Jul 26

Nutritional Smoothies

July has been a HOT month on the east coast!!!! The thought of standing in front of a hot stove makes me sweat more. My favorite meal these days is a cold smoothie. I love smoothies and shakes because you can make large batch with plenty of leftovers in a few minutes. My only concern when whipping together a healthy smoothie is proper balance. Once you understand my basic smoothie combination guide, blending healthy and well balanced shakes will be an easy and fun process.

When I ask people what is in their smoothies, they usually use fruit, juice, and ice or they buy them at a juice bar. These options will usually get you in trouble because these are unbalanced shakes filled with tons of grams of sugar and simple carbohydrates. As noted in my last smoothie newsletter, most commercial smoothies contain around 100 grams of sugar which equals 27 packets of sugar! If you like smoothies and want to include them as part of your healthy, well balanced nutrition regimen, follow my simple guidelines below:

SIMPLE SMOOTHIE COMBINATION GUIDE
Always combine at least one thing from each of these categories. Play around with these combinations to create a multitude of smoothie ideas that are well balanced. You can also visit our recipe blog for tons of smoothie recipes.

CARBOHYDRATE OPTIONS

Fruit (fresh or frozen): Fruit contains a lot of natural sugar so monitor portions and try to avoid juice because of its high glycemic index. Lower sugar fruit options are berries.
Plain Yogurt: Do not use fruited or vanilla yogurt because it is already loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Greek or Mediterranean yogurt can be considered a combination food (carbohydrates and protein) because of its higher protein levels. If you are cow dairy intolerant, there are great goat, sheep and buffalo yogurts sold at health food stores.

PROTEIN OPTIONS

Real Nut Butters: Adding a scoop of real nut butter to a smoothie is a natural way to add healthy protein and fat. Try a variety of nut butters, like real peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or tahini (sesame seeds).
Protein Powders: My favorite two are Vanilla Pure Lean (rice, hemp, pea, chia protein) and Chocolate Daily Sustain (pea and rice protein). Try to avoid soy protein because it is damaging to your metabolism and hormones.
Greek or Mediterranean Yogurt: These kinds of yogurts are naturally high in protein.

OTHER OPTIONS & IDEAS

Coconut Milk: Even though coconut is high in saturated fat, research shows that this type of saturated fat is good for you and actually speeds up your metabolism. Don’t be afraid to add this yummy, creamy mixture to your smoothies.
Almond Milk: Unsweetened almond milk is a lower sugar choice over other milks.
Flaxmeal: Ground flax is a great way to add omega 3 fatty acids and extra fiber without any weird aftertaste.
Greens: If you have a powerful blender, try adding greens to your smoothie. You’ll be surprised how great it tastes. You can also purchase a greens powder supplement loaded with vegetables.
Cocoa Powder: If you prefer chocolate shakes, unsweetened cocoa powder is a low sugar/calorie ingredient.
Powdered Vitamins: If you consume smoothies on a regular basis, it is nice to incorporate powdered or liquid supplements that absorb better than pill form. Examples include powdered multi-vitamin & mineral, powdered probiotics, powdered GI support, and fish oil (lemon flavored).
Water & Ice: Add these as needed to make the right consistency.
Stevia: Stevia is a natural sweetener. Add as needed for desired sweetness.