My husband has been away this past week and so I have lost my breakfast smoothie maker! I don’t know about you, but I certainly get in a rut with my routines and sometimes I need a jolt to do new things.
I have been quite enjoying this new smoothie that I have been making these past few days. I find it’s nice to start with a basic recipe, but I never keep it the same. I like to use up what is in my fridge and alternate ingredients so that I am getting varied vitamins and minerals from the foods I am using. I tend to start adding all sorts of ingredients that end up making it a pretty green, thick cup of goodness.
If you want just a basic recipe though that is sweet and doesn’t taste ‘green’, here it is. I will add in some options for you but really, anything you like goes.
One word of caution… I know it is hard to believe in this day and age of the high protein diet craze, but we don’t actually need a lot of protein. It actually is DISADVANTAGEOUS to our health to be consuming too much protein. Especially protein of the animal product kind. Think for a moment of what is natural for our bodies… whole foods, or powders created in a processing facility? If you must add a powder to thicken and sweeten your smoothie in order to drink it, make sure to use a plant-based, brand that was not made in China. Whey protein based products are made from animal products and cause inflammation in the body. Don’t be fooled. Do the research.
Here is Dr. Garth Davis (a bariatric surgeon and author of ‘Proteinaholic’) talking about protein and its push in our society. He discusses all things protein in the videos below. Any more than about 8-10 % of our calories coming from protein is not necessary and can be harmful to the body… He mentions that human breastmilk for example is only 7% protein, and infancy is the time during which our bodies are growing and developing more than any other time in our lives. Does it make sense that we should be consuming so much protein later in our lives when we are no longer growing? The body has to expend effort ridding itself of that extra protein which is taxing to our system. Here is a link to numerous science based articles on protein consumption by Dr. T. Colin Campbell.
Don’t be afraid of “carbs”. They are not the enemy. Dr. Davis explains this around the 14 minute mark in this video. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes and starchy foods such as root vegetables are what your body needs to thrive. We were built to run on sugar found in plants, not from a high amount of fats and proteins.
Please leave any comments below!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of water2 tablespoons of almond butter, peanut butter or tahini (these should all have one ingredient!) (optional)2 handfuls of kale, spinach, Swiss chard1 frozen banana4-5 frozen or fresh strawberries1-2 dates (optional for sweetness)1 tablespoon flax seeds (omega 3)Some extras I like to add:1 inch piece of turmeric root1/2 inch piece of ginger rootgarlic clove (I'm kidding- my husband did this once and it stayed with me all day!)1 tablespoon hemp seedsSubstitutions for banana and strawberries:pearapplekiwifrozen mixed berries (blueberry, cherry, raspberry, blackberry)pineappleanything that floats your boat
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender and enjoy!
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