The Simple Smoothie

Smoothies are one of the easiest ways to get all the good stuff down the hatch quickly and increase your nutrient profile for the day in a matter of minutes! I love to put the kids supplements they need in their smoothie as well. Only down fall is, you have to make sure they finish the whole serve otherwise you don't know if they have had the correct dose- so play around with flavours and find what they love.

So want to know how to nail a smooth every time? here are my tips:

1. Choose a fruit and make sure it's frozen- that way your smoothie will be nice and cold without having to add ice which will ultimately water it down.

2. For all my non-nut allergies people out there- add a nut of some sort- great for adding fibre, and omega 3 fatty acids (the good fats), along with lots of other great micronutrients.

3. For all my nut allergy people out there- add dry ingredients like shredded coconut or chia seeds which are also abundant in Omega 3's!

4. Use a natural sweetener like Maple syrup (make sure its 100% and not Maple flavoured syrup), manuka honey, or if you are looking for a lower sugar option; stevia or monkfruit extract. You won't need to add more than a teaspoon as your ripened fruit will do all the heavy lifting.

4. Choose your milk/liquid- our family likes almond mylk for banana based smoothes but coconut milk (and coconut water for a milder taste) for berry and mango smoothies. If you have an iron clad digestive tract and you can easily digest cows milk, go ahead soldier! However most people will find they are left feeling bloated and sick with that much dairy ingested so quickly (more on this in the coming blogs).

5. Add a spice! It's no secret I love herbs and spices and for good reason- an abundance of flavour and amazing nutrients packed in each teaspoon. I like to add cinnamon/ nutmeg to banana based smoothies and turmeric to strawberry/raspberry ones.

6. Add a Grass-fed why protein isolate for a complete amino acid (protein) hit which will leave you feeling full for hours. Pea proteins are a good substitute for vegetarians/vegans also.