Habits for Health: A Smoothie a Day

There is a huge misconception in the health world that eschewing dieting means eschewing health, and that just because we’re choosing to say no to the restrictive mindset and enjoy all foods, that we only say yes to ‘junk food’ and never eat another stalk of broccoli again. This isn’t it at all; what intuitive eating does is create mindfulness around the foods we DO enjoy, and awareness around the foods we don’t; it helps us to make peace with food and become in tune with our body’s needs and natural hunger and satiety cues. No where does it say we should only eat chips all day! There might be a phase of that, if you’re in the early stages of working through fear foods and finding your balance without dieting- but most of us do enjoy foods that most would consider to be healthy foods and thus there becomes a natural balance of eating all types of foods. I don’t actually believe that (most) food is inherently healthy or unhealthy. Even some of the foods we think are the ‘healthiest’- like kale, for example, might not be the best choice for someone with a thyroid condition– or someone who doesn’t like kale! Stressing out and forcing yourself to eat something you don’t like isn’t going to improve your health. There is always a different option. However, it’s important to front-load our eating with foods that nourish us and provide essential nutrients. There are a few ways I help women find that balance of nourishing without restriction. One of them is this simple switch. 

You know the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,”? I’m a big fan of a green smoothie, instead. There is so much you can do with a green smoothie! They’re also super fast to make- which is ideal for busy mamas who often don’t have time to throw together a full meal. I drink a green smoothie for breakfast almost every single day, for a few reasons: 

1) They’re EASY. There isn’t much easier than throwing together a bunch of ingredients in a blender and pressing ‘start’- you can even have a dance party or wipe down the kitchen while it blends. 

2) They’re delicious. Most of the time, I really enjoy starting the day with something that tastes like a milkshake. Sometimes I like something more fruity. It’s easy to switch it up and still have that easy option. 

3) They’re packed with a balance of nutrients, so I have energy, I’m not starving at 10 am and I feel good throughout the day. 

Green smoothies, when made with the right combination of ingredients, not only provide the nutrients from greens or veggies, but the fiber and nutrients from fruit, healthy fats, protein and a liquid so it’s easy to drink down at home, after a workout or on the go (Please don’t tell me your meal replacement shake has all of those things). I also don’t recommend replacing multiple meals a day with smoothies- you body does need to chew and recognize meals are being eaten, but smoothies are an awesome quick breakfast, lunch or snack option packed with nutrients. 

 Yeah, that’s a green smoothie. 

So how do you go about making a balanced green smoothie? There are a lot of recipes on the internet, and some are great- some I find are very packed with fruit- which might not be the ideal choice if you’re looking to balance blood sugar as a whole meal.

I created the Healthy Mama Smoothie Formula to have a template for a smoothie that is balanced in all the major nutrients, and delicious, of course- because YOU create the combinations you enjoy the most. But it’s always nice to have some inspiration, right?? This December on Instagram + Facebook I am sharing The 12 Days of Smoothies, 12 of my favorite nutrient-packed, easy smoothie-meals, healthy mama style! 

You can get ALL of my favorite Healthy Mama Holiday Smoothies in one place as well as the full Healthy Mama Smoothie Formula in my FREE 12 Days of Smoothie e-book! Click below to download– this will only be available for free this month!