Smoothies can be a great way to nourish and hydrate yourself in the warmer months, especially when it’s so hot it can be hard to eat enough food for those who are spending a lot of time outside. Let’s break down how you can build your own nourishing smoothie. Please keep this information in context to yourself. I am listing a lot of options for possible ingredients. That is intentional. I want you to take what options feel best for you and choose those.

What makes up a nourishing smoothie:

1. Make sure it has a protein, fat, and carb source.
2. Add mineral boosting ingredients.
3. Use ingredients you enjoy.

Protein Ideas

• Greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Casein protein
• Whey protein
• Beef protein

You could use collagen or bone broth protein, but this isn’t technically a complete protein and I find doesn’t balance blood sugar as well as complete sources. You do you!

Fat Ideas

• Full fat dairy (if using regular milk–you could opt for a full fat source
• Coconut milk (full fat-this is my favorite since it makes it so creamy and delicious)
• Coconut flakes
• Coconut oil
• Avocado

Carb Ideas

• Any fruit!

Mineral Boosting Ingredients

• Brewer’s yeast: contains potassium, calcium, B vitamins
• Cacao: rich in magnesium and copper
• Coconut water powder: rich in potassium
• Black strap molasses: rich in potassium and other trace minerals
• Royal jelly/bee pollen: rich in B vitamins and copper
• Sea salt: rich in sodium
• Frozen kelp: iodine and sodium (I typically don’t add sea salt if I’m using this since it will taste salty already)
• ​Dr. Cowan’s powders provide an abundance of minerals and vitamins as well as antioxidants.

Basic Mineral Rich Smoothie

Here is a basic mineral-rich smoothie recipe. You do not need all of these. I put certain ingredients as optional but you will still have the essential base there.

• ½ cup frozen banana (about 15g carbs)
• 1/2 cup frozen mango (about 15g carbs)
• 1 1/4 serving whey/casein protein/beef protein (I typically end up doing 1 ¼ scoop to get about 31g of protein)
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• Handful spinach/greens/broccoli sprouts or Dr. Cowan’s Garden low oxalate greens powder​
• 1 tbsp Brewer’s yeast (optional)
• 1 tsp royal jelly/bee pollen (optional)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup liquid (your choice–if I’m doing full fat coconut milk, I do ¼ cup of that and then ½ cup water+ until I reach my desired consistency)

Smoothies and Blood Sugar

I’ve seen a lot of posts on Instagram bashing smoothies and calling them blood sugar bombs. This is a very generalized statement and creates unnecessary food fear. Are smoothies a good fit for everyone? Maybe not but there are ways to mitigate blood sugar spikes. One thing to keep in mind with smoothies is that since they are liquid, you will absorb the nutrients faster than if we were chewing a meal. This is why you want to make sure you have enough protein in your smoothie. If you have a history of blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, PCOS, or typically eat low carb, I would consider using more of a 1:1 ratio for protein and carbs in your smoothie rather than more carbs than protein or even less. For example, if you’re having 30g of protein from a protein powder, aim for 30g or less of carbs. The recipe above has about 30-35g of carbs and 31g of protein. If you typically eat lower carb or are worried about your blood sugar, swap out the frozen banana and mango for 1/2 cup of frozen berries. This will cut the carbs in half but still taste great.

Want even more nourishing recipes! Check out my Nourishing Meal Guide.

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