Here’s the thing, smoothies can actually taste good and not look like dirt!
I’m talking to all ya’ll that put every fruit + veggie under the sun in your smoothie and un-joyously take it down the hatch only to find yourself throwing out more than half of it.
But hey, it’s not your fault. I used to do this too. So, let me teach you the ways of making a smoothie that actually tastes good and will actually fill you up and maybe not look like you dug up some dirty from your backyard and added it to your blender.
If you’re looking to make a smoothie into a meal, here’s what you need to ask yourself.
What’s my protein?
What’s my fat?
What’s my carbohydrates (fiber)?
Including all of these into your smoothie and in all meals in general, will set your body up for receiving the nutrients it needs to go through its many daily processes.
So, why do we want to include all of these nutrients? Well, for starters, including high amounts of these nutrients are going to help keep you feeling satiated until your next meal. Second, here’s a little sneak peak into what these macronutrients can do for our bodies:
Protein
-
helps to make connective tissue, muscles, enzymes, neurotransmitters
Fats
-
help with hormone production/regulation, inflammation, mood, blood sugar management
Fiber
-
helps with blood sugar management, moving food through digestive system, improves heart health
What you don’t want to do
I love fruits but packing them into your smoothie can actually be harmful for your health. Sugar is sugar, no matter what form its in. It breaks down into the body as glucose. If we’re packing a ton of fruits into our smoothies, that’s a lot of sugar for our bodies to handle. Especially if we’re making a breakfast smoothie. We want to start off with a blood sugar balancing smoothie to help keep our blood sugar in check throughout the day.
Here is how I like to build my smoothies
1 cup fruit – I like to use antioxidant rich berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or mango, kiwi, peaches, banana, pineapple – you don’t have to put a cup of fruit, if you prefer more greens, go nuts!
1 cup (or more) veggies – cauliflower, spinach, kale, zucchini, cucumber
Fats – I usually don’t measure here but something like a couple of heaping tablespoons of coconut butter or nut butter, 1/2 an avocado (frozen or fresh), coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk, MCT oil, coconut flakes, coconut yogurt, full-fat sheep or goat yogurt, hemp seeds, chia seeds
Protein – scoop of protein powder + scoop of collagen powder, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds
Fiber – can be from fruits + veggies but also hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds
I add more than one source of fats because for me, the more fats I have in a smoothie, the longer I stay full.
The smoothie pictured above is this:
⋆ 1 cup chopped strawberries, banana, kiwi
⋆ 1 cup frozen cauliflower
⋆ 1/2 cup frozen avocado chunks
⋆ 1/2 cup filtered water (I added more as I was blending to get the consistency I wanted)
⋆ 1/2 cup almond milk
⋆ 2 tablespoons coconut butter
⋆ 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
⋆ 1 scoop unflavoured protein powder
⋆ 1 scoop collagen powder
So, there you have it! If you have any questions, pop them in the comments below!
Products I used:
Protein powder: Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Protein Powder
Collagen: Designs for Health Canada Whole Body Collagen
Fruit mix: (Strawberry, Banana, Kiwi Mix from Loblaws)
