How to Get Started With Healthy Smoothies
It has taken me a little while to form the habit of making a healthy smoothie but now I make one every day and use it as my breakfast for high energy and nutrition. You can of course have more should you desire and this will depend on your weight, health and age. For those of you who suffer from food problems or food intolerance symptoms, we have provided a great recipe for you too, so read on. If you are one of those action takers then take a look at green smoothie revolution here.
These are especially good for children and more so for children who suffer from food intolerance symptoms, as you are always looking for ways to expand the menu. If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome then I suggest you look at incorporating fermented products such as pure apple cider vinegar, water kefir or sauerkraut as this is sure to assist your recovery and reduce your food intolerance symptoms. Just be aware that amine intolerance may mean you need to be careful having fermented foods initially and I do not recommend foods fermented using vinegar.
My advice is to keep it simple and use whatever fruit and vegetable ingredients you have on hand. You can also add parsley, celery, cucumber, lettuce or other greens and I it is important that you alternate your greens when you make your smoothie.
Be creative, vary the ingredients and just try a few. For children, add more fruit and less greens until they adjust. Remember that even if it is a mostly fruit smoothie to begin with, it is still a healthy smoothie and you need to start somewhere.
You and your children will benefit from watching this video because it will encourage them to get involved. The more involved children are, the greater chance of them drinking it. This also goes with other food preparation.
It is good to have other healthy ingredients on hand as these are some of the things that make up my healthy drinks but again, no hard and fast rule. If you want to eat healthy food then this is a great way to start without too much initial change to your meal routine. You can even begin by just having a green smoothie before your meal. What I found is that if you incorporate a healthy smoothie into your diet, you will eventually find that all you want is the smoothie to replace the meal rather than needing both. My favorite drink recipe is a green berry smoothie and it has many health benefits so read on after the recipes section.
Smoothie Recipes
Green smoothie
1 teaspoon Organic golden flaxseed oil or UDO’s oil
1 teaspoon Acai berry powder
1 tablespoon organic raw honey or agave syrup (add more for a sweeter flavour)
1 cup coconut water
6 cubes ice from purified water
1 large Handful of baby spinach leaves, silver-beet or collard greens
1 handful of blueberries or strawberries (or mixed or other berries)
2 slices watermelon (natural body cleanser)
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar, water kefir or coconut water
Put it all in a blender, blend and drink immediately. Yum!
Banana Green smoothie
1 teaspoon Organic golden flaxseed oil or UDO’s Oil
1 tablespoon Raw honey or dark agave syrup (add more for a sweeter flavor)
1 large banana
1 cup rice milk or almond milk or quinoa milk
1 large Handful of baby spinach leaves or silver-beet
1 teaspoon Lecithin granules
1 teaspoon unrefined, virgin, cold pressed coconut oil
Pinch unrefined sea salt
You can also add some ice
Put it all in a blender, blend and drink immediately. Yum!
Healthy smoothie for the food intolerant
1 cup Almond milk (or rice milk with no additives)
2 tablespoons pure 100% maple syrup (NOT maple flavored syrup)
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 a mango flesh, peel and stone removed (if can have fruit that is moderate in salicylates)
1 pear, peeled & cored
1 teaspoon Lecithin granules (unbleached and from Soy)
10 raw cashews (optional)
1 cup ice
Put it all in a blender, blend and drink immediately. Yum!
Facts about your healthy smoothie ingredients and places to buy them
You can find some of the healthy smoothie ingredients used here, in the following places listed below.
Where possible buy fresh and keep in mind that if you cannot find it at your local grocer then it should be at a health food store.
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- Flaxseed Oil and UDO’s Oil is stored in the refrigerated section of a grocer. Both have a slight nutty taste and is also great to use in your salad dressings.
- These are not oils you cook with. 100% unrefined, organic flaxseed oil naturally contains small quantities of lecithin, waxes, vitamin E, caretenoids and saturated fats.
- It is best known for containing Omega 9, Omega 6, Omega 3, stearic and palmitic and has huge health benefits.
