The ultimate smoothie
BOSSED any challenges recently? How has the challenge of life worked out for you this last seven days? I think it would be beneficial to start this week’s article with a recap from last week’s so here is the overview:
C – Choices
H – Happiness
A – Action
L – Long Term
L – Luck creating environment
E – Energy
N – Negativity Busting
G – Gains
E – Excitement
You need to take all the parts of the word CHALLENGE above to really boss your life and really boss your future. If you want some more clarification then I suggest you get in contact with me and I will be happy to get you booked in for a CHALLENGE call…what have you got to lose?
Now on to this week’s content… The ultimate smoothie.
Now I have been asked many times over the last few weeks and months about what I put in my smoothie each day so I thought this week I would let you know. Just like there is NO perfect diet and training programme there is also NO perfect smoothie. However I do like to tick various boxes when it comes to my morning smoothie and they are:
Water
Vegetables
Fruit
Fats
Protein
Thickener
The Kick
There are so many smoothie recipe books out there, most copy and pasted from all the other recipe books out there so I am not going to just give you a load of different recipes but I do want to clarify why I believe the above points need to be adhered to so here you go:
Why water?
I believe you need to be hydrated every single day so what better way to start the day than with a hydration packed smoothie. I normally add around 200mls of water and this keeps it very drinkable and also contributes towards my three litres of water per day.
Why vegetables?
I believe by now you will understand that I feel vegetables are an important part to any intake strategy but smoothies make it very easy to get some in and quickly. The benefits are endless but one big one is the amount of nutrients they contain. I always add spinach and kale to mine and this week I have been throwing in beetroot too. I feel this gives it even more nutritional power.
Why fruit?
Just like vegetables, fruit is packed with nutritional properties and I always feel healthier when I add more fruit into my diet. Aim for lots of colours and definitely some high powered ones such as berries and avocado. You have to watch the added calories sometimes but when it comes to health it is all about what you put in rather than what you take out. I normally have some grapes, a banana, and some frozen berries and just this week I have added in some frozen pomegranate too… lovely.
Why fats?
Yes we know fats add calories.
Yes we know too much fat is bad for you. Yes we know if we don’t control our food intake we will put on weight but…
The benefits of fats are huge…
I will cover this over the next few weeks but I always have some healthy fats in my smoothie. These normally come from Avocado, natural yoghurt (the low sugar form), nuts and seeds.
Get those seeds in your diet, this one simple addition will dramatically improve your health TRUST ME.
Why protein?
I covered some time ago the meaning of Protein. The word PROTEIN comes from the Greek word “proteos”, meaning the first one or the most important one. Protein has so many benefits but for me it is all about protecting lean muscle and restoration of cells. A lot of smoothies ignore this valuable macro nutrient; make sure you don’t.
Generally in my opinion, protein is less important when in a calorie surplus but so so important when in a deficit or training harder than normal (such as when smashing it before the summer, JUST SAYING.) I get my protein from natural yoghurt or I add some protein powder in, it is all about personal preference.
Why thickener?
This is all about personal preference. If you like a bit more thickness then add some yoghurt or more spinach into the mix. If you don’t like it thick and prefer it like a juiced drink then add more water and watch out for too much frozen fruit.
Why THE KICK?
OK, so there is nothing blander than a boring smoothie with nothing in it.
The easiest way to add a kick is to add a high tasting fruit that is really overpowering.
I normally do this with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, kiwi, and pineapple and so on. Again it all comes down to your own preferences.
If there was a quote to end this article on it would be this:
“Just turn your back to the wind and give it a go”.
Or: “If you never try then you’ll never know”. Or: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”.
What I am trying to say is just give it a go and see what happens. I have made some amazing smoothies before and also some absolutely horrific ones.
Like anything I just like to experiment and see what I like. What’s the worst that will happen?
This week I am going to buy a fruit I have never tried before and see if I like it. I will let you know next week how it goes. Your homework this week is to experiment and get some high powered smoothies in your diet. Go out and buy lots of different ingredients and have a play around.
Remember LIFE is a CHALLENGE… what are you going to do about it?
Have a great week and see you again next Thursday.