Smoothies are a staple in my diet.They are the easiest way to get a nutrient dense, macronutient balanced meal that leaves you full and satiated. The smoothie formula to help you develop a blood sugar balancing meal replacement in any flavor, is with enough protein, fat and fiber. Many store bought juices and smoothies are loaded with sugar- and that’s the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.
Benefits of Smoothies:
- Increase energy
- Contains Fiber
- Improve digestion
- Decrease food cravings
- Improve skin tone (decreased acne)
- Increase nail and hair health
- Promote weight loss
- Decrease recovery time after hard workouts
You can tailor your smoothies to your specific needs, by incorporating ingredients that promote weight loss and balance your blood sugar (coconut oil, chia seeds, yerba mate and greens), detoxification (leafy greens, cilantro, chlorella, chia seeds and flax seeds), or energy boosting (greens, yerba mate, maca powder and chia seeds). Food is powerful. Food is medicine.
You can use any blender to make smoothies, however, I recommend a high powered blender. I personally don’t like chunky smoothies and my vitamix is always faithful. If you do not have a high powered blender yet, you will not regret the investment. I use my vitamix several times a day for smoothies, soups, dips, nut butters and more. The vitamix opens the cells walls making the vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and fruits more bioavailable for our bodies to use.
THE FORMULA: The Daily Four (Protein, Fat, Fiber and Greens) Daily-Four meals turn off hunger hormones, squelch inflammation, and provides the body with the perfect complete meal of essential nutrients. Simply look at your plate and ask yourself do I have all four components? Protein increases collagen, muscle tone, and metabolism; fat benefits hormones, skin, and cellular health, fiber promotes gut microbiome proliferation and detoxification; and greens (or veggies deep in color) provide cancer and inflammation fighting phytonutrients. This combination will turn off over 8 hunger hormones in the body so you stop fighting not to eat and instead easily go 4-6 hours without thinking of food or snacking on processed foods.
Smoothie Basics=PROTEIN+ FAT+ FIBER + GREENS + LIQUID + FRUIT (1/4 cup or less optional)
PROTEIN: 20 g of protein, Organic pea, grassfed whey, bone broth or collagen (beef or marine based)
FAT: 1 tbsp. minimum per serving Almond Butter, Coconut Oil, Coconut Butter, Avocado, Walnuts, MCT Oil – flavorless medium chain triglyceride oil from coconut or Sunflower butter
FIBER: 1-2 tbsp or 10 g of fiber Chia Seeds, Flax seeds or Acacia.
GREENS: handful Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Cilantro, or a greens powder etc
LIQUID: 6-8 oz per serving Unsweetened Almond Milk, Coconut Water (only acceptable for fruit free smoothies) Coconut Milk, Plain Filtered Water
OPTIONAL FRUIT: ¼ cup maximum Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Mango
