Whether you’re a morning smoothie drinker or use them as snacks or meal replacements, smoothies are an excellent opportunity to use food as your medicine and fulfill an abundance of vitamin and mineral requirements for your body and mind.
We’ve listed out the essential components below so that you can mix and match.
Start with your base of 1 -1.5 cups of one of the following:
Unsweetened almond milk (without carageenan, if possible)
Unsweetened hemp milk
Coconut water
If you’ve been following our work for any length of time, then you know we are not a proponent of non-fermented soy in any way. That means whatever you do, please do not use soy milk.
If you want to know more about why that is, you can watch The Dangers of Non Fermented Soy episode.
Now that you have your base, here are your five essential components.
1: Protein
This is one of the most important ingredients and yet so often at many smoothie bars when they mix up a blender full of fruit and ice, this can be the one ingredient that is most overlooked. Protein provides the amino acids that are an essential part of all living organisms. We cannot be healthy or heal when we are lacking in protein.
Dr. Alan Christianson NMD,, in his book The Adrenal Reset Diet informs us that having 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning is essential to resetting our circadian rhythm, assisting our energy levels throughout the day, and helping us to sleep soundly at night.
For years, we have been recommending to consume protein within one hour of waking for hormonal and weight balance. This simple adjustment has had great positive effects on their mood and energy levels, as well as their weight.
Your best choices for protein are below.
Grassfed Whey Protein – Fit365
Hormone and Antibiotic Free Whey – Jay Robb
Tera’s Whey Goat protein
Vital Proteins Collagen
Designs for Health Beef Protein
Nutiva’s Hemp Protein (plant-based)
If your protein comes from an animal source, it’s crucially important that they come from animals that were raised without hormones or antibiotics and that preferably ate grass or were pasture-raised.
Note: we did not include brown rice or pea protein in the options above, because we recommend not combining fruit with starch for optimal digestion.
If you would like to use brown rice or pea protein, and want to add fruit, then we recommend using an unripe green banana. The brown rice or pea protein, in this case, would count as both your protein and your carb.
2: Carbohydrate
We need carbohydrates to feed our thyroid and adrenal glands and to keep the metabolism revved. The better fruit choices for your smoothie will always be organic berries because they are the lowest in sugar.
This can be any berry – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and even the acai berry.
If you are a banana lover like me, there’s no problem to add a ½ banana to your smoothie for creaminess (but remember if using a ripe banana, no rice or pea protein). It will also add potassium and vitamin B6 (another component that calms your mood and provides better sleep at night).
Better yet, use a green banana regardless of the protein type you’ve chosen.
They are lower in sugar and provide a powerful starch called resistant starch. This is a type of starch that is digested hours later by your good bacteria. It gives you the benefits of both soluble and insoluble fiber and creates little to no insulin response (unlike many other starches).
3: Healthy Fat
Having a healthy fat in your smoothie can leave you full hours longer than if you went without, plus it can protect your cells and feed your brain. All of the healthy fats we recommend below are also excellent for your digestive system.
Organic Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon
Coconut butter – 1 tablespoon
Ghee – 1 teaspoon
Avocado – ¼
Cacao Butter – 1 tablespoon
4: Fiber
Having enough fiber is an essential, food-based way to literally extend your life, because it’s the most natural, healthy way to eliminate toxins from the body on a daily basis.
New research suggests that due to our toxin exposure and all the excess estrogens we’re receiving, that a healthy body should be eliminating a whopping 2.2 pounds of toxins/day.
For that to happen (unless you sit in an infrared sauna for 40 minutes/day), you’re going to have to increase your dietary fiber to eliminate the majority of those toxins via the bowels.
If you’d like to read about or discover new ways to get fiber in your diet, you can read/watch my blog 3 Kinds of Fiber that Will Change Your Life.
Our three favorite choices for your smoothie are:
Add one tablespoon of any one of these to your smoothie and your body will thank you.
5: A Boost
Since you are already getting the blender or Vitamix out, why not maximize your nutrition by choosing a boost to flood your system with superfoods that nourish your cells?
Just a few of our favorites and regular go-to’s are:
Camu Camu powder (single best food-based source of vitamin C)
Bee pollen (to improve allergies and immunity)
Medicinal mushrooms (for your immune system)
Maca (for your hormones)
Goji Berries (for your immune system and your hormones)
Raw Chocolate (for magnesium and improved mood)
Real vanilla bean (for enhanced cognitive function)
Now we want to hear from you.
What’s your favorite smoothie to make? Share your recipe or the favorite components of your smoothie below so that all of our community can benefit from you healthy, deliciousness in the kitchen!
What is a good smoothie for weight loss.
Hi Danny – the smoothies and idea listed in this blog would be a healthy metabolism-boosting smoothie!
You’ve said before not to eat fruit with anything because of the way it’s digested so are smoothies an exception? Thank you!
