Smoothies are ALL the range now and people in the know have been yapping on about how good these things are for you! And having now been substituting my breakfast for a few pieces of fruit and a green smoothie, I am a complete convert on how this glass of deliciousness impacts on your feelings and energy for the entire day! And the fact that N now asks for these each morning is a sure sign that a non green eating man can get on this healthy kick too!
I few people asked me how to introduce healthy living into their diet and my first thing to suggest was a green smoothie, the easiest way to add goodness to your diet with no fear or worries.
There are just a few things that are key to getting a great smoothie:
1. RIPE bananas, have no fear in buying bananas with spots on them. This is when they are reaching their highest content of sugar and when blended this gives a creamy (non foamy) smoothie and adds natural sweetness so you don't need to add in anything else if you're worried about having a 'green' taste.
2. Add in Spirulina, it is a complete wonder food, and is nature's richest source of protein (very good for vegetarians and vegans to take). It contains 4 times more protein than meat, and as it is an algae, it is plant based and it's form is more readily absorbed than the protein we get from meat. It helps to stimulate the immune system, making us stronger against infections and helps red blood cell production, increasing our general health also. It has been shown to help cholesterol and blood pressure levels, increase memory.
I for one have found I am more alert, more engaged in my every day activities and have tremendous energy from this little addition. All in all there are only positive gains for adding this into your everyday smoothie to increase your health!
If you buy it in the powder form, 1/2 teaspoon is sufficient per person.
3. There are no rules to making a smoothie... you can decide if you want a super thick, lushious, spoon out of the mug type or a thinner, juicer type, and making them fresh every morning means you can add in anything you are fancying that day, chocolate, cinnamon, nuts.. the list is endless!
My Smoothie:
Spinach
I added this to begin with as I wanted to increase my iron intake and to help build up my hair (haha). But it is also a wonderfully rich vegetable, adding iron and water to your smoothie. It has actually been linked to help regulate and control appetite also.
Any greens can be added though, they are all great!
Cinnamon
People are often conscious of eating too much fruit for fear of the sugar content. Adding spinach helps balance out this natural sugar high, but the addition of cinnamon has been shown to also help regulate our blood sugar levels too, so adding a sprinkle over fruit is a great and delicious thing to do too.
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Green Smoothie Goodness
Serves 1 person
2 medium ripe bananas
Good handful of raw spinach (stalks removed if using large leaves)
1/2 cup of water or milk for a creamy consistency
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Add ins:
2 teaspoons of raw cacoa powder
1 teaspoon Maca powder
Squeeze of honey
1 teaspoon carob powder
Peel and chop the banana into chunks and add along with all the other ingredients to a blender.
Blend on medium speed until smooth, and you see no flecks of spinach left.
Serve over ice in the summer and enjoy!
