Trying to eat healthfully, one hears all this advice about healthy food. Eat this; it is good for that; this is an antioxidant and that is an anti-inflammatory, etc. It can be overwhelming. There are so many recommendations. I cannot eat this much food in a single day – too many calories.
Why not put some of these healthy recommendations into a morning drink? I tailored the healthful recommendations for my situation: a mixture to help prevent cancer, diabetes and to support brain, heart, and immune function. Drinking my Daily Smoothie makes me feel good because I started my day on the healthy side.
Keeping the preparation simple and quick, I have all the ingredients lined up and ready to go. Using a Costco Ninja smoothie blender, I blend it twice on the smoothie setting to minimize the small bits that would get stuck between my teeth. I keep the blender undercounted cabinet, so I can close the cabinet doors during blending to reduce the noise.
Pick and choose what you think is best for your own health needs. Add enough fluid, so it blends into a drink. Most of the calories in this recipe are from the nuts. So be mindful of that.
Ingredients:
Fingertip grab of mixed nuts (protein, healthy oils, fiber)
Fingertip grab of walnuts (omega 3, 6, antioxidants, protein, fiber. If you have to choose only one nut, go with walnuts)
Frozen blueberries and strawberries (antioxidants, fiber – total 1 cup)
Frozen or raw broccoli pieces (about two pieces with a pinch dry mustard powder to enhance antioxidant and anti-inflammatory sulforaphane release)
Powders: (note powders are potent and can be potent enough to interact with medications).
– beet powder (nitric oxide – brain and circulatory system)
– turmeric and ground black pepper (Anti-inflammatory – brain and pain. Definitely drink with a straw or your teeth will stain. For that reason, consider leaving this out of your smoothie and take it as a capsule)
– Sri Lankan cinnamon (blood sugar) *
– mushroom powder (depends on the mushroom – immunity )
– matcha or coffee or cacao or carob (caffeine free) is optional (adds caffeine and flavor)
– fiber – psyllium or ground flax seeds (after adding fiber, drink it immediately, or your smoothie can start to thicken and make it difficult to drink through a straw)
– pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds (protein, fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, minerals)
– Dulse seaweed ( Iodine )
– cashew yogurt (probiotics, protein)
– Favorite non-dairy milk. Soy or oat milk are good choice. To form a complete protein, need two of the three from this list – Nuts, Whole grains, Legumes. Soy is a legume, and Oat is grain. To reduce calories, can substitute milk with water. Read the label for the amount of calcium in the non-dairy milk. Some do not contain any calcium.
To save time, you can premix powders like cinnamon, seaweed, and fiber. Be familiar with your proportions and ratios. For example: 1/2 tsp cinnamon: 1/2 tsp dulse flakes: 1 tsp ground flax seeds. Same as 1/2 c: 1/2 c: 1 cup, respectively . From this mix, you add 2 tsp to the smoothie.
Optional to add sweetener – dates, banana, pineapple, apple (be mindful of the extra calories)
Other options for greens are frozen (frozen keeps longer than fresh) spinach, kale, avocado.
Pour this into a travel container, and off you go.
References:
* https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ceylon-vs-cassia-cinnamon#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-walnuts#TOC_TITLE_HDR_14
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nitric-oxide-foods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8
Iodine in our Diets and Cancer Risk
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/walnuts#nutrition
Blogging about What It Takes to be Healthy 