- Acai Freeze Dried Powder can be found at health food or organic stores.
- Almond milk tends to come in a UHT pack and found on the shelf at your grocer or you can make y0ur own. A great alternative for those who suffer from lactose intolerance or if you suffer from food intolerance symptoms.
If you are using soy milk, you should always check the pack as often sugars and additives are added to this product. Soy milk can be found in the refrigerated section or on the shelf in a UHT pack as can rice milk.
- 100% pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is great for those that suffer from food intolerance symptoms because it has low naturally occurring chemicals. It’s a great sweetener with its own health benefits and a great alternative to processed sugar which, even though is recommended for use for those who do suffer from food intolerance, is not good for your general health.
- Agave is a natural sweetener and a great one to add instead of processed sugar. Not always easy to find, you can purchase some here: Agave.
- Unrefined, virgin, cold pressed coconut oil is the only coconut oil that is beneficial for you.
- Raw honey means that it has not been heat treated. You need to read the jar carefully to find this out. Found more so at a health food shop than a grocer. For other healthy ingredients you can get some Great Prices by clicking here
- Raw cashews should be fairly easy to come by. Even better if you can source them locally.
- Raw apple cider vinegar is one of the most amazing healing products. It is especially good for those suffering from food intolerance symptoms where leaky gut is a problem. I highly recommend Raw apple cider vinegar to anyone looking to improve their health.
- Lecithin granules are readily available at most supermarkets. Look for unbleached and as natural as possible.
- Unrefined sea salt, should be used in moderation as salt occurs naturally in some foods.
The other ingredients listed for your healthy smoothie recipes should be easy to obtain. If not, send me an email and I’ll assist where needed.
Another important point is that children like things jazzed up and it helps to get them to try new things.
So, put the smoothie in a nice milk shake cup, slot a piece of fruit on the lip of the cup, add a straw and serve it up at the same time that you drink yours.
I know someone that calls her green smoothie a Shrek drink so feel free to give it a name. Here are some suggestions. Popeye Power, Angelina Ballerina Blend, Ben 10 power puss, Miffy Magic, The Magician’s frog Potion.
I am sure you can think of some more funny ones for your healthy smoothies.
Keep it fun and inviting and you will have a greater chance of your children trying these fantastic, nutritious health smoothies. Bottoms up!
Your News On Food brought to you by Eileen Baudinette Food and Health Commentator. © 2009 – 2022 thenewsonfood.com ———————–Disclaimer:
I’m no medical expert and information contained on this blog is written through my own experience. Please consult an appropriate professional about your situation.
Sean Rasmussen says
Can’t wait for a Green Smoothie now 😉
Thanks Eileen!
Eileen Baudinette says
Thanks for your comment Sean and hope you will chose to try one. You should get your kids into this and especially get them to watch this You Tube video as it shows kids making one. http://bit.ly/GreenSmoothie
Jazz Salinger says
Hi,
I love your recipes for healthy smoothies. They look delicious. I can’t wait to try them.
Have a great day,
Jazz
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Jazz,
Thank you for your comment. Once you start having these, you start to crave them and you will also notice an increase in the amount of energy you have. Don’t forget to increase your water intake too. 🙂
Jan Littlehales says
Great looking site Eileen with valuable information. Jan
Eileen Baudinette says
Thanks Jan,
Check back regularly as there is more good stuff coming soon. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Lina Nguyen says
Yummy!!! I feel healthier just reading this!! Love the smoothie names for kids – very funny! LOL! Thanks for the ideas and the time you put in to teaching us something new.
Lina
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Lina,
Glad you found something on my blog to smile about. Happiness, the ability to smile and laugh is just as important as a green smoothie. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Lina Nguyen says
Hi Eileen
I was thinking about your green smoothie on the way to work today (Isn’t that funny? Didn’t Sean say that could happen, that people would just think of your blog?). I was thinking that you could do a Green Xmas drink at Xmas time. You could put red cherries or strawberries on top of them and leave them under the tree for Santa! I know, what about the Reindeer Energy drink!!! LOL!!!