Hi Kate! Eating fruits with grains or grain based protein powders can cause digestive upset so we recommend avoiding that combination.
What about drinking a smoothie instead of dinner? Is a smoothie best used as a in between snack?
Hi Theresa, When you’re smoothie is packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, carbs and fat you can definitely consider it a healthy meal replacement especially when you are on the go!
thank you for the response
what about adding greens, like spinach etc
Hi Theresa! Adding greens to your smoothie is a great idea and we recommend it.
Did I understand right that on the video you use one scoop protein (I thought a serving was two). And the smoothies are two servings?
hi, was woundering if pea protein is ok for the candida protocol
Hi Marta, Pea protein powder is ok to have on the candida cleanse. Just make sure not to combine it with any fruit because it violates proper food combining rules and will cause inflammation.
Looks like pea and rice protein do not contain starch. Many websites discuss this when I google “does pea/rice protein contain starch?” I have seen one pea protein powder by Dr Alan Christianson that lists pea starch on the ingredients so he must have decided not to separate the protein from the starch, which is reflected by the less concentrated protein and increased amount of powder required to obtain the same amount of protein compared to other brands (his: 23gm protein/60gm powder = 0.38gm/gm or 38% protein; Swanson’s: 16gm protein/20gm powder = 0.8 gm/gm or 80% protein).
Is there a brand of hemp milk and coconut milk that you recommend? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Liz, Avoid brands that are sweetened or contain carrageenan. Thank you!~ Stacey, TWJ Team Member.
Hi Christa, love all your amazing suggestions and I have been loving my morning smoothie. Is there anywhere to purchase The Whole Journey in paperback? I want to get it for my dad (he doesn’t use a computer).
Thank you for the great advice! Unfortunately I’m allergic to Almonds and Coconut (and their milks), so what would you suggest for a healthy fat? And I usually make my smoothies with Rice Milk, but good to know about the mixing with fruit!! I will use Hemp from now on 🙂
Hi Natalie Davies! You can try adding ghee, avocado or any nut butters you can tolerate to add healthy fats to your morning smoothie. Try using cashew milk or water since you want to avoid the rice milk. Have a great day!
I live in the mountains of Idaho and try to eat as locally and seasonally as possible. Do you have any suggestions for seasonal breakfast smoothies where the climate is cold and dry? Perhaps a warm smoothy in the fall and winter. Obviously there will be many “imports” on my ingredient list, but I just can’t justify frozen fruit (cold damp) in the winter.
Hi Cynthia, Sorry for the late reply but I just came across your post and I have a great idea for you. For a “warmer” type of smoothie try blending a banana, cinnamon and a scoop of canned pumpkin to your smoothie base and that will taste deliciously warm. Have a great day!
He took the collagen from the baby….lol!!!! 😉
What ingredients would you suggest for Sibo?
Hey Rita,
See me post below to Jan about resistant starch. This is starch that feeds your thyroid and metabolism, but not the bugs you are trying to eliminate.
I add greens and veggies like half of a beet, the same with: carrot, celery and persian cucumber. I also add a bit of raw ginger, cilantro, parsley, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, turmeric and homemade vanilla extract. All organic, of course 🙂
Sounds super healthy 🙂
If I add hemp protein powder, don’t add gelatin? Did I understand that right?
Also, I love goji berries, but they are all made in China ?
You can add both, Emma. 🙂 Too much comes from China these days – however Goji berries are native to China so in this particular instance, that makes sense.
On the AIP diet we need to eliminate seeds and nut butter. What to use to replace?
If you’re avoiding nuts and seeds, you can use 1/2 green banana as resistant starch in lieu of the chia or flax seeds. OR you can add cassava flour or raw, unmodified potato flour. If you do the last two, I’d suggest an avocado smoothie to avoid the improper food combining of other fruit.
Does the cassava flour need to be baked or cooked before adding it into the smoothie ingredients in the blender or the flour can be added directly from the packet? I use Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour. Thanks, Dave
Thanks for the smoothie ideas, I always enjoy switching my combinations up! I also like to add in some matcha green tea powder and goat’s milk kefir. I enjoy reading your posts 🙂 What are your thoughts on lucuma powder and mesquite powder as add ins?
Hi Nicole, I like Lucuma for sweetness if you need it, but haven’t yet gotten into mesquite powder. I will have to check it out!
Hi, thank you for the recommendations, it’s good to know my smoothie is nutritious 🙂
I use almond butter for fat and protein and plain greek yogurt for protein? I like the almond butter because I don’t get hungry. But I’m not sure if there is a good reason to eat the yogurt??? Also I add 1tsp of turmeric and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon? Plus Blueberries, almond milk & flaxseed.
What changes do you recommend. Thanks june
Hi June, as long as it’s organic grassfed yogurt and you digest it well, then you are getting good protein and probiotics so I’d keep it in from tim to time.