Is Your Smoothie Really Healthy?
Many people are blending up smoothies nowadays with the hope of getting more healthy. The problem is that what they are making is not actually all that healthy. Recently, I performed a survey among my smoothie making clients and friends. I asked for their favorite ingredients and the proportions that they typically used to make “healthy” smoothies. I was shocked at the responses, and felt the need to highlight important DO’s and DON’Ts of “healthy” smoothie-making.
Smoothie Secret Number One:
DO NOT use more fruit than vegetables in your smoothie. In fact, fruit should only consist of approximately 10-20% of the total ingredients. I discovered to my horror that most respondents made smoothies that were comprised almost entirely of fruit, and some consistently made smoothies with not a single vegetable. Making a smoothie this way creates a SUGAR BOMB and is the fast track to diabetes – ESPECIALLY for your children. An all-fruit smoothie is not anyone’s friend.
Smoothie Secret Number Two:
DO NOT add any kind of artificial sweetener or sugar to sweeten a smoothie. There are plenty of sweeter vegetables, as well as, the 10-20% portion of fruit that is recommended above to sweeten your smoothie. Again, you DO NOT want to create a SUGAR BOMB. And, artificial sweeteners have their own health hazards.
Smoothie Secret Number Three:
In order to adjust the flavor of your smoothie, DO USE lime, ginger, mint, and apples. I like Fuji apples and please – no more than 1 apple, ½ is best. You can add tang with lime, spice with ginger, smooth freshness with mint, and sweetness with Fuji apples. You can work flavor miracles with these particular ingredients and dramatically change the flavor of your smoothie by playing around with these staples. They are in ALL of my smoothies.
Smoothie Secret Number Four:
DO NOT use milk, soy milk, or rice milk, or HEAVEN FORBID – bottled or canned FRUIT JUICE in your smoothie. Use only filtered water and ice cubes as the liquid base. Pasteurized milk creates phlegm and allergies, depresses the immune system, and is a negative factor for a whole host of problems such as: diarrhea, cramps, bloating and gas, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, chronic ear infections and colic in infants and children, and more. Soy that is not fermented is VERY bad for you and has been linked to: breast cancer, brain damage, infant abnormalities, thyroid disorders, kidney stones, and immune system impairment, to name a few. Rice milk and fruit juice aren’t recommended because of the high sugar content.
Smoothie Secret Number Five:
By all means, please DO USE nuts and seeds in your smoothie, like almonds, and especially walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds to name a few. These will contribute a fair amount of protein and healthy fats to your smoothie. Nuts and seeds also have an extraordinary amount of needed minerals.
Smoothie Secret Number Six:
Please DO USE avocado in your smoothie. I typically use ¼ of an avocado as the base amount. You can also increase the amount of avocado to thicken your smoothie. Avocados are VERY healthy; they contain vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, are very high in potassium and “healthy” omega-3 fat. A wonderful benefit of avocados is that by adding avocado to your smoothie, you can improve your absorption of nutrients. In fact, by combining other fat burning foods with avocado, you can improve your nutrient absorption up to 400%! They also regulate blood sugar and improve eye health.
Smoothie Secret Number Seven:
Smoothie Secret Number Seven:Absolutely DO USE dark greens in your smoothies, such as: kale, dandelion greens, chard, spinach, celery, parsley, cilantro, cucumber. I will at some point write a blog on the individual benefits of these vegetables, but they are all rich in vitamins, minerals, and amazingly healing phyto-chemicals. These items should comprise at least 50% of your typical smoothie; the more, the better.
Smoothie Secret Number Eight:
DO USE some of these other miraculous healing vegetables In your smoothies: carrots, beets, yams, bell peppers, red or green cabbage, green beans, eggplant. These items can also be used to soften the bitter taste in some of your dark greens.
Smoothie Secret Number Nine:
DO USE Cinnamon and Cucumber as they are exceptional at balancing blood sugar along with avocado. Use them freely and often in your smoothies.
Smoothie Secret Number Ten:
USE A GOOD BLENDER – in order to really get the benefits of the miracle phyto-chemicals, vitamins, minerals in your smoothie – it’s important to completely pulverize the ingredients. I use the powerful Vitamix Blender myself. Currently, the Blendtec blender, while powerful enough, has an issue with noise so loud you can damage your ears. Until that problem is addressed, I cannot under any circumstances recommend the Blendtec. The next version down, and also the most affordable, is the Magic Bullet or Nutribullet blender. The smoothie won’t be as smooth or the taste as sharp as with these last two blenders, but it will suffice to get to the good stuff.
Often, nature provides what we need to heal, it has been proven time and again, over thousands of years. Our food should be our first line of defense in any illness prevention plan, and play a large role in the recovery of any illness. There are also many helpful herbal formulas that may be appropriate to help you.
I hope this information has been helpful to you.
If you’d like more personalized help with your health, I’d be happy to help you get started on the road to vibrant health. You can email me with any questions, or you can sign up for an initial free Vitality Breakthrough Strategy Session and I can help you determine your next best steps to health! If you’re ready to get started now, check out my health coaching and training services. They are available in-person local to the San Francisco Bay Area, or distance coaching and training is available for non-local clients.
With Love, Holly