Lina
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Lina,
You have a very inventive mind and it will serve you well. The Reindeer are well taken care of with carrots at our house which, if you know anything about the doctrine of signatures, you’ll understand that the carrots are good for eye sight which reindeer need at night to see with all the travelling they do. 😉 If you cut a carrot open, you will see it looks like the eye. So many foods correspond with parts of the body and how they assist that part of the body to function. I’ll do a post on that another time. Thanks for your comment and I hope you will try to make up your own smoothie. Watch the video I’ve provided as it is a good start. Thanks again Lina.
Renee says
Hi Eileen,
tks a lot for this post – I never thought about adding green stuff to a smoothie. And I just had an allergie test re-done and have to stay of cow milk for the next couple of weeks 🙁
So now I am having a green smoothie every day, with water instead of milk, and I LOVE them.
Tks heaps for introducing me to this delicous way of eating greens 🙂
Renee
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Wealth Creation – What is Wealth? =-.
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Renee,
Glad to be of assistance and hope nothing too dramatic showed up in your allergy test. Email me if you want further advice.
Sometimes using raw milk has much better health benefits than anything that is processed. Also, a great alternative is to purchase the UHT almond milk off the shelf. Rice milk can also be substituted and Aussie Dream is usually a better brand.
If you keep adding “green stuff” 🙂 to your smoothies you will start to notice a difference in your energy levels. Cos lettuce, parsley, mint, spinach, silverbeet…they are all good in various quantities.
Good luck with it 🙂
Eileen.
Doug says
Veggie smoothies are very nice. Most people like to only think about fruit smooties, but finding and trying a nice green smootie can be really good and healthful.
.-= Doug´s last blog ..Cooking Frozen Corn on the Cob on the Grill =-.
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Doug,
Thanks for posting a comment. I always like to hear from people who have had a read of my blog. Yes, that is very true that we think sweet when we think smoothie. This is a great book for getting started as it is packed with recipes of all kind. Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health I highly recommend it.
I love my greens! (I am sure my Mum is now pleased to hear that after all these years!)
Regards, Eileen.
Mason Adams says
i also have lactose intolerance that is why i always avoid dairy products.,~:
Eileen Baudinette says
HI Mason,
Thanks for your comment and sorry to hear that you suffer from lactose intolerance. I will be writing an article on this in the future so follow me on twitter to get my updates on articles. Shorter term, you might like to look further into fasting and then introducing raw dairy in very small amounts to start. I am also going to be doing an article on fasting very, very soon. Stay tuned for more info. 🙂
Regards, Eileen.
Ginette Glosson says
Love Shrek movies, super animation film.
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Ginette,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy to hear other creative smoothie names. 🙂
Regards, Eileen.
Bobby says
How essential is having a Vitamix blender for making these kinds of smoothies (which looks delicious btw :)? I was looking at them and I found them to be rather pricey.
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Bobby,
It is true that a Vitamix is not cheap but most raw foodies will tell you how much they love their vitamix. It is a case of “you get what you pay for” and there has been some discussion on the way various blenders work and the impact of this on the food that is blended during the blending process. You can compare some prices here: Vitamix“>”>
If you would like some great recipes on green smoothies then I highly recommend this book that I use at home: Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health“>”>
Thanks for your comment and hope to see you back here again soon. 🙂
Regards, Eileen.
Julia Anderson says
Hi, Eileen! I made green smoothie today and it’s so delicious. Even my husband loves it so much. We are planning on going sans-dairy too if we can manage, so I will try making the healthy smoothie for food intolerant.
Thanks you for sharing these recipes.
Julia Anderson�´s last blog post ..The Benefits of a Brainstorm
Eileen Baudinette says
Hi Julia,
It thrills me that both you and your husband have tried a green smoothie. If you really want to take the next step then read my article on Green Smoothies here
I’d love to hear back about your progress and how these impact the good of your health.
Stay well! Eileen.