fruits
Mango, blueberries, strawberries, acai, dragonfruit, pineapple, kiwi - but frozen. These are your tickets to a sweet and flavorful smoothie. Frozen fruit makes it so you do not have to add ice, an empty and nutrition-less filler, and it tastes better. It also makes for a better consistency than plain ol' ice. I buy bags of frozen fruit from the grocery store in bulk.
veggies
How often are you getting the recommended serving of veggies a day? Add them to a smoothie. Kale, spinach and chard are always my go-tos. Leafy greens are a great source of vitamins and nutrients like calcium and vitamin A. If you are worried about them making your smoothie bitter, don't fret - you don't even taste them! The fruit masks the bitterness of the veggies. So, load up on the greens.
superfoods
Not all heroes wear capes. Nutrient dense foods you wouldn't necessarily get in your daily diet come in the form of powders, pills and liquids. Below are a few of my favorites - keep in mind you don't have to use them all at once. That wouldn't taste so good.
Hawaiian spirulina - 1 teaspoon of this magic, dark green cyanobacteria contains more than enough of the daily recommended amount of protein, vitamin b1, vitamin b2, vitamin b3, copper, iron, magnesium potassium and manganese. I basically add this to my smoothies 9/10 times.
Barley juice grass powder - coming from the leaf of a barley plant, it's rich in vitamin A, C and K, fiber, polyphenols and flavonoids. It helps with maintaining blood sugar and heart health. When using, a teaspoon should do the trick.
Chia seeds - these are powerful lil' seeds and they work wonders for your body and brain! Rich in tons of nutrients, omega-3 fat, antioxidants and fiber. Add a tablespoon of this to your smoothies.
Ashwagandha powder - an adaptogen that aids with stress and anxiety. I take an ashwagandha supplement daily to maintain my mental calmness but you can add a teaspoon of this to your smoothies.
Hemp seeds - a great plant based protein and rich in healthy fats and other various minerals.
Who else hasn't lead the healthiest lifestyle this past year? Our bodies are screaming for a change. Whenever I need mental clarity and/or just want to feel good physically, and quick, I opt for a smoothie. Easily digestible, quick absorption of nutrients and tons of options. There are so many different ways you can enjoy smoothies or smoothie bowls. The abundance of fruits and veggies make it easy to slip in "superfoods" like Hawaiian spirulina and healthy binders. Side note, my smoothies and smoothie bowls are always vegan. The vegan lifestyle is by far the healthiest in my opinion but I am not 100% there yet - and that's OK! In the meantime, I think incorporating vegan habits into my everyday life will help make the transition more natural when the time comes. A quick, effortless and delicious way to maintain your health, read on to see how to smoothie at maximum efficiency. (Links to the coconut bowls, bamboo straws, superfoods, powders and spoons all linked throughout this post and at the end!)
base
Whether you are making a smoothie or smoothie bowl, you should aim for a thicker base. Bananas are a great base as they maintain the perfect consistency even after blending and adding liquids. Use frozen bananas for smoothie bowls as you'll want those to be thicker and non-frozen bananas for smoothies as it will be easier consumption. Make sure your bananas are ripe so you reap all the nutritional benefits. You want them yellow and barely starting to brown for maximum health benefits. If for some reason you don't want it to be vegan, you can use yogurt for a base as well.
binders
Specific substances that bind to toxins to help remove them from your body is where the term 'binders' originates. Since they aren't absorbed by your body, anything it picks up, it takes with it on the way out. It is important to regularly cleanse your body of environmental toxins, pesticides, heavy metals and other nasties. Below are a few binders I use.
Activated charcoal - traps toxins and chemicals in your gut by stopping them from being absorbed. I don't use this one often but it's great to add in every now and then.
Atlantic dulse - has high levels of calcium and potassium and is also a natural source of vitamin B12.
Cilantro - not just for guacamole, cilantro is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antifungal and antimicrobial. It works best with chlorella, like spirulina, if you need a heavy metal detox.
liquid
Now you need something to blend all your goodies together. Plain water works just fine but you can also use other liquids to blend and add flavor. Coconut water, all-natural fruit juices and/or nut milks work perfectly. Careful how much you add! For smoothie bowls, you want to add less liquid to keep the smoothie thick. A general rule of thumb is to add as you go - you can always add more but you can't turn back!
toppings
I usually reserve this for my smoothie bowls but you can add toppings to smoothies as well! Granola, shaved coconut, fruit, chia seeds, honey - your options are endless. If you want to make aesthetic "instagrammable" bowls, opt for a melon baller to use on fruits like dragonfruit and kiwi.
While we are being sustainable, try putting your smoothie bowls in coconut bowls and using bamboo straws for your smoothies. If you want a few recipes to try out, you can make the bowls pictured above using my recipe. Unicorn Superfoods is great for those colorful powders that make vibrant smoothies and they offer other cool accessories like the pineapple and palm tree spoons (pictured top left). Again, all of my smoothies and smoothie bowls are vegan but do what feels best for you and your body. Smoothies are great at aiding in detoxing, depending on how you make them, but they can also simply be a great and tasty addition to your lifestyle. Happy blending 🙂
*Some of the links may be affiliate links. I make a small commission from of these links but not all of them.
