Smoothies make a great breakfast, especially in the summer, when your body is most primed for raw foods.
They’re an efficient way to eat your vegetables and fruit at one time. Whenever I have a savory all-green smoothie (the only fruit in it is lime) for breakfast, I add 5 packed cups of leafy greens to it. This starts my day off with a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and fiber. By combining fiber + protein + healthy fat (like flaxseed, coconut oil, coconut milk or avocado), a smoothie can be very effective in stabilizing blood sugar.
Also, by blending ingredients together, you are, in effect, “pre-digesting” the food going into your body. In other words, your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break food down for digestion; this makes it easier for your body to assimilate nutrients.
So, why bother making your own smoothie when you can pick one up at, say, Jamba Juice? Making your own smoothie in a Nutribullet or a high-powered blender gives you control over what goes into it. If you buy a Jamba Juice-type smoothie, you’re really getting more of a dessert smoothie than a nutrient-dense meal. With all-tropical fruit smoothies, containing, for example, banana, mango and/or pineapple—and, sometimes, frozen yogurt or added fruit juice—you can quickly ratchet up the calories, the carbs and the sugar.
A homemade, gently sweetened smoothie, on the other hand, can help your palate adapt to a less sugary taste, curbing sugar cravings over time.
This is one of my favorite “cleanser” smoothies from my clean eating cleanse program—great for digestion and refreshing without spiking blood sugar.
Summer “Cleanser” Smoothie
1 ½ cups water OR coconut water OR dairy-free milk
*If you use coconut water, make sure it 100% coconut water with no added sugar or other ingredients
1 to 2 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup berries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Dash cinnamon
Juice from one lemon
Combine all ingredients together in a Nutribullet or blender.
Enjoy!
