Green Smoothie with Spinach, Avocado and Cucumber

This smoothie is really great for cancer prevention, which means it can also be an excellent choice for people that smoke a lot! This is mainly due to the high amounts of b-carotene found in spinach and the antioxidant qualities of avocado (avocados are actually considered one of the best antioxidant vegetables). In addition, raw spinach is very rich in chlorophyll a. Research studies in humans have found that damage to DNA by aflatoxin can be decreased as much as 55% through supplementation with chlorophyllin at 100 milligrams, three times a day, for four months. This amount of chlorophyllin, 300 milligrams per day, is the same amount of chlorophyll found in one weighted ounce of spinach (a little over 1/2 cup of chopped raw spinach). Although research is still in the early stage, prevention and treatment of liver cancer, skin cancer, and colon cancer are all being investigated in relationship to intake of chlorophyll-containing vegetables and supplementation with chlorophyllin.
This smoothie is also ideal for pregnant women or women that wish to get pregnant, mainly due to the high amounts of folic acid found in spinach (100 gr. cover ¾ of our daily needs), which helps prevent birth defects and B6 vitamin found in avocados, which helps in balancing hormonal changes in women (also during their menstrual cycle). Avocados are also rich in potassium which is a well known anti-depressant (they actually have a similar effect with chocolate in women!) and the vitamins E and B they contain are very beneficial for people that deal with fertility issues. 
 
So here in the recipe:
 
A bunch of fresh spinach leaves
½ ripe avocado
A piece of fresh gingerroot (about 4cm or 1.5 inch long)
1 small cucumber
Juice of 1 lime (or more if you wish)
½ cup filtered or mineral water

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend well!

Recipes

Resources:
http://www.whfoods.com
Smoothie photo by Ken Burris  http://www.webmd.com
(Spinach photo by Kent) http://bigoakridge.org