A Smoothie Shield

It seems to be a law of nature that making good food choices is inherently difficult. Almost universally, we'd rather eat junk that doesn't nourish our bodies, rather than good nutritious food. Snacks laden with sugar and sodium make excellent therapy to help cope with a global pandemic (along with discount box wine, yikes). The choice between fresh food that supports good health, and junk food that very temporarily provides intense joy while damaging health has never been harder than now. We are all spending a lot more time at home, sheltering in place. It seems that the Doritos will never stop being on sale, and last time I checked they still tasted better than salad. 

Does this mean we must all accept our fate and continually make deplorable food choices? NO! We do have the power to make good choices. Blake and I have been learning during this pandemic, good choices breed good choices. The more healthy habits you create, the easier it is to continue them and make more changes to live healthier. While we have eaten more Doritos than we care to admit during lockdown, we've also enjoyed taking advantage of this time to reset our food choices to align more closely with our values. We've been eating a salad nearly every day. We've enjoyed many vegetarian and some vegan meals. In an effort to reduce food waste we've gotten quite adept at adding vegetables to meals to use them before they rot. Overall, we are thankful for this reset, and feel it's starting to become a new healthier lifestyle.

One tool we've used consistently for more than a year to help make healthy food choices more convenient is a homemade smoothie. We enjoy a smoothie each day, sometimes as breakfast and others as a heavy snack. The consistency of this food staple creates simplicity and helps reduce the chances of making a bad food choice. We've made the choice easier by removing the opportunity for choice. 

Our smoothie is LOADED with nutritious goodies like Kale, Almonds, Chia Seeds, Carrots, and more! It's just tasty enough that we never get tired of it, but packs a heavy dose of skin building, immunity boosting, allergy fighting goodness! Kale and Carrots are loaded with beta carotene which your body uses to produce Vitamin A (Retinol), a building block for plump, firm, and beautiful skin! Adding these foods to your diet is like drinking a delicious night cream. You can take advantage of these foods to create a holistic skincare plan, supporting your goals inside and out! 

Each ingredient we include is intentional, and helps support a healthy body. There is no fluff in our smoothie. In fact here's the full ingredient list.

We use these proportions and split the smoothie in half for two adults. You can adjust to fit your needs!

• 1 Ripe Banana - boosts collagen production (yes!!), contains anti-oxidants
• 1 Inch Ginger Root - treats indigestion, lowers blood sugar, reduces inflammation
• 1 Medium Carrot - contains loads of Vitamin A, improves skin, improves vision
• 1 Cup Packed Kale - contains double your daily Vitamin A needs, improves gut health, great for heart health!
• 1 Cup Almond Milk - high in calcium, low calorie, dairy-free, provides a nice base for the smoothie (adjust quantity to achieve desired consistency)
• 1 Handful Almonds - reduces hunger, contains healthy fats to help body digest other nutrients, vitamin E
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds - omega 3 fatty acids, tons of fiber, includes iron and calcium
• 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon - massive disease fighter! antioxidants galor!
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries - natural energy boost! antioxidants galor! boost mood and brain function
• Water - along with the almond milk, adjust to create overall desired consistency

The best part about this smoothie is you can completely customize it to fit your needs and goals. You can increase the amount of nuts if you need more calories, or reduce them to focus on weight loss. Your favorite frozen fruit can be subbed for the blueberries. You can add Turmeric Root and Black Pepper to increase the anti-inflammatory properties. We wanted to share this less as a recipe and more as a template. Take this as inspiration to create your own custom daily smoothie. Google is your friend and can help you make sure the ingredients you include have been proven to help you reach your goals! 

If you want to be mildly entertained, I recorded a video of me making our daily smoothie and talking through each ingredient. You can check it out on our Youtube Channel!

Please feel free to let us know your smoothie tips and tricks! Our smoothie is constantly evolving as our tastes change and as we learn more. We have incorporated so many ideas from friends along the way. 

Stay safe, until next time! 

-Ben