A blood-sugar friendly smoothie to ramp up good health and energy this Spring. 💚
Okay friends, time to be real. I'm working on improving my blood-sugar health. One awesome resource I have is a continuous glucose monitor, which gives me a glucose reading every 5 minutes. I've been learning so much valuable information about how foods (and in what order I eat them) affect my blood sugar.
I know I'm not the only one who cares about staying healthy into old age - avoiding things like diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. So this recipe is for YOU - the ones who want to choose foods for vibrant health so you can feel your best throughout your life.
Mindful Metabolism Smoothie
Get Your Ingredients
Everything in this smoothie is super easy to get in your fridge and pantry. Hop on down below the recipe to read what's so awesome about the key ingredients.
1 cup of your favorite fresh greens
1 inch chunk of fresh, peeled ginger
½-1 cup brewed green tea, cooled
½ large grapefruit, peeled & seeded
½ cup frozen pineapple
½ cup zucchini
¼-½ ripe avocado
1 serving collagen powder
1 teaspoon moringa powder
pinch of cayenne (optional)
Let's make this smoothie!
Smoothies are fast and easy, which I'm a big fan of. Here's how I suggest you do it:
Blend your greens, ginger, celery and green tea first. This makes a difference!
Now add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.
Enjoy in a tall smoothie glass.
Pro tip: The ginger in this smoothie makes it more digestible. You can also blend until it's room temp and that will increase ease of digestibility as well. Another option is to add a few digestive enzymes when blending. I like Bioptimizers Masszymes (nope, I'm not affiliated) - this is also a great way to make any smoothie much easier to digest.
Ginger is a warming, Spring-friendly herb that is a signature healing ingredient in Ayurvedic recipes. It's an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. It helps digestion and nausea and can even help with joint pain (analgesic). It will help to clear congestion, awaken the taste buds and stimulate metabolism.
Green tea has been shown in a new study from Ohio State University to lower fasting blood sugar and A1c (an average of 2-3 months blood sugar) while also decreasing gut inflammation. Green tea for the win, people!
Grapefruit improves fat metabolism, lowers cholesterol, and reduces insulin levels. Grapefruit also gives your metabolism a kick-start, increasing thyroid activity (if you're on thyroid meds, check with your doc). Some say the aroma of grapefruit supports a sense of self-love. It shines love on our minds and bodies. I find it to be a very clarifying flavor and aroma and a wonderful cleansing food.
Pineapple has excellent fiber and water content, helping to prevent constipation. It’s been used for centuries to prevent digestion issues and inflammation. It’s the only known source of the enzyme bromelain, which helps the body digest proteins, and reduces inflammatory immune cells, called cytokines, that damage the digestive tract lining. It’s delicious and its high fiber content makes it easier on blood sugar. P.S. the best frozen pineapple is hands down the ones you make yourself. Chop up a pineapple, lay the pieces flat on a cookie sheet, and freeze it. When frozen, place the pineapple pieces in a freezer ziploc bag for handy access.
Moringa is known as “The African Miracle Tree.” It’s prized for its extreme nutrient density and disease fighting ability. The protein quality in moringa is high, comparable to eggs, and contains 18 out of 20 amino acids. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that moringa improves glucose metabolism. It’s simple to add to smoothies to prevent blood sugar spikes and doesn’t have a super potent or bitter flavor like some green powders have. Get your moringa on! I like the brand Kuli Kuli which is the only one I've ever used.