Superfood Smoothies

Balanced macronutrients can make smoothies a whole meal.

Lunch Hour Lesson #27

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Superfoods are foods that pack a lot of nutrition into a small portion. Smoothies can be a great way to pack in a lot of nutrient-dense foods that might be hard to fit into your diet otherwise.

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If you’re going to make it a regular thing, I’d recommend making these smoothies at home, vs. purchasing them often at a natural food restaurant or juice bar. Besides being expensive to purchase pre-made, many smoothies at these types of places are very sweet, and based mostly on fruit or greens without a source of fat or protein to balance it out and make it more of a meal.

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Ingredients

Now that the weather is warming up, it’s a great time to make smoothies, and I wanted to discuss a few ingredients that I like to put in mine:

 

  • collagen peptides – brings elasticity and strength to hair, nails, skin, and joints
  • emu oil – highest source of Vitamin K2 MK4 (the most absorbable form of K2) to put calcium in the bones where it belongs and augment the effects of Vitamins A and D. Most people are deficient in Vitamin K2.
  • egg yolks – important source of choline, sulfur, folate, Vitamins A, E, D, K, and B12, antioxidants, balanced fatty acids, and protein. Dietary cholesterol does not impact blood cholesterol levels. Raw egg yolks from pastured chickens (read the label) are safe to consume. Otherwise, hard boil them and just put in the yolks.
  • blueberries – fiber, Vitamin C, manganese, antioxidants. They have also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity.
  • banana – good source of Vitamin B6, folate, potassium, magnesium, fiber, and pectin
  • coconut oil – contains medium chain tryglycerides (MCT) which are extremely nourishing to the brain and provide a source of quick energy. Also has anti-microbial properties and increases fat burning.
  • almond butter – has Vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, copper, riboflavin, fiber, protein, fatty acids, and antioxidants
  • molasses – high in magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, and is a low-sugar sweetener
  • whole raw milk from grass-fed cows – boosts the immune system due to its probiotic and immunoglobulin content. High in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid. Also contains vitamins C, B6, and A. These benefits are largely absent in pasteurized milk. If no good source of whole raw milk can be found, choose a good quality grass-fed heavy cream and add water.
  • greens powder – pHresh Greens is a good quality brand – a little goes a long way! Contains many trace minerals, chlorophyll, and other phytonutrients beneficial to health.
  • cinnamon /sea salt / ginger / nutmeg – for added flavor
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There are a lot of other things you could put in, but I find these to be a nice balance that, if you use raw milk or heavy cream, can taste like ice cream! You can add ice to thicken or water to thin to your desired consistency.

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This could be a lunch that you make in the morning or the night before and take with you to work in an insulated thermos. I wouldn’t recommend sipping it continuously throughout the day because that keeps your digestion constantly going. Instead, drink it during the period of time when you would normally eat a meal.

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It’s also a great breakfast, and set you up for good balanced energy throughout the day. Make sure to go easy on the fruits and molasses. The less sweet it is, the less of an effect it will have on raising your blood sugar, so you won’t have the subsequent drop later that can make you sleepy, irritable, and craving more sugar.

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Make sure to “chew” your smoothie as you eat it to get started on the digestive process and break down the carbohydrates.

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Weekend Tip

Make a superfood smoothie with the ingredients you have on hand. Egg yolks, banana, almond butter, cream is a good place to start!

Lunch Hour Lessons with Allison

Watch this week’s Facebook LIVE – Lunch Hour Lesson #27: Superfood Smoothies. Each week I bring you a topic related to nutrition and health that I think is interesting, and give you a lesson to take with you into your daily life. Watch Live on Facebook, Wednesdays, 12:30pm PST!