How To Make A Smoothie

A smoothie is a simple way to get a variety of nutrients in an easy-to-consume format. In fact, with the right ingredients, a smoothie can be a meal.

Key ingredients for a smoothie

• Fruit: One per smoothie or a combination or Vegetables – one per smoothie or a combination
• Liquid: Milk of choice, bone broth, or water (flavour will not be as strong)
• Protein source: Usually a type of protein powder. Unsweetened with no particular flavour is best. This way you can add what you like to flavour it. Hemp seeds also make a good protein source for smoothies and are a good source of essential fatty acids.
• Fibre Source: The fruit and vegetables are a good source of fibre, but more is needed to help sustain energy. Add ground chia seeds or flaxseeds, which also provide a good source of essential fatty acids. Oats (in fruit-based smoothies) or cooked legumes (in vegetable-based smoothies) can also be added, but this is a personal choice.
• Fat Choice: Extra fat can be added in the form of chia seeds, flaxseeds, and hemp seeds, or avocado or coconut oil can be added as desired. Nuts such as almonds, pecans, or cashews are another good source of fat plus carbohydrates and protein.
• Herbs and spices: This is where you flavour the smoothie to your taste – cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves for fruit-based smoothies and basil, dill, turmeric, oregano, or cumin for savoury vegetable smoothies.
• Fermented foods: In order to get beneficial bacteria into the meal and aid digestion of the other ingredients, add yogurt, kefir, miso, or sauerkraut. In some recipes kombucha or kimchi could also work.
• Other options: Add raw honey, maple syrup, or coconut sweetener when extra sweetness is wanted. Add sea salt and pepper for savoury smoothies.

Should fruits and vegetables be mixed? It’s a matter of personal choice. Usually it’s one vegetable such as cabbage (sauerkraut), spinach, or kale added to a combination of fruits or one fruit such as apple, pineapple, or orange added to a combination of vegetables.

Tip:   Smoothies are a great way to add ingredients that you may not like on their own such as glutamine powder, collagen, colostrum, spirulina, or chlorella.

Smoothies are made in a blender such as a Vitamix, Ninja, Nutribullet, or a regular blender.

The key to making a great smoothie is the order you add the ingredients:

1. Put the liquid such as the milk or bone broth into the blending container first.
2. Then add the fruits and/or vegetables.
3. Place the protein powder or any other powders, nut or seeds, seasoning, or sweeteners on top.
4. Blend.
5. By putting the ingredients in this order, items such as honey, powders, or ground flaxseeds or chia seeds will not sink to the bottom and force you to stop and stir the mixture halfway through. This allows for quick and easy blending.

Here are two smoothies below that you can try. The first one is a fruity smoothie while the Avocado smoothie is more of a savoury one.

Let me know how it turned out for you!

Fruity Berry Smoothie