My mother, sister, and I are currently in Sweden conducting a green smoothie retreat. We have found THE MOST A-M-A-Z-I-N-G place to soak up the sun, detox, and relax in nature. If you missed out this year, don’t worry, we’ll be coming back again in 2014.

Retreat participants enjoy our best smoothie recipes. Together we drink sweet smoothies, savory soups, and eat delicious popsicles!

 When we’re not drinking smoothies or learning about health, we get to hang with the local residents.

YEEEEEEEEHAWWWWW!

]]> http://sergeiboutenko.com/green-smoothie-retreat-sweden/feed/ 0 http://sergeiboutenko.com/book-pre-sale/ http://sergeiboutenko.com/book-pre-sale/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 21:30:18 +0000 Sergei http://sergeiboutenko.com/?p=1780 Dear friends,

If you’ve been following my blog, you know how much I value foraged greens. Now, I are happy to announce that my new book “Wild Edibles” will be out in two months. And this is the official pre-sale!

“Wild Edibles” is written in an inviting style and makes foraging accessible to people of all ages. It is illustrated with over 300 color photos and contains 67 recipes. Whether you live in the United States or abroad, my book expands on the most common wild edibles found worldwide. If you pre-order it, you will receive FREE shipping within the US and a bonus hard copy of my DVD “The Miracle of Greens” ( the dvd alone sells for $19.95). This pre-sale package will inspire you to go out there and attain wild health.

The first 100 people who pre-order “Wild Edibles,” will receive an autographed copy.

The price of this book is $19.95

Pre-order “Wild Edibles” by Clicking Here

Please note: all orders will be shipped on July 17th, 2013.

This kickstarter project will only run for 10 more days, so please keep sharing it (http://kck.st/11g6hL5) on facebook, twitter, email, etc. Let’s blow up the internet together for this healthy cause!

Thank you!

Much love,

Sergei

Click here to view the embedded video.

To keep the body performing optimally, you must consistently replenish the following seven essential nutrients: calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc. Traditional athletes accomplish this by taking multivitamins and supplements. In my personal practice, I have found it beneficial to disregard tradition and instead blend green smoothies made from dark leafy veggies and fresh fruit. While I do not consider myself an “endurance athlete,” I live an extremely active life. Here is my idea of a good time: last summer I climbed Mt Shasta (a 14,179 foot tall mountain in Northern California) in four hours and forty-five minutes. The following day I decided that I needed to climb more mountains so I scaled nearby Mt Mcloughlin (9495 feet) and Mt Thielsen (9182 feet) in one day. Mind you, I have never taken artificial supplements and base my success and endurance largely on my diet.

Let us now look at the essential nutrients needed to sustain prolonged exercise, as well as how one can get these elements in natural form.

1.) Calcium is essential because it prevents muscle cramps and helps strengthen bones. According to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) most athletes don’t meet their need for daily calcium intake. Lack of calcium can lead to a slew of problems, such as, osteoporosis and hormone imbalance. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommended daily dose of calcium ranges between 1,000-1,500 mg per day. Most people think that the best way to get calcium is to drink a glass of milk. Few people are aware that dark leafy greens are just as effective at loading the body with calcium. According to the USDA, one cup of milk has 314 mg of calcium (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov). A cup of collard greens has 357 mg of calcium. That’s 63 mg more than a glass of milk. Thus a green smoothie crammed with collard greens can meet ones need for calcium no worse than milk.

2.) Iron is another common element that athletes are deficient in. One of iron’s primary functions is to carry oxygen to cells and eliminate carbon dioxide from the body. Most sports nutritionists recommend eating red meat to get your daily dose of iron. In traditional sports nutrition it is rarely mentioned that tomatoes, apricots, pomegranates, currants, olives, Swiss chard, and parsley are also excellent sources of iron.

3.) Magnesium is essential for athletes. Its presence is vital in more than 300 chemical processes that sustain basic human function and health (http://triathlon.competitor.com). These functions include blood pressure regulations, muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve function, immunity, and cardiac activity. Foods that contain high amounts of magnesium include: almonds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, spinach, beet greens, collards greens, and dates. Adding these foods to your green smoothies will aid your body in many of its metabolic processes.

4.) Potassium is easy! Every good smoothie needs a banana. According to the USDA, one cup of mashed banana has more than 800 mg of potassium. If you’re not a fan of bananas, here is a list of other foods that are high in this essential nutrient: avocado, beet greens, spinach, apricots, cantaloupe, figs, nectarines, and pears.

5.) Selenium is critical to antioxidant production. Athletes who don’t get enough selenium in their diet experience more cell damage and take longer to recover from strenuous exercise. Regular consumption of Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, and seaweed will ensure that your body gets enough selenium.

6.) Sodium retains water in the cells and prevents dehydration. Fresh fruits and vegetable are better at helping cells retain water than any sports drinks on the market. Period!

7.) Zinc levels are directly correlated to endurance. Athletes who have lower than recommended zinc levels in the body will struggle to perform at their peak. According to the ICPA (www.chiro.org) zinc is also crucial for tissue repair. Here are some foods that contain high amounts of zinc: pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, water melon seeds, peanuts, bee pollen, sweet peppers, spinach, parsley, and seaweed.

In addition to the seven essential nutrients, sports enthusiast also require higher than normal amounts of protein. If you look at the nutritional composition of most dark green, leafy veggies, you will find that they rival many types of meat in essential amino acids (protein). For example, one pound of romaine lettuce or kale provides you with roughly the same amount of protein as a quarter pound steak (www.drfuhrman.com). One pound of greens may seem like a lot, but when you blend a pound of greens in a smoothie, it’s not too difficult to consume it in its entirety. After all, large, muscular animals like elephants and cows get their protein from greens.

In a nutshell, my message is simple… “Stop spending money on expensive supplements and instead, blend a smoothie!” I am so confident that green smoothies rival conventional supplements, I’m making a documentary about it. One week ago I launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a documentary about how green smoothies affect endurance athletes.  For more information on my project, check out this link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sergeiboutenko/powered-by-green-smoothies-feature-film

If you pre-order my video your contribution will help me fund this documentary.

Sergei’s Green Power Smoothie

1 cup spinach

1 cup Swiss chard

1 cup collard greens

1-2 stalks of celery with dark green leaves

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 peach, pitted

1 pear

½ avocado

4 dates, pitted

2 Tablespoons bee pollen (optional)

Add enough water to blend everything in the blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Serves 2-3

Here are the details:

Join the FREE 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge on April 1, 2013 with Simple Green Smoothies and ADD AT LEAST ONE GREEN SMOOTHIE A DAY to your regular diet for 30 days. With Simple Green Smoothies, you can boost your energy, lose weight effortlessly, and make healthy eating a lifestyle— not a diet.

During the challenge you’ll receive awesome motivation and tips sent straight to your email inbox weekly. As well as…

• Free green smoothie recipes with exact measurements (no more guessing if it will be tasty)
• Weekly shopping lists so you can plan and prep
• Four weekly challenges to boost the nutritional content of each green smoothie recipe
• Support from our community of over 170,000 rawkstars!

SIGN UP FOR THE FREE APRIL 1, 30-DAY CHALLENGE NOW!
If you’re ready to have more energy, naturally strengthen your immune system, and make your skin glow, sign up here:

www.simplegreensmoothies.com/30-day-challenge-April-1

HUGE THINGS ARE COMING!!!!! I’m thrilled to announce my latest project called: “Powered By Green Smoothies.” In a nutshell,  I’m shooting a full length documentary about how endurance athletes are affected by regular green smoothie intake. I’m going to put half a dozen hardcore athletes on a smoothie challenge and film the whole shebang. This project has already taken flight and I am now raising funds to complete and distribute it. If you feel like contributing to a healthy cause, this is it! Every dollar helps make this movie a reality. If you cannot help with $, but would like to contribute, I need help spreading the word about my endeavor. I would be thrilled if you shared the link below on your facebook, blogged about it, told your friends, etc.
Project link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Powered-By-Green-Smoothies-feature-film/145010142342571

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Note: for those not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a crowd funding website which helps you fund your creative ideas. It’s also Time Magazine’s best invention of 2010)