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Green smoothies just tip of iceberg for health coach

— It's surprising how creative people can get when they lack electricity.

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Jack Milton/Staff Photographer: Jeanette Richelson makes a green smoothie using her bike-powered blender Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at the Falmouth Farmers' Market. Richelson makes different flavored smoothies depending on the seasonal fruits and vegetables available, this one used apples, banana, kale, and cinnamon.

Jack Milton

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Jack Milton/Staff Photographer: Jeanette Richelson makes a green smoothie using her bike-powered blender Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at the Falmouth Farmers' Market. Richelson makes different flavored smoothies depending on the seasonal fruits and vegetables available, this one used apples, banana, kale, and cinnamon.

Jack Milton

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Take yoga instructor and certified holistic health practitioner Jeanette Richelson as an example. When the 26-year-old Portland resident prepared to bring her smoothies to the Falmouth Farmers Market, held every Wednesday afternoon through Oct. 14 in the Walmart parking lot, she knew she'd need a blender, but the market lacked even a single electrical outlet.

Enter the people-powered Fender Blender.

''I got it from a company in Berkeley, Calif., called Rock the Bike,'' Richelson said.

The attachment clips to the back of a bike, and when the rear wheel turns, it spins the blender mechanism. Richelson mounts her L.L. Bean bike (actually, it's on loan from a friend) on a trainer, attaches the blender and pedals her way to smoothie goodness.

But these aren't typical smoothies crafted from sugary dessert ingredients. Instead they're Jneti's Green Smoothies, which put raw kale, spinach or arugula front and center.

''The reaction really is with the color,'' Richelson said of the bright-green drink. ''If people are ready to get beyond the color and they taste a sample, they're amazingly surprised by the taste.''

In a country where greens are too often ill-prepared or over-cooked, it's easy to understand why people can be apprehensive about slurping down spinach. But after drinking one myself, I can say it doesn't taste at all like what you'd expect.

If it was a blind tasting, I would have guessed I was chugging applesauce. Which, minus the cooking, it essentially is.

Throughout the season, Richelson has changed her smoothie ingredients to reflect what's coming off the farms, moving from strawberries to blueberries to the current crop of apples. Right now her recipe includes one McIntosh apple, one Macoun apple, one banana, a cup of finely chopped kale, a cup of water and a dash of cinnamon.

As a featured chef, Richelson doesn't charge for her smoothies, but she does accept tips.

''It is more of an experiment,'' Richelson says of her farmers market gig. ''I want to promote greens during farming season.''

Like a real live Popeye, Richelson is an avid advocate of eating leafy greens. But unlike Popeye, she prefers them raw rather than in a can.

''The chlorophyll in greens, especially raw greens, helps to carry oxygen through your blood,'' Richelson said. ''When there's more oxygen in your blood, bacteria can't get in. Greens are also alkaline and cleansing, while meat is very acidic.''

Her journey to healthful eating began while she was studying at Colby and did a semester abroad in Jamaica. She eliminated meat from her diet and regularly visited Livity, a Rastafarian vegan restaurant. Later, she trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She now offers nutrition and lifestyle counseling under the name Livity Health Coaching (which is a nod to her days in Jamaica).

Richelson's one-on-one practice starts with a free hour-long health consultation, where she reviews the individual's diet and health concerns and defines goals. From here, she offers a six-month health counseling program focused on lifestyle change. The program adjusts based on each person's needs, but often includes grocery store tours, cooking classes, samples of nutrient-dense foods and a selection of books and DVDs. The cost is $95 per month; however, she lowers this fee for folks who can't afford that rate.

''I'm trying to create a connection to food,'' Richelson said of her work. ''I talk to people about not harming animals and really tuning in to what your body and lifestyle needs.''

And should your body be in need of a bike-blended, green-filled smoothie, Richelson can hook you up with one for free.

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com