Hello - I'm confused about all the powders and other additives out there. If I'm not a body builder, what things do we add to our green smoothies for additional general health? I hear soy-based powders are unhealthy, and that protein powders are meant for gaining weight (e.g. for body builders). I know wheatgrass is supposed to be good but that'll only work if you have a way to press the wheat grass at home which is yet another appliance and I don't think I want another one. I feel like I'm missing something. Do they have multi-vitamin powders so you can just add them to the smoothie? What and why do people add things to smoothies??! Thanks!

For grinding seeds I'd suggest a coffee/spice mill, which come in both electric and non-electric, or a suribachi (a 6-inch serrated, glazed clay bowl) and a pestle (also called a surikogi) for grinding and pureeing small amounts of foods. I have both and use both - but I'm the queen of mills and grinders and never met one I could live without. The electric coffee/spice mill can also grind small quantities of whole grains into flour, especially great if you need some rice flour. Grinding rice in a coffee/spice mill is also a good way to clean the machine. Over the years I've had several brands and styles, but the one I liked the best was a small single-speed Bosch. I've never ground pepper in my Bosch - I use a pepper mill for that. The suribachi works great for grinding your own gomashio (roasted sesame seeds and sea salt) and other condiments and small amounts of pureed foods. A versatile little kitchen gadget. I blend a nutritional smoothie every morning, and after going through all kinds of blenders and mixers for the job, I've used a simple Hamilton Beech Drink Mixer (malt maker) for about 10-years now for the task. We never add ice to our smoothies, and ice won't work in the Drink Mixer (only a blender will blend ice) - our smoothies are a base of homemade kefir, fruit juice and powdered nutritional supplements (hi-maize resistant starch, flaxmeal, grape seed flour and a glyconutritional supplement powder). We don't even use fruit in our smoothie, although the drink mixer will blend it. You can also blend your egg mixture for French toast or scrambled eggs/omelets in the Drink Mixer, or use it to mix the batter for crepes. So it does a little more than make malts, shakes and smoothies. We like it because there are only two parts to clean - the cup and the wand (no sharp blades to take care of), and the motor portion only takes a quick wipe with a dish rag to keep it clean. It doesn't take up much space. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Hamilton Beech Drink Mixers

I was curious too.

"Wouldn't just using a good quality Greek yogurt give you the protein you need to get through the morning?" I like to supplement my protein intake because I am very active and am always trying to build more muscle. I don't eat any meat and only have fish occasionally. Protein shakes are an easy way to make sure I'm getting protein. I keep track of my nutrient intake and without a protein supplement, I would fall short most days. Back on track to the smoothie diet, I bought that book a few weeks ago (10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse). The diet is not just smoothies as other things are allowed, too ... hard boiled eggs, crunch vegetables, apples, a handful of nuts or seeds, peanut butter, etc. I saw it more as a way of cleansing your system to get back on a good nutritional track than as a way to lose weight, though most of the testimonials included weight loss.