talk to I recommend her book. We are taught to eat our meat, potatoes and breads all our life. It is nice to see that we can have an alternative to a better life style.
I have a personal trainer. She inspired me to read this book. She eats all RAW food and looks incredible. She is only 30 but looks like she is in her early 20's. She recently did a fat test. The scale showed her metabolic age to be 13.
I have been on Victoria's plan for 3 weeks. I have lost 8 pounds, my skin is better and I have more energy. I am not totally raw though so perhaps when I make the complete transfer I will do even better.
Here is another recipe for you: In a blender: 1 cup of ice. 1 cup of Ionized (or just bottle) water, 1 apple cored, 2 peeled lemons, 1 half dollar size of peeled Ginger Root, 3-5 bunches of Spinach Leaves, Sprinkle 3-5 shakes of Stevia on top (natural sweetner) add 1 more cup of Water. Blend. Yum. It's the best! In the glass for more punch stir in a 2-3 shakes of Cayenne Pepper and for even more health add some Chia seeds. Wow what a Smoothie!