Smoothie Guide for Balanced Hormones and Healthy Gut

Healthy Smoothie Guide for Balanced Hormones

Smoothies!
So what’s the deal with smoothies?
Are they healthy and good for you?
Smoothies are:

  • Chock full of minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.
  • Easy to digest, which indicates optimal assimilation of nutrients.
  • Fantastic for stabilizing blood sugar (you will see that each smoothie here contains healthy fat, vital for blood sugar stabilization).
  • A terrific way to devour a variety of different fruits or vegetables at one time.
  • Excellent for cleansing the body of toxins.
  • An effortless way to add fiber to your diet for optimal gut function.

Is blending your fruits and veggies beneficial?

Optimal digestion means a healthy body, and blending your foods support digestion. Your body doesn’t have to work so hard to break down the protein, nutrients, and fiber as they’re already in a pre-digested state.

Did you know that 85% of your energy is spent digesting and assimilating your nutrients? Yes! And I like to support the body to do less work and have more energy.

Instead of preparing and eating cup after cup of fruits and healthy greens you are packing them into one nutrient-dense smoothie.

How to choose your blender:

Vitamix (my absolute favorite) is a super powerful blender with a powerful motor that can blend smoothies and make soups and even nut butter. It is an investment, however, and cost around $499 (so worth it!).
Blendtec: similar to Vitamix and costs about $350.
Nutribullet is a good alternative as well, as it costs only $99.
A blender at Target, Costco, or Wal-Mart will typically cost you around $20, but they are not as powerful, and they don’t make smoothies very smooth and creamy.

Making the Ultimate Smoothie for Balanced Hormones:

Choose the liquid – water, vegetable juice, coconut water, or dairy-free milk.
Choose your greens – spinach, cilantro, kale, parsley, romaine, Swiss chard, collards, or lettuce.
Choose your fruit – berries, passion fruit, mango, or leave out the fruit
Choose your fat/protein – sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, hemp protein, avocado, goat yogurt, nut butter, coconut oil, flax, or chia seeds.
Add a superfood – maca, pomegranate powder, raw cacao, alma powder, bee pollen, camu camu, shredded coconut, goji berries, or any other of your choosing.

The Basics of smoothie making:

Step #1 – Design your shopping list.
Step #2 – Choose the smoothie you want to make and decide if you’re going to any superfood or protein powder.
Step #3 – Feeling chilly that morning, add warming spices such as cinnamon, anise, ginger, or cayenne.
Step #4 – Make your smoothies less sweet to help you balance your blood sugar and exchange the banana for berries. You can omit the fruit and sweeten it with stevia or monk fruit powder.
Step #5 – Blend and consume.

Respect Bio-Individuality

Bio-individuality is the idea that we are all different and that no two people are alike. This is why some people thrive on a paleo diet while others on a vegetarian diet. Some people enjoy 100% raw food while others need cooked food and meals to attain and maintain optimal health and nutrition. Taking under consideration where you live is also important. Most people have a hard time eating 100% raw food when it is cold, and it is hard to eat warm, cooked food all the time when you live in the tropics.

Also, suppose you are a cool-bodied person by nature. In that case, you can add warming spices to your smoothie to improve digestion and nutrient assimilation. Try using turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, or cayenne to help you stay warm. I suggest starting with a dash and then increasing to 1/2 teaspoon.

If you are a warm-bodied person by nature, you can add cooling spices, such as cilantro, cardamon, or mint.

Making it work

If you find you bloat when you consume a smoothie, then don’t throw everything but the kitchen sink in there. The reason people have initial trouble digesting smoothies is that there are too many elements to assimilate.
Simple recipes like those below have helped my clients reduce bloating and improve digestion. I recommend making a smoothie with just one fiber-rich food for my clients who have allergies, hindered digestion, and a tough time digesting fiber.

A simple easy-to-digest smoothie would be:
1 ½ cups dairy-free milk or water
1 cup of vegetables
1/2 cup of fruit
½ avocado or 1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 scoop plant-based protein
Nuts or seeds, if you can digest them
As your digestion improves, you’ll find you can add more fiber and combine various vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds with ease. The recipes below are gentle on your stomach and easy to digest.

DE-BLOAT SMOOTHIE RECIPES

Blend all the ingredients in a Vitamix, or regular standup blender for each smoothie. Add water if needed to reach your desired thickness.

Use organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Add some protein to any smoothie by including either a scoop of your favorite protein powder, such as Nutiva hemp protein, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, or nuts. Just remember to soak nuts and seeds for better digestion. Add some fat to help you feel full.

Hormone Health Smoothie

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert, lunch, Snack
Cuisine: American, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Paleo, Vegan
Keyword: hormone, smoothie
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Calories: 90kcal
Author: Angie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 scoop collagen protein or marine collagen (Vital Proteins) (skip it if you are vegetarian)
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 cup mixed greens
  • 2 Brazil nuts, preferably soaked overnight
  • 2 tbsp kelp sprinkles
  • 1 tbsp flax seeds
  • 1 cup blueberries

Love your belly smoothies

  • 1 1/2 coconut water or full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 romaine
  • 1/2  avocado
  • 1/2 strawberries
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • Stevia to sweeten

Simple green tonic smoothie

  • 1 cucumber
  • 5  celery stalks
  • 1 apple, cored
  • 3 kale leaves
  • A handful of parsley + cilantro
  • 2 chard leaves
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Mood stabilizer

  • 1 cup coconut rice milk
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
  • 1 tbsp schizandra berry
  • 1 tsp maca powder
  • 1 tbsp soaked walnuts 
  • 1 handful of romaine
  • 1 tbsp Shatavari powder
  • stevia to taste

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal
Yum

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