As many of you know I'm currently in school for Nutritional Health Counseling, which has opened my eyes to so many new ideas and ways of thinking when it comes to my own health. Recently we had a lecture from David Wolfe, a raw foodist (among many, many other things), who inspired me to start trying some new things. David spoke of his beliefs around eatings foods in their natural form (raw foodists do not cook anything over a temperature of 150-170 degrees), and the power those foods have on our bodies and health. David is one of the many guest speakers we've had in my program, that are opening my eyes to hundreds of different dietary theories. While I don't see myself becoming a raw foodist in the near future, I was intrigued to bring some of his ideas into my own diet.....my smoothies.
If you're like me, you probably think of a smoothie as something like frozen or fresh fruit, some juice or water - maybe yogurt, and a little protein powder. As my knowledge around nutrition has evolved, so has my smoothie. Fruits and veggies are important components to any smoothie, but so many of them (bananas and carrots, for example) are loaded with natural sugars that I never realized how to properly balance a smoothie to ensure I wasn't going to crash 2 hours after drinking it.
Additionally, there were these new "superfoods" I was being exposed to that could offer my smoothie new textures and flavors, all while providing me tons of nutrients! The superfoods I'm referring to are ones that are found in nature in the purest form (seeds, berries, etc). I've begun incorporating hemp, chia and flax seeds into my diet, as well as goji berries, raw cacao, dulse and kelp.
Here is a new smoothie I've been drinking recently. Many of the ingredients can be found at Whole Foods or your local natural foods store. I don't really measure the ingredients, so feel free to play around with the tastes and flavors that you have in your pantry.
Brewed tea (about 2-3 cups)
Coconut water (1/2 cup)
Frozen berries (maybe 1/4 cup)
4 or 5 fresh strawberries, with the greens on top
2 T raw cacao powder (my store only had cacao nibs, so I used a coffee grinder to make my own powder)
2 T goji berries, soaked
1 t chia seeds, soaked so they begin to sprout (you'll know they are sprouting when they become a gel like substance)
1 T raw honey
1 T raw almond butter
1 T coconut oil (do not melt the oil)
Blend and strain over your glass (depending on your blender, as this particular smoothie will have lots of seeds). Enjoy!
If you're like me, you probably think of a smoothie as something like frozen or fresh fruit, some juice or water - maybe yogurt, and a little protein powder. As my knowledge around nutrition has evolved, so has my smoothie. Fruits and veggies are important components to any smoothie, but so many of them (bananas and carrots, for example) are loaded with natural sugars that I never realized how to properly balance a smoothie to ensure I wasn't going to crash 2 hours after drinking it.
Additionally, there were these new "superfoods" I was being exposed to that could offer my smoothie new textures and flavors, all while providing me tons of nutrients! The superfoods I'm referring to are ones that are found in nature in the purest form (seeds, berries, etc). I've begun incorporating hemp, chia and flax seeds into my diet, as well as goji berries, raw cacao, dulse and kelp.
Here is a new smoothie I've been drinking recently. Many of the ingredients can be found at Whole Foods or your local natural foods store. I don't really measure the ingredients, so feel free to play around with the tastes and flavors that you have in your pantry.
Brewed tea (about 2-3 cups)
Coconut water (1/2 cup)
Frozen berries (maybe 1/4 cup)
4 or 5 fresh strawberries, with the greens on top
2 T raw cacao powder (my store only had cacao nibs, so I used a coffee grinder to make my own powder)
2 T goji berries, soaked
1 t chia seeds, soaked so they begin to sprout (you'll know they are sprouting when they become a gel like substance)
1 T raw honey
1 T raw almond butter
1 T coconut oil (do not melt the oil)
Blend and strain over your glass (depending on your blender, as this particular smoothie will have lots of seeds). Enjoy!
If you're not ready to add these foods to your pantry, I would encourage you to start experimenting with them a couple at a time. Or start to substitute different natural sweeteners into your smoothie. Rather than using fruit juices from the store (that are often full of sugar), try just a spoonful of natural peanut or almond butter, or raw honey....you don't have to use as much and they have more nutrients than the juice. The goal is to find foods that work for you, that you enjoy and make you feel better!
After you have some time to play around, leave us a comment and tell us what you experimented with!
Enjoy!
Nicole
After you have some time to play around, leave us a comment and tell us what you experimented with!
Enjoy!
Nicole